《The Adventurer Reincarnated into Another World》


 1-Prologue Previous Edition

    Houtenma watched the people attending the funeral in the village''s meeting hall, sitting hunched over the coffin. But no one even bothered to look at Tenma, it looked a very strange sight, but only if there was someone who could see.


    The funeral was meant to send Tenma away. In other words, Tenma was invisible to the people, because he was a so-called ''ghost''.


    ''''How long do I have to stay here?''''


    There was no one to answer to Tenma''s murmur.........


    ''''Houtenma-kun, I''ve come to scout you.


    That was the first word that was spoken to Tenma, who had become a ghost.


    When I looked back at the unexpected response, there was a strange light standing there ... a humanoid figure.


    ''''It''s nice to meet you, wata ''hiyun'' o-wabunna!


    Hands? Tenma threw a nearby teacup at Hikaru, who was pointing something that looked like it at him.


    ''''Watch out! You.


    Hikaru, who tried to avoid it like a mamrix, was surprised, but did not seem particularly angry. However, Tenma didn''t let up and went to prepare to throw the nearby tea cup, and Hikaru, as expected, was in a hurry when he saw it.


    I''m not a stranger! Don''t throw those things! Because if you throw that thing, you might hit someone else next time! Listen to me!


    With Hikaru''s desperate persuasion, the second teacup was lowered. By the way, the first teacup flew out of the open window, so probably no one will be injured.


    What are you, then? Am I a ghost? Apparently, so I''m guessing you''re in the same boat.


    In response to Tenma''s question, Hikaru is the chest? and put up a


    ''How rude! I am God!


    Hearing this, Tenma slowly shook his arms and said, "I''m not kidding! It''s true! Just listen to me for now! I stopped.


    ''Just hear me out for now! Once again, I am the god of another world. Tenma-kun, I''ve come to scout you into my world.


    The words from the self-proclaimed god (laughs) startled Tenma and he froze.............but he immediately revived.


    ''Isn''t that awful? I mean, it''s coming back so fast! I thought it would be more confusing.


    "It was mostly a surprise when you existed here as a ghost, so for now I understand that you''re a god of another world and that you''re here to reincarnate me, I''m a hundred percent sure. So why did you call out to me?


    Of course it is - do you happen to be?


    Tenma shook his teacup, "That''s enough! I didn''t.


    It''s true that I came to this area by chance. It''s true that I came to this area by chance, but I saw a soul that seemed to be very much in tune with my world, so I called out to him.


    You know my name, don''t you?


    Yes.


    You said you wanted me to be a scout.


    Yes.


    You said you happened to be in the area and found me on the same wavelength.


    Yes.


    ''You didn''t just happen to know me for a while, did you?


    What makes you think that?


    It feels too good to be true. It''s more plausible that he killed me because he happened to find me on the same wavelength as him, and then contacted me as a ghost under the guise of coincidence.


    ....


    So, did you kill me?


    ''I wouldn''t do that! Don''t make fun of me!


    "! I''m sorry!


    Tenma couldn''t help but apologize to Hikaru, who claimed to be a god, for his cries, which seemed to be half crying. Hikaru lowered his voice.


    ''I owe you an apology, too, for I''ve known about you for a long time, but I didn''t kill you, I swear, I didn''t! I''ll be waiting for you until the end of your life.


    I thought I was looking out for you.


    When did that start so long ago?


    It''s been a long time since you were born.


    ''It''s been that long! But why did you care about me from another world so long ago?


    In response to Tenma''s question, Hikaru said


    In the world I live in, the world itself can suffer from something like a disease. When it gets this disease, the existence power, which is similar to the life force of everything that exists in that world, decreases, and in the worst case, the world itself can disappear. In order to prevent this from happening, the souls of other worlds are regularly sent to activate the ''power of existence''.


    If I was sent to another world as some kind of inoculation or something, what are my advantages and disadvantages?


    The only thing that''s a disadvantage is that you have to start from a baby as a reincarnation. I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do, but I''m going to tell you what to do. I''m going to give you the experience and abilities you''ve gained in this world if you wish, and I''ll also give you the ability to use magic that is only valid in this world for one time. It''s within the bounds of common sense, though.


    Thinking for a moment, Tenma.


    So, can you make the memories about me in this world fade?


    "...I can, but can I ask you why you''re doing it?


    ''Yeah, this village was getting depopulated and its population was shrinking and it was becoming a village full of old people, but everyone was working hard to increase the population, little by little, but they were succeeding.


    "Mmm-hmm.


    My grandfather and his friends were at the center of it all, and they loved me a lot, but seeing them here, they''re so depressed that they''re going to die tomorrow and I can''t bear to see them, so I want to do something about it.


    The light in that Tenma''s answer is the body? In a tearful voice, with a small tremor in the


    ''What a good boy! That''s how cheap it is. But why not turn it off completely?


    In response, Tenma, with a slight blush on his cheeks


    "You''ll miss me if I completely wipe out your memory...


    I muttered in a small voice, and Hikaru saw it and cried out? While


    Tenma-kun!


    He hugged me and I avoided him cleanly.


    ''It''s a terrible thing, but you need to leave this world to make that wish come true, so please touch my hand.''


    The light says that and the hand? And then he offered me a cup of tea, so I grabbed it.


    I have to go.


    The next moment, Tenma lost consciousness with a floating feeling.

 2-Prologue Different World Edition

    Are you awake? Tenma-kun.


    When Tenma woke up, there were ten lights standing there.


    ''Where am I?''


    One of the lights came closer to Tenma''s muttering and... no, he was pushed away by the other lights as he tried to come, and his face? He made a great sliding move from


    ''He''s a good boy! I''ve never seen a girl like this before!


    And to the feminine light that hugged me.


    I''m so glad she''s the one who came.


    And to the light (which also sounds feminine) that comes up to me in a voice that sounds like it''s smiling.


    I''ve never heard him say that before!


    And the light that slaps me on the back (kind of like an old man), the two lights that move away from me a little bit and look at my whole body, and the light that silently comes up to me and smells my body (is he a pervert or what?), and the light that twists and turns while touching my body (including my lower body) (he was the pervert! I was surrounded by a group of lights (I saved the important part) and feminine lights looking at me from behind and a light (only this one is blackish) looking at me fearfully from the side. When I was puzzled, the light that had been pushed away was


    ''''Everyone, get away from Mr. Tenma''s confusion!


    Hikaru and the others calmed down with those words, but


    I can''t judge who''s who because I don''t know what he looks like or what he looks like.


    And then it gets noisy again with a single voice from Tenma, and more


    ''''Oh, I forgot to make sure Tenma-kun could see us. Gomen~. Teehee.


    The light (probably the one that brought me here) that was being pushed away by the words of a few lights (probably the one that brought me here) was hit by a few lights? Yes, with a smile between them? There was a light coming from a light source, and it was right in front of my eyes. Go ahead and take a guess.


    Just hold still.


    And at the same time, I felt warm around my eyes.


    ''That''s enough~''


    After a minute or two, when my hand was removed, there stood in front of me a calm-looking beauty with a soft smile on her face. And she has big tits.


    Beside her, there is a beautiful woman with a slender figure and a light flirtatious look. It is probably the light that this beauty hugged.


    There is a well-built woman (like the landlady of an inn) and a tiny girl (about 10 years old looking) who is peeking out from behind the landlady.


    A little distance away, a boy of about 15 years old is getting beaten up by an octopus, the guy who''s beating him up is a muscular-looking man (an old man), a man wearing animal fur instead of a wolf-like animal... and a handsome man (seriously, he''s cool) but his movements are weird or suspicious! I see his eyes, and he''s winking at me and then he throws a kiss, that''s him! What a creep that was! I''m disappointed!


    After watching for a while, two men approached me, one a nice middle-aged, sober man and the other a wizard-like man with a deep hood.


    ''''Nice to meet you Tenma, I''m the God of Destruction. The hood over here is the God of Magic, nice to meet you.


    Hi.


    The nice middle, then the hood, came to greet me, followed by the ladies.


    ''Nice to meet you, Tenma, I''m the goddess of love! Nice to meet you!


    I''m playing the Earth Goddess - nice to meet you.


    I''m the goddess of life.


    I''m the grim reaper...


    In that order, a slender beauty, a calm beauty, the landlady of the inn, and Chimichko.


    Then the three of them came in, as if they were tired of being beaten up.


    Oh, I''m playing the god of skill! It''s nice to meet you, Tenma!


    And an old man who bashes me on the back. It''s quite painful.


    ''''.........I am a beast god........''''


    A wolf approaching from behind and sniffing... a man in a wolf''s fur, smelling him because he''s a wolf, I''m convinced... I can''t... I can''t! I''m a little scared you''re gonna get eaten!


    Hi, I''m Takehiko. Nice to meet you. Ma-chan! Mwah.


    Wild? A faggot of a faggot appeared. The gay man''s attack, "Throwing Kisses", Tenma dodged, wild? It''s a shame about the faggot in ........That was close~.


    ''Gosh! Once again, nice to meet you, Tenma, I''m the creator god who brought you here! Nice to meet you.


    A boy of about 15 years old called out to me, he has about 8 bumps on his head like you see in cartoons. ...It''s amazing in a way that he was beaten up by an octopus and had that many injuries.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s not a good idea to get a new one. In the meantime, someone please explain to me what''s going to happen now.


    ''Right, well, I''ll explain it to you then. You can sit on that first.


    The boy who claimed to be the God of Creation pointed to a chair and ten chairs appeared in a semicircle, one beside and the other surrounding the horse. The boy straightened his residence.


    ''Once again, nice to meet you, Tenma-kun, and welcome to our world, Phantasma, though we''re the only ones who know the name of the world.


    Can I ask you a question first?


    Come in.


    I waited for the Genesis God to answer and decided to ask him the thing that had been bothering me the most so far.


    ''I''ve heard of a god of what, but I haven''t been told his name yet.


    The God of Creation, after a scowl.


    Name? There''s no such thing, and if I had to guess, the name is something called a god.


    This time, this one was more scary.


    Isn''t that an inconvenience?


    He asked back, but the Creator God


    The name of a god changes constantly as times and rulers change, and I don''t want to take the name that humans give me as their own. It''s a bother.


    I''ll definitely leave it unspoken that the last one will be the real one.


    ''Well, aside from that, the first thing I want to say to you is that just because you''re reincarnated in this world doesn''t mean there''s anything I want you to do, because once you''re reincarnated, there''s no more reason for me to invite you here. You''re free to live your life. Well, as expected, we''ll be intervening if you end up destroying the world or going to the extent of killing,


    And I''m in a joking but not joking mood.


    ''Okay, I''ll keep that in mind,''


    ''It would be nice if you did, because when it comes to intervening, it''s a pain in the ass.


    That''s all I can say, God of Creation.


    ''What kind of cheat ability did you say you''d get?


    ''Yeah, first of all, it''s the classic ''appraisal''. It''s very useful. The other is the ''growth power enhancement'', which will increase the amount of all growth and experience and so on by almost 10 times compared to the amount that other people can get, and then the gods who like you will give you their blessings or cheat abilities. The gods here have decided to give it to you.


    What''s in it for me?


    Don''t tell anyone, but that''s a surprise when you''re born again. But you''ll be the first god to give me a gift from this many gods. Good for you.


    If this is your first time, has anyone else been in this world before?


    I am. There are about four to fifty of them. Well, some of them are not people, but dogs, cats, and even fish.


    "Fish...


    It was a Japanese carp, by the way. It was a Japanese carp, by the way. I think it was a huge carp called Namitaro, and it was over two meters long. It was caught soon after it was reincarnated.


    Poor thing.


    ''The humans were the most common, but some of them had bad personalities, and some of them didn''t get a blessing or a cheat from anyone, but I usually gave one or two cheats.


    That''s a lot to think about, thank you.


    You''re welcome, so let''s get started... Oh, and what about the memories of previous lives?


    Leave me alone.


    ''Okay, it''ll be over while you''re sleeping, and you''ll wake up and be reborn. And when I say reincarnation, I mean we''ll create your body so you won''t have any parents, and we''ll take you to someone who will raise you instead. Even in the worst case scenario, you''ll have your blessings and you''ll be able to manage.


    That''s pretty irresponsible, well, it''s about time you did.


    You''re ready! Well, I''ll try to find someone who looks as nice as possible. Then I''ll start. Tenma, I wish you a happy second life. Good night.


    Yeah, good night.


    After Tenma went to sleep.


    "Now, let''s give Tenma-kun some blessings and cheats from now on, I''ll give you ''Appraisal'' and ''Growth Enhancement'', as well as ''Creation Magic'' and ''Granting Magic'', and then ''Concealment'', and of course the blessings.


    I''ll put all my energy into my blessing. It''s the only way I can do it, though.


    "If the Goddess of Love blesses you, you''ll meet good people, so why not~ I''ll give you a blessing and the ''detection ability''~


    I''ll give you "vitality enhancement" and "resilience enhancement" and a blessing.


    "I''m thinking ''instant death resistance'' and ''abnormal effect resistance,'' without the blessing.


    I don''t think he''ll mind. I''m the one with the skill acquisition power and the blessing.


    I''ll give you ''All Magical Attributes'', ''Magic Enhancement'' and a blessing.


    "....I am Sensory Enhancement, Military Enhancement and Protection...


    "I''d say ''destructive resistance'', ''destructive enhancement'' and a blessing.


    I am...


    ""Do it diligently, do it diligently, do it diligently."


    What? - Guys, all right, all right, "My love!


    ""You have no idea."


    ''''I can''t help it - ''Hundred Martial Arts'', ''Physical Ability Enhancement'' and blessings. That should do it!


    For now, let''s take a look at your current abilities.


    Name....Houtian Horse


    Age...25.


    Race... human race.


    A title.... favorites of the gods.


    HP...15,000 (50000)


    MP...15,000 (50,000)


    Muscle strength...B-(S+)


    Defensive Power...B (SS)


    Speed...B (SS)


    Magic...C+ (S+)


    Mental Capacity...A (SSS-)


    Growth Potential...C (SSS)


    Luck...D-(B)


    Skills....swordsmanship 8, fighting 8, throwing 8, cooking 8, stick arts 7, patience 7, demolition 7, spear arts 6, traps 6, night eyes 6, archery 5, axe arts 4.


    Gift....Blessings of the gods 10, Appraisal 10, Concealment 10, Detection ability 10, Technology acquisition strength 10, Military strength 10, Growth strength 8, Life force 8, Recovery strength 8, Resistance to abnormal effects 8, Sensory strength 7, Physical strength 7, Destruction strength 5, Magic strength 5, Creation magic 5, Grant magic 5, Destruction resistance 5, instant death resistance 5, all magic attributes 5, and martial arts hyakusen 5


    "...I think I overdid this one.


    The other gods could only chuckle at the creation god''s mutterings.

 3-Chapter 1-1 Parents are done

    The sensation of the wind ruffling my body brought me to the surface of consciousness.


    ...Oh, I''m awake... and I can smell the grass and the earth on the wind, and I''m in the woods...


    The sound of leaves scraping and dancing as the wind blows through, the sound of birds'' wings as they try to take flight with the wind...


    I was about to let go of my consciousness once more with the comfort of it when I noticed something strange.


    (Smell! What is that smell? (Not even the smell of the beast... as if it hadn''t been bathed in years...)


    When Tenma decided to open his eyes, there was something dirty looking and humanoid looking at him with a smile on his face...


    (He''s smiling, but that''s his face, no matter how you look at it, he''s happy to have found his prey!


    The distance is about 30 meters or so, and the humanoid "something" is slowly approaching you, one step at a time.


    With 25 meters to go...Tenma tries to escape, but his body is too weak to stand up.


    With 20 meters to go...he tries to scream for help, but he can''t do it.


    15 meters to go... you look around for someone, but you don''t see anyone... and "something" is laughing at you.


    10 meters to go... the sheer size, ugliness, and fear of the thing is more likely to make you give up than cry.


    5 meters to go...something is laughing and raising a club like a log in its hand, Tenma closed his eyes tightly


    (Why did those gods leave me in the middle of this monster! Get to work! (What a horrible story about being born again and dying in minutes!


    While Tenma is swearing at the gods in his mind, the monster hasn''t stopped moving, the


    At this very moment the club is being swung down by the monster, there is a hum, thud, rumbling sound.


    When Tenma opened his eyes, he saw the monster with a thick arrow sticking out of the middle of his face.


    It''s a dangerous place, I didn''t expect to find a baby in a place like this. It''s a good thing I came to check on you just in case.


    An unfamiliar word came from behind Tenma.


    Then the owner of the voice lightly lifted Tenma up and held him in his arms as if he were relative to Tenma.


    Its identity was........a giant.


    ''Why were you here? Where''s Dad or Mom?


    The giant spoke to her in a gentle tone of voice, but Tenma couldn''t understand.


    ''Maybe she''s an abandoned child, poor thing... let''s take her to my village for now.


    The giant muttered something and put his bow back on his back and gently re-hugged Tenma gently. Tenma was in a mild panic, but since the giant didn''t seem to have any harm in mind, he decided to be quiet. ...Well, as long as he couldn''t move his body properly, it was also because he had no choice but to be quiet.


    It''s a meek boy, he doesn''t even cry out when he''s faced with a goblin. Maybe he''ll be a big shot in the future.


    The giant muttered in a slightly happy voice. As usual, Tenma had no idea what he was saying.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    We''re here. Oi~, is anyone there~


    When the giant shouted, a few straw giants gathered around.


    ''''Yo! You''re early, you said you''d be home at night, what''s going on?


    The male giant speaks to me, and the female giant who was following behind him noticed me.


    ''What''s wrong with that girl? She''s a lovely girl, but you didn''t kidnap her, did you?


    The female giant laughs as she holds me.


    ''Speak of a fool, I saved her from a goblin that was about to attack her in the forest. I searched the vicinity, but he was the only one I could find. Maybe it was an abandoned child, so I stopped hunting and turned back.


    The giants seemed to be talking to a female giant. In the meantime, Tenma watched as numerous giants gathered around it.


    (Come to think of it, you said that God would reincarnate them as babies... so that means they''re not giants, but normal humans.)


    As he was thinking about this, he saw something unfamiliar at the edge of his vision. Ears, not human ears to be exact, but the ears of a beast, that is, dog-like ears on a man''s head, not just on the man, but on a few of the people gathered together, with beast ears. Droopy dog ears, cat-like ears, etc.


    (Are there so-called ''beastly'' ones as well?)


    While Tenma was thinking about this, they were taken to the house of the person who had brought Tenma and a woman who looked like his wife, who must have agreed to talk to him.


    ''This is your home from today. Think of me as your mother.


    So I''m the father?


    Yes, she''s, um, what''s her name?


    Doesn''t the cloth you''ve wrapped it in have any sort of name on it?


    Wait a minute, hmmm, here it is! It says Temma-Otori.


    ''Maybe he had a surname, or maybe he was a nobleman, this boy''s parents. We still don''t know if he was abandoned or not, so we''ll raise him under this name, take care of him, Temma!


    Nice to meet you, Temma.


    As usual, Tenma couldn''t understand what he was saying, but at least he could see that these two were friendly and likely to raise him.


    (Would these two take the place of my parents? (I''d be happy if it was.)


    In his previous life, he lost his parents when he was very young, so Tenma, who had few memories of his parents, was a little grateful to the gods.

 4-Chapter 1-2

    Three years have passed since Tenma was picked up. By the way, the man who brought Tenma to me is named Ricardo. He is a hunter. His wife is Shelia, a former adventurer and a very capable man. There are many other former adventurers in this village.


    The population of the village is about 200 people, of which 150 are former adventurers. There are more than 150 former adventurers in the village. Although it is a small village, there is a large forest near the village where good medicinal herbs can be found, and the villagers, who are geographically savvy and former adventurers, make a profit by gathering their own medicinal herbs and guiding those who come looking for them.


    Tenma had recently been allowed to walk alone in the village. Until then, wherever he went, his mother (Shelia) followed him around and wouldn''t let go of his hand. She hadn''t allowed me to go to the forest alone yet, but I was still happy to be able to walk freely by myself.


    ''Oi, Temma, come here~''


    A villager who noticed Tenma called out to him. He seems to be returning from hunting with a few mountain birds on his shoulder.


    ''''Hello, Uncle Mark,''''


    ''Oh, hello there. Mirotenma, big game! I got five marbled birds.


    Maru bird is a tasty bird that isn''t very good at flying, but it''s quick on its feet and weighs about a kilogram or two.


    ''Well, Ricardo had a boar killed by three Maru birds, but they''ll be back in a few minutes, so we''ll be waiting for them to be ready for dismantling.


    This uncle Mark is also a former adventurer and seems to have known my father (Ricardo) since those days. While I''m waiting, he teaches me how to use the bow. I can''t pull a bow for adults, but I think I''ve accumulated a lot of experience. While I was handling the bow, my dad came over.


    Dad, you''re back. Big game.


    Tenma, I''m home. I''ll have my mom cook up a feast for you today!


    Dad was in a good mood and laughed as he took the boar out of the bag on his shoulder. The fact that a boar weighing nearly 200 kilograms comes out of the bag still makes me feel uncomfortable.


    ''''You''re still handy as ever, ''Magic Bag'', I envy you.


    Dad is worried by Uncle Mark''s words. It seems that this is the treasure he struggled to obtain when he was an adventurer, and that even the best wizards find it difficult to create. The effect is that it can hold up to 500 kg of non-living things (not including parasitic insects and microorganisms such as corpses and other dead things, or eggs that have a low level of life activity).


    It''s a handy tool, but I''m surprised it''s considered an intermediate level bag.


    As the owner, my father himself says, this world is divided into lower, intermediate, advanced, special, super, legendary, and divine levels, and this division also applies to magic.


    ''Did you hear about that, Ricardo? I hear Merlin''s old man is coming home soon.


    "You''re the old man from The Wise Man! I''ve never heard of it. You''ve been out of here for about ten years now.


    Who''s the old man from The Wise Man?


    Ricardo and Mark answered Tenma''s question with their mouths.


    ''''He''s a freak.''''


    The answer to your question is not in your head.


    He''s one of the most powerful wizards in history, but he''s also a bit of an oddball and used to live in this village.


    ''In the past, when demons flooded the dungeon, he went in bare-chested and alone and fought them off, or when he had an audience with the king, he wore nothing under his robes, or he walked around town in his underwear.


    When Tenma heard Ricardo''s story


    (Not a freak, but a naked pervert.)


    I thought.


    ''''Oh, I heard he had the ''Blessing of the Martial God'', which is rare for a later wizard.


    Tenma was a little convinced by Mark''s words.


    ''Well, never mind that, let''s take the boar apart and roast half of it and eat it together, Mark, light the fire, and Temma, get some of the neighbors over here.


    That''s all well and good, but I didn''t bring a flintlock with me today.


    ''It''s no use then, Mark will have to deal with the boar then. I''ll set it on fire with my magic.


    When Tenma heard this, he thought it was a good opportunity.


    ''Dad, I''d like to try setting fire to it, so teach me some magic.''


    I said, and Ricardo thought for a moment and agreed to teach me because it was the first step for magic.


    ''Okay, but there are a lot of people who can''t use magic, so don''t worry if you can''t do it, and even if you can, don''t use it without permission in the presence of adults, if you can keep this, I''ll teach you.''


    Okay! I promise!


    Ricardo nodded at the words and asked Mark to go call his neighbors.


    ''Look, first you need to calm your mind and put your finger close to where you want to light the fire, then you need to visualize the fire and make it into a word, ''Fire.''


    When Ricardo spoke, the fallen leaves he had collected were set on fire.


    ''It''s the only procedure, it''s simple magic. The important thing is to visualize the fire clearly, just do it.


    I put my fingers close to the fallen leaves, thinking that Ricardo''s teachings were pretty simple.


    ''Fire!''


    The moment he chanted, the fallen leaves caught fire at once and a small explosion occurred. The unexpected event caused Tenma to roll backwards. Ricardo was also surprised and froze, but he quickly checked the area and picked Tenma up.


    ''''Tenma! Are you okay!


    Ricardo hurriedly checked, but was relieved because fortunately Tenma was not injured. Shelia, who had been on her way when Mark called her there, also rushed over to him in a hurry.


    ''''Tenma! What''s happening! No injuries!


    Ricardo was explaining the situation to the flustered Ciria, but she was angry because she misunderstood that he had taught Tenma attack magic.


    Shelia, who grasped the situation through Ricardo''s desperate explanation and Tenma''s explanation, was reluctantly convinced.


    ''''For now, let''s talk about this in the evening and roast a boar for dinner.


    Okay.


    They rounded up once as far as Tenma''s magic was concerned and ate dinner with the gathered neighbors.


    That night, after making sure Tenma was asleep, Ricardo and Shelia had a discussion.


    I don''t think I''m ready to teach Temma magic just yet.


    Shelia insists that magic should not be taught until Tenma is a little older.


    Ricardo, on the contrary.


    I, on the other hand, think it''s better to be proactive about teaching magic.


    I disagreed.


    ''I think there are quite a few magical qualities lying dormant in Temma. And that''s to the point where magic that would normally cause burns becomes as powerful as offensive magic.


    That''s why I think it''s not safe to teach them when they''re older.


    ''''Shelia, I''m fully aware that you are far more powerful than me in terms of magic. But Temma will also exceed me at this point in time. And even your magic power will exceed Tenma''s in a few more years. I think I have that many qualities.


    What are you basing this on?


    That''s my gut feeling as a former adventurer.


    A hunch.


    Don''t you believe it?


    ''No, I believe you, because your instincts helped me so many times in the past, but...''


    ''I hate to tell you, Shelia, but Temma isn''t our real child, and we could have real parents tomorrow. They could be good, but they could also be bad. And when they do, they might see the qualities in you and use them against you, so you should teach her how to protect herself. If you''ve got a sharp knife, it''s better for Temma''s sake and ours if you teach him the basics, right under his nose, rather than having him use it on his own in a place he doesn''t know.


    Okay, okay.


    I''ll talk to Temma in the morning.


    Yeah, but I''m gonna sit on it for a while.


    ''Yeah, I''m going to start teaching you a little bit by teaching you how to move your body, whether it''s magic or martial arts, because at the very least you should know how to use your body.


    This is how Ricardo and Shelia decided on Tenma''s education policy.

 5-Chapter 1-3 Start Studying

    I was going to be taught magic from today. Mom looked a little complicated, but Dad was upbeat.


    ''I''m going to teach you many things from today, but just like the fire magic of yesterday, one mistake can be dangerous. So make sure you follow what your father and mother tell you to do.


    ''Magic is all about the basics, and for the time being, I''m going to focus on teaching you the basics from books. If you get bored in the middle of the course or fail to follow my instructions, your magical studies will end there, understand?


    ''Yes! Okay, Mom!


    Good.


    Mom nodded at my reply, smiling. I wondered what the first look on her face was when I saw it, but I interrupted my thoughts as Dad started talking.


    ''Dad is going to teach you how to use a bow and arrow, and how to use a knife, but it''s too dangerous and too early for Temma to use a real-world bow. So I think I''ll use a child''s bow, an arrow without an arrowhead for practice, and a carved wooden knife to teach him.


    Dad, go on.


    "But I just can''t teach you while you''re on a hunting trip. So, when you''re not there, you can ask your mother to teach you how to study, or you can walk around the village.


    I guess the point is that you should walk to build up your strength.


    "Yes, Dad!


    We were briefed in the morning and we were going to start studying magic in the afternoon, and Dad went out to make some preserves with the rest of yesterday''s boar.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one. I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do, but I''ll tell you what to do. So far, so good?


    Yeah!


    Yes, now the types of attributes. Basically, magic has eight attributes: ''Fire,'' ''Water,'' ''Earth,'' ''Wind,'' ''Thunder,'' ''Light,'' ''Darkness,'' and ''Nothingness.''


    So, when you say basic, is there anything that isn''t basic?


    Mom laughed at my question, like she was on to something good.


    "That''s right, the ''Time and Space Magic'' and ''Alchemy'' I mentioned earlier, but the light attribute is called the ''Holy'' or ''White'' attribute, the dark attribute is called the ''Dark'' or ''Black'' attribute, strong fire magic is called the ''Flame'' attribute, and among the water attributes, ice magic is sometimes called the ''Ice and Snow'' attribute.


    There''s a lot going on here.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work for you. There is also a theory that it is divided into these attributes.


    Whoever thought of that must have been very smart or unusual.


    What makes you think that?


    ''Because not many people think that deeply and difficult about what they normally use or see. That''s why they''re either very smart or very cynical.


    Shelia was taken aback by Tenma''s answer. Not just because of Tenma''s uncharacteristic three-year-old language, but also because she had guessed at the public''s assessment of the person who had espoused this theory. However, I decided that this was not the idea of a three-year-old boy, but rather someone from the village...even a priest or so, had told me about it while I was walking around the village. Of course, I didn''t listen to him so as not to dissuade him from pursuing Tenma.


    ''Well, Temma''s right. So, about the attributes, and I say basic because we don''t get to see much of anything other than those eight attributes, or to put it another way, you could call them the typical eight attributes.


    It''s not just a matter of time and space, it''s also a matter of ''flight'', ''levitation'' and ''gravity''. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but it''s not very useful and difficult to learn. It''s only used to separate water from laundry at best. It''s also easier to dry with wind magic~


    Unlike what I''ve read in the comics of my previous life, it seems to be less popular in this world now. But as for me, I''ve longed to be able to create various things in an instant just by putting my hands together, so I made up my mind to train for it in the future.


    After that, I continued to study magic until the evening while listening to my mother talk about the basics and her experiences as an adventurer from time to time.

 6-Chapter 1-4

    It''s been about six months since I started studying. In my studies with my mom, I''m still being taught the basic theory of magic. I''m still not allowed to actually use magic. Dad says he''s overprotective about it, but he doesn''t say it to Mom face to face. I''ve been trying to teach her magic in secret for a couple of months now, and I got screwed over a lot. That was the moment I saw the power dynamic between the two of them. My dad said.


    ''Don''t go against your mother! The right thing to do is to stop wasting your time and be quiet.


    And that was that. Aside from that, I don''t know if it''s because of that, but I feel like my studies with my dad have become a little less restrictive. Lately, I''ve even learned how to use a knife to judge simple prey. Then two shadows approached me.


    ''Are you doing well, Temma?''


    Are you keeping up with your studies? Temma.


    This is Uncle Mark and his wife, Aunt Martha.


    ''Hello, Uncle and Aunt Mark. I''m trying my best, but it''s difficult.


    We both laughed at me as I replied back.


    You''re three years old and you''re good at that.


    Yeah, I remember when I was Tenma''s age, I used to cry at the sight of blood.


    The two of them laughing. More and more villagers are coming to talk to me when I''m outside, like these two, asking my dad to teach me things. From what I''ve learned from these things, there are no children of my age in this village... or rather, there don''t seem to be any children themselves.


    The children of the villagers are all past the age of majority and most of them have left the village to become adventurers in larger towns.


    In this world, they are usually treated as adults after the age of 18, but in some cases they can start coming of age at age 15. Well, most of them are the children of nobles and great merchants.


    ''What''s wrong with Temma?''


    No, it''s nothing, Dad.


    There are three continents and many island nations in this world. This village is located in the Kingdom of Krastin, a nation on the largest of these continents, the continent of Urens. In this continent, there is the Duchy of Humble in the north of the kingdom, and the largest country on the continent, the Republic of Gilst, in the east, where the three countries have formed an alliance. In addition, there are several other small countries that have settled in the southeast. This village is located on the edge of the territory of the powerful "Count of the Frontier" of the "Krastin Kingdom". The name of the village is ''Kukri Village'' and the nearby forest is called ''Grand Old Man''s Forest''.


    ''''Temma?''''


    It''s okay, Dad.


    And this "Grand Old Man''s Forest" is very vast, and has an area almost the same size as the territory of Japan in the previous generation.


    It''s an uncivilized area with abundant resources, but the deeper you go into the forest, the stronger the monsters become, and three previous kings had tried several times to organize troops to capture it, but they had failed.


    You will be able to find some of the most powerful and powerful dungeons in the kingdom, but you will also be able to find some large dungeons in the kingdom, and you will be able to successfully rebuild your kingdom. Nowadays, there''s no need to poke around in the bushes and let out snakes, the soldiers who belong to the kingdom rarely come.


    "Temma, hey Temma!


    What, Dad?


    "You''re acting weird, mumbling something, are you sure you''re OK?


    Yeah, I''m just tired.


    Really? Then let''s take a little break.


    With that, he sat me down in the shade of a tree, and my dad moved away a bit to talk to my uncle and aunt. I activated my ''appraisal'' for the three of them.


    The name...Ricardo.


    Age...40.


    Race... human race.


    Titles... former first-rate adventurer and first-rate hunter.


    HP...18,000.


    MP...6000.


    Muscle strength... A


    Defensive Power...B+


    Speed...B+


    Magic... C+.


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth Potential...C


    Luck...A+.


    Skills....Archery 9, Demolition 8, Throwing 8, Fighting 7, Swordsmanship 7, Traps 7, Patience 7, Anomaly Resistance 7, Spearmanship 6, Axemanship 6, Fire Magic 5, Wind Magic 5, Water Magic 4, Cooking 3.


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Name...Mark.


    Age... 37.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Former adventurer and hunter


    HP... 7,000.


    MP...1000


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power...C-


    Speed...B


    Magic... D


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...C


    Luck...C


    Skills....throwing techniques 7, demolition 7, patience 6, archery 6, fighting 5, swordplay 5, anomaly resistance 5, traps 5, cooking 5, axe techniques 4, fire magic 4, wind magic 3.


    Name-- Martha.


    Age... 35.


    Race... human race.


    Title... housewife.


    HP... 3000.


    MP...500.


    Strength...D


    Defense...D


    Velocity...


    Magic... e


    Mental capacity... B+.


    Growth Potential...C


    Luck...C+.


    Skills....cooking 8, demolition 7, patience 6, anomaly resistance 4, fire magic 3, water magic 3, archery 3, traps 2, martial arts 2, axe techniques 2.


    And that''s what comes to mind. C is roughly the average ability value, the number next to the skill represents the level, the maximum is 10, 1-3 is beginner, 4-6 is intermediate, 7-8 is advanced, 9 is expert, and 10 is called superhuman. 5 is the average level here. However, these levels are only technical, and there are differences in power and effectiveness depending on physical ability and physical condition.


    (That''s pretty good for a father to be able to do.)


    Incidentally, Tenma''s current abilities are


    Name... the Temma-Otori.


    Age...3


    Race... human race.


    A title.


    HP...500


    MP...2000


    Strength...F-


    Defensive Power...F


    Velocity...


    Magic... C+.


    Mental capacity... c-.


    Growth Potential...S


    Luck... B


    Skills....throwing technique 3, cooking 3, night vision 3, patience 2, demolition 2, fire magic 2, traps 2, archery 2, swordsmanship 1, combat 1, spearmanship 1, stick 1, axe 1, all magic attributes 1 (6) (appraisal 10, detection 10, concealment 10, skill acquisition 10, household strength 10, growth 8, life force 8, recovery) (Strength enhancement 8, abnormal effect resistance 8, sensory enhancement 7, physical ability enhancement 7, destructive power enhancement 5, magical power enhancement 5, creation magic 5, granting magic 5, destruction resistance 5, instant death resistance 5, martial arts hyakusen 5)


    Gift...blessings of the gods


    The parentheses are the effect of concealment, which allows you to hide or tamper with any title, ability, or skill by the amount of your level. The reason why his abilities are low is probably because he is still small, and I expect him to grow up in the future.


    ''''Speaking of which, Mark, what happened to your wise old man?''''


    ''Come on, you''re a freak. Maybe you changed your mind halfway through and stopped to leave?


    Maybe.


    Tenma wasn''t too interested in what Ricardo and the others were talking about, but it hadn''t occurred to him yet that this wise man would later have a great effect on him.

 7-Chapter 1-5 The Sage Appears

    One day, four years after Tenma was picked up and one year after he began studying magic.


    ''Temma, your studies with books alone are over for today. Good job, tomorrow I''m going to start practicing elementary magic from the basics.


    And Temma, on forgiveness from Shelia.


    ''Really! Can I use magic? Yes!


    I was delighted.


    ''However! From now on, more than ever, you''re going to follow your mother''s orders, never use magic unnecessarily, and never give up on practice when things get hard, you understand.


    Yes!


    ''Tomorrow you and your father will go to the nearby river and practice there. So go to bed early today and get in shape.


    Yes?


    Tenma replied, but the joy and excitement of being able to use magic made it difficult for him to sleep.


    The next day, Tenma and his friends came to the river about ten minutes walk from the village in the morning.


    ''Good Tenma, I will teach you water magic first. Watch me, ''water''.


    Shelia put her hand in the slow flow of the river and said the words. Then a pillar of water stood about a meter from the river.


    ''Do you mind? That''s the foundation of water magic. We''ll start out slow and gradually work our way up to being able to maintain the water column even in fast flowing places, just do it.


    As Tenma was about to put his hand in the river, he felt a sudden gaze on him and turned around. At the same time, Ricardo turned around and was startled, too


    Ho-ho-ho, I guess he''s noticed. I didn''t mean to disturb you, but I''m sorry.


    About ten meters away from Ricardo and fifteen meters away from Tenma, a man wearing a black robe on his head was standing there before I knew it.


    When the man tried to approach, Ciria stood in front of Tenma as if to protect him, while Ricardo stepped back and pulled out a large knife from his waistband and stood between Tenma and the man.


    ''Who are you!''


    The man stopped and called out to Ricardo, who was wary of him, without seeming particularly bothered.


    "Don''t be so alarmed, Ricardo, have you forgotten me, Ciria?


    He looked out of his robe as he said.


    ''Merlin!''


    Uncle!


    The man laughed as the wrinkles in his face deepened at the fact that Ricardo called him Merlin and Shelia called him Uncle.


    ''Yes, that''s right, Merlin. If you understand, could you put the knife down, Ricardo?


    Oh, yeah, I''m sorry.


    And Ricardo put the knife back in its sheath at his waist. After seeing this, the man known as Merlin slowly walked up to him.


    It''s been a long time since we''ve seen each other.


    It''s been eleven years, Merlin.


    ''Yes, Uncle, I haven''t heard from you in years and I was worried about you!


    Merlin laughed at their words.


    I''m sorry. I was going to write to you, but I forgot all about it.


    He scratched his head.


    ''As usual, uncle,''


    ''Well, I''ve heard from the occasional traveller, so I knew he wasn''t dead.


    Merlin looked at Tenma, who was behind them as he said.


    ''''By the way, is this girl one of your two children? When did you have the baby, Shelia?


    He asked, making eye contact with Tenma.


    Ricardo took Merlin and whispered a bit away from Tenma and the others.


    ''Half right, half wrong, Merlin.


    What?


    ''This one was abandoned in the great old forest when he was a baby. I found him by accident while hunting, protected him, and adopted him.


    You''re right.


    Well, it''s a treasure for us now.


    Merlin smiled at Ricardo, who was laughing at him.


    He introduced himself again when they came back after the conversation was over.


    You must be Temma. Nice to meet you, I''m Merlin, Shelia''s uncle. I am Shelia''s uncle. I''m sometimes called ''The Wise Man'' by some people.


    Hearing the grandfather''s words with a chuckle, Tenma couldn''t help but think


    "The wise man, the wacko.


    I said. After I said it, I thought, "I''ve said it," but Merlin didn''t care.


    That''s what it''s called, isn''t it?


    I said quickly.


    ''I''m sorry, my name is Temma and I''m four years old.


    Oh, yeah, well, don''t worry about it. I''ve done enough to warrant being called a freak.


    He laughed.


    ''By the way, Shelia, what have you been up to?


    Yes, I was trying to teach Tenma the basics of magic.


    Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Show me the Tenma.


    Okay.


    Saying this, Tenma put his hand in the river and chanted, ''Water,'' and when he did so, there was a meter-long water column in front of him.


    ''Tenma that''s amazing, it''s amazing that you can pull it off in one go!


    ''Yeah, usually the water either doesn''t react or can''t hold its shape!


    They complimented each other, but Merlin had a grim look on his face.


    ''Temma, you have things to do before this practice. If you don''t, you could break your body.


    I said. Before Tenma and the others could say anything, Merlin continued


    Your magic power is too high for your age. So it''s better to practice controlling your magic power diligently before you do it.


    ''''But uncle, don''t you usually let your body learn to release some magic power before you start controlling it?''''


    Indeed, it''s said that it''s normal for children to get used to the sensation of releasing magic power from their bodies before they learn how to control it, but that''s only for children who have normal qualities.


    Temma is not a normal person.


    Merlin nodded at Ricardo''s words.


    The boy''s magic and strength are within reach of the best. But he''s still a child, and if he releases his magic power by mistake, he will lose control and go out of control. The result will be crippled at best, and at worst, the whole area will be engulfed in crumbling dust.


    Tenma and the others paled at Merlin''s words.


    ''''Then what should we do?''''


    Merlin, at the sound of Shelia''s voice, who was about to start crying


    In order to prevent this from happening, they must learn to control their magic by circulating it through their bodies without releasing it.


    Shelia calmed down a bit at Merlin''s words, but she realized that she couldn''t teach herself. Merlin saw how she was doing.


    What? Don''t worry. I''ll teach Tenma what to do. If he''s on the verge of losing control, I''m sure I can get him under control.


    Merlin patted Tenma''s head as he said this. His face was like a grandfather patting his grandson.


    ''''Merlin, take care of Tenma!


    Uncle, take care of the temma!


    Yes, I understand. Your children are like grandchildren to me. I''ll do my best. Do you want to be a good judge of that?


    Merlin will ask me that, but for now, there is no other way for Tenma to learn from Merlin, and the fact that he has direct guidance from the Sage is less dangerous and better than ever.


    Yes! Best regards!


    He replied cheerfully.

 8-Chapter 1-6 First genus

    It had been almost two years since I studied under my grandfather (Merlin). ...eh, don''t get caught up, even though he told me that, since he taught me how to control my magic power, I did the same thing every day, and there wasn''t anything particularly unusual about it. And the control method was easy.


    It goes something like this.


    1, go into the water and stand up straight and calm your mind.


    2, I imagine that there are circuits for magic to flow through the body.


    3. imagine that magic power flows through the circuit when you imagine it.


    4, If you feel lighter and warmer in every corner, it''s a success


    5. When you get used to it, you will be able to pass your magic power through anything you hold in your hand or wear.


    Above.


    If I imagined blood vessels and blood instead of circuits, I could do it in one shot. The rest of my life was just a matter of living with as much magical power through my body as possible almost every day. The only thing that was different about my studies was that I studied less with my mother and more with my grandfather.


    And so I grew up to be six years old. My dad is going to start teaching me how to hunt today. Well, I''ve been through it before in my past life.


    So now, Dad and I went out early in the morning to the Grand Old Man''s forest.


    "Dad, there''s a mallard behind that tree.


    Okay, I''m on it.


    Dad said and quickly released an arrow. The arrow hit the Maru bird in the neck and it fell on the spot.


    ''Great, Temma is already on her eighth bird. It''s not even noon yet.''


    But I missed three birds just by finding them.


    Still, it''s hard for even the most experienced archer to find prey at this pace. Your bow and arrow will improve from now on.


    (Well, if you just want to find it, it''s easy enough to combine appraisal and exploration.)


    Tenma muttered in his mind.


    ''Temma, we''re going to finish up for today, albeit much earlier than planned. We''ve exceeded the amount we had planned.''''


    Ricardo suggested. Just then, a sound came from the nearby bushes. The two men quickly moved away and drew their knives. What came out of the bushes was


    Slime, Temma, don''t worry, these are some of the weakest demons in the world.


    Ricardo, who had relaxed his guard slightly, said.


    ''Temma, this is your chance. Take this guy down.


    Tenma approaches the slime, slightly nervous at Ricardo''s suggestion. The slime stares at Tenma? They''re in there, step by step, closing the distance with just a few feet to go.


    Tenma experiences a strange sensation.


    (What, do I feel my consciousness being drawn to the slime?)


    Tenma stopped moving and put the knife back into its scabbard and approached the slime again.


    ''Temma! What the hell are you doing!


    Ricardo panicked and tried to jump on the slime, but Tenma controlled it with his hands.


    It''s okay, Dad, he''s not gonna hurt me.


    He said and reached for the slime. The slime approached with a trembling body and touched Tenma''s hand. At that time, Tenma clearly felt the sensation of something connecting between him and the slime.


    ''''Dad, I think I''ve missed you somehow!


    Ricardo looked at Tenma in amazement.


    Tenma, you had a talent for "taming" too?


    I said.


    ''What''s a ''training [tame]''?''


    The "taming" is a skill that allows you to tame a demon. You can even use them as your family members to fight demons.


    ''Wow, that sounds like fun (or is it just some kind of prehistoric monsters?)''


    ''Slime is a lowly demon, but it''s still amazing that you were able to use it.


    Do you think Mom and Grandpa will be surprised?


    ''I don''t know about Merlin, but my mother will be surprised. Maybe I should tell her about the slime first and then show her.


    Why? I''d like to surprise you by not telling you.


    If you''re not good, you might be too surprised and attack the slime.


    I don''t want that!


    ''I''ll show Merlin first, just in case he follows me, and then I''ll show my mom.


    ''Yes! I get it!


    Let''s get out of here.


    They walked to the village as they prepared to leave. Slime was held by Tenma and occasionally shivered happily.


    ''Merlin, are you there?''


    When they returned to the village, Tenma and the others went to Merlin''s house first and told him about the slime.


    I''m glad to see that you have a talent for "training". Now that I know about Shelia, I''ll go with you. I have something to tell you about the slime.


    After saying that, he headed to the house where Tenma and the others and Shelia were waiting.


    As expected, Shelia was surprised, but she listened to Tenma and the others and praised them.


    ''You did it, Tenma! It''s been a long time since I''ve successfully ''tamed'' someone in this village!


    Merlin said to Shelia, who complimented Tenma, "Merlin wants to talk to you," he moved to the table and made everyone sit down, the slime is on Tenma''s lap.


    ''Apparently, this slime seems to be able to use magic.


    Tenma and the others were surprised by the sudden words. Tenma used ''Appraisal'' to look into the slime.


    Name...?


    Age...1


    Species... slime.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP...500


    MP...500.


    Strength...E-


    Defensive power...


    Speed...


    Magic... C+.


    Mental strength...


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... B


    Skills....Anomaly Resistance 5, Patience 2, Martial Arts 1, Space-Time Magic 1


    And then it showed up. Obviously stronger than normal slimes, slimes should have roughly F- to F+ abilities.


    ''''Occasionally, higher ranking monsters are born as a result of mutation, and I suppose this slime is no different. Such individuals have high intelligence and many of them become strong.


    ''So this slime is a rare one then? Merlin.


    That''s right. A mutation is only a slime, and it''s normal for a slime to be killed before it grows strong. In that sense, it''s very unusual.


    And that''s why you came all the way down here?


    To Shelia''s question, Merlin looked at Tenma and Slime.


    That''s part of it, but the main reason has to do with the magic of Temma.


    Does this have something to do with my magic?


    Tenma tilted his head at Merlin''s unexpected words.


    ''''Well, Temma has been getting better at controlling his magic power lately, so I thought it was time to teach him some magic.


    What does that have to do with slime?


    Ricardo responded to Merlin''s words.


    ''Well, calm down a bit. I was going to use this at first.''


    Merlin took out a pebble-like object about two to three centimeters long from his pocket and placed it on the table.


    ''''This is an empty magic stone with no magic in it. What''s wrong with this?''''


    In response to Shelia''s question, Merlin said.


    I was going to fill it with magic to help them learn how to use it, but I wanted to give the slime some magic as well.


    The three listen to Merlin''s words. Merlin continues.


    You can''t put too much magic into a magical stone, it will break. It''s just perfect for training to release magic, and the fact that the slime that is part of your family is connected to your path makes it easier for you to exchange magic.


    What''s the ''pass'' in that, Grandpa?


    It''s like a circuit between you and your family. Some people call it a bond.


    But aren''t you in danger of channeling your magic into the slime, Grandpa?


    Tenma''s question was reasonable. If the first time he ''tamed'' a slime that he had ''trained'', and it exploded, it wouldn''t be surprising if he was traumatized.


    Don''t worry. Slimes are omnivorous by nature, but they can survive on water and magic alone. In fact, they could grow up to be strong by eating the magical power of Tenma, thus killing two birds with one stone.


    Tenma patted his chest at the words.


    ''''Shelia, if it''s an empty magic stone, I still have it at home, I''ll bring it back later. You can sell the magic stone with magic power to a peddler. You can use the money you sold to order a new empty magic stone.


    Thanks Uncle. But can I have the magic stone?


    Well, just think of it as a payment for all the meals you''ve given me.


    Shelia, who decided to take Merlin''s words without reservation, and then, as Ricardo reminded her


    ''Speaking of which, Temma, we need to give the slime a name. Wouldn''t it be awkward if it didn''t have a name forever?


    I said. Merlin and Shelia followed suit.


    Yes, Temma''s new family. Give her a good name.


    Well, you''ll have to name her, poor thing. But, Temma, you have to take care of him.


    But actually, Tenma had already decided on a name for the slime.


    ''This slime''s name will be ''Slurin''!


    Ever since Tenma had "tamed" the slime, the only thing that came to mind was the name of a slime from a certain RPG he had played in his past life. When the other three heard that, they


    It''s a bit cheesy just because it''s slime. Easy to remember, though.


    Oh, come on. It''s cute.


    Yes, Temma wears it. Besides, the slime himself seems to like it.


    Merlin was right, the slime seemed to be trembling and bouncing with joy. It looked as if it was dancing.


    ''''It''s good to see you from now on, Slurin.


    Tenma spoke softly to his new family member, the slime.

 9-Chapter 1-7

    It''s been two years since I tamed Slarin.


    These two years have been mainly spent studying magic under the guidance of my grandfather.


    As a result.


    Name... the Temma-Otori.


    Age...8


    Race... human race.


    Title: "Disciple of the Wise" and "Tamer of the Gods.


    HP... 11,000.


    MP...16900.


    Strength...C-


    Defensive Power...C


    Speed...C+


    Magical power...


    Mental capacity...A+.


    Growth Potential...SS-


    Luck... B


    Skills....magic manipulation 8, training 8, strengthening the household 8 (10) cooking 7, demolition 7, fire magic 6, water magic 6, wind magic 6, earth magic 6, light magic 6, granting magic 6, throwing techniques 6, night eyes 6, patience 6, traps 6, archery 6, martial arts 6, stick arts 6, lightning magic 5, dark magic 5, spacetime magic 5, swordsmanship 5, magic augmentation 5. Alchemy 5, spear technique 4, axe technique 4, all magic attributes 3 (7) (appraisal 10, detection ability 10, concealment 10, technology acquisition strength 10, growth strength 8, life force 8, recovery strength 8, abnormal effect resistance 8, sensory enhancement 7, physical ability 7, destructive power 5, creation magic 5, destruction resistance 5, instant death resistance 5, martial arts 100 general 5)


    Gift...blessings of the gods


    And I''ve grown as a whole. My grandpa endorsed that my current fighting ability would be able to beat my dad and mom. Dad was depressed when he heard that.


    More importantly, that I learned alchemy, this one was more important. Alchemy! Alchemy!


    Now you''ll be able to use alchemy just by putting your hands together, just like your brothers in steel and famous alchemists, just like them! In reality, it wasn''t that simple.........it''s Amma.......Amma......Amma.......Amma.....


    And, well, this is how I got depressed for a while. I couldn''t do it just by holding hands. My grandfather was appalled at me, he said I''d have to use a proper magic circle.


    Then it occurred to me, it was like a new human pilot of a famous robot, and I said, "Swoop! Like, "there", they said that even if the steel doesn''t work, the flame one would work, they could draw a magic circle on the glove like their bosses and use alchemy, and the result was... success!


    If you pass your magic through a glove with a magic circle on your palm, you can use it like those brothers... that''s an exaggeration, but you''ve learned to use it in its own way, I''m impressed!


    I also tried to make a ''magic bag'' after I learned spatio-temporal magic, but it was difficult as expected. After a lot of trial and error, I finally succeeded in making two of them, and I showed them to my grandfather, but the first one I made was called the Dimension Bag, which is an interdimensional bag.


    This "Dimension Bag" and the "Magic Bag" are similar, but their effects are a little different. The magic bag has a capacity determined by materials and technology, and uses space and time magic to expand and fix space and time, so food will not spoil and living things cannot enter the bag.


    On the other hand, if you put too much or not enough magic power into a Dimension Bag when making a Magic Bag, there are rare cases where neither space nor time is fixed. Those that are often seen are ordinary bags that are just a little larger than they look, so they are generally considered "failures".


    However, the failures I''ve made are as large as 50 meters square because I activated not only the space-time magic but also the creation magic when I put in the magic power.


    When I heard that from my grandfather, I only thought that I had made a convenient ''failure'', but he said that I should register a contractor with magic or add a defense function with granting magic, because there is a possibility of being targeted if I come this far.


    And well, it was like this, and lately I''ve been spending a lot of time exchanging ideas with my grandfather and trying out different types of magic.


    But nowadays I often see demons wandering out of the Grandfather''s forest and the number of people getting sick in the village has been increasing.


    I really hope it''s nothing. It is said that such a bad premonition is more likely to come true.

 10-Chapter 1-8 White Family

    This year, ten years after my reincarnation, I was finally allowed to enter the Grand Old Man''s Forest on my own. My father had said it was okay for me to enter the forest when I was eight years old, but my mother was adamantly opposed to it, so he postponed it until I was ten years old. However, he said he had to be home by evening.


    Therefore, I decided to learn ''flight'' magic during the two years from the age of eight.


    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any more of this stuff, so I''m going to have to make sure that I''m not going to have to worry about it.


    I''m going to use this flying spell to fly to the place where I''ve gone before, and from there I''m going to continue my search to gain experience.


    One day after I had spent half a year like this, I looked up a 10km radius around me in the "search" and found two large reactions at the edge of the search area.


    I appraised those reactions.


    His name... is Golden Fenrir.


    Gender...male


    Rank...A


    Species...


    His name... is Silverio Fenrir.


    Gender...female


    Rank...A


    Species...


    I answered. My current location is about 20 km from the village, and the demon is less than 30 km from the village. And it''s getting closer and closer to us. Even though it''s in the forest, a beast-shaped demon would be able to reach 30km in two hours.


    So I decided to approach it from above without it noticing me, hiding my presence as much as possible, thinking that even the worst case scenario would be to turn it away.


    After about 10 minutes of flying, I was able to find it, and I observed it from about 100 meters up in the sky, but both of them were blackened and somewhat sluggish. I met my eyes with one of them, perhaps because I was staring at it.


    I''m not sure if I should have set up a surprise attack and defeated it all at once, but I jumped out of the sky and tried to make a breakaway strategy with my magic.


    As I unleashed my ice magic ''Ice Lance'', I suddenly felt the same sensation as I did with Slarin.


    I hurriedly released the magic and descended behind a tree about 30 meters in front of the two wolves, ready to produce a barrier with magic at any time.


    I''m not sure if it''s my own blood or the return blood, but it seems to have been blackened by a lot of blood, as I found out when I approached, slowly approaching the tree as a shield, both of them were about four meters long.


    They seemed to be on guard, but did not seem to have any hostile intent.


    They looked at each other for nearly five minutes at a distance of about fifteen meters, and then, just as they were about to approach, they suddenly stood up and growled at their surroundings.


    I was surprised and tried to jump backwards to get some distance, but something jumped at me from the side with its mouth wide open at the landing spot.


    I''m going to be the first to say that I''m not going to be the only one. The true identity of the thing that was skewered is a B+ demon called the Dragon Snake.


    Not only is the dragon snake a B+ monster, it is also a B+ monster, which is not a good thing, as it often acts in packs of four to five to hunt its prey. Their danger level increases to A to A+ when they are plural. They are usually 7 to 8 meters long, and some of the larger ones can reach over 10 meters.


    Our search revealed that there are eight of them hiding around the perimeter, except for one that has been skewered to death. Even if you try to escape by flying, their leaping power using their entire bodies lightly exceeds 10 meters. If the timing is wrong, they''ll clobber you for defenselessness, and it''s better to take them out one by one while there are two wolves in the room than to let that happen. That is, if the wolves were willing to fight together.


    Thus began the brawl with the Dragon Snake''s intrusion.


    (Three for me and five for the wolves, or could this one get away?)


    But if Tenma escaped here, the wolves would be killed. More importantly, if the dragon snake wasn''t satisfied with the wolves, there was a risk that the worst thing that could happen was that they would attack the village.


    (What the hell, these demons would come to a shallow position in the forest!


    In the vast area of the Great Old Man''s Forest, this position, about 30km from the forest break, was still a shallow place, and usually only had about C-rank demons. Originally, A and B rank demons are rarely seen more than 100km away.


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    (What the hell are these guys?) Are you hesitating after seeing the magic you just returned with? (Or is there an agenda...)


    GANG!


    At that moment, the wolves'' screams came from behind Tenma. Tenma turned around and saw that the wolves were outnumbered. One of them had been hit by a body blow and had fallen down, while the other seemed to have bitten and crushed its way to the dragon snake''s head, but another individual had bitten its throat and was in a desperate state.


    The three animals that had surrounded Tenma seemed to see the moment that Tenma was concerned about the wolves as an opportunity to attack them all at once.


    ''''Don''t lick them!''''


    It is a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.


    The head and body parts of the three dragon snakes continued to move, perhaps not realizing that they had been cut, but Tenma left them alone and ran towards the wolves.


    There were two individuals dying near the wolves, one with its abdomen bitten off and one with its head chewed off.


    ''Take this one!''


    It is a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    The individual biting the wolf''s neck had a three-centimeter hole in his head, and although he did not die instantly, the intense pain and impact left him sprawled on the ground. It wasn''t going to last much longer.


    The other two were on the verge of pouncing on the fallen wolf, but when the air-bullet knocked them out, they realized that the other six had been killed and ran away in a flash.


    Tenma looked at the wolves, but the one that had been bitten on the throat was already dead, and the one that had fallen could have died at any moment.


    Seeing that too much blood was spilled and the damage was too much for his recovery magic to work, Tenma noticed something strange about the wolf as he approached it to at least make it easier.


    His belly was large, not that he was fat or anything. I thought it might be a pool of blood, but I realized my mistake. The milk was taut. In other words, she must have a baby.


    The wolf began to breathe hard in front of Tenma''s eyes as he thought that. It had begun to give birth.


    Tenma watched the wolf, wary of any other predators approaching, as he watched the wolf.


    It had probably been about ten minutes since the wolf began to breathe. One white baby was born.


    The wolf was apparently in a dangerous state and couldn''t seem to move his body, but he moved his face and eyes slightly to look at Tenma.


    As soon as his eyes met the wolf''s, Tenma quickly picked up the pup and held it out in front of the wolf''s eyes.


    With the wolf unable to move, he stuck out his tongue and used all his strength to clean his own child.


    Eventually he finished licking it clean and looked at Tenma again. Tenma takes the cubs to the milk now, and the cubs suckle and drink their mother''s milk desperately.


    By the time the cub finished drinking its mother''s milk, the wolf was already breathing away with a satisfied look on its face.


    Tenma put the corpses of the two wolves and six dragon snakes into a dimension bag, then picked up the little wolf and turned it into his family.


    ''I''m going to take those wolves'' place in your family.


    That''s what I told the little wolf.


    Your name is Shirou... yes, Shirou-maru!


    Swoon.


    Nice to meet you, Shiroumaru!


    Thus, Tenma had a new family member...or rather, a new family member.

 11-Chapter 1-9

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tenma from the scene.


    The Ciria volcano here in the village of Kukri has finally erupted!


    The scale of the eruption is large, with five or six confirmed eruptions so far this time around. It''s trying to swallow even the prepared Ricardo and Merlin defenses.


    That''s all from the scene... ahhhh, another eruption... coming our way!


    See you all when I''m safe!


    ''Temma! I''m listening!


    Yes! I''m listening!


    ''Don''t lie! You''re not on top of things now!


    I knew it, people... it''s dangerous, I could have tripped again.


    "Tenma, why didn''t you run!


    And I was about to start the loop again.


    Then the barriers...but not the barriers...my dad and grandpa came in to help.


    ''Shelia, forgive them for that. The action Temma took may have been dangerous, but it wasn''t wrong.


    Even if Tenma had escaped, there is no guarantee that the dragon snakes would have returned deep into the forest. In the worst case scenario, they could expand their range of movement and attack the villagers or even the village itself. It''s a good thing you prevented that from happening.


    Okay, okay.


    And he was reluctant to be angry.


    ''However, I''m forbidding you to enter the shallow part of the forest until it''s safe to do so! I get it!


    Huh.


    What do you say?


    Yes! Okay, Mom! We won''t go into the forest until we''re sure it''s safe, mam!


    Good!


    The bloke was through.


    ''Anyway, I''d better make sure there are no dangerous demons around the village or in the shallow parts of the forest while we''re still early.


    Of course, it would be better to send word to the Earl of Hoost''s frontier, as well, in case we need to get to him.


    Ricardo and Merlin said and left the house to get ready.


    The next day they worked with Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Mark to dismantle the two wolves and six dragon snakes that were in the dimension bag.


    The wolves were stripped of their magical cores, fur, fangs and claws, and the rest were cremated and buried deep in the ground and a grave was built over them. The color of the wolf''s fur was a glowing gold and silver. By the way, I thought Shiroumaru was white, but when I washed him in hot water, I found that he was a white and silver color.


    As for the dragon snakes, there were six of them four to five meters in size, but the skin is easier to peel than expected, the material is also easy to divide into the demon nucleus, skin, fangs, skull, liver, meat, so it is said that no special processing is needed, so it was finished faster than the wolf.


    Instead of selling the wolf material, we put it in Tenma''s Magic Bag (advanced, capable of holding up to about 1000 kg), and of the Dragon Snake''s magic core and 1,200 kg of meat (each one weighs about 400 kg in total and the edible parts are about 200 kg), we put 400 kg in the bag and stored it, 400 kg was divided among everyone in the village, and the rest of the meat was I sold it along with three skins and other materials to a merchant unit that will be coming soon. The total sale price was 300,000 G (gold).


    The meat of the dragon snake was well-fleshed and tasted light and tasty.


    The unit of money in this world is G (gold), which is about 10 yen per G in Japanese yen.


    There are seven types of coins: copper, silver, gold, and platinum, with two regular and large coins and one platinum coin. Ordinary coins are directly called copper, silver and gold coins. The orders of magnitude go up from the bottom to 1G, 10G, and 100G, and the white gold coin is 1,000,000 G. The white gold coin is called a copper coin, a silver coin, and a gold coin.


    A typical family of four can live on average 3-4 gold coins (30,000-40,000G) per month in the central city, and less than 1 gold coin in a rural village. In the village of Kukri, you can live on 5-6 silver coins a month on average. However, this is because most of the food and other expenses are covered by hunting catches.


    Six months after that happened. The safety of the forest was finally confirmed and Tenma was able to enter the forest again.


    In this half year, Tenma put a lot of effort into practicing the ''smelting'' of alchemy and the ''creation'' of creation magic.


    As a result, he succeeded in learning how to refine "weapons" and "golems".


    Weapon training is to ''use the materials around you to create the weapon you have in mind'', you need to imagine exactly what you want, and if you don''t do it right, you will end up with a weapon that has problems with performance and strength.


    Well, I don''t have a problem with it, since it was originally intended to be disposable in an emergency.


    The alchemy of the golem is that a nucleus is created by putting magic power into a metal, magical core or magical stone and applying a technique.


    By putting it into the body made with alchemy, a golem that obeys the orders of its creator is created.


    If you make a nucleus with metal, you can only carry out simple commands, but if you make it with a demon nucleus or demon stone, you can make a pseudo life depending on the quality and affinity, but the difficulty level is much higher.


    By the way, the demon nucleus is a characteristic of demons, and is a lump made of magic inside the body.


    Smaller ones are 2-3 centimeters in size, and the largest one, up to one meter in length, was found in the body of the Ancient Dragon Ancient Dragon in the past.


    Basically, making a nucleus with a demon core or demon stone will produce a stronger golem.


    Tenma went to the forest after a long time.


    However, he was only going to take a walk around the perimeter of the forest to take care of Ciria.


    ''''Sora, go get it, Shiroumaru!


    "Boom!


    Shiroumaru runs to the branch of the tree that Tenma had thrown off.


    The little wolf, which had grown to about 50 centimeters in the past six months, ran toward the tree branch, its silvery white fur gleaming and unleashed.


    Tenma and Slarin watched the scene together. Incidentally, Slarin''s face came out of the basket Tenma was carrying? peeked out.


    Tenma had been probing a five-kilometer radius with his search ability, but he caught dozens of responses on the edge of the radar and hurried to call Shiroumaru.

 12-Chapter 1-10 Battle against Orcs

    According to the appraisal, it seems to be a group of "orcs".


    Orcs are demons, also known as pig people and boar people.


    The name "human" is used to describe them, but they look like pigs and boars that walk on two legs, with hands that are similar to humans.


    Their meat is edible and tastes better than that of ordinary pigs, so they are sold in butcher shops in town.


    I put Shiroumaru in the basket containing the slarin, put the basket in my bag, and fly to a position where I can look down on the group of orcs.


    The group of orcs were on a rocky hill, just off the forest, in a ravine.


    The orcs seemed to be attacking a wagon.


    There were six on the human side fighting, forty-three on the orc side, and what looked like a separate force of orcs.


    The six are fighting against the rocky walls and surrounding the carriage, but they are gradually being outnumbered by the outnumbered orcs.


    (They are too well led for an orc. This is not good!)


    Tenma climbed down on top of the carriage.


    I''m here to help!


    Then he took out ten magic stones from his magic bag and threw them between the six of them and the orcs.


    The two camps were surprised by Tianma''s intrusion, but the next moment they were even more astonished.


    From the place where the magic stones that Heavenly Horse threw in fell, ten golems about two meters in size, made of rocks, appeared from the ground.


    ''''O golems! Protect these people and attack any enemy that approaches!


    When Tenma ordered the golems to do so, he cast a light-attribute recovery spell, ''High Heels'', on the six of them.


    A man of seemingly high status among the six was about to thank Tenma, but Tenma interrupted him.


    There were six orcs up ahead, trying to get around. I''m going to crush them first.


    And flew up to the top of the cliff in flight.


    ''Take this opportunity to regain your poise!


    The man who seemed to have the highest position shouted, and the other five took their spears out of the carriage and poked the orcs from behind the golem.


    When Tenma returned to the top of the cliff in about three minutes, about seven or eight orcs had fallen and both camps were in a state of rigidity.


    When Tenma was about to descend, there was only one individual in the orc pack that was bigger than a golem.


    ''''Is that the Orc King?''''


    Orc kings are the highest-ranking species of Orcs, and while ordinary Orcs are D to C-, they are C+ to B. They have the ability to strengthen the Orcs under them by one level. It has the ability to strengthen the orcs under its control by one level.


    ''''Gaggle, gaggle, gaggle!


    And as the Orc King gave a bullhorn, the other Orcs increased their momentum.


    Tenma took out a sword from his magic bag. It was a double-bladed, so-called kogarasumaru-zukuri, about 70cm across, with little warping, no spindle and handle, and a rope wrapped around the handle instead.


    Casting a strengthening spell on himself and the sword, Tenma jumped in front of the Oak King.


    ''''Pgag.''''


    "Fugger.


    The Orcs in the vicinity of the dive were ripped apart by the windcutter from Tenma''s left hand, and decapitated by a sharp blow from the sword wielded with his right hand, one after another dying.


    The Orcs are confused. But as expected of the Orc called King, the Orc immediately unleashed a blow at Tenma, the weapon he wielded was the lower half of the Orc''s body that had just been torn apart.


    The Orc King had a sickening smile on his face, convinced that the enemy in front of him would turn into a lump of flesh with the strike that carried his own power. But that was the last thing the Oak King remembered.


    Tenma took a step in response to the blow wielded from the top step and cut it off with his swinging arm from the side of his neck to his right armpit in a kesa-suspension.


    The six men behind the golem were stunned by the stunned Orcs as they saw the Orc King corpse lying at Tenma''s feet with a laughing face.


    In the midst of it all, Tenma quickly slashes at the orcs before they come to their senses and release the Earth Needle. By the time the orcs came to their senses, their numbers were down to less than half.


    The hunt was one-sided, and as far as I could tell, the orcs were wiped out without any resistance.


    A man approached Tenma, who was carrying the dead orcs in his dimension bag.


    You have been a great help to me in a dangerous situation. Thanks to you, the damage was kept to a minimum.


    The best-dressed man of the six, Tenma uses his appraisal on a moment''s notice.


    His name...Alex von Bluemail Krustin.


    Age...47.


    Race... human race.


    Title: King of the Kingdom of Krastin


    "The king?


    At Tenma''s words, the five people, except for the king, became more alert.


    The most serious looking of them all, a man of about six feet tall with short silver hair and dark eyes and a thin macho look, tried to interrupt the space between Tenma and the king.


    "Well, step back, you don''t seem to mean any harm.


    The king said that to a man, but the man.


    ''But, Your Majesty! They might just pretend to do so, and they might pounce on you the moment they see an opening!


    And then he tries to draw his sword.


    Can''t you listen to my orders?


    And at the king''s quiet but intimidating words, the man


    I''m sorry!


    I bowed my head.


    He bowed his head, "Well, that''s good. You are aware of my concern for you. I know that you are concerned about my safety. You should be grateful to him. You must be grateful to him, and by calling him "Your Majesty," you are confirming his words.


    The man gasped at the words and paled.


    It''s past time. Good, I forgive you. And how did you know that I was the king?


    With those words, Tenma couldn''t possibly say, "I looked it up in the appraisal," so he frantically racked his brain. Then he found the crest on the carriage.


    It''s the coat of arms, too. In this country, the only families that can have a lion and a dragon on their coat of arms are the royal and grand duke families, and there is only one grand duke family now, and it''s very old. So I thought it was the king.


    I answered deceptively, speaking quickly. This was knowledge he had gained from studying with his mother.


    ''You don''t have to be so nervous. ''Oh, right, you''ve been studying hard.''


    He mistakenly thought I was talking too fast because of my nervousness.

 13-Chapter 1-11

    Ten years after I was reincarnated in this world, the first nobleman I met was unexpectedly a king.


    Even in my past life, I only knew of nobles from TV or books, and if I''m honest about how I feel now


    (Sounds like a pain in the ass...) I''m glad you''re all right. Well, I guess I''ll be going now.


    So I decided to turn on my heel and walk away.


    ''Well, well, well, wait.''


    He grabbed me by the shoulders from behind, my king!


    This king has a smiling face, but he looks like he''s going to say, ''I think it''s interesting, so I won''t let you go.


    Frankly speaking, I have a bad feeling about this.


    ''''I''m sorry, king-sama, I have to go home quickly or my mother will be worried.


    What? I''ll say a few words to your mother. She won''t take no shit from the King''s excuses.


    I''m afraid, Your Majesty, your eyes aren''t smiling. Also, the tone of voice has changed a lot.


    Perhaps sensing my feelings, one of the women standing behind me, with her chestnut-colored hair midway down her back, placed a hand on the shoulder of the one that wasn''t grabbed by the king and gently said


    ''Give it up. That won''t stop you, Your Majesty.


    I said. The king heard that.


    You know exactly what I''m talking about!


    And he laughed with a huff and a puff. ........tears.


    ''Your Majesty, please calm down. The boy is in trouble.


    ''Yes, Your Majesty. You saved my life, and it would be rude to embarrass me.


    And I followed a man with short brown hair and a bandana on his head that looked like a bandit, followed by a slender, handsome man with blond hair and smooth hair, in that order.


    ''Alright, alright! And, come to think of it, I didn''t tell you my name, my name is Alex von Bluemail Krustin. I''m the king of this country. You can call me whatever you want.


    So I was just going to say.


    So... old man?


    Hearing the words that unintentionally came out of the king''s mouth because of his mood, everyone except me and one other person froze.


    ''''Ha-ha-ha, that''s a funny thing to say, monk! I love it! It''s been a long time since anyone talked that lightly to me!


    I think he liked something.


    ''I''m sorry. That was an outburst, my king.


    And I apologized for now. As expected, it is not good to call me an old man.


    I don''t mind being called an old man.


    Please forgive me, sire, for I am so sorry, whoa-- the king.


    "Sire, please excuse me.


    And the man who hadn''t spoken before opens his mouth.


    Oh, Tasuka: "For all intents and purposes, His Majesty now is the very same old man who is drunk and involved with children! Then it''s no wonder the boy called him an old man! You''re the king, you should show some more respect! Utterly deplorable. It is, isn''t it, boy! It was not.


    The king was mentally damaged by the furious verbal attack. But he seems to have held his own.


    Phew, it''s good that he managed to hold on. I''m glad that he didn''t stop her with his usual ''stop it, your life is zero'' comment.


    ''Roughly. ''Your Majesty always gets carried away, and you must put yourself in my place to clean up after yourself. Do you hear me, Your Majesty!


    What, you haven''t finished yet?��How much more of this verbal abuse do you want to go on?


    "And you know what," said Wang, "Well, well, well, calm down, Mr. Cliffe. "His Majesty is sorry for what he''s done."... well, I think that''s enough for today. In deference to Master Edgar, I''ll excuse the shortness.


    That was short!


    I''m sorry I''m late to introduce myself. My name is I, Cleif Sebas Chan. I''m the royal chamberlain. Please allow me to get to know you.


    ''My name is Edgar Van Valentine. Thank you for your time earlier.


    So the man who was just hitting on the king was the king''s steward, or rather, the butler, Sebastian.


    Oh, Sebas Chang is the sort of name that the Lord High Septon was allowed to use for generations to come.


    What? You can read minds!


    I can''t read minds, but in my line of work, I''m very good at reading people''s thoughts.


    That''s great, butler!


    My name is Jean-Jacques Bauer. You saved me back there!


    It''s kind of a name that sounds like the main character in a drama where the story is completed in 24 hours. By the way, it''s 24 hours a day in this world too, but it''s 360 days a year with 12 30 days a month.


    I''m Sigurd. I''m Sigurd." I''m sorry about that. And I''m sorry to hear that. You saved my life in a tight spot, and I was pointing my sword at you...


    Thank you for saving my life in such a dangerous situation. I''m Chris. Nice to meet you. Also, I wish you could have done something with that thing.


    The woman who introduced herself as Chris pointed apologetically at the golem and said.


    ''Ah, yes, I understand. Good work, golems, disarm!


    When Tenma said that, the golems disappeared as if they were melting into the ground, leaving only the magic stones to be left behind.


    ''''Golems, it''s amazing that you''re able to use them so well. May I ask your name?''''


    Clef asked me to do so, while I collected the magic stone.


    ''This is Temma. I live in the village of Kukri, just down the road.


    Oh, the village of Kukri. That''s a coincidence. We were just on our way there.


    Suddenly the king came back and joined in the conversation.


    ''Alright, let''s get to the Kukri village. Kukri! I don''t see anything wrong with the horse and carriage!


    ''Yes, Your Majesty. I''ve already checked it out while Your Majesty speaks to me in unsuitable language.


    "Oh, I see.... Anyway, let''s get going for Kukuri Village! Come on, guys, get in, hurry up!


    For some reason, the king is very excited and makes everyone hurry up.


    ''''See, Temma, ride fast too!


    (It would be annoying and time-consuming to ride with the king.) "No, I can use flying magic, so I''ll fly first.


    And then he tries to activate the magic. But as I turned my back, he grabbed me by the shoulder again.


    I''m not going to take you with me, Temma. I''m going to go with you," he said. The two horses were selected by the royal family for their speed and strength, and they''ve been reinforced to be much faster than your average carriage.


    It was even faster to fly away...but I couldn''t beat the king who was talking to me with a thumbs up instead of saying, "I''m going to fly away.

 14-Chapter 1-12 Celias Thoughts

    The king''s carriage took them to the village of Kukuri in about two hours.


    In the carriage, they found out that this king was an extraordinary man.


    Q. Why do you want to go to Kukri village?


    A��(construction) Recently there was a rumour in the capital that there was something wrong in the forest of the Grand Old Man. At that time, the once-a-decade inspection of the Haust frontier county is often held, so that the people can understand that the king cares enough about the country to visit and inspect it himself.


    I was getting stressed out because the minister had been so noisy lately, so I wanted to change my mind.


    Q. Couldn''t it have been better to report via the Haust frontier county?


    A��The king''s visit to the frontier county would put a heavy burden on the frontier county. Then, after the inspection, it would be better to take a small group of people on the way back home.


    It''s a hassle to go there for a change of pace, but it''s a hassle to have the frontier count''s men with you.


    Q��Don''t you think it will be a problem later?


    A. (Tatemae) In order to be able to respond quickly, the king himself needs to find out in person.


    I think the ministers should take care of the trouble.


    Q, Is that what the king is supposed to do?


    A��(Construction) I have been able to do well as a king because I am surrounded by excellent people.


    It''s all right for me because I''m a king!


    The above is an excerpt from the question and answer session.


    How can you not have a coup or something like that?


    I''m most surprised.


    Ricardo!


    Alex!


    The old man and the old man embracing each other with a crush...and my dad and the king.


    The two of them, along with Mom and Mr. Cliffe, who isn''t here this time but is currently the captain of the king''s personal guard, formed a party of five when they were young and were adventurers.


    It seems that they were quite a famous party when they were on active duty, and they once slayed a dragon. Incidentally, Grandpa once slayed a dragon by himself.


    In this world, it''s not unusual for royalty to become adventurers when they are young, partly as a way of studying society.


    Incidentally, the king once studied under his grandfather.


    ''''His intelligence was average and his magic power was only average, but he would do stupid things from time to time, so it was never boring to watch him.


    And that''s what happened.


    Meanwhile, I said.


    Temma, I told you not to do anything dangerous.


    They had detonated the Ciria volcano again.


    ''Shelia, Temma saved us. Forgive him.


    Guillotine


    It''s nothing.


    Yes, my king, you are useless!


    Or rather, mother, who are you!


    Lady Shelia is a friend of Queen Maria von Blumair Krastin, the rightful wife of the King, from her ''magic school primary'' and the one she calls her best friend ever.


    Mr. Cliffe tells me from behind.


    ''Huh,''


    "And the king was weak against Mary.


    Are you being a pain in the ass?


    ''Left. Also, Lady Shelia and Maria often exchange letters with each other even now.


    I don''t want him to be tipped off about what''s going on here.


    It would be more interesting to me personally if that happened.


    Your butler has a nice personality.


    "Tenma, what are you talking about?


    No, Mr. Clyfe isn''t here!


    When did that butler happen?


    Temma, I don''t think you''ve figured it out yet.


    Oh, no! Ciria Volcano is hoarding power, there is no God... no, I''ve met him, but...


    It''s time for you to forgive him, Shelia. It is brave to go into a battle when you can''t win, but it is courageous to do so when the odds are stacked against you, and that is to be commended.


    Uncle.


    Mom puts away her anger at Grandpa''s words.


    Oh, Grandpa, you are my God!


    Long time no see. Lord Merlin.


    The king greets you.


    "Mmm, long time no see.


    You''re nodding your head in a hawkish way, Grandpa, not the other way around.


    ''''His Majesty respects Master Merlin like a father, so...''''


    There it is again, Cliffe, ignore it, ignore it.


    ''His Majesty was quite a bad boy when he was a little boy, and even when he had a tutor, many of them quit because they couldn''t keep up with His Majesty''s mischief and so on, but he was so impressed with Master Merlin''s lessons that he gradually became more and more mature.


    Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.


    "How to make people suffer more efficiently, how to skip class more efficiently, etc.


    As far as I''m concerned.


    ''He enjoyed that, and he missed it because it taught him things other people wouldn''t tell him.


    Well, it doesn''t matter, that''s not the point. Let''s just agree that there are many unusual people around me.


    And Tenma-sama is a very different person.


    Don''t read my mind, oddball butler, and I don''t need you to tell me that!


    The king and the others are going to check on Kukri Village and the Grand Old Man''s Forest all day tomorrow, and then return to the royal capital the day after tomorrow. The king and Mr. Cliffe will stay at our house, and the other four will stay at my grandfather''s house.


    We decided to go to bed early today because it was going to be noisy until late. Good night.


    That night.


    But then again, Alex is the same guy.


    Ricardo speaks sincerely about seeing each other again after more than a decade.


    "That''s not going to change! I''m me, no matter how old I get!


    It''s like saying they haven''t grown up, even though they''re just plain bad at getting to power.


    Mr. Cliffe''s tongue is as sharp as ever.


    Alex is followed by Cliffe and Shelia.


    ''Power is meant to be used!


    The king of this country, "Top", proudly states.


    But that''s why Temma got involved.


    I''ll make sure Maria knows exactly what''s going on.


    Ricardo was smiling, but Shelia''s eyes were not smiling.


    ''Please, Lady Shelia,''


    Don''t do that! Cliffe, you''re my butler!


    I''m also Mary''s steward.


    Oh, my goodness.


    This kind of shouting was also something I missed.


    By the way, when did you have a baby? You could have written that in a letter to me.


    Realizing that he was outnumbered, Alex changed the subject.


    ''I did let Maria know, though? Also, Temma said she''s going to visit once she''s past fifteen.


    He didn''t tell me.


    It was a sleeper for Alex.


    ''Perhaps if the king found out, he thought you''d be willing to throw away your political duties to go play?


    Yeah, that''s what Alex would do. Now that he''s here.


    Yes, it''s Alex.


    The three of them agree with what Cliffe said. Alex had no allies.


    ''Well, well, that''s beside the point. Isn''t Temma pretty good, if it''s a one-on-one fight, there aren''t many people in King''s Landing who can win, are there?''''


    ''''I suppose, without magic, Jean would only manage to bite into the one we brought this time. If they used magic, even Din would be defeated.


    Clef to say. Din is a swordsman who was a member of Ricardo''s party, a swordsman who also uses advanced magic, and the captain of the King''s ��Alex�� kinsmen''s guard, who is said to be the strongest man in the kingdom''s army.


    ''''Hou, do you make that much of a statement?''''


    Cliffe was a scout for the party when he was an adventurer, and he was even said to have the best eye for the competence of his opponents in the kingdom.


    ''''I''d love to have you as my son or grandson''s kinsman.


    If she wants to...


    Alex and the others didn''t miss the shadow on Shelia''s face.


    ''What''s going on with Temma?''


    Shelia began to speak idly to Alex, who had become the face of the king.


    The fact that Tenma was an abandoned child,


    The family name "Ootori" was listed as a possible connection to the nobility.


    That they''re afraid they''ll leave the house if they find out they''re not real parents, etc.


    Hearing Shelia''s story, not only Alex and Cliffe were surprised, but also Ricardo.


    ''Shelia, I''m sorry you were so troubled, I''m sorry I didn''t notice.


    There may have been a difference between male and female parents, but Ricardo thought that the bond he and Tenma had developed over the last ten years was thicker than blood.


    It could be said that if Tenma''s real parents showed up now, he was optimistic that Tenma would choose them, though.


    Shelia was different,.


    As a woman who, unlike a man, has to struggle to raise a child in her belly, to endure the pain, to sometimes risk her life to give birth to a child.


    Could it be that Tenma would choose the birth mother who appeared to him more unexpectedly than himself?


    Maybe I''m a step ahead of my real mother?


    That was the kind of thinking that Shelia had in mind.


    That''s why she was overprotective of Tenma.


    In order to protect her from ''the woman who gave birth to Tenma (my child),'' who I had never seen before.


    Of course, it was unconscious, but Shelia herself thinks so.


    The men could not say anything to the female parent''s distress.


    The one who broke the silence in the heavy air was Merlin, who opened the door and walked in.


    Merlin gently placed his hand on Shelia''s shoulder.


    Fool, you are the mother of Temma, of course. You only have to look at Tenma to see that.


    Merlin says in a gentle voice, continuing


    He calls me Mom, he seems sad when he''s angry, and he smiles happily when he''s praised. It is true that nowadays you sometimes annoy me by not listening to me. But isn''t that because you don''t have any reservations about me, because you think of me as your mother?


    I''ll take a moment to remind myself and then


    "Trust in Temma more. "Trust her more, and give her your trust. You are Tenma''s mother.


    I said.


    Shelia burst into tears at these words.


    ...Yes?


    I just muttered.


    Ricardo hugged Shelia and ruffled her hair.


    Alex thought for a moment and


    I''ve never heard of the family name Otori, but I''ll keep that in mind and let you know if I learn anything.


    And Clef.


    I''ve certainly never heard of it, though the closest thing to it pronounced is ''House of Audrey,'' but that''s a house with a royal connection... and that''s unlikely to be the case.


    He said.


    After this, because I was no longer in the mood to continue the conversation and because Shelia''s exhaustion was deep in my mind, I called it quits.

 15-Chapter 1-13: Suspicion of King and Investigation

    Tenma, can we f*ck?


    It was a crisp morning, a moment when time stopped around us due to the King''s sudden statement during breakfast with a large group of people.


    Then I stood up from my chair, trying not to look back at the king.


    No, I''m not interested in the Way of the People...


    I stepped back and time began to flow with this answer.


    Mom came hugging me to hide from the king''s gaze.


    My father stands in front of me, takes his bow and strings it.


    Grandpa is muttering to himself, "He wasn''t like that once...


    "He wasn''t the man he used to be," he says.


    Your Majesty, no matter how much I like you, I must inform Lady Maria that I''m not going to invite you to join me in the streets...


    I said.


    Chris-san is looking at the king with a dirty look in his eyes as if he is looking at something dirty.


    Mr. Sigurd looks sad, "Your Majesty........


    Mr. Jack laments, "It''s not that I don''t have a popular path itself, but I''m not sure I''d go after my best friend''s son...


    Mr. Edgar''s face is smiling, but his eyes are not smiling.


    By the way, the men in the guards are keeping their distance from the king while guarding their asses.


    ''Wait, wait a minute! I just didn''t have the words for it! Ricardo, don''t touch that arrow! And don''t give that crap about Cleif reporting to Maria! Please!


    The king tries to clear up the misunderstanding by talking quickly. Everyone seems to agree for now, but they remain at a distance.


    ''''Ricardo, Ciria, that ''thing'' you were talking about yesterday.


    ''Oh, you mean "that". Don''t get me confused! I almost shot you.


    I noticed that my mom''s body reacted slightly when the king said ''that'', but I decided not to worry about it, since she didn''t say anything in particular when our gazes met.


    Dad and the king said, ''Won''t you f*ck me! but it doesn''t seem to be a matter of public roads, so everyone re-settled into their seats.


    I''m not completely cleared of suspicion yet, though!


    "Dad, what''s ''that''?


    I asked him a question, but the king replied.


    "As a matter of fact, I suggested to Ricardo and the others last night that Temma be a member of my son or grandson''s Kingsguard. So, what do you say we f*ck?


    These words surprised the four of my guards, except for Mr. Cleif, more than me, but


    No, I''m afraid not.


    He was even more surprised when I refused to answer immediately.


    ''Monk, it''s a tough job, but it pays a lot of money and you have more power than the average lowly nobleman!


    And Mr. Jack.


    At ten years old, the Konoe is the fastest thing in the history of the world to be born of a commoner!


    And Chris, you know what?


    If you''re hired into the Kingsguard at your age, you''ll be able to assume a higher office in the future. If that happens, you can even dream of being knighted by a nobleman!


    And Mr. Edgar follows. Incidentally, Mr. Sigurd seems to be too surprised to freeze up.


    ''Can I ask you for a translation?


    Was it still a bad idea to give a quick answer, the king asks me.


    I''m going to be honest with you.


    ''I''m not attracted to Konoe. Besides, I don''t think I''ll be able to see my family casually as a konoe.


    I replied. Mom''s eyes welled up at those words.


    ''Well that''s too bad, but it can''t be helped. But Temma, if you change your mind, you can always come visit me. And when you do, I''ll welcome you!


    He said.


    I felt honored that he would say that much, no matter how much he was my best friend''s son.


    Now, here''s the breakfast that Shelia has prepared for us. It''s now cold, but we''ll have it. The next step is to investigate the village and the Grand Old Man''s forest. Ricardo, take care of the guide.


    I''ll handle it.


    And the king makes plans with them. I was going with him.


    I guess Temma isn''t here.


    He dismissed it with the presence or absence of his mother''s words.


    ''I told you, Shelia, it''s not good to be overprotective.


    And Grandpa will cover you, but...


    If I let you go with them, Master Alex is going to do something crazy.


    I see.


    I was told that I was going to do it, and all but the king agreed.


    Also, was it my imagination that ''likely'' sounded like a different meaning?


    ''And anyway, let''s get started as soon as we''re ready.


    Everyone resumed eating.


    In order to investigate efficiently, we headed to the forest with my father, who was the guide, the king, Mr. Cliffe, Mr. Jean and Mr. Sigurd, while inside the village it was my mother, Mr. Edgar and Mr. Chris who were the guides.


    ----At the Grand Old Man''s Forest


    I don''t see anything unusual around here.


    ''We''re only about half an hour in, so there''s not much change around here.


    To Alex and Ricardo with


    Well, if there''s an easily recognizable anomaly in this kind of entrance area, it would be much more than a rumor, wouldn''t it?


    With the addition of Cliffe.


    But, Master Ricardo. Was there ever a time when anything was so unusual?


    ''I don''t think you''re lying, though,'' asks Jean, adding.


    ''That''s rude, Jean!


    And Sigurd flirted with the idea, but Ricardo didn''t care.


    Nine B-class demons and two A-class demons have appeared in the past year. All within 50 kilometers of the village.


    I replied.


    ''Not so much!''


    No wonder Alex was surprised.


    Originally, there were a lot of demons that exceeded the B class in the Grand Old Man''s Forest. However, they are rarely found until they enter deep into the forest, at least 200 to 300km from the entrance.


    There are various theories, but the most popular one is that the deeper you go into the forest, the more powerful the demons become and the more comfortable they are and the more food they can find, so it is inefficient to come out to shallow areas where there is little food.


    In fact, up until now, there have been many E to D classes in shallow areas within a 50km radius, and even the strongest ones have been the occasional C class.


    There had been no kings or or orcs, and only a dozen or so in a school.


    Most of the B-class ones would wander out every few years, and even then, most of them would soon return to the depths of the forest.


    In fact, Ricardo had lived in Kukri Village for more than thirty years, except for his adventurer days, but he could only count on one hand the number of instances of B-class appearances outside of this one year.


    ''''That''s unusual when you think about it. So, what about A-class demons?''''


    ''Temma says that they were apparently being chased by a pack of Dragon Snakes. And both of them are of the ''Fenrir species''.


    What?


    The king''s surprise was natural.


    The Fenrir species is the generic term for the highest species of wolf-type demons with A-S class power, and even a pack of four or five of them is said to be difficult to defeat without gathering at least two to thirty top-notch adventurers.


    If there are two of them, there''s no way that even eight dragon snakes can be defeated, Alex thought, but


    It seems that they were a couple, and the female had a baby in her belly, and that''s why she was attacked when her strength was low. After Tenma killed the dragon snake, both animals died, but the female managed to give birth to a baby.


    He figured that might be the case with his body weight.


    ''Well... what about this Fenrir kid?''


    In response to Alex''s question.


    ''We all saw that already, didn''t we? That''s the one Temma''s growing.


    I say.


    ''You mean the Shiroumaru that Chris was bothering with!


    He was surprised.


    In fact, Chris loved dogs and cats, but he couldn''t keep them himself because he was the king''s kinsman and didn''t have time to take care of them.


    But it was unusual for Fenrir to be friendly to people, even though he was still small.


    In the meantime, the group continued to investigate while talking about such things, but without success, the time came for them to return to the village, so they ended the investigation.


    ----At the Temma''s home


    When the kings returned home, they began to exchange information with Edgar and the others who had returned earlier.


    ''''After all, there seems to have been a sudden change in the village over the past few years.


    Tell me.


    The king listened to Edgar''s report.


    ''Ha, it seems that the number of people infected with the disease has been increasing over the past few years. Along with that, there has been an increase in the number of sightings of demons in the vicinity of the village.


    Chris is going to take over.


    As for the illnesses, the medical staff in the village have told me that the number of illnesses has doubled or tripled in the last four or five years compared to ten years ago. The demons include goblins and slimes, and some of them have been seen very close to the village.


    I reported.


    In response to this report, Jean said


    ''But Chris, aren''t those two things related?''


    He asked, "What do you think?" but Chris and the others


    ''At first we thought so too, but the majority of those who were sick were those who had frequent contact with demons in one way or another, many of whom had frequented the forest or had killed the demons they had witnessed.


    ''Furthermore, the illness was more common in men, although this may be because men are more likely to do what Chris said,''


    He reported.


    ''''In that case, the possibility of something strange happening in the Grand Old Man''s Forest is high.... I will let the Count of the Hoost Frontier know about this and cooperate with the central government to investigate and come up with a countermeasure. Everyone did a great job. Ricardo and Ciria would also like to thank you for your cooperation.


    Don''t worry about it. We''re doing this for our own good.


    ''Yes, Master Alex, he''s right. It''s only natural for us to work for our own village.


    They were laughing at each other.


    The sickness itself is nothing serious at the moment, but the number of people in the village complaining of ill health has increased. Let''s hope it doesn''t get worse.


    The debriefing ended in this way, and today''s meeting was dismissed.


    We were told that we would leave for the capital before noon tomorrow. They''re going to stop at a city on the way there to meet up with the others who preceded them (and forced them to).


    While feeling sorry for the people who are being pushed around by this king, I think it was a good decision to refuse the story of the konoe.

 16-Chapter 1-14 Prelude to the disaster

    It had been about two years since the king had come to inspect the village of Kukri, and the season had arrived in spring.


    One thing that had changed in the past two years was that the Haust Frontier Count had established a garrison near the village of Kukri, and soldiers and doctors had arrived.


    At first, the villagers welcomed the arrival of the soldiers, but the majority of the soldiers were badly behaved and arrogant, and soon the villagers and the soldiers were at odds with each other.


    One of the reasons for this was the establishment of a no-go zone in the forest.


    There were many objections to this area because it was close to the village, where there were many good medicinal herbs and it was relatively safe, but the decision was made by the head of the soldiers who were dispatched to the area, ignoring the opinions of the villagers.


    In addition, some of the soldiers began to collect medicinal herbs and sell them to the troop''s traders for pocket money.


    This created a clear divide between the villagers and the soldiers.


    There are many former adventurers who are more adept at dealing with demons than soldiers, so it''s no wonder that the income and medicine stockpiles are depleted because of the soldiers.


    "Mother, we have a lot of herbs!


    I''ve been working hard these days on gathering medicinal herbs.


    Because of the soldiers, the village''s stock of medicines has been decreasing.


    I''m in charge of gathering the herbs, because I can fly farther in a short time, while Mom and Grandpa are in charge of mixing the herbs and Dad is in charge of hunting.


    I would occasionally ask him to teach me how to mix the herbs, and I would help him do it myself, so I learned a lot about medicine.


    Good work. Wasn''t it hard to get all this stuff?


    But it''s actually not that hard, since you can use your search and appraisal skills.


    Without paying any attention to my vague answer, she receives the herbs and goes back to work.


    When my father returned, he would stop mixing the herbs and start preparing dinner.


    One day, while my father was busy, my mother fell ill.


    Fortunately, she had a stockpile of medicines and they went away, but her strength did not return and she spent many days in bed.


    We left the village to go digging for yams, hoping to get something nourishing and tonic and good for the digestion.


    However, as we were leaving the village, we were tangled up with some shady soldiers.


    "Hey, kid, wait a minute,


    You''re a big hoarder of herbs, aren''t you? Give it to us.


    I was going to ignore them and walk past them, but they grabbed me by the shoulders.


    I tried to ignore them, but they grabbed me by the shoulders.


    I take the hand on my shoulder and twist it off, knocking him to the ground and knocking him unconscious.


    ''What the hell are you doing, you little brat!


    The other one was furious, and he hit me, but I didn''t relent.


    Secret technique, son killer!


    And then he delivered the forbidden blow.


    I used my flight to fly to the place I wanted to go, with the soldiers collapsing in agony.


    To be honest, I felt I overdid it, but I didn''t feel good about them either, so I called it self-defense.


    Once we found the yams at our destination, we immediately set to work.


    First, I used soil magic to turn the soil around the yam into sand.


    Next, he dug up the yams and took them out, being careful not to break them.


    Finally, I wash it with water magic and use fire magic to bake the bearded roots of the potato and put it into the magic bag.


    That''s all.


    In about two hours, I was able to get five yams about a meter long.


    Magic really comes in handy when in a previous life it could take more than two hours just to dig one of these yams.


    Most yams in this world have a consistency midway between yam and yam, and are good for nourishment and digestion, but they are not often eaten in the cities.


    It is generally eaten by slicing them into rounds and baking them, or cutting them into small pieces and using them as a soup ingredient.


    At my house, we grate it and season it over rice (not a mainstream food, but it''s grown in Japan), or make a soup of thinly sliced slices and drink it.


    It was my idea, of course.


    In our world, there was no custom to pour this over rice, but now it is spreading secretly in Kukuri village.


    By the way, since most of the rice is like indica rice, they boil it rather than cook it.


    We hunted rabbits and marbled fowl and put them in our bags while growing yams.


    When I returned to the village, I got tangled up with soldiers again at the entrance, but I stunned them with the lightning magic ''stun''.


    It was self-defense, so I had no choice.


    At night, there''s a Shiroumaru that has grown to two meters in length, so if they come to attack, they''ll know immediately.


    I made dinner, and the menu was rabbit soup with yam yam soup and boiled rice.


    Father, mother, grandpa and I surrounded the table, the village had changed, but to my family it was a trivial matter, and we would spend our days happy, surrounded by the same smiling faces we had always had, and I knew that our happiness was now and would continue to grow.


    Until disaster struck a month later.

 17-Chapter 1-14.5 March of the Disaster

    There was a large shadow crawling around in the dark forest.


    Becha, becha, becha, a sound could be heard as the shadow slowly stomped its feet.


    Shadows of various sizes were moving around the large shadow.


    Shadows larger than a person in human form, and smaller shadows.


    Shadows with four legs.


    Shadows that look like bears.


    They are slowly walking in the same direction.


    Even if other shadows fall down, they don''t care if they fall.


    I don''t know where they are aiming at, but they proceed with a wobbly step.


    The number seems to be over a thousand, but I don''t know the exact number.


    There are many things we don''t know what we are seeking.


    All I know is that the eyes of the big shadow are glowing red and eerie, and that something bad will happen in the near future.

 18-Chapter 1-15 Betrayal and Rescue Request

    The village of Kukri was facing the worst situation in its history so far.


    For the past few days, there was a heavy atmosphere in this village.


    The cause was a few goblins that had emerged from the forest.


    If these goblins were just goblins, there would have been no problem, but the bad news was that they had turned into zombies.


    In this world, demons and people sometimes turn into zombies when they turn into corpses with grudges and desires left behind.


    Or if a special ability called a necromancer intentionally places a curse on a corpse, the corpse becomes a zombie and becomes a member of the person who placed the curse on it.


    The goblin zombies seemed to be the latter.


    They move as if they were observing us, and if they were noticed, they would let one of them go and the rest would stop them, a controlled move that would indicate that there was a being above them who would go and report back.


    This kind of thing had been happening day in and day out for a while now.


    That''s why several soldiers followed them, but only one of the three returned.


    This person said that there were more than a thousand zombies gathered here and that in a few days, they would be coming to this village.


    The report came in two days ago, and soon afterwards, a meeting was held between the representatives of the soldiers and the village representatives.


    It was decided that on the next day we would evacuate with only what we could carry.


    From now on, they were to send out a messenger, and the injured and the elderly were to be put on village and military wagons, and escorted by soldiers and those who could fight, to the nearest town, where they would wait for support from the frontier count.


    The plan was to make preparations and wait for the early morning of the next day, i.e., the sunrise of today, to begin the evacuation.


    But the unexpected happened.


    The carriage had disappeared. When the villagers went to the garrison, they found it empty.


    The soldiers had taken all the carriages from them. Unfortunately, they had gathered them together with the military ones outside the entrance on the other side of the forest so that the evacuation could begin immediately, and the soldiers were on guard.


    All the villagers were stunned by this, and at the request of the king, the soldiers arranged by the frontier county, who had been sent by the king to use the villagers as bait, all of them had escaped, which was unheard of.


    Moreover, to make matters worse, the voices and murmurs of zombie-like demons can be heard from just behind the forest.


    It was too early, probably deliberately saying a different predicted time, to ensure their own safety.


    Soon Dad makes his decision.


    ''We need to start evacuating into the garrison immediately! Whoever is able to move, bring in food and provisions from each house. Quickly, the only way to save us all is to barricade ourselves in the city! And send a couple of messages, to a different city than the one the soldiers were headed to!


    My father gives instructions. He doesn''t have a title like village chief, but he was the most experienced adventurer in the village and had a party with the king.


    My mom, grandpa and I use magic to build walls and dugouts. Uncle Mark and a few other hunters keep a close eye on the enemy''s movements.


    Less than half an hour after we finish evacuating and bringing in food and other supplies, the first team of zombies appears.


    There are about two hundred goblin and orc zombies.


    As they get closer, they shower them with arrows.


    Those that still won''t stop will be attacked by those that were warriors or swordsmen.


    ''Come Temma!''


    My dad called me, and he''s on his way.


    Hey, Dad!


    Temma, you are to fly to the messenger. The soldiers are headed for the city!


    His words elicited a murmur from those around him.


    I''m one of the strongest forces in defense at the moment.


    ''No, Dad! If I''m out now, my strength will be greatly reduced!


    I said.


    ''I''m not saying this because it''s my child or anything, it''s something only Temma can do!


    My father says that if I fly, I should be able to reach the city we were planning to reach in less than half a day. He wanted me to get there before the soldiers and inform them of the current situation and call for help.


    This is what I mean. Everyone around him nodded in agreement.


    Dad took a card out of his pocket and handed it to me.


    This is my guild card from when I was an adventurer. If you take this to the guild, they should be able to listen to you.


    With those words, they give me a small amount of water and food.


    I hastily activate my flight magic and fly away. I have the location of the city in my mind since I checked the map yesterday.


    After an hour or so of flying, I saw the fleeing soldiers taking a break. They don''t seem to have noticed us.


    There are 25 of them. I feel that this is a small number for the size of the garrison.


    There were some who were drinking alcohol, probably because they were careless.


    However, there was no time to be bothered, so I decided to ignore them for now.


    After about 6 hours, the city came into view.


    Russell City, the second largest city in the Haust frontier county.


    We see a large gate. The gatekeeper notices me and gestures for me to stop.


    However, I shrugged off the gatekeeper''s control and flew through the city using my flying magic.


    After that, I immediately sought out the guild I had heard about and jumped in.


    ''''I have an urgent request from Ricardo in Kukri village. Someone please take care of it.


    As soon as I jumped in, people were surprised to see me shouting, and then a guy came up to me and said, "Hey!


    "Shut the f*ck up about the kids! You can suck on your mommy''s tits instead!


    And then he grabbed at me.


    I was in a hurry and threw the man away with little effort.


    The man who was thrown in the manner of a backhanded toss, knocked to the floor, bounced and rolled to the edge of the wall.


    At that moment, five guards came scurrying in through the door.


    ''''We''ve received word that an unauthorized intruder into the city has entered the guild! Be quiet!


    When the guards found me and approached to capture me.


    What''s going on? It''s too loud.


    And a streetwise voice echoed within the guild.


    I looked it up in my appraisal.


    His name... is Yuri Philando Forrester.


    Age...200.


    Race...elves.


    Title: Head of the Russell City Guild


    HP...14,000.


    MP...17500.


    Strength...B-


    Defensive Power...


    Speed...B+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...A+.


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... A


    Skills....8 archery, 8 water magic, 8 wind magic, 7 magic manipulation, 7 sensory enhancement, 6 earth magic, 6 light magic, 6 throwing techniques, 5 night eyes, 5 traps, 5 martial arts, 5 swordsmanship, 5 magic augmentation, 5 concealment, 5 resilience augmentation, 5 resilience, 4 abnormal effect resistance.


    The Gift...the blessing of the forest


    He was a man called "The Elf".


    I''ve never seen an elf before, but that''s not the point, I was more interested in the title of guild leader.


    ''''You''re the guild leader, Yuri-san!


    He ignored the guards and spoke to them.


    ''Yes, but... who are you?''


    I''m sorry. My name is Temma, son of Ricardo of Kukri. My father asked me to give a message to the guild master.


    I spoke to him with a lie.


    ''Is this from Mr. Ricardo? Do you have anything in evidence?


    I think it worked. I give him my dad''s card.


    ''I''m sure this belongs to Mr. Ricardo. You''re welcome to come in and talk to him.


    The Guild Master tries to lead me to the back, but


    ''Wait, Guild Master! That man is suspected of trespassing! I''d like you to turn him over to us.


    The guardsmen shouted, but the guild leader


    ''''That''s troubling. However, within the guild, a kind of extraterritoriality has been given to him. His presence here means that the guild has the right to take him into custody. I''m under no obligation to hand him over to you.


    I started arguing with him.


    So I said.


    ''Guild leader, we don''t have much time, so please ask here. There is a reason why the guards need to hear it as well.


    I said.


    ''I understand. And tell us why.


    With the guild leader''s permission, I began to tell them about the situation in Kukri village.


    There were about 20 adventurers in the place, except for the guild leader and other staff and the guards who had come to capture them, and all of them were looking at me.


    I told them about the discovery of a group of zombies, the soldiers using the villagers as bait to escape on their own and head for this city, and that my dad and the others were holed up in the garrison, waiting for help.


    In particular, he didn''t forget to emphasize the fact that the "soldiers arranged by the Count of the Frontier" on the "king''s orders" had escaped by themselves using the villagers as bait.


    The guards who heard the story listened with pale faces at the actions of those who could be said to be their colleagues, broadly speaking.


    The others looked at me with sympathetic eyes and gave the guards a reproachful look.


    ''That''s why I want you to send out your support immediately.


    The head of the guild looked a little difficult as he said, "I don''t know.


    We will provide support, but we can''t get enough people together right away. It will take a day to collect food and other supplies after talking with the mayor, and three to four days at the earliest to reach Kukri.


    I was told.


    I said the first thing that came to my mind in a frustrated tone of voice: "I have about 500,000 Gs.


    I''ve got about 500,000 g''s here. Hire as many adventurers as you can with this. Then I want them to leave for Kukri village immediately. I''ll leave the discretion of the number of people and the cost of food to you.


    I suggested.


    ''I understand. I''ll accept it as an urgent quest. We won''t be getting a commission from the guild this time. Instead, the guild will receive an annoyance fee from the frontier county, so we''ll ask you to take a portion of that fee and pay it to the guild. If you''re okay with that, please sign this contract.


    He signed a contract with the head of the guild, who immediately replied, "I''ll sign a contract with the guild leader, and I''ll write with my signature that I''ll transfer some of the rights to the nuisance fee to the guild in the reward section.


    ''Then we''ll solicit the rewards in the form of 10,000 g per person, paid afterwards, plus the rights to the materials you beat yourself, plus the possibility of a special reward.


    He immediately stuck it out to me.


    The special reward is probably a request from Russell City to defeat him, so they''re going to pretend that he participated in that as well and give him that reward along with it.


    Otherwise, my reward of 10,000 g is delicate, and there is a possibility that top-notch adventurers will not participate.


    ''''Also, guild leader, I have two requests.


    What is it?


    I told the guild leader.


    ''One thing I''d like to do is head to the village right away, so don''t get caught if you leave here.


    Yeah, why?


    The guild leader looked at the guards.


    The guards thought it would be bad to make the situation even worse.


    I''m reporting to my superiors in case of an emergency.


    He straightened up and declared.


    ''Please?''


    The Guild Master said that to the guards and then turned to me.


    So what''s the second thing?


    He asked.


    ''I''m going to cast a spell on those soldiers who have escaped. Tell them to capture them if they are still alive, and if they are dead, please defend them.


    I said with a wry smile.


    ''...Okay, I''ll take care of it. But I don''t think you need to defend yourself.


    He looked at me and chuckled lightly as I nodded my head at the words.


    "They have disobeyed the king''s instructions. They fled against what they were supposed to protect, and they will not escape death. I think they would rather be grateful.


    I said.


    The two of us smiling as we talked about our troubles seemed to make people a little uncomfortable, but it was probably just my imagination.


    Soon after that, I grabbed some water, food, and recovery medicine in my stomach and flew off to Kukuri village.


    I found the soldiers after about five hours of flying, so I applied a strong stun, being careful not to let my consciousness fly, and when I couldn''t move, I used my earth magic to take away the freedom of my limbs and left them there.


    I put all the things I had loaded and the weapons I was wearing into my dimension bag and set out for the village again.


    I''ve heard that in a siege battle, there is a heavenly difference in morale between knowing that help is coming and not knowing that help is coming.


    With that in mind, I kept flying to get to the village as soon as possible.

 19-Chapter 1-16 Hordes of Yellow Flies

    After retaliating against the soldiers, Tenma flew on for about an hour, and as it gradually began to get darker, he saw smoke coming from the direction of the village.


    ''''What the hell is that smoke!''''


    He continued to fly with a bad feeling, and Tenma was astonished at the sight that eventually came into view.


    ---Back in time, a few hours before Tenma came back---.


    ''Shelia, Merlin, when I give the signal, unleash your fire range magic on those heading towards the gate! After that, we''ll hit the guys who leaked the shots with warriors and swordsmen.


    I''m going to instruct him and time it.


    "Still, let go!


    "''Firestorm,''


    The advanced magic of fire attacks the zombies. However, the zombies had no way to avoid the magic and most of the group was burned out.


    The 500 or so zombies in front of me are reduced to charcoal, leaving 2 to 30 in front of me.


    I see this and run off with 30 warriors and swordsmen.


    "Look, you can cripple them with a single blow! When you''ve done that, we''re leaving immediately!


    As expected, the vanguard is fortified with strong guys, so everyone is slaughtering them with a single blow. Even though the opponents are goblins and orc zombies without weapons, things are going well.


    The problem is that the number of weapons, especially arrows, stockpiled in the garrison is low.


    Normally there should be more than fifty soldiers in the garrison, so they should have a certain amount of food and weapons stockpiled, but this time there weren''t even thirty. d*mn it, if you want to cut costs, do it somewhere else!


    For the first year and a half, the garrison was always packed with about 5-60 people, and it wasn''t unusual to see more than 100 people when a replacement came, but when we went into the forest to search, we only saw goblins and the occasional orc, so the number of people was gradually decreasing, and nowadays there are 2-30 people, at most 40 or so It was as if the situation was a disaster, and there were only a small amount of food and weapons left in the stockpile because the fleeing soldiers had taken enough food and weapons to fill their wagons.


    In addition, there was only a small amount of food and weapons left in the stockpile because the fleeing soldiers had taken enough food and weapons to fill their wagons.


    So the villagers fought with the weapons they had brought with them.


    ''Alright, stand down!''


    Yes! My friends replied and ran into the gate.


    If we keep going like this, we can stick around until backup arrives, but it will be impossible. In fact, this is the sixth attack since Tenma flew away. The number of people we''ve defeated is probably more than three thousand.


    Those d*mn soldiers even cheated on the number, it''s obvious that the number is not even a thousand.


    I''m not sure if it''s because of the stress, but I can''t be bothered to pay attention to the tone of voice that is returning to the adventurer''s days.


    ''''Hey, Ricardo!''''


    What''s up, Mark?


    Mark''s voice was harsh as he stood guard.


    ''Oh no, now there''s an ogre! That''s about thirty of them, and an estimated thousand goblins and orcs behind them!


    That''s certainly not good.


    The ogre is a large demon that is about 3 meters tall, class B. If there were thirty such things, such an improvised fort would be invaded in less than five minutes.


    ''''Shelia, Merlin!


    Yes!


    I''m on it!


    The two men immediately understand and reply.


    "''Fire Arrow''.


    The two of them fire a series of Fire Arrows at the goblins in succession, although they are a bit far.


    They will be able to use their magic to target only the ogres, but the ogres still won''t stop, so they will fire two firestorms at the approaching ogres and attack the entire goblin population.


    It''s not possible to wipe them all out, but they are reduced to less than a tenth of the total, and there are only five ogres left.


    ''''Charge!


    My friends run out at my call. The demons are all wounded, so I can easily kill them.


    I take a break from the waves and drink some water while I catch my breath. Shelia and Merlin still seemed to have plenty of time to spare, but they were drinking a little magic potion, just in case.


    After that, there were several more raids, and finally the number of raids at one time exceeded a thousand.


    If this is the enemy''s strategy, it''s really a nasty attack.


    At first, they start with a few weak enemies, then gradually increase their numbers and bring in stronger demons.


    The person controlling the zombies is probably a very clever one.


    "Ricardo, the enemy is leading away.


    Did he get away?


    I ask Mark, hoping that''s the case.


    ''Unfortunately, it doesn''t seem to be. ''It looks like we just retreated into the woods,''


    Well... but it gives you time to rest.


    I''m not so sure if it''s a good idea, but I tell everyone to take a break and be ready to move at any time.


    I''ve had a light meal and while checking my armor, I''ve been thinking that if all is well, Tenma is on her way here, and if possible I don''t want her to come back, but she will come back and try to fight with me.


    It will start to get dark in another hour, I thought, and told the men who were waiting behind me to start a fire.


    For fuel, I would use wooden planks from the destruction of stables and other buildings.


    Just then, I hear the zombies screaming again from the forest.


    ''Oh, my goodness! Ricardeau!


    I heard the screams of those who had been waiting on the wall with the shouts of Mark.


    I ran up the wall and looked in the direction of the forest, where


    ''What! That number, no matter how you look at it, must be five thousand... or nearly twice that many!


    I shouted to myself as I watched the zombies come out of the forest one after another.


    Goblins, orcs, kobolds, ogres and dragon snakes of all kinds are coming out of the forest, and it''s a disaster.


    It was a zombie disaster.


    Not all of them were coming out of the forest, so it was impossible to know how many of these hordes would be there.


    It''s close to ten thousand just to be seen. When I think about the fact that they''re also in the forest, I feel something akin to despair.


    But I can''t escape. The only way to survive is to buy a little time and wait for support.


    ''''It''s a hopeless battle...''''


    The front is swarming with so many zombies that it''s hard to count them, and they are gradually spreading out to surround the fort.


    And it''s close to night. The zombies can move day and night, while humans are at an overwhelming disadvantage because their movements are restricted in the dark.


    ''Gangs of fire! We need to get a little light!


    If we burn it at this rate, there will be no more wood to use tomorrow night.


    But if we don''t survive now, there will be no next time. The only way to improve our chances of survival is to take a gamble.


    I thought to myself as I watched the smoke rise.

 20-Chapter 1-17 Night Battle Starts

    When I returned to the skies above the fort, I saw a swarm of zombies that must have exceeded ten thousand in number.


    I say hordes, but each zombie is so crowded that it looks like a giant monster.


    The density of the zombies was such that if their eyes weren''t glowing red and eerie, you wouldn''t even know they were a bunch.


    I froze in dismay for a moment, but quickly regained my composure and descended.


    ''Dad, I''m back now!''


    I find my dad and the others facing the zombie horde from the top of the gate, and I shout out.


    ''Temma, you''re back safe! So what did the Guild say?


    With those words, I tell them what happened in Russell City.


    Everyone was discouraged when they heard that the Guild and Russell City would be providing support for them in three days at the earliest, but when I sent out a request to them, they found a little bit of hope when I told them that they would be able to come in less than three days.


    ''Speaking of which, Dad,'' he said. I found the soldiers who escaped on their way back, so I used my magic to get back the luggage and weapons they took with them, which were stuck in the ground.


    They went downstairs to the center of the square and took out from the magic bag the items that were in the carriage and the armor that the soldiers were wearing.


    One villager shouted out in a loud voice as if he was excited to see the large amount of food and armor that came out.


    I was confused as people shouted out in rapid succession, as if they were caught in the act.


    My father saw this and said.


    ''Temma, you''ve come back at the right time! Actually, we had very little weapons and food left.


    And then he put his face in my ear and whispered.


    "On top of that, many of them were on the verge of losing their minds due to that zombie horde. But when they saw the weapons and the food that Tenma gave them, they got a little bit of hope. And they''re forcing themselves to get up to speed.


    He also laughed and said, "You can''t fight a war if you''re hungry.


    He seemed to be pretty well driven after only half a day or so.


    ''If the zombies are going to attack us, it will be after dark completely. We''ll finish positioning and deploying our weapons by then!


    This fort is located on the side of the village as opposed to the forest when seen from above, and it has a square shape surrounded by a wall of about 100m on one side, about 4m in height and about 2m in width, and there is a gate in the center of each wall, and the buildings such as the dormitories are fixed on the north side.


    At present, the temmas are building a moat 1m deep and 2m wide, with the exception of the gate, which is about 2m apart.


    The forest half encloses the village and the fort, and is at most 200 meters away from the fort. The village is in the east and the south side faces the forest. The zombies come mainly from the south.


    The warrior group is 20 people, including me, and the warrior group is basically an imitation of the archers, their main job is to fill in when the magic group changes places. And Temma, how many golems can you create?


    ''There are 40 of them, 5 large, 20 medium and 15 small. But the further away you get from me, the less powerful you are, but at twice the distance of this fort, you''ll be fine, and I''ll be able to listen to simple commands, Dad.


    and the number and distance they could be used in battle.


    Incidentally, the large ones are about 3 meters long, the medium ones are about 2 meters long, and the small ones are about 1 meter long.


    ''''Then place one large one in front of the south gate and ten medium-sized ones inside the moat.


    Okay.


    I reply briefly to my father''s request.


    ''And at the east gate are Merlin and Temma, and ten of the magical group and ten of the warrior group. The golem is one large one in front of the gate, five medium-sized ones and ten small ones inside the moat.


    There are 20 warrior groups to the west and 20 to the north, and I want a large Golem in front of the gate in these two locations. But let me know as soon as there are more zombies in the area. The lumberjack will be the replacement and backup in case of an emergency. Tenma, go to the golems as soon as you can. And those that can''t fight, please treat the wounded and distribute food and water.


    As my friends follow my father''s instructions, I throw magical stones outside the moat to create a golem. I gave the golem the following commands: "Enemies are zombies or demons," "Attack approaching enemies," and "Obey human orders.


    Perhaps because there were not enough rocks and stones, a part of each body was made of compacted earth, but it seemed to have no problem with its strength.


    Two to thirty minutes after the deployment was finished, when the sun had set and it was dark, the zombies started to march in, as expected.


    It is not possible to directly attack that horde of zombies, and since the number of arrows is limited, the main force will naturally rely on wizards.


    ----East Gate SIDE


    Grandpa and I were the ones who would take the lead in the defense of the east gate and give instructions.


    It''s only natural that everyone would agree with him since he''s called ''The Wise Man'', but I thought it would be unconvincing to get instructions from a 12-year-old like me too, but according to my grandpa.


    The adventurers are in a business where ability is everything. And they know that he has actually killed B-class demons from the time he was three years old, receiving lessons that could be described as gifted education. Besides, I''ll basically be the one giving the orders, so don''t worry.


    So I guess that''s it.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. I''m not sure how many of them there are, but I''ll try to conserve my magic while I still can.


    And I started to find the zombies and give them instructions.


    I tried to use ''detection'' to find out how many there were, but there were so many zombies that the radar in my head only had one big red response floating around, like the response of a school of fishfinders.


    (By the looks of it, there must be 20,000 for sure.)


    As I was thinking about this, my grandpa gave me instructions.


    ''Release the fireball five times each with a time difference! I and Tenma will fire the fireblit 20 times in a row. The point of impact of magic is to be displaced. ...now, fire!


    and start attacking.


    The ball-type magic is the most widely used attack magic because it is a simple type of magic that consumes 20-40 magic power, and the Brit-type magic is about the same amount of power, but the penetration is high and the rate of fire is fast, so it is considered to be a higher level of magic than the ball-type magic.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one, because it''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.


    The first group had a few ogre zombies in their midst, and I was focusing on their heads. The Ogre zombies crushed the zombies around them with a hole in the middle of their eyebrows, killing them instantly (although it''s funny how zombies can die instantly).


    ''''Looks like you managed to take out nearly half of them pretty well.


    Because of the high penetration power of the fireblit and the weakness of the zombies to fire, some of them were burned by the fireball''s jumping fire when it landed on them, so it seems that nearly 250 of them were burned. And some of them are still burning to death.


    I''m sure the zombies will come rushing in right now, so the real work begins now!


    Just as Grandpa said, about 2,000 zombies come rushing in.


    Grandpa, they seem to be learning from what happened earlier! Each one of them coming towards you with a pause!


    That was unusual for a zombie. It was not normal for a zombie to take action immediately after being hit.


    ''''It''s possible that the master of these zombies is quite intelligent or a high-ranking being.


    Grandpa muttered.


    ''Anyway, next time me and Temma will take a shot at Firestorm. Then we''ll take a look at the rest of the enemies and see what we can find.


    Me and my grandpa unleash our magic. But it''s not as effective as I thought it would be, because the zombies are separated from the rest of the zombies.


    It''s not much," he said, "but it''s about 500 including the first survivor. I''m going to try again.


    The second Firestorm only managed to defeat about 500 of them. Before long, the first survivor had approached the gate and was beaten to death by the golem.


    ''''If you keep this up, you''ll run out of magic sooner or later.


    And when Grandpa was blurting out.


    Oh, my God! Another zombie horde has appeared at the north gate!


    And the message from the north gate came.


    ''What the hell! When did they move in, then they were on the move!


    The number of zombies that appeared at the north gate was about 3,000, and the number was likely to increase.


    I''m afraid so," he said, "but Temma and I will go to his rescue. I''ll send word to Ricardo that Tenma is heading to the north gate and the rest of the wizards are on their way to...


    Grandpa was about to say, when a shout came from the west gate as well.


    Don''t tell me there are zombies heading to the West Gate...


    Grandpa couldn''t hide his surprise at the speed of the invasion.


    But he quickly regained his composure.


    The two northern wizards will follow Tenma.


    I gave him instructions.


    ''That would make the defense here less than defensible!


    Other wizards will tell you.


    If the zombies appear at the west gate, we must send all the waiting wizards over there to defeat the west gate''s defenses. The north, south and east gates have wizards who can use advanced magic to keep the zombies at bay, but the west gate does not. Then we must make up for it in numbers!


    He admonished them. And.


    "There is nothing to burn in front of the North Gate of the Temma, you must go in with all your might. We will do everything in our power to protect them and the north gate!


    Okay, Grandpa!


    I said and activated my flight.

 21-Chapter 1-18 SIDE East Gate & South Gate

    ----East Gate SIDE


    This was a bad idea. The zombies are moving too fast. The plan was to use ranged magic to deal a massive blow to the attacking zombies, and then have Tenma move in as an attacker.


    "Merlin, the zombies are on the move again. "Merlin, the zombies are on the move again.


    There are more of them. It''s a good way to save magic if they''re still coming at you all at once.


    I''ll fire three rounds of Firestorm, then ignore the dying ones and fire a few arrows at the less-damaged zombies.


    As he said this, he fired his Firestorm at a crowd of zombies. But I''ve only managed to kill about a thousand of them.


    (This isn''t good, even though it''s still more than six hours before sunrise.


    In front of me, the zombies attacked me as if they didn''t care enough to reduce the number of zombies by a thousand.


    More and more zombies are reaching the fence, you still have some magic power, but you''ll run out of energy before they do.


    The smoke is obscuring your vision, so be careful where you shoot!


    This time, I give them instructions while firing a series of 10 air blitzes. The magic power of the remaining wizards here could be in danger.


    ''''The wizards need to rest a bit and drink the magic potion!


    He released a few wind cutters where the other magic had stopped. The smoke was dispersed by the wind that rolled up, but the number of zombies that appeared didn''t seem to change much.


    ''Leave the smaller zombies to the golems! Concentrate your arrows on the medium and large zombies and deal damage!


    Smaller zombies would quickly come to the fence due to their large numbers and relatively fast movement, but they would easily die in the aftermath of a magic attack or a blow from a golem. When it came to medium-sized and larger zombies, they wouldn''t fall without a certain amount of damage directly to their heads.


    ''''The number of medium-sized and larger zombies has increased considerably.


    Just as Merlin said, in the beginning there were only the occasional medium-sized one among the small ones, but now it''s become like 6 small and 4 medium-sized or larger.


    The number has not increased, but has not decreased either, and there are always about 3,000 of them coming slowly towards us.


    At this time, a large fire pillar rises at the north gate and lights up the vicinity of the fort.


    "Enemy attack?


    What was that?


    Is the North Gate safe?


    One after another, voices rose from the area. Some of them were screaming that it was the enemy''s new move.


    ''Calm down! That pillar of fire must be Temma''s magic attack!


    He explained to the people around him, but the commotion didn''t quite subside.


    ''''Merlin-sama, no matter how much Tenma can use advanced magic, I''ve never heard of magic like that!


    One of the wizards speaks to me in an exaggerated voice.


    I am certain that this is Temma. "This is definitely Temma," he says, "and her magic is even greater than Ciria''s. I''m sure she is no match for me in terms of talent alone. It''s not only that, they''ve already perfected some original magic at that age. I believe that this is one of them.


    I explained to them. Everyone was skeptical at his words, but they were delighted to hear that Tenma had used his magic to nearly decimate the zombies that had gathered at the north gate, about four thousand of them, and headed for the west gate. They were screaming with joy at the news that the


    ---- South Gate SIDE----.


    The south gate has about seven thousand zombies swarming about four to five hundred meters away.


    ''''What''s going on with the zombies over here!


    At Ricardo''s question, Ciria glared at the zombies crawling out of the forest.


    No significant activity so far, which is creepy.


    I replied with a difficult look on my face.


    ''You''re a zombie, you''re supposed to be creepy.


    And Ricardo spoke in a deliberately light tone, but Shelia kept a serious face.


    No, I''m not saying it''s creepy, I''m saying it''s acting weird. It''s just that it stays still, like it''s waiting for something.


    He replied back. Indeed, the zombies seem to be deliberately keeping their distance from us, even though quite a few of them are coming out of the forest.


    What do you think that something is?


    I don''t know, but it must be bad for us.


    As I was talking to him, I saw a series of magical sounds and lights coming from the east gate.


    A simultaneous invasion of the East Gate!


    And then Ricardo was ready, but the zombies didn''t move, which was a bit of a letdown for Ricardo.


    Surely this is spooky.


    And I agree with Shelia''s hunch.


    ''Shelia, is your magic okay?''


    Yeah, I had a potion earlier, so I''m almost full.


    As I was talking to them, the zombies began to slowly move forward.


    ''What at all is going on with the zombie''s thought process?


    Well, why doesn''t he call at the same time as the east gate? Well, that''s what makes it so creepy.


    The two men begin to act in some puzzling ways.


    ''The wizards, line up side by side and release the fireball on my signal, the warrior group will stand by.


    I''ll give them instructions. When the zombie gets close to about 200 meters.


    Let go!


    Ricardo''s signal was given. The wizards released their magic to go with it.


    I''ll continue, this time aim further ahead than before. I''m not going to be able to get to the top.


    With that said, he gives the signal five times. With that, I succeed in killing nearly 2000 zombies.


    ''I hope it ends up being a simple task.


    Ricardo muttered. Shelia heard that.


    That would be nice. It''s a long shot.


    I cut them off. All the while, the zombies stepped over the corpses of their friends and came towards them.


    ''''We''ll use the same tactics as before, let go!


    The zombies are still in dense formation, heading for the gate.


    They release magic, slaughter zombies, take a breath, and drink a potion every now and then. After killing more than 10,000 zombies, it''s halfway through the process when a message arrives for Ricardo.


    "What, a swarm of zombies to the north and west!


    The same thing happened over and over again, and when my senses were paralyzed, I was suddenly taken by surprise.


    The amount of confusion around them was great as they had been led to believe that normal zombies couldn''t possibly take such a battle strategy.


    ''Tell them to send out the wizards and warriors waiting to the north and west immediately!


    He was about to give the order immediately, but he quickly changed his instructions when he was told by Merlin that the messenger had asked him to send a message to send the waiting wizard to the west, since Tenma was on his way to the north.


    ''Head north only to the warriors! All wizards in waiting are going west!


    At Ricardo''s instruction, the waiting group immediately began to move.


    ''''Ciria, do you think you can send our wizard over here to that?


    I asked him, but Shelia told me


    ''Impossible, the zombies were going for this. It''s picking up speed.


    It came back to me. The zombies had been in a dense formation a while ago, but now they are heading towards us with a gap in between.


    ''So the attack just now was an act?


    ''I hate to believe it, but it looks like it was. I can''t believe that it was done on purpose and the siege operation was going on behind the scenes. Isn''t this the first time in history that this has happened?


    And I''m jokingly saying that there''s no room in my face for


    I''m curious to see how far Temma can go, but...


    Ricardo let out a sigh of relief. But Shelia didn''t sound so worried.


    ''I think that''s okay. The boy has more magic than I do, and it looks like he''s developed some original attack magic.


    I said, but Ricardo looked at him curiously.


    How do you know that?


    He asked.


    ''She seemed to be hiding it, but sometimes she used magic of inexplicable power. Like Brit, she seemed to be very good at inventing and improving things we wouldn''t have thought of.


    In fact, the Brit-type magic was something that Tenma had created and taught to Ciria and the others by imagining a pistol from the memories of his previous life. Besides that, he had also applied knowledge from his previous life to the magic, and when Ciria saw that, she thought it was the original.


    However, the only people who knew about it were Tenma himself and the gods, so it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that it was original.


    ''''It''s just that I don''t have much experience with it, so that''s the only thing I''m worried about.


    While Ricardo thought that there was no longer the overprotectiveness towards Tenma that he had seen from Shelia lately, he was also a little jealous of Shelia for knowing something he didn''t know about Tenma.


    ''''Then let''s just quickly annihilate the zombies here and go support Tenma!


    Well, let''s make that our goal.


    As Shelia replied while releasing the Firestorm, a large pillar of fire went up at the north gate.


    ''''Hey, Shelia. Could that be Temma''s magic?


    Suddenly, for a moment, the defenders of the south gate and the zombies stopped moving.


    ''''Maybe it''s not...''''


    Shelia replies with a slightly drawn-out face.


    ''''Hmm, Shelia! The zombies have stopped moving. Let''s attack the magic while we''re at it!


    With those words, Ciria unleashes five Firestorm shots in a row. The other wizards also follow suit, releasing a series of ball-type magic.


    It''s not clear why, but the zombies that had stopped moving were slow to respond and fell one by one due to the magic. The number of them is more than 3,000.


    ''''Okay, we''ve been dealt quite a blow!


    Most of the zombies that had come close to the gate were dead, and it seemed that a void had been created by a pockmarked blank space. At the same time, a pillar of fire went up at the west gate as well. A magic of that scale would have dealt quite a blow.


    Ricardo and the others were beginning to think that they would be able to survive if they went on like this.


    Until the next moment, from deep in the forest, a dim beam of light was released....

 22-Chapter 1-19 Disasters that plague disaster

    Grandpa had instructed me to come to the north gate.


    As far as I can see, there are probably more than 5,000 zombies that have been attacking us by surprise, and the number is still growing. They had probably bypassed the village.


    I regretted not using my detection, but figured it wasn''t deadly yet, so I launched an attack.


    ''Firestorm!''


    Before the zombies see me, I fire three rounds of Firestorm, sending them near the front of the zombie horde into a sea of fire.


    But the back row of zombies won''t stop moving forward as if they don''t care about the sea of fire. At last, the fire disappeared before the amount of zombies in the back row.


    ''''That''s a messed up battle plan.


    Someone muttered. It''s a mess, sure, but crushing the defense of a few in numbers, I thought, this is an effective move against us right now... whether the zombies think that far ahead or not.


    ''Grandpa told me to come and support you!


    Oh, thank God.


    They exchanged short words and fired off a series of magic.


    ''Earth Needle, Fireball, Air Cutter!


    Use multiple attribute magic to reduce the number of enemies. But the zombies will come out later and later.


    ''''There''s no end to it.


    I muttered and fired 10 rounds of Firestorm into the center of the crowd, burning about 2,000 people in the center of the crowd, but there were still some zombies left.


    Even though they are 500 meters away, the hot heat wave reaches the fort.


    ''''Temma! Stop wasting your magic power in desperation!


    A wizard catches up with me and warns me not to worry about it.


    Everybody get down or get below. Hurry!


    And loudly instructed them. At first everyone was puzzled, but the wizard, sensing that I was going to use high-powered magic, immediately told everyone and acted immediately. With that in mind, I chanted a spell at the side.


    ''''Tornado.''''


    It wasn''t a particularly unusual magic. If I had to say, it was quite a bit more powerful than normal, but it was still able to take out a hundred or so zombies in one hit... if it was a normal situation.


    In the past, about 40,000 of the approximately 105,000 people who died in the Great Kanto Earthquake were said to have been killed by a certain phenomenon (...).


    The phenomenon is said to occur when a large quantity of warmed air is blown up into the sky by a large fire.


    It is said that the disaster grows as it draws in the air around it, and the temperature of the tornado with its heat is said to exceed 1,000 degrees Celsius.


    Temma has used his magic to recreate the natural disaster.


    However, it was also a gamble, for the mechanism of the Fire Whirlwind was not completely understood, even in his previous life.


    Winning the bet, Tenma let the Fire Tornado slowly move in the direction of the zombies as they swarmed.


    The zombies tried to escape the whirlwind, but eventually they were sucked into the whirlwind and burned, carved and shattered. In a matter of minutes, the crowd of zombies that had been heading towards the north gate was nearly wiped out. Temma witnessed this and weakened the Fire Tornado with his magical power.


    ''''Wow! The zombies are gone!


    Suck it up!


    All that''s left is a failure to die!


    and a cheer from the guard at the north gate, putting a stop to the survivors. Tenma was inwardly relieved.


    (I''m glad it worked~. It''s very effective, but it''s hard to use, and if I let go of the control, it''s likely to come at me if I''m not good at it, and it requires magic power to erase it. (I''ll have to be careful where I put it.)


    I chugged three bottles of the potion, thinking.


    ''''Temma, I''m sorry, but can you hurry up and eat this and head to the West Gate?''''


    ''Yes,'' one of the guards said, handing me water and the sandwiches that had been handed out just now.


    ''I understand,''


    And I tucked the sandwich into my belly as if I were pouring water into it and took off to the West Gate, my belly chattering with water and potions.


    The scene I saw at the West Gate wasn''t much different from the one at the North Gate.


    To be exact, there are more zombies here than at the north gate, from the looks of it, but the wizards were doing their best to make up for it, so the zombie invasion had stopped.


    I found Uncle Mark, who was in command, and called out to him.


    ''I''m Temma. I''m here to support you.


    "Tenma, thank God... and by the way, that pillar of fire you saw before, was it Tenma who did that?


    Yes, it''s my magic.


    Uncle Mark looked startled when I replied, "I''m sorry," and then quickly


    Then why don''t you do the same for us?


    I asked, looking at the zombies.


    ''We can do it. But we need other magic users to help us.


    I replied, "I''m going to have people who can use magic hit ten fireballs each around the center of the zombie horde, and I''m going to release five firestorms myself.


    ''Everyone please take shelter below!


    He instructed and chanted ''Tornado'' just like the North Gate.


    The Fire Tornado attacked the flock again and swallowed most of the zombies, and by the time it was gone, the flock was wiped out.


    When the defenders saw it happen, they screamed with joy and were about to put a stop to the dying.


    Temma was about to report to the east gate once he saw it, when the next moment when he sensed a violently disgusting presence from the forest on the other side of the south gate, a thin black beam of light pierced the south gate.


    The rays of light reached near the center of the fort, and screams were coming from everywhere.


    The south gate had been blown off the gate and part of the wall around it, and it looked like several of the defenders had been hit.


    ''Dad, Mom!''


    I froze for a few seconds, then raised my voice and hurried to the south gate, praying for their safety.

 23-Chapter 1-20 Cause of disaster

    The south gate had been reduced to rubble near the center. Even though it was rubble, the area that had received a direct hit from the rays of light was almost half melted.


    ''''What''s the power of this...''''


    I hear multiple grunts in response to my mutterings. Looking around, I see people who have been grazed by the rays of light and those injured by the shattered pieces of fence cowering in place. Those who were hit directly have disappeared, leaving body parts and pieces behind.


    ''Temma!''


    That''s when I heard my mom''s voice. I looked for her and found her a dozen yards away from the broken gate, with my dad.


    "Dad, you''re okay!


    As I approached, I noticed something strange about my dad as I approached. His right leg was missing from the knee and his left arm was bent the other way, and he was coughing up blood.


    ''What happened to my dad!


    I listen to my mom as she works her recovery spell and checks on him.


    ''I was just in the firing line of that ray of light when it went off. My dad saved me from it by pushing it away, but the ray grazed my dad, and then the aftermath of the ray sent me flying here.


    He explained.


    ''Okay, Mom, you go tend to Dad and the other wounded. In the meantime, I''ll take care of the defense.


    I said, and I jumped up to the top of the gate. In the meantime, the zombies were approaching the gate.


    ''''d*mn, I can''t use my Fire Tornado at this distance!


    Since the zombies were closer than I thought they would be, there was a good chance that the Fire Tornado, which was also my trump card, would cause damage to my allies and the fort.


    So I decided to block the gate with earth magic first.


    Next, I''ll eat the Firestorm in order of closeness and gradually increase the distance between them.


    When we had some distance between us, we cooperated with the other wizards to create a ''fire whirlwind''.


    ''''We can win with this!


    "Burn the zombies to the ground!


    Go to hell, you f*cking zombies!


    The crowd cheered. But the whirlwind of fire was drowned out by the rays of light before it had gone fifty meters.


    Rather than canceling out the whirlwind of fire, the rays of light reached the wall, though weaker than the first shot, and punched a hole in part of the wall.


    Fortunately, no one was injured, but a sense of despair began to linger in the area. As soon as Mom, who had left the healing to the others, came up, the one that had fired the ray slowly emerged, it was more than I expected, it was


    Dragon zombies...


    Mom mumbles, its true identity is a dragon zombie, lightly over fifty meters in size. My grandfather comes running in and adds, "And it''s probably a zombie of the Ancient Dragon, the Ancient Dragon.


    Moreover, it is probably the zombie of the Ancient Dragon [Ancient Dragon].


    Dragons are divided into lower, intermediate, higher, dragon king and ancient dragons. Lower class dragons are those with low intelligence, such as wyverns and juvenile dragons, while middle and upper class dragons are divided according to intelligence and strength, and are often shaped like the dragons of the West and the East. The strongest of them are called dragon kings, while the ancient dragons are those that have lived more than 10,000 years.


    It is said that size does not have much to do with strength, but basically, the larger the individual, the stronger it is. And ancient dragons are characterized by the formation of large jewel-like metal deposits on the surface of their bodies.


    The dragon zombie that appeared in front of me had a blackish colored metal that was about 3 meters in size sticking out from both of its shoulders.


    It is similar to the ancient dragons described in ancient documents. It is said that three hundred years ago, an ancient dragon with dark characteristics appeared in the kingdom and destroyed several villages and then appeared in the cities, where it was driven away by the knights and sorcerers of that time.


    That''s why the zombies were more intelligent than the others.


    And then he spoke, releasing his magic.


    Once he''s down, the rest of the zombies will stop moving.


    With the words "I''m not going to be able to do anything about it," all the wizards attacked the dragon zombies, but the dragon zombies fired breaths to counteract most of the magic.


    Each time the breaths came closer, the walls were broken and the number of wounded increased.


    ''If we don''t, we''ll be pushed out eventually. Temma, we''re going to attract them, go attack the zombies!


    Mom gave me instructions. The dragon zombies are closing in on us, like 500 meters to the gate.


    Okay, I''ll go.


    I said and soared high into the sky, flying directly above the dragon zombies. From about 50 meters up, I activate my magic.


    The Earth Needle.


    First, a series of attacks from the ground will stop the movement.


    Windcutter.


    The next step is to cut the surface of the zombie''s body.


    ''Fire Bullet, Fire Lance.''


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    A cloud of dust blocked my vision.


    A few tens of seconds later, after the smoke cleared, the figure of the dragon zombie appeared, lying down and not moving.


    The villagers cheered that they had survived this time, and some of the defenders went outside to exterminate the rest of the zombies.


    As I landed near the gate, everyone gathered around me.


    ''Temma, you''ve done well!


    Mom hugs me, and Dad walks up to Grandpa, borrowing his shoulder.


    ''That was awesome, Temma!


    You will go down in history for slaying an ancient dragon almost single-handedly at your age.


    And one by one, the people around him followed by his dad and grandpa praised him aloud.


    One of them ran to check on the dragon zombie. At that time, everyone thought that the dragon zombie was dead.


    Little did they know that it would be a fatal setback.


    When one of the people who went to see the dragon zombies looked into their faces, the zombie''s eyes, which had previously lost their light, began to glow red, and...


    Gwo-ooh.


    Geez.


    We froze at the sudden roars and screams, and the dragon zombies suddenly came to life and started to move. A lone villager in its mouth was in its mouth, it would be an instant death.


    The fact that we had stopped moving was fatal, the dragon zombie was about to spit out a breath, and just when I thought it was bad, my body was blown right off to the side.


    ''Geez,''


    I looked to see what was going on and saw my dad pushing me away, my mom and grandpa were smiling at me even though they had their magic barriers out, and I thought I heard their mouths moving and their voices.


    ''Live.''


    Live.


    You will live.


    And.


    Just as I was about to say something, they were engulfed in a black beam of light.


    I was stunned, and all I could do was watch.

 24-Chapter 1-21 The End of Disaster

    I didn''t know what happened.


    The dragon zombie I thought I had defeated was still alive, and it unleashed a breath.


    The breath engulfed my dad and the others, obliterating the others who had gathered around.


    A little while later, the breath is released again, away from me.


    There is another scream.


    The fence was already in tatters.


    I seem to have fallen into the moat, slowly picking myself up and crawling out. From where I crawled out, I can see the dragon zombies. Suddenly, I saw the eyes of the dragon zombie.��The distance between them is less than three hundred meters, and they seemed to be laughing, as if they thought they were the prey that crawled out of the cave and appeared in front of them.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of this. It''s about to spit out a breath.


    I couldn''t move. No, I didn''t have the energy to move.


    I thought I could die. They died in front of my eyes, and I thought I was lucky to have had a parent in the world.


    But then I remembered what my fathers had told me to do, to live.


    When I remembered, I noticed that the dragon zombie had a sneaky smile on his face.


    At that moment the breath was about to be released, and I naturally raised my hand in the air.


    As if to match that, a wall about two meters thick and five meters wide rose up between me and the dragon zombie.


    It is a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.


    ''''I''ll kill you........''''


    ''Kill, kill, kill, kill, koloskoloskolos...''


    I''ll kill you! You rotten lizard!


    I was running.


    There''s only one thing I have to do. The only thing I had to do was to get rid of the dragon (rotten) zombie (lizard) in front of me.


    The dragon zombies are surprised. A wall suddenly appeared in front of me and interfered with the breath, and I, who I thought was its prey, was screaming at it. I guess it''s a series of unexpected events.


    But as expected of an ex-dragon, it immediately tries to release a breath to intercept.


    I saw that, and I aimed at the dragon zombie''s jaw and fired an oversized Earth Needle. The Earth Needle hits the open jaw of the dragon zombie as it is about to release its breath.


    As I was about to release the breath, the strong impact from below forced the dragon zombie to close its mouth.


    As a result, the breath had nowhere to go and destroyed the dragon zombie''s lower jaw.


    The dragon zombie was writhing in agony. Meanwhile, I''m going to fire a series of fire barrels as I approach.


    One....five...ten...twenty...thirty...............................a hundred bites, I guess. When I was right in front of you, I jumped up and took out my sword.


    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it, but I''m going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it.


    Gradually, though, the wound closed up. The wounds that were first inflicted by the Fire Bullet were almost closed up.


    ''''d*mn, you have regenerative powers!


    As I land, the dragon zombie''s tail strike comes at me, I levitate and duck and then land on my feet, but this time its front legs attack me.


    I swing my sword as if it were a slit in my back.


    The dragon zombie loses the elbow end of its right front leg.


    Agaaaaahhhh!


    The screaming dragon zombie made me swing my sword at its face, but when I ripped out the zombie''s right eye, the sword broke off.


    I lost my balance because of the broken sword, and the dragon zombie slammed down on me with his remaining right front leg. As soon as I could, I put up a barrier with my magic, but I couldn''t kill it with my momentum, and it slammed into the ground.


    The momentum stopped when I continued to roll about 2-30 meters away, but even though the barrier eased the momentum, it was still quite a bit of damage.


    I immediately used a potion to recover my injuries and magic power. The dragon zombie doesn''t seem to have recovered its jaw in time, and Breath doesn''t spit, but rushes towards me.


    I fire an Earth Needle at its left front leg. Then the dragon zombie loses its balance and plunges face first into the ground.


    I ran to the forest to hide.


    The dragon zombie was so angry that it only seemed to be looking at me, and it quickly chased after me.


    It rampaged through the trees to find me, destroying trees as it watched, while I worked on a spell.


    After about five minutes of rampage, the dragon zombie notices me floating in the air, and I go down into the forest about 200 meters in front of the dragon zombie.


    The enraged dragon zombie is heading towards me, smashing through the trees.


    When the distance between me and the dragon zombie is about 100 meters, I activate a certain magic.


    ''''Tempest.''''


    At that moment, a huge tornado arises with Tenma in the center. The dragon zombies that were just on the periphery of the tornado were gradually coming closer to us while holding on to prevent them from being sent flying away. Numerous cuts had begun to appear on its body.


    ''''Not yet! "Tempest F3.


    Tenma intensifies his magic, the dragon zombie has stopped advancing and is now about to be sent flying, blood has begun to gush out of his body, but he is still holding on.


    ''''Tempest F4.''''


    Finally, the body of the dragon zombie is floating and struggling. The trees that were caught up in it hit the dragon zombie, spreading the wound, and Tenma''s body was starting to get injured as well.


    ''Stop, "Tempest F5


    The body of the dragon zombie, which is completely raised, can''t withstand the storm and is torn to pieces.


    ''Gaggle-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga.''


    Ten seconds after chanting "Tempest F5", the tornado disappeared with the decapitated screams of the dragon zombies, and Tenma fell to his knees, covered in blood, and passed out.


    The survivors of the fort were startled and terrified by the huge tornado, but strangely enough, when the tornado subsided, half the zombies that had been approaching the fort collapsed to their deaths. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.


    The golem that Tenma created was also collapsing. When Mark saw this, he was about to go find Tenma, but as he was leaving the south gate, he found Shelia and the others buried in the rubble.


    ''Shelia! Somebody give me a hand!


    More than a dozen people, including Martha, who was safe from Mark''s call, gather around.


    ''Clear the debris carefully, get someone who can use recovery magic. ASAP!


    The debris was being removed under Mark''s direction. In about ten minutes, Shelia was let out of the rubble, as were Merlin and Ricardo from nearby.


    Merlin was in critical condition, but Ricardo was already out of breath.


    ''Shelia, hey, can you hear me? Shelia, open your eyes.


    Shelia responded to Mark''s voice as Martha held her and opened her eyes with a wince. However, everyone was in danger.


    ''Mark, Martha...Temma is...''


    Mark couldn''t tell me that Tenma was missing, and as soon as he did, he said


    "Tenma slays the dragon zombies. That was awesome! But I''ve been pushing them deeper into the woods, so they haven''t come back here yet. They should be here by now.


    I lied to him. I didn''t doubt that I had defeated the dragon zombie, but I wasn''t sure if he was alive or dead because I hadn''t been able to confirm it.


    ''Well...she did her best...I have to give her credit...''


    Shelia''s words are losing power in the next few moments, and Mark and Martha are desperately trying to get to Shelia.


    Pull yourself together, because Temma will be back soon!


    Yes, it''s your job as a mother to greet him with a smile!


    But Shelia slowly shook her head.


    ''I won''t be around much longer, so, Mark, Martha, give this to Temma instead of me, and give her a compliment...''


    With that, he takes his own guild card out of his pocket and hands it to Martha.


    ''''Don''t be a bad omen!


    However, Shelia didn''t seem to hear as her consciousness was beginning to cloud over.


    ''It''s Temma! Shelia, Temma is back! See, they''re running this way!


    Mark said. There was no one to stop him from doing so.


    ''Oh Temma you came... you did a great job, great job... Ricardo was there too... now...'' We can live in peace with our families again........


    And with that, the strength is released from Shelia''s body.


    Ciria? Hey, Shelia! Firm push!


    Martha swings for the body but Shelia moves out of range.


    I love...Temma...


    He muttered and drew a breath.

 25-Chapter 1-22 New Departure

    Meanwhile, Tenma in the forest was still down. But just as Tenma''s bag seemed to move, Shiroumaru emerged from inside, checking the area and coming out. Slarin was also attached to his back.


    Shiroumaru licks Tenma''s face, but there is no reaction.


    He looked at Slarin to see what was going on, but unexpectedly he felt the zombies coming towards him.


    Shiroumaru cooperated with Slarin, and after putting Tenma on his back, Slarin got on his back and left the scene, pinning Tenma and Shiroumaru together.


    However, as they moved away from the zombies, they naturally moved away from the fort as well.


    After riding along the perimeter of the forest for four days, they found a river and near it Shiroumar and Slarin decided to dismount the heavenly horse.


    Slarin would occasionally take water out of his bag for Tenma to drink, but they decided it was better to let Tenma rest in a safe place.


    It wasn''t until three days later that Tenma woke up.


    ''Is this... dad, mom?''


    And Tenma looks around with a blur in his head.


    Nuh, Tenma almost turned over involuntarily at the white thing that appeared in front of him. When he looked closely, he saw that it was Shiroumaru. Shiroumaru licks his face while wagging his tail.


    By the time I managed to pull Shiroumaru away, my mind began to clear.


    Oh, my mom and dad were killed. Just as my mood was about to sink to the bottom with that thought, Slarin pulled away a bit and spat out something... it was the blackish metal that grew on the dragon zombie''s shoulder.


    ''Eek! What are you spitting out?!


    The sinking feeling was drowned out by the surprise that outweighed it, and Tenma made a strange noise.


    If Slarin had a face, he would have decided to make a grand smug face. Somehow, he''s acting like he did it..........


    Anyway, thanks to Slarin, Tenma, who was able to relax a little bit, used the search, but it seems that Kukuri village was out of the scope of the search.


    There was no sign of demons or large beasts around, and this seemed to be a safe zone.


    Just as I was about to relax, there was a sudden reaction to the radar floating in my head.


    ''''It''s close! Who are you to completely refuse to give a sign until you''re this close!


    He hurriedly took up a fighting stance and braced himself, but a closer look at the radar''s response showed that it was from inside the river.


    ''From the river! A demon!


    As I readied myself, the water rose and a fish appeared.


    "We can''t fight you, so please don''t attack us.


    It spoke!


    I was so surprised that I let go of the air barrettes as soon as I could... but...


    Touche!


    and shouting "Brilliant! The fish that jumped and dived into the duck was actually a giant carp that was over 3 meters long.


    "Carp!


    That''s right, carp. Everybody loves Mr. Karp!


    In the blurbs with


    No, I''m more of a hawk.


    I replied.


    ''What do you say?''


    And a weird Hiroshima dialect? Since we''ve been talking at


    You''re from Hiroshima?


    And I asked him anyway.


    No, I''m from Niigata!


    Hiroshima, wrong!


    And then he had to do a strange rambling. However, the audience, Shiroumaru and Slarin, naturally, did not laugh.


    ''''Hmm, are you the one who was reincarnated before, Namitaro?


    Oh, you know what I''m talking about. So you''re one of the reincarnated ones!


    Apparently, it was the Namitaro I heard about from the God of Creation. However, I had a few questions, so I decided to ask them.


    ''How can you talk? And how old are you? I thought you were dead?


    Don''t ask all these questions at once! I''ll answer you, but...


    He answered the question by saying.


    He said that he could speak because he had lived for so many years in his previous life that he had a certain amount of wisdom, so he was able to speak during his reincarnation. His age doesn''t seem to have been counted since he was over a thousand, and he was fished out soon after his reincarnation, but when he was fished out, he went on a rampage and ran away. I don''t think he even said that the God of Creation was dead for sure.


    ''''No~ This is the first time I''ve ever talked to someone, including in my previous life!


    I''ve never talked to a fish before either...


    I muttered to myself, but he ignored me. Namitaro tells me something I haven''t heard. According to him, he was also called ''Midori'' in his previous life, he lived in a pond on top of a mountain, his friends were drawn in a fishing manga and he returned the guys who seemed to have been influenced by them, he had a cute girlfriend in Sougyou, and other unimportant things.


    ''So, why is Tenma here?''


    He asked me if I wanted to know what happened in the village, so I kind of let him tell me what happened in the village. By the time he was done talking about it all, I was able to put some things in perspective. Namitaro, who had been listening to me quietly, tried to wipe his eyes with his pectoral fins, but he couldn''t.


    What a sad story. "What a sad story, what a lot of work you had to do.


    He tried to climb onto the land, speaking in a fake Kansai dialect, and I stopped him, hitting him with a pebble, and then he started to climb onto the land.


    Where am I, by the way?


    I asked. Namitaro said, "Ouch," but I ignored him.


    I don''t know where the Kukuri Village is," he said, "but I''ve only just started living around here, so I don''t know where it is. I''ll ask you," he said.


    And looking at the sky.


    Hey, little guy!


    He called out to a little sparrow-like bird. The little bird landed right in front of Namitaro and chirped and chirped. Namitaro said, "Mmm-hmm, yeah, yeah, I see.


    ''Thanks, Chi-chan! I found out that this place is about 180 km away from Kukuri village.


    You see now?


    Apparently Namitaro can talk to little birds, and when I was suspicious I was told it was an ability given to me by God.


    ''I heard that Chi-chan''s friends came back from Kukuri village a while ago, but I heard that all the people who were at the fort the day before yesterday morning went somewhere else.


    He told me.


    ''Well, what do we do now?''


    For now, why don''t we just go where the people are, or go after the people in Kukri village?


    I had no desire to go to Kukri village without my parents, and I didn''t want to be in a place under the control of the Earl of Huisto Frontier, which had helped to cause this.


    I didn''t want to go to the village of Kukri without my parents, and I also didn''t want to stay in a place that was under the control of the Haust frontier county, which had contributed to the cause of this event.


    Therefore, I decided to leave the Haussian Frontier Count''s territory and head for the big city outside of his territory. When I told him about it.


    Well, maybe that''s a good idea. It''s one thing to get away from a hard place.


    I wondered why I was being consulted by a carp, but it was a secret.


    Since it will be getting dark soon, we should camp around here today and leave in the morning. If you follow this river, you''ll pass through the frontier county in the morning.


    When I asked him about it, he told me that this river goes all the way down to the sea. I heard that Namitaro goes down the river once every few decades and moves to another river to go to the sea.


    We camped by the river that day. We had a simple dinner of dried meat and vegetable soup and bread.


    My body didn''t accept meat, so I gave it to Slarin, and for some reason Namitaro wanted it too. Even though I gave him meat, he complained that it didn''t taste good, so I put a pebble on it. By the way, Shiroumaru had brought a deer by himself, so I drained the blood from the deer, skinned it, dismantled it, and lightly grilled it for him.


    The next morning, when we were getting ready to leave, Namitaro gave me a few dozen magic nuclei and stones as a parting gift. He had been collecting them somehow from upstream every once in a while.


    ''Take care, Tenma. Let''s meet again when you have a chance.


    Oh, you take care of yourself, Namitaro.


    We exchanged words and I walked away.


    ''So, why are you following me?''


    Thirty minutes into the walk and still Namitaro swims in parallel.


    ''No, well... sort of?


    The exchange of "I don''t know what to do" went on for ten days until we left the riverfront.

 26-Chapter 1 Status after the end

    Name... the Temma-Otori.


    Age...12


    Race... human race.


    Titles... disciple of the wise, tamer, dragon slayer, and (favored by the gods)


    HP... 16,000.


    MP... 28,000.


    Strength...B-


    Defensive Power...B


    Speed...B+


    Sorcery power... SS-.


    Mental capacity...A+.


    Growth Potential...SS


    Luck... B


    Skills....Strengthening the household 10, fire magic 9, wind magic 9, magic manipulation 9, training 9, cooking 9, demolition 9, water magic 8, earth magic 8, swordsmanship 8, martial arts 8, traps 8, alchemy 8, light magic 7, granting magic 7, throwing techniques 7, night eyes 7, patience 7, archery 7, sticks 7, lightning magic 7, dark magic 7, magic augmentation 7, space-time magic. 6, spear technique 5, axe technique 5, all magic attributes 4 (8), (appraisal 10, detection ability 10, concealment 10, technology acquisition strength 10, growth strength 8, life force strength 8, recovery strength 8, anomaly resistance 8, sensory enhancement 7, physical ability strength 7, creation magic 7, destructive strength 5, destruction resistance 5, instant death resistance 5, martial arts Hyakusen 5)


    Gift...blessings of the gods


    Name... slarin''.


    Age...6


    Species... slime.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 3000.


    MP... 5000.


    Strength...C-


    Defensive Power...C-


    Speed...B-


    Magic... B+


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... B


    Skills....space-time magic 6, anomaly resistance 6, patience 4, and martial arts 4


    His name is Shiroumaru.


    Age...2


    Race...Phantom Wolf Species (Golden Fenrir x Silveriofenrir)


    Title: "Tenma''s Family


    HP...10,000.


    MP...10,000.


    Strength...B-


    Defensive Power...B+


    Speed...A


    Magic... B+


    Mental capacity...D+.


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck... B


    Skills....Night Eyes 8, Martial Arts 7, Abnormal Resistance 5, Physical Strength 5, Sensory Enhancement 5, Patience 3, Life Force Enhancement 3


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Name--Namitaro.


    Age... 2512.


    Species...Carp


    Title: Reincarnated Fish, Legendary Giant Carp


    HP...10,000.


    MP...8000


    Muscle strength...B


    Defensive Power... B-


    Speed...S (Underwater only)


    Magical power...B+.


    Mental capacity...A+.


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... s


    Skills....Language Comprehension 10, Concealment 10, Water Magic 8, Anomaly Resistance 8, Physical Strength 8, Sensory Enhancement 8, Perseverance 8, Resilience 8


    Name... dragon zombies.


    Gender... unknown.


    Rank....SS


    Species... zombie species.


    HP... 150,000.


    MP...50,000.


    Strength...SS+


    Defensive Power... S-


    Speed...B-


    Magical power...S+.


    Mental capacity...D+.


    Growth Potential...E


    Luck...D


    Skills....Death Magic 10, Dark Magic 10, Military Enhancement 6, Regeneration Ability 4


    Name... the Ancient Dragon.


    Gender... unknown.


    Rank...SSS+


    Race... ancient dragon species.


    HP...5,000.


    MP...100,000.


    Strength...SSS+


    Defensive Power... SSS-


    Speed...S+


    Magic... SSS.


    Mental strength... SSS+.


    Growth Potential...E


    Luck...S+.


    Skills....Dark Magic 10, Regeneration 10, Life Force Enhancement 10, Recovery 10, Anomaly Resistance 10, Destructive Power Enhancement 8, Dead Spirit Magic 5, Military Enhancement 5

 27-Chapter 2-0 Dream

    My name is Houtenma.


    I live with my grandparents.


    I don''t have a father and mother, they died in a car accident when I was three years old.


    But I don''t remember that, I only vaguely remember being with a boy and a girl when I was little.


    It seems that it was my dad''s dad who took me in.


    The place where my grandfather lives is overpopulated and there are no children my age. The grandchildren of the villagers occasionally come to visit, but only for a few days a year.


    The people who live near my grandfather''s house are all his friends. They are all grandpa''s friends, and they love me very much. In particular, the grandfathers who live across the street and next door take good care of me.


    My grandfather''s name is Hou Houhou Tourei, and he used to carry a gun in the mountains. He often goes into the mountains carrying a gun.


    The grandpa who lives next door to me on the right is named Kennosuke, and I call him Ken-grandpa. He is a bit of a stern old man, often wielding a sword in the garden.


    The house next door on the left is home to my grandpa, Shotaro, and my grandmother, Tamao. I call them Grandpa Akira and Grandma Tamao. Grandpa Akira often punches boards and pulls trees in the yard with a belt. Grandma Tama makes delicious food and sweets for us.


    Across the street is an old man named Genzo who lives in the house, and we call him Grandpa Gen. People call him a little bit of a badass old man.


    They sometimes fight with each other, but they are very close to each other and they all watch out for me.


    They teach me many things in their free time.


    My grandpa is a judo player.


    Grandpa Ken Kendo.


    Grandpa Shook hands with karate.


    Grandpa Minamoto watches them study and teaches them to play.


    But all four of us are often scolded by Grandma Tama for "overdoing it".


    I didn''t have any friends my own age in the village, but when I entered elementary school, I made a friend named Takashi. But it''s almost an hour''s drive to school, so I have to go on holidays to have a lot of fun.


    I didn''t have many friends at school, but we played together to our hearts'' content during recess, and I practiced hard at home with my grandfathers.


    As soon as I entered junior high school, I started to get into trouble.


    To me, it was just a fight. There were about ten of us fighting, one against one.


    The reason for this is that one of the guys from the new class got violent with Takashi, so I beat him up.


    When I did that, his brother and his friends got in trouble with me, so I sunk them all, but I didn''t take it easy and wounded them.


    Apparently, their parents came into the school and caused a commotion, because they were not in school that day and were being lectured by their grandfather.


    The parents didn''t seem to know that their children had tried to lynch a new student and got beaten up by him or her, so they came to apologize to him or her at home, but the problem for them was that I, who was their disciple, had taken it easy on them.


    I heard at the time that my grandpa was quite famous in the area.


    Grandpa was taught by such experts in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu and Aikido, Grandpa Kendo and Kenjutsu and Pole Art, and Grandpa Akira was taught by Karate and Boxing.


    The three of us were rivals, and I heard that I became stronger because I didn''t want to lose to the other two.


    When I heard that, I thought what kind of manga world is this?


    By the way, it seems that Gen-grandpa didn''t have any talent for martial arts, and he laughed and said he trained his head instead.


    So from then on, mental training was added to my practice.


    It included a waterfall walk, Zen meditation, sutra, and on consecutive holidays, he was once thrown out into the mountains and told to "go out alive. (Later, Grandma Jade found out and made the four old men sit on the ground.)


    He spent his junior high school years as such. And before I knew it, I was treated like a gang leader. Of course, I couldn''t have a girlfriend.


    After entering high school, I was busy helping out in club activities, working part-time jobs, socializing with friends, studying and training to become more and more extreme.


    It was not hard for me to study because I learned from my grandfather, but my grandfathers were so eager to train me that sometimes I would perform "Hyakunin Kumite" (100 times Kumite) when I was on a long vacation.


    My grandfathers called on their acquaintances, and they made us do the 100-man Kumite in Judo, Kendo and Karate.


    Well, I thought it would be better to go with ''a hundred consecutive time-limited instruction'' as they would change opponents in a minute, or just teaching some opponents, or not even a hundred people to begin with.


    Such were the days of my youth, but I still couldn''t get her. When I talked to Takashi (this guy had a girlfriend before I knew it), he said, "My face isn''t bad, my grades are good, I''m athletic and I can cook, so why am I not popular? Hahaha," he laughed. I was a bit pissed off so I poked my head with the corner of my textbook.


    Takashi was useless, so I asked Takashi''s girlfriend, ''Miki'', about it and found out the unexpected cause. The cause was my grandpa and his acquaintances.


    I often see his acquaintances near the school, and I often say hello to them, but when the students saw that, they thought I was talking to the yakuza in a friendly way and that was the reason.


    On top of that, some of the people who were mistaken for yakuza were low profile, and some of them bowed to me and used respectful language, which led to rumors that I was the grandson of the gang leader or the son of a high ranking member of the clan, not to mention a rumor that I had sprouted wings.


    Furthermore, the fact that the other grandfathers, except for Genji, had a rather tough-looking face also seemed to add to the rumor.


    He managed to get into the university with a recommendation.


    In college, I got the girlfriend of my dreams and had a relationship with a man and a woman, but we broke up after a year or so.


    I was depressed, quite depressed, and if I hadn''t been comforted by Takashi and the others, I would have gone on a spur-of-the-moment heartbreak trip. Around the Sea of Trees in Aokigahara........as a tourist.


    I''ve heard that Aokigahara''s Sea of Trees has a boardwalk and a campground for sightseeing.


    Thanks to the efficient completion of my credits, I had more time to play, and I had a reasonably productive university life.


    After graduation, I got a job at the village office. The job wasn''t so difficult and I knew everyone around me, so it was easy for me to work.


    However, three years after I started working there, a tragedy happened on my way home from work on a day when I went to the city hall.


    While I was out having lunch and crossing the traffic light, I saw a car ramming into the street at high speed.


    I noticed it and stopped, but the elementary school girl next to me didn''t notice and jumped out of the way.


    The sound of car horns and screams around me, my body unconsciously pushed the girl into the opposite lane, resulting in my consciousness being cut off there for a time.


    Next thing I know, I''m floating on a hearse during my own funeral.


    People dressed in mourning clothes were gathering around, crying. Takashi and Miki were there too, they were engaged and were crying while hugging each other''s shoulders. Other school friends and senior colleagues were also crying.


    I looked for Grandpa and his friends and found a middle-aged couple in front of him, bowing their heads incessantly. The girl was there too. The couple kept repeating their apologies to Grandpa, but he was stifling them.


    It''s not the girl''s fault, he said, it''s just that I did the natural thing and had no luck.


    The couple and the girl burned incense and left. The girl was thanking me for burning incense.


    I was more shocked to see them sad than to know that I was dead, and I was wondering what was going on.


    ''''Mr. Fengtian Horse, I''ve come to scout you.


    I was approached from behind.


    I had a faint feeling that this was a dream, and I realized that I was dreaming about my previous life.


    When I''m convinced of this, the area goes white.


    And then I hear a man''s voice in the voice of a woman who''s fondling me.


    I hear a woman''s voice from nearby, and a man''s voice a little further away.


    It''s Mother Shelia holding me and calling out to me, and Father Ricardo peeking in a bit more reservedly and calling out to me.


    Oh, I''m happy.


    That''s how I feel, but gradually their faces fade away.


    Then I feel my consciousness surfacing. It''s time to wake up from the dream.


    No matter how happy or sad I feel in this place, it''s a dream and not reality.


    I know that, but if I could, I''d like to be held by my mother and watched by my father for a little while longer, but my consciousness is waking up.

 28-Chapter 2-1 Guild Registration

    I wake up and see the familiar ceiling of my usual inn, the room is still dimly lit and the sun seems to have just risen outside.


    When I sit up, tears run down my cheeks.


    I wipe my cheek roughly with the cuff of my nightgown, a dream I''ve had every once in a while since that day three years ago.


    I still feel like my mood is sinking after this dream.


    I stretch out with a guffaw to shake off the mood and take a deep breath. Once, twice, three times...


    ''Yes! It''s a big day, I''m going to go wash my face.


    I change into my practice clothes and then leave the room.


    As I''m walking down the stairs by my room, I greet a man who has just come out of the kitchen of the dining room.


    ''Good morning, old man,''


    Oh, you''re early, Temma. Good morning.


    This man is Dzur, the owner of the inn''s innkeeper, Manpuku-tei, where I''ve been taking care of him. He used to be a veteran adventurer, but retired ten years ago when he got married.


    As his name suggests, he has a rugged build, but he often gives advice to new adventurers and is respected by many of the town''s adventurers.


    After leaving Namitaro, I wandered from town to town for about a year, and since I came to Gunjo City two years ago, this is where I''ve made my home.


    This Gunjo City is located in the ''Sangha Duke''s Domain'', which is located beyond several small territories to the west of the Haust Frontier Count territory.


    ''''Your food will take a little longer,''''


    ''Not yet. I''ll go sweat a little in the yard.


    The old man said, "Okay," and went back to the kitchen.


    The first floor of this Manpuku-tei is the reception and dining room of the inn, the kitchen, the second floor is for shared rooms and the third or fourth floor is for private rooms. My father''s house is next to the inn. It''s a popular inn where the food is cheaper than average at 500G for a private room and 300G for a shared room with two meals a night, and it''s reputed to be a restaurant in the daytime and serves good sake at night.


    We went out to the garden and went to the well to get water and wash our faces. Then I open my dimension bag and wake up Shiroumaru and Surarin, who are sleeping inside, and let them out.


    ''Good morning Slarin, Shilomar,''


    "Won.


    Shiroumaru barks in reply to my greeting, and Slarin shudders.


    I put some dried meat and vegetable scraps and water in front of them for breakfast.


    I watch them begin to eat and then take out a stick made of hard wood, one meter long and three centimeters in diameter, from my magic bag and begin to lightly train them. I repeat the swing from the top, the spear, the thrust, the cleave and the sweep.


    After about an hour of training, I heard a sound from my belly urging me to eat, so I put the stick away and drew water from the well to work up a sweat.


    Once back in my room and dressed again, I headed to the dining room. Shiroumaru and the others are waiting in the yard.


    When the innkeeper sees me coming to eat, she brings me some food.


    Today''s breakfast is vegetable soup, bacon, cheese, a fried egg and white bread. Eat it all up!


    He lays it out in front of me. The woman''s name is Kanna, and she''s a slender but powerful miss-skinned landlady.


    ''Itadakimasu,''


    I put my hands together and then split the bread to the side, tucking the bacon, cheese and fried egg between them and taking a bite.


    ''That''s a bold way to eat,''


    Maybe it was because there weren''t many people here today, but an old man came up to me.


    ''You were up early today, what''s the matter with you?''


    He sat down in the front chair while asking, "What do you think?


    ''''Yeah, I thought I''d head over to the guild a little early since I can register for the main guild today too,''''


    I replied back.


    Most of the guilds in this world require registration from the age of 15, and no one can register below that age. However, there is a provisional registration so that even those under the age of 15 can sell materials and other items.


    Provisional registration can be done as long as the registration fee of 500g is paid, and it doesn''t matter which guild you register with. However, you will be treated as the lowest rank in the guild and will not receive any privileges (such as accepting requests, debts, and information).


    But if you register, you can sell materials to both civilians and children, which is why there are a large number of provisional registrants.


    That''s why I registered provisionally in the first town I stopped in three years ago.


    ''It''s kind of late now, isn''t it?''


    I agree with you, but it''s more convenient to register.


    There''s no rule that a temporary license is not allowed to hunt demons, so after I registered provisionally, I became famous there if I kept living my life by hunting a lot of demons when I was about to run out of money, then going to sell them as materials and spending my time slowly.


    That got me into trouble at times, though.


    ''Thanks for the food.''


    He drank the remaining soup and clasped his hands together. I got up from my seat and was about to head outside.


    Are you going to get a request earlier today?


    The old man asked me if I had a good one, so I returned it and headed for the garden.


    ''Slarin, Shilomar, I''m waiting for you. Let''s head to the guild.


    He said, and walked off to the guild.


    There were a lot of people coming and going in the city, but most people were not surprised to see Shiroumar.


    Every once in a while, someone who would be new to the city would be surprised, but they were calm when they saw the red tag through the red cord around Shiroumaru''s neck.


    The red cord and the red tag around Shiroumaru''s neck are given to him by the guards and others as proof that he has been "tamed" and is obligated to wear it. If they are not allowed to wear them, they may be fined.


    By the way, in Slarin''s case, he was given a special red cloth and placed it near the surface of his body.


    After about ten minutes, they arrived at the Adventurer''s Guild. Shiroumaru and the others can''t go inside, so they are waiting in a corner outside.


    As I enter, a few eyes turn to me.


    ''''Temma!''''


    We are approached by three women near the reception desk.


    ''Good morning, Lily, Nellie and Millie,''


    When their names are called, three women run up to them, their ears twitching and their tails wagging.


    They are beastmen of the cat tribe and are adventurers of the triplets. The three of them form a C-ranked party called the Wildcat Princess, and they are also C-ranked.


    There are seven ranks, from F to SS, and except for the F rank, which is a provisional registration, there are seven adventurer ranks.


    The party rank is determined by the average rank of the top three members.


    ''''Temma, you''re going to register for this, right?


    I''ll take the case with you.


    Would you like to join our party at least?


    He speaks to me in rapid succession. They are followed in turn by Lily, Nellie and Millie, a quintessentially breathtaking combination.


    ''Oh yes, Lilly,''


    I could do with a better one, Nellie.


    You always say no to that, Milly.


    These three, in turn, met when I first arrived in the city.


    It all started when I went out to gather materials a little way out of town, and I happened to find myself being attacked by two ogres and rescued them, and they latched onto me. They''re supposed to be two years older than me, but...


    When I casually asked him about it, he said it was because he was shocked that I, an F-ranked man, had instantly killed a B-ranked ogre. From then on, whenever he sees me, he calls out to me.


    Lily is smiling at my words, Nelly has gone to look for a request, and Millie is booing. All three of them have similar basic personalities but are different in places, so there''s never a dull moment when talking to them.


    ''''Anyway, I''m going to go quickly register for the book,''''


    I said, and I left quickly. Because the eyes of the other male adventurers were painful.


    All three have well-defined faces, lacking a little volume in the chest, but they have a toned-down style and can be called beautiful girls, which is not a problem. On top of that, they almost always act together, so they stand out. And because of that, she''s very popular with men.


    In contrast, I''m 165cm tall with a slender, muscular body, and my face is, according to the three girls, a little childish but well-groomed and promising, my black hair and black eyes are unusual and noticeable, and my hair is soft and smells good.


    That''s why the three girls try to come close to me to smell my hair, and every time they do, I get a murderous look from the three fans.


    I walked up to the counter at the reception desk and told them what I wanted to do.


    ''Yes, here''s the main registration form. Please fill it out. And the registration fee will be 1000G.


    He handed me three sheets of paper and asked me if I wanted a substitute to write for him. I said no, because I could write it myself, and then I wrote down the necessary information.


    The name and age of the registrant, whether or not he or she could use magic, the type and name of his or her household, and whether or not he or she had a criminal record, are written on two of the papers, and the other one is a note, in a nutshell.


    1. Basically, you can only accept requests up to one rank above your own, and you should take requests that fit your stature.


    2. Disputes between adventurers and requests received from non-guilds are basically at your own risk.


    3. Failure to request and fraud will result in fines and other penalties, with some exceptions.


    4. Don''t bother the guild.


    5. We''ll listen to the guild leader or acting guild leader.


    6. If you have any other questions, please contact the guild staff


    This was the one that I was going to do.


    I handed the written form to the receptionist. I had to wait for a while, and a staff member brought the card from the back. I pay the registration fee and receive the card.


    Please check the contents of your guild card. Even if they say it''s wrong, we can''t replace it. Also, please be aware that you will need 3,000g to reissue the card.


    I looked at the card and saw that there was no mistake except for one thing.


    ''Excuse me, my rank is a D,''


    I asked him, pointing to the place where it should be E. Then.


    ''''No problem. Tenma-sama had hunted C-rank and above demons many times since he was F-ranked, so it was decided that he didn''t need to bother starting at the beginner''s rank.


    That being said, this was lucky. Normally, to move up in rank, one would have to complete at least ten requests and take the guild''s promotion test. And the E rank basically only received cheap jobs, then it would be better to take advantage of the guild''s favor.


    ''''Thank you.''''


    When I bowed my head, he nailed me with a warning that the promotion test would be conducted as prescribed, so don''t get me wrong.


    As I left the counter while putting my card away, Lily and the others came in.


    ''''It''s over, Tenma.''''


    He asked with a hamo. I told the three of them I was done and looked at my guild card.


    ''I didn''t start with a D-rank, sass~''


    Come with us as soon as possible to get your commission.


    Let''s have a party, party!


    And just as we were about to be taken to the bulletin board where the request form was posted, three men stood in front of us.


    ''Lily-chan, rather than being such a rookie, why don''t you team up with us~''


    That''s good, because you''re definitely stronger than that guy, Nelly.


    Yeah, yeah, that''s not a good idea if you''re trying to babysit the new guy, Millie.


    And he talks to the three of them with a smile full of ulterior motives. Or rather, they''re rude in front of him.


    ''''We decline!''''


    The three of them hammily rejected my hand as they walked past me, hamming it up once and for all.


    "Wait a minute, you should reconsider, I swear!


    You''ll be safer with the same rank!


    And we''re pretty strong.


    The three men who persisted in soliciting me, even after I had been rejected, finally began to humiliate me.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with them.


    If they don''t know me, then these guys probably haven''t been in this town long enough. People around me are looking at the men with sympathetic eyes.


    The three of them could no longer tolerate the continued solicitation of the men and opened their mouths.


    It''s annoying. You''re refusing, so please give up quickly!


    ''No need for ten or twenty of you, as Temma is stronger than you!


    ''Temma smells good, but you guys stink. Please leave quickly!


    One of the men says something slightly off, but I don''t care. The men are blushing and shaking at the words from the three of them. Laughter is breaking out around them.


    ''Let''s go, Temma,''


    Lily is about to walk away from me, when a man shouts at her.


    ''Don''t be silly, don''t f*ck with us!


    A man tries to grab Lily, and then my secret technique goes off.


    "Secret move, golden opportunity!


    The man was caught off guard and sank with a single kick from me. The man who was watching around me was on his inner thighs, his face slightly pale.


    ''''Duh, are you okay!''''


    That''s disgusting, you son of a b*tc*!


    The two remaining men stared at me as they took care of the cowering man. At that moment, about ten men intervene between me and the three men and surround the men. I look closer and see that they''re from the three girls'' unofficial fan club.


    The men from the fan club are talking to me in small voices. The men who got involved were shaking a bit.


    Sometimes I hear things like, "You''ve got some nerve trying to mess with those girls," or "The fan club''s constitution," or "He''s special. Occasionally there was some kind of kill or curse word directed at me.


    When Lily and the others thanked the guys in the fan club, their stern faces changed to delirious. It was honestly freaky.


    We headed to the bulletin board as we watched the guys head outside.


    ''Nellie, did you get any good ones?''


    I asked Nellie, who had just gone to look at the request.


    ''There''s a few things. How about this one among them?


    And Nelly presents us with a single request form.


    C-Rank Dashboa Defeat"...At night, several dashboas appear in the village''s fields, damaging the crops. This is a request for you to defeat them.����Reward...5000G and the defeated dashboa


    It said. A dashboa is a boar-shaped demon that can grow up to about 1.5 meters in length. Its rank is D-. The main method of attack is a lunge, which can be fatal if eaten properly.


    It''s also a very tasty demon whose fur and tusks are used to make weapons and armor, and whose flesh is rich and tasty and hard to dispose of.


    ''That''s fine, I''ve hunted dashboa many times.


    If you like the Temma, I''m all for it.


    Me too.


    Lily and Millie followed my words, and Nellie quickly took the request form to the receptionist.


    When she returned, Nelly said with a smile, "I made Temma the leader, so please do me a favor.


    Since the location of the requested village is a few hours'' walk from this city, we decided to prepare for it and leave before noon tomorrow.


    We went out to the city to make plans and buy the tools and other items that are in short supply.


    We''ve got potions, magic potions, poison remover, paralytic and disinfectant, the rest are water bottles and portable food. The rest are water bottles and portable food...that''s about it.


    Lily asks me, checking her fingers.


    ''Also, a rope or a hand towel would come in handy.


    I told him that I had to go and run to the grocery store to buy some things.


    I figured I wouldn''t be missing anything since I have a magic bag full of stuff in my case.


    Speaking of magic bags, they have recently improved and expanded quite a bit.


    It can now easily hold up to 10 tons. By the way, the dimension bag also expanded successfully... but it''s almost a house for Shiroumaru and his friends, and they get angry when you try to put this or that inside it.


    By the way, the Shiroumaru''s are currently resting in the bag.


    We decided to have lunch in a place where we bought everything. We bought and ate at a nearby food stall.


    We ate even dessert, such as skewered pork and other steamed buns, cold fruit and baked sweets. The three people seemed to be a little painful, as if they were full of stones.


    On the way back to the inn where the three of us are staying, I took them to the Manpuku-ji.


    Give me your f*cking wig.


    I was surrounded by three of the most persistent people in the guild, and since it was a pain in the ass, I ignored them and slipped out of the enclosure and walked out.


    ''''Wait and see, you little brat!''''


    And he surrounds himself again. I sigh.


    What the hell is it with you guys, you''re honestly annoying, but if you need anything, just say so.


    When I asked them what they were doing, the guys were upset and shouting something.


    The men were shouting something like, "Don''t act cool," "Shut up and follow me," or "Don''t be a brat," but I didn''t hear them very well (or didn''t hear them).


    I didn''t have a choice so I followed the men and proceeded to the alleyway, and after walking for a while, the men stopped at an unpopular place.


    ''You did a good job of that earlier.


    You''ve got to be kidding me.


    You know what happens.


    And he laughed in a vulgar voice.


    I''m not interested in politics, so...


    He raised his hand in the air with a schtick and tried to turn back the way he came. But I''ve been turned around.


    ''I''m telling you to f*ck off,''


    Don''t get cocky.


    You''re going to get your ass kicked.


    And then he yelled at them and said that we would be the three of them on the bed for them and that we would be the ones to adore them instead, or something that I can only assume had maggots in my brain. I was pissed off.


    Hey, what did you say to me, you piece of shit?


    He said the words. The men petered out for a moment.


    What the f*ck did you just say?


    He asked back, so once again.


    ''What did I just hear you say out of your rotten mouths, you scum?


    I asked them. The guys got it figured out, and they got angry and attacked me.


    ''Don''t think you''re a rookie kid against us!


    No one cares if one of the new kids is dead!


    Die quietly!


    Three of them came at me at once, and I punched one of them in front of me, and continued to chase him down.


    The first blow knocked him unconscious, but I didn''t care, I kicked him in the stomach, crushing the bone in one knee and shut him up with a kick to the face, though he was screaming and writhing around.


    By the time you turn around, the other two men are trying to escape, so you use your body strength to pass the men.


    As he passes, he fires a kick to the knee of one of the men, cracking his bones, and then swings his fist at the man''s face as he passes. The man collapses, but I ignore him for now.


    I pass the man who was running away a little further and stand in front of him.


    Where are you going to leave your friends?


    I asked with a smile.


    The man sat back and begged for his life. Liquid was pouring out of his crotch.


    Ignoring the man''s words, I fired a kick to his chin and the man''s jaw shattered with a gurgling sound. He drags the crying man to the first man he half-killed, not forgetting to collect the man who shattered his leg on the way.


    I line the three men up on the ground and cast a recovery spell at random with the bones crushed. I stop them when the bones are stuck to a certain extent and spray them with water magic to wake them up.


    The three of them were terribly frightened, but I didn''t care.


    So, tell me again what you said about f*cking my guys.


    I asked with a smile. The men were all shivering together, wetting their crotches all the time.


    No one had seen three men in this town since the next day.......apparently.


    After I finished talking to the trash, I returned safely to the Manchuria Pavilion.


    My father knows that I''ve been talking to him, but he just tells me to keep it to a moderate pace.


    In addition, I told him of my plans for tomorrow. I did so, and thankfully, the old man said he would keep the room I was using open for a few days from tomorrow, unless he was busy.


    I went back to my room, but it was still early, so after working out in the garden and sweating, I went to the nearby bathhouse for a leisurely soak in the hot tub.


    By the time I came back, the dining room was packed just in time for dinner. I had no choice but to eat in my room and bring the dishes to the dining room, but Shiroumaru and the others were happy to eat with me, so I felt a little sorry for myself.


    It was a little early after we ate, but we decided to sleep for tomorrow.


    I wished I didn''t dream about this morning, but I also wished I could see my mom and dad in my dreams.

 29-Chapter 2-2 First job

    I woke up today feeling refreshed. Maybe it was good that I went to bed a little early, but I feel like I''m in better shape. I quickly prepared myself and tucked the few things I had left in my bag.


    I walked downstairs to the garden and let Shiroumaru and his friends out. I always feed them on the street and wash their faces with water from the well. After that, I head to the dining room where it is crowded with other guests.


    Good morning, Mrs. Smith. What''s for breakfast today?


    ''Good morning Temma, you have a choice of bread or porridge today. Which one do you want?


    I asked. I''m glad to see that rice (but indica rice) is also grown in this area (but not indica rice) and can be eaten normally.


    Porridge, please.


    Okay, it''s a dried fish on the side. Hold on a second.


    And the lady went to the kitchen. In the meantime, I pulled out a homemade dried plum from my magic bag. I had found a plant that resembled a plum tree before I came to town, so I made it from the seeds. The plant''s name is ''komai'' and, like the plum tree, the fruit is poisonous while it is blue.


    Here we go. Oh, you''re eating this again, aren''t you, ''komai in salt''?


    He speaks to me as he places the porridge in front of me, "Yes, I like it and it''s good for me.


    ''Yes, I like it and it''s good for you.


    I replied that I wasn''t very good at it. These dried plums were not popular around here.


    ''Speaking of which, I understand that Temma will be out of town for a few days from today on a commission.


    Yes, I''m going to get rid of the dashboa.


    Go for it. But don''t you dare get hurt!


    I received words of encouragement. I''ve hunted many times, but this is my first professional hunt. Let''s make sure we don''t have any trivial injuries.


    We left the Manpuku-ji Temple and headed for the gate. There was a food stall on the way, so we bought some snacks and treats and put them in our magic bag, when we looked up and saw Shiroumaru drooling next to us. It seems that he is reacting to the smell of skewered food wafting from just ahead.


    Shiroumaru is staring at me with glazed eyes. It would be perfect if only he wasn''t drooling...


    We have no choice but to buy three skewers and eat them on the spot, handing one to Slarin and me holding both of them in my hands. I take a bite of one of the skewers and chew it. The other skewer is taken off the heat, shaking it in small increments. Slarin takes his tentacles out and holds the skewer, digging the meat into his body little by little, which is always an interesting way to eat.


    Shiroumar''s head is moving up and down as his eyes follow the swaying meat.


    Yes, it''s a little hard, but it''s chewy and quite tasty.


    Shiroumaru bobbed his head up and down, waiting for the meat to cool.


    ''Muggy, muggy, muggy.''


    Shiroumaru''s eyes watered as he shook his head and waited.


    ''''Mogu, gokun. Ahhhh.


    Swoon.


    When I opened my mouth to take another bite, Shiroumaru squealed sadly. I''m sorry, forgive me Shiroumaru, I did it on purpose.


    Shiroumaru''s reaction was so funny that I couldn''t help but be mean to him. I apologize in my heart to Shiroumaru and offer him a skewer.


    Shiroumaru''s face was filled with joy and he took the skewer all the way down. I gently pull out the skewer and all the meat remains in my mouth, which Shiroumaru swallows with a few chews. Then he begs me for ''another one''.


    I buy a few skewers instead of apologizing for my earlier, and share them with Shiroumar and Slarin. As usual, Shiroumaru swallowed them after a few chews.


    Almost as soon as Tenma arrived at the gate, Lily and the others showed up. The three of them run up to me like puppies (even though they''re cats) when I wave and call to them.


    Good morning Tenma. Did we make you wait?


    I''m sorry, Temma.


    I''m sorry I''m late for work.


    "Good morning Lily, Nellie, Millie. I just got here too, so it''s about time.


    I greet the three of them.


    "''Thank goodness - actually, the other two got so excited last night that they went to bed late!''


    All three of them hum along and give me the same excuse.


    ''It was Nellie and Millie who were hustling!


    No, it''s Lily and Millie!


    Yes, it''s Lily and Nelly!


    All three of them start to say that the other two were flabbergasted. I sigh.


    All three of you overslept in the morning because you were so excited.


    ""I''m sorry."


    When I pointed it out, all three of them immediately apologized.


    ''Anyway, now that we''re all here, let''s get going.


    Well, if I leave now, I''ll be at the village you asked for before evening.


    ''That would be great. We need to get there as soon as possible and get the word out!


    Sanse~! Let''s go, now!


    I went to the gatekeeper and greeted him. After a brief conversation with the gatekeeper, the cat girls, who were going to go to the road to the village


    Oh, wait a minute, I''m coming up with something.


    I went and pulled a large box-shaped object out of my magic bag and onto the side of the road.


    ''A carriage?''


    What about the horse, Tenma?


    ''Shiroumaru is pulling away?''


    And all three of them on their heads? The mark is floating in the air. I can feel a hint of surprise coming through my dimension bag.


    ''No, I''ll let this guy pull it off.''


    And then he continued from the bag and produced a large black metal lump, I placed my hand on the lump and let the magic flow through it and said a few words....


    Wake up.


    With those words, several red-black lines of light ran across the mass. And the thing that was a mass stood up on four legs.


    It''s a horse-like thing, about two meters tall and three meters long.


    ''''Whoa! Surprise!


    You want me to pull this one?


    They''re so big!


    ''No, I haven''t put the finishing touches on it yet. Slarin'', go!


    I commanded, and Slarin clambered up to the horse''s back. I opened the hatch around his neck and slipped into it. When Slarin closed the hatch, two bright red lights shone in the horse''s eyes.


    When the lights lit up in his eyes, he started to walk like a real horse. I tethered the horse to the carriage.


    The three girls were amazed at the horse, and even more amazed by the fact that Slarin had entered, but then


    Oh, it''s working!


    Oh, my God, he''s a real horse.


    Hey Temma, what happened to Slarin?


    He was very excited about it. ''As they used to say, a woman is fornicating when three people get together.


    ''''This is a pseudo-life form horse-shaped golem, Tanikaze, that can be activated by Slarin assisting magic control inside!


    He explained. This Tanikaze uses a demon core, which can be considered an artificial demon. In the future, the goal is to launch it alone without Slarin.


    The magic nucleus used was that of a dragon zombie that had been defeated before, and was one that Slarin had carefully retrieved.


    The nucleus of the magic nucleus, which was formerly an ancient dragon''s, was about a meter in diameter, but unfortunately it had countless cracks in it, two of which were about a third of the size, one slightly smaller, and a dozen smaller ones that were broken into dozens of pieces.


    The core of the Tanikazee was completed using the third of these cracks and about a third of the smaller ones. For the outer shell, a large amount of "magical iron," a high-purity steel that is infused with magic power, is used.


    By the way, the outer shell is replaceable, and I''m thinking of making it out of fantasy materials like Mithril and Orihalcon at some point.


    ''''If it has Slarin in it, what should I call it?''''


    Tanilyn or Slakaze?


    Which way?


    ''It''s Tanikaze. The name of the pseudo-life nucleus is Tanikaze, and the body is Tanikaze''s, and Slarin is just helping Tanikaze''s body circulate magic.


    The three of them nodded their heads at Tenma''s explanation, "So, we''re going to take this carriage to get to the village?


    ''''So we''re going to take this carriage to the village?


    We''re going to be a lot ahead of schedule.


    Lucky you.


    and the three of us got into the carriage. I climbed into the driver''s seat, gave Tanikaze instructions, and began to move the carriage forward.


    The road to the village passes without incident. At first the three of us were excited to see the ride quality of the carriage''s suspension and the front wheels that move in conjunction with the horse''s movements, but after lunch we were probably exhausted from our horseshit and dozed off.


    ''Hey, all three of you, the village is in sight, get up already!


    I heard a voice behind me, and I heard the sound of rustling in response to the voice. And just before the village.


    ""Offayo~"


    At the same time, the three of them yawned and let out a voice.


    It would be about three o''clock now. It would have taken about three hours and a bit since we left, which was a good amount of time for us to have come a bit slowly. I stopped the Tanikaze at the entrance of the village and got off with the three of us.


    ''Let''s go to the client''s village chief.


    He said and released a towel wet with water to the three of them.


    ''Wipe your face with it first.


    I said, and I stowed Tanikaze and the carriage in my magic bag. Slarin was outside at the same time I got out of the carriage and ducked into the dimension bag. It looked like she was sleeping inside as I told Shiroumar not to go outside the bag so that Dashboa wouldn''t be alerted.


    We entered the village and asked the first villagers we met where the chief''s house was located and then headed out. He said about five minutes from here.


    The house looked more respectable than the surrounding houses to thank the villagers and walk away.


    It looks like here, only this house is differently made. Is it because he is a village chief?


    Yeah, maybe. But it''s a strange village, with a dark and weird atmosphere.


    Oh, I know what that is!


    The guy from earlier seemed to be pricing us out, too.


    Nellie and Millie agree with what Lily said after she replied to me.


    ''Anyway, let''s go talk to the village chief.


    I said, and I knocked on the door of the house.


    ''Yes, yes, who is it?''


    The one who came out while opening the door was a small, fat man.


    ''''I''m from the Adventurer''s Guild in Gunjo City. I''ve received a request. Are you the village chief?''''


    I replied on behalf of the four men. The man looked at me and the three men behind me.


    Well, thank you for your help. Please, come in. I''ll tell you more about it.


    He welcomed us with open arms. We were ushered into the living room and offered a chair, and as we sat down, a woman with a scarf around her neck brought us a cup of tea and placed it in front of us. When the man saw the woman leave the room, he opened his mouth.


    ''''Thank you for accepting my request. My name is Banza, and I am the village chief of this village. However, there are only about 100 people in this village.''''


    The village chief, who identified himself as Banza, goes on to give details of the request. In summary.


    For a week now, dashboas appear at night in herds of five or six to eat the pre-harvest crops. The men of the village tried to exterminate them, but it was impossible to do so, so they sent out a request.


    The men of the village tried to exterminate them, but it was impossible to do so, so they sent a request. The affected fields are located a short walk from the village. We decided to ask the village chief to guide us.


    When we left the house, we felt the gaze from the shadows of buildings and inside the house. At first I thought it was because the adventurers were unusual, but I soon sensed that the gaze was full of malice. The gazes were particularly focused on the three people behind me.


    Using a search to be sure, I found out that nearly half of the village was hidden near here.


    The three of them seemed unsettled by the stares, though they didn''t seem to be able to sense the malice contained in the gaze.


    Within ten minutes of leaving the village, they arrived at the field.


    ''This is the field that was damaged. There are still some vegetables and other things that have not yet been harvested, so I expect them to show up around today.


    I''ll do some research.


    ''Please. I still have work to do and would like to go home, if you don''t mind?


    ''Yes, that''s fine. We''re going to go straight into watch, so we''ll spend the night here and report back to you once in the morning.


    I understand. I look forward to working with you.


    He appraised Banza as he walked towards the village and was satisfied with the results.


    ''Hey Temma, shouldn''t we have gone back to the village and gotten ready for once?


    I took one look at Hatake and asked, "What do you think?


    ''This request sounds pretty fishy. It''s easier to deal with it here than back in the village.


    I assured them. The three of them were startled by this and tried to raise their voices, but I gestured for them to be quiet.


    ''What do you mean, Temma?''


    Do you have any reason to be suspicious?


    ''It''s a weird-looking village, but it''s bad enough to doubt without evidence, Temma.


    The three of them drop their voices and ask me. In response, I tell them what has been bothering me since earlier.


    I''ve only seen three people in the village, but I felt several eyes on me as I left Banza''s house, and I sensed malice in their eyes.


    That the dash boa has been out for a week now and there is little damage to the fields.


    And I pointed to a nearby boa trail.


    If you look closely at these footprints, they''re the same size and depth.


    Oh, yeah.


    But wouldn''t it be strange if the footprints around here were made by the same boa?


    Yeah, you''re thinking too much, Temma.


    But I pointed to two footprints nearby.


    But if so, it''s too weird that these two footprints are the same depth.


    He pointed to the footprints on the ridges. The three of them looked at the footprints curiously, but then Lily said, "Oh," she said.


    You''re right, this is strange. This wouldn''t normally happen.


    But I explain to Nellie and Millie, who still don''t seem to get it.


    ''Rows are the soil that''s raised to plant crops. That''s why they''re softer (...) than the normal ground, so they should be deeper than the rest of the flatland, and that''s why they should be able to fill in the footprints.


    And yet these footprints are only as deep as the rest of the place. When I looked for them, I found similar footprints strewn about.


    Nelly and Millie were twitching their heads in agreement with this.


    We explored the surrounding area and found five people lurking in several places that we couldn''t see from us, they may be guards, they seem to take turns from time to time.


    What''s even more extreme is the status of Banza when I appraised him earlier.


    Name...Banza.


    Age...46


    Race... human race.


    Title: Leader of the Thieves.


    HP... 8,000.


    MP...1100


    Strength...B-


    Defensive Power...C+


    Velocity...


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...D


    Growth Potential...D-


    Luck...C


    Skills....6 axe techniques, 6 martial arts, 6 night eyes, 5 sword techniques, 5 traps, 4 throwing techniques, 4 abnormal effect resistance, 3 concealment, and 2 sensory enhancements.


    It was. His title was "bandit leader. It''s completely out. But I couldn''t tell the three of them about the evaluation itself, so I decided to persuade them with some of my feelings and what I found in this field.


    Incidentally, the reason I immediately noticed the footprints in this field is because I was wary of the atmosphere and the malicious gaze of this village, so I was suspicious of everything.


    ''''Then you would run away now?''''


    That might be a good idea.


    Why don''t we go back to the guild and talk about it, okay Temma?


    I''m saying.


    I disagree.


    I disagreed once and for all.


    ''Why Temma!''


    Why, Temma!


    "It''s not safe, Temma!


    I quietly admonished the three of them, "Look, even if you go back to the guild, there is no proof.


    We have no proof, even if we return to the guild and sue them. Even with these footprints, if they were to be erased, that would be the end of it. Even if they don''t erase them, if they''re only footprints, they''ll still be judged to have been a prank. The worst thing that could happen is that they would be stigmatized as the cowards who tried to hide the failure of their request.


    So what should I do?


    The three of them pale at my words.


    ''Then what should we do?''


    Lily comes to visit on behalf of the three of us.


    "It''s a simple matter, we just have to get back at them.


    I assure them. The three of them widen their eyes at those words, but I continue to tell them my plan.


    ''First, we''ll stand guard as if we don''t suspect anything...and make it look like we don''t suspect anything. It would be better to divide them into two places to spread out the opponents. But in reality, the one standing guard is a golem that we''ve made to mimic us. In the meantime, we were waiting in the welded carriage. I ordered the golems to fall down if they were attacked. When they fall, someone will probably go to check on them, so they will move to neutralize the opponent.


    How does that work?


    There''s a hundred of them, you know?


    There''s a big difference in the numbers, okay?


    ''''That''s all right then. The mimetic golems will be able to neutralize any enemies that come close to them without dying, so the three of you will go to one place at a time to secure them together. At the same time, I''ll send out five medium-sized golems to each of the three guards. Then I''ll send Shiroumaru to neutralize them as they run and hide, while I''ll go get Banza. I''m not going to be able to let the small fry escape, but I want you to focus on protecting yourself. Then we''ll start getting ready.


    He instructed the three of them to do the same.

 30-Chapter 2-3 Reply

    The first thing we did was to make a place to keep watch.


    We dug a hole about 50m away from the field, 2m wide and 50cm deep, and filled it with 50cm of soil on the outside of the hole on the field side to make a trench-like structure.


    I would dig another one 30m away from the hole.


    Mark a spot for the carriages to be launched 50 meters back from the trench and mark the ground.


    ''Now we are almost ready to go. Let''s get ready to eat before the sun goes down.


    I told the three of them to make a meal at the place I had marked. I''ll just make a simple soup with dried meat and some things I bought in town when I say I''m going to make a meal.


    However, I''m going to make more soup and put the whole pot in a magic bag for all but dinner and use it as a substitute for the evening meal.


    Within half an hour of us eating dinner, the sun had gone down completely and it was dark.


    I used a warding spell on the marked area to make it difficult to be recognized and then put the carriage in place.


    With that, I expanded the warding to a radius of two hundred meters around the wagon and set an alarm going off in my head to let me know if anyone other than us was coming in.


    What was supposed to be the defeat of the dashboa has become very important, I thought as I created a substitute golem in the carriage.


    The only thing left to do is to finish the job, and I turn to the three of them and say


    Can I have a strand of your hair?


    The three of them blushed a little bit, and then they heard


    What''s it for?


    Won''t you be using it for something weird?


    But would you mind if it was Temma?


    He asked back, "And what kind of misconceptions did I have?" he asked the oddest thing.


    ''I need it to make a golem,''


    I replied in a voice that didn''t sound particularly emotional to the three of them. When the three of them heard that, they held out their hair to me.


    At that time, I''d like to think it was my imagination that I heard them say, "Too bad," or "You didn''t have to be shy"....


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of this article.


    I was in a hurry to see this, but the three of them seemed to be even more confused and in a hurry.


    ''''Meow! I''m nyah, Temma!


    ''Temma''s naughty, dirty, perverted!


    "Tenma''s s*x! ...If you wanted to see Temma, I could have shown you anytime.


    And Lily was catnapping, Nelly was cursing, and Millie was mumbling something in a blur as they each hurriedly draped the blanket they were using over the golem.


    In the midst of all this, I was on my knees apologizing.


    ''''I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to do that! The last time I made it, it was a Siloumaru golem, so I wasn''t expecting this to happen.


    As I apologized, I thought to myself that if I thought about it, Shiroumaru was a wolf, and if I were a human, he would always be naked, but I didn''t say it.


    The three of us put spare clothes on the golem, and of course I turned my back while I did so, and didn''t commit the folly of turning around until I was given permission to do so.


    When I got permission, I turned around and saw a row of six similar faces, three of a different color that looked reasonably similar to three similar faces, to be exact.


    ''If you look closely, there''s quite a bit of dissimilarity between them,''


    Well, if you look at it from a distance in the dark, you won''t notice it.


    ''Temma, are you sure you''re not doing anything really weird with this technology?''


    And at Milly''s last words, the three of them ask, ''What do you think, Tenma?


    ''Give me a break. I swear I''m not using it for anything weird.


    The three of them smiled disgustingly as they replied


    ''Oh~ Temma, what did you imagine ''used'' to be~?


    ''We were just asking people if they were naughty in this golem~?


    ''What did I imagine? See if you can teach it to your sisters.


    He teased me, causing a slight character breakdown. I sighed.


    ''I don''t know what you''re talking about, it''s too late to play sissy now. Besides, I''m going to make my golem now, so keep your back to me.


    I said to the three of them, and they came up to me with a twinkle in their eyes.


    Then we''ll have to get a good look at it!


    You saw ours, so it shouldn''t be a problem!


    It''s exciting, I''ve never seen a man''s before!


    I was annoyed with them, so I ordered the golem behind the girls to grab the three of them and have them turn around.


    ''It''s not fair~!''


    You''re arrogant!


    Cheapskate! You can show me!


    But I ignored them and went on with my work.


    After I finished dressing them, I let them go.


    The three of them were complaining about it, but I decided not to care.


    After that, I divided the golems into two pieces and sent them to the trenches.


    Even then, the three of us started arguing over whose golem to pair up with mine, and eventually we had a rock-paper-scissors game to win.


    As a result, they decided to pair me up with Nelly''s golem, but I was twisting my neck from start to finish, wondering what the point was.


    We spent some time in the carriage for a while, taking it easy.


    ''I still don''t see any sign of Dashboa coming.


    Sure enough, or perhaps it was natural, there was no sign of Dashboa coming.


    Time passed as it did, and an hour or two after the date changed, an alarm suddenly went off in my head.


    ''''All three of you, the enemy has moved, get ready to move at any time!


    With those words, the three who had been lying down jumped up and hurried to prepare themselves. Lily equipped her bow, Nelly equipped her twin swords, and Millie equipped her shield and one-handed sword.


    I have Shiroumaru ready to jump out of the bag at any moment and take out my sword.


    The sword is the same shape and construction as the previous one, but the material is made from the metal that used to grow on the shoulders of dragon zombies, making it worthy of the ''super grade'' item classification, and its sharpness and strength are incomparable to the previous one. (The old sword is equivalent to ''advanced'')


    All three of us have the enemy up to 50 meters behind the golem.


    The enemies (villagers) are ignoring the carriage and approaching the golem, the carriage seems to be driven out of the enemy''s consciousness as the recognition inhibition magic is working.


    ''It looks like the enemy has fired an arrow, my golem has fallen! It''s almost time to start the mission!


    The golems, hit by enemy arrows, follow the order and pretend to fall.


    About five minutes after the golem falls, the enemy approaches two trenches, two by two, and as far as I can tell from the search, there are 40 men 50 meters from the trenches and 30 at 100 meters, with the remaining 38 men waiting in the village.


    Then those approaching the reconnaissance were caught by the golem.


    Now! Let the mission begin, all three of you look out!


    ""Good luck with that, Temma!"


    I let Shiroumaru go outside to target the hiding men, mainly the rear-guard enemies first, and send out golems for three guards. I myself will use my flying and head to the village to catch Banza.


    The thieves (village) who were approaching the trenches little by little after the scouting was caught, realized that their plan had been exposed and warned the area, and found three shadows attacking from behind them.


    ''Never harm the women! It will be worth less!


    You''ll have to deal with me first, though.


    "Idiots! Ours, man!


    And raise a lowly laugh.


    The bandits were licking their lips just because the three of them were young women. They thought the only obstacle would be a young man (Temma) at best.


    But that was a big mistake. They were a C-ranked party, but even on their own, each of them was already a C-ranked competitor.


    Furthermore, all three of them are said to be close to the B-ranked ability among the C-ranked ones.


    This is a significant rating for someone who has been an adventurer for two years. It is not unusual for a C-ranked adventurer to have been in the organization for ten or twenty years, and there is a gap between the C-ranked and B-ranked players.


    Furthermore, all three of them can use simple fire, water, earth and wind magic, so it is said that they can aim for a higher rank in the future.


    In addition, the three of them are more powerful when they fight in groups of three rather than individually.


    This is a combination that can only be described as unique to the triplets, and their party rank is already well known among adventurers as being comparable to a B-ranked party.


    ''''Nelly, I''ll be concentrating on the guy with the spear, so please do the rest. Don''t stick out too much.


    Yes, sir!


    ''Millie will intercept anyone coming towards you and I''ll cover you.


    Yes?


    Lily tells them both what to do. She is the most solid of the three, and since she is the eldest of the three, she naturally takes on the role of leader.


    Nellie is the lightest and most aggressive of the three, so she often takes on the role of attacker.


    Millie is a bit more laid back, but she is the most dexterous and therefore often fights in a position between the two of them.


    However, the position of the three of them is basically an all-rounder, if I may say so myself, they are good at it.


    A bandit who tries to set up a spear with Lily''s bow falls down with an arrow sprouting in the middle of his face, the one who comes forward by Nellie is slashed and bleeding, Millie pushes it away with her shield to widen the path, and the golems flank the three of them.


    The careless bandit easily joins Lily and the others with the two golems.


    ''''d*mn it! I thought it was a woman! Hey, the guys with the bows in the back, come over here!


    One of the bandits called out to the guys hiding in the back, but no answer came back.


    ''I told you to come!


    He shouted, but there was not a single reply.


    And then something was thrown underneath the man, and when I looked closely at the object that rolled around, I saw that it was the head of my companion who was hiding behind him.


    ''Wow!


    A loud howl resounded as soon as the heads were thrown in, the bandits cowered up with that howl and were distracted from the three people they were confronting all at once.


    They weren''t three people who would miss that opening, they worked with the golem to attack and cause damage.


    When the thieves faced the three, this time Shiroumaru pounced on them.


    It is just like the tiger (cat) in the front gate and the wolf in the back gate.


    After that, they could easily join the rest of the golems, and with Shiroumar and the four golems, Lily and the others hunted down the remaining dozens of bandits without a hitch.


    The time went back a bit, and Shiroumaru jumped out of Tenma''s bag, using his own sense of smell to learn the enemy''s location and crept noiselessly behind them.


    ''Hey, something''s not right here! They''ve got the guy who approached us!


    We''ll be ready to come to you as soon as we''re called upon!


    And he stared toward the trenches, not paying the slightest attention to Shiroumaru, who was creeping up behind him.


    In the next moment, the fifteen people who were there were decapitated, unable to speak, and the last thing the fifteen felt in this world was a gust of wind slipping through them.


    Shiroumaru looked around the place and made sure there were no survivors before creeping over to the other rear unit and destroying this one as well.


    At the same time, Tenma was in the air above Banza''s house, trying to figure out what was going on inside.


    There were twenty-nine people gathered in this house, including Banza, and the other nine were in a house a short distance from here.


    Gently, he went down by the house and peered inside.


    ''Head, it looks like it''s going to work. I don''t give a shit about the men, but the women are going to sell for a lot of money, man.


    Three men with that caliber and the same face. Some rich nobleman would pay a fortune to get them.


    His cronies are talking to Banza. Banza, for his part, seems to be floating on the air with a disagreeable smile on his face.


    I guess my plan wasn''t wrong after all! I didn''t know it was going to take three of the top ones right from the start!


    Gahhhh, he''s laughing high. I was getting angrier and angrier.


    It''s a good thing that this village is so convenient. The number of people in this village is small, and adventurers and city knights rarely come here. It''s a good thing that we have a few adventurers and knights in the city. The occasional traveler is easy to catch if you put him or her to sleep with medicine.


    He''s very good at it without noticing me.


    ''And it was great killing the village guys, starting with the useless jibberish, in that order!


    With those words I lost my patience.


    After casting a strengthening spell hard on all the walls except my front, making them harder to break, I pointed my left palm at the wall and unleashed an ''explosion'' spell.


    The wall blew up like a claymore mine and attacked the bandits.


    Not to mention those who were near the wall, out of the 29 people inside, 10 died instantly and 9 died like insects. The other 10, including Banza, are unharmed, as if the dead men had been used as shields.


    But I was frozen in place, not knowing what had happened.


    I stepped inside while carrying my unpicked beloved sword, "Kogarasuma" on my shoulder, and Banza noticed me and shouted out.


    ''Why are you here! No, more importantly, this is your doing!


    So what if it is?


    I ask back flatly.


    ''Don''t think it will be for free! You guys, there''s only one kid against you, there''s no way you''re going to lose, get f*cked!


    Banza was giving orders to his nine intact minions.


    I laughed aloud as I watched them.


    ''What the hell are you laughing at! You little brat!


    They yell at me, their minions slowly trying to approach me with weapons, chairs and other items that could be used as weapons that were nearby.


    As I watched them, I


    I''m the one who created this situation. Do you realize that one little kid killed or injured 19 people in an instant?


    As I said this, the men who had tried to approach me started to back away.


    Banza pulled out his sword and thrust it at the man''s back, ordering him to kill me.


    The man with the sword at his side came at me in a half-crazed state.


    ''Get out of my way,''


    I ducked and ducked the man''s swing by taking a step back and then swung my sword in a kesa-kake.


    It doesn''t look like he put much effort into the blow, but the man''s body was slashed diagonally and his guts were scattered around, killing him.


    The rest of the minions, who witnessed this, rushed to the door on the other side of the building without hearing Banza''s still voice.


    I can''t open it!


    Why don''t you open it?


    The window! Break a window and get out!


    "We ain''t gonna break a window! What the hell is going on here!


    I was panicking.


    It''s no wonder. I''m sure you''ll be able to see that all the doors and windows are part of the wall, except for the wall I broke, so I cast a reinforcement spell on them, and they can only be opened and broken by a higher power than the reinforcement spell I cast.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    They had three options: break through the roof and escape, pass me and escape from the broken wall, or be hunted by me.


    "What''s the matter, you''re not going to run?


    My men shake their heads and beg for their lives when I challenge them.


    "We didn''t do anything to you.


    Yeah, yeah. We got our heads screwed on, so we did what we had to do.


    It''s all in your head, we didn''t mean to antagonize you.


    I''m talking nonsense. Banza was about to open his mouth to yell at me when


    "Shut up, pricks.


    A voice filled with magic and rage came out of my mouth, surprising even myself.


    When the minions heard that voice, their faces turned pale and they were trembling. Some of them let out.


    ''''What is it that you guys did to the people who lived in this village? Did you guys save a man who begged for his life? Didn''t we ever think we would be?


    I''ve got a bunch of guys on the ropes with my words.


    "He''s not gonna let us go! The only way to save yourself is to kill him! Let''s take them all on. Come on!


    Banza has fired up again, and his men are half-crazed and coming at me with the weapons of their choice.


    I almost didn''t move from my spot, but cut them down with kesa-slash, gesagekiri, left kesa-slash, right kiragami, karatake, kiragami, kesa-slash, right kesa-slash, and right kiragami (body) in the order of their approach with one sword. All of the men died while being cut in half.


    Banza is the only one left.


    The only one left was Banza. "Hey, captain of the mountain, you''re kicking my guys to the curb and now you''re on a high horse? It''s repugnant.


    I talk to "Oyama no Taisho (Banza)," who can''t quite hide his surprise at how easily his men were cut down.


    Banza suddenly smiled.


    He suddenly smiled. It''s a good idea to join forces with me instead of these guys. You''re the head, of course. I''ll take number two... or five. We''ll split it 7 for you and 3 for me. Hmm.


    And he approaches me with a rubbing hand.


    And when he was about two meters away from me, that''s when


    f*cking idiot!


    You''re an idiot.


    I took the knife out of my pocket and jumped at him, but there was no way anyone would fall for such an invisible hand.


    I cut off the hand that was holding Banza''s knife.


    The hand fell off my wrist with a sizzling sound and a burnt smell.


    ''Gee yaah! My hand!


    I was slashing at Kogarasmaru, granting him fire magic, and the black blade of Kogarasmaru''s sword took on a light red color.


    Banza was holding his burned out right arm and screaming.


    I ignore Banza''s screams and cut off the rest of the limb.


    Banza was screaming loudly, but at last he quieted down from the pain and became incontinent.


    For now, the cut is burned shut, so he won''t bleed to death.


    He stuffed the cut-off piece of the man''s clothes into Banza''s mouth, just to make sure he didn''t bite his tongue.


    It was then that I noticed that the nine people who were supposed to be in the house a short distance from here hadn''t come.


    Using my search, they hadn''t moved since the first house, in fact, their position hadn''t changed.


    I came up with one possibility and headed for the house, wary.


    Quietly I opened the door and walked in, and I heard the sound of something moving with a clatter.


    As he cautiously stepped towards the sound, the sound came from inside the innermost room.


    At will, I opened the door and peered in, illuminating the inside with light magic.


    ''''Who''s there?''''


    I looked in and saw nine women, just as I imagined they would be.


    They were all uniformly bound and gagged with their hands tied behind their backs and even their feet bound.


    The women who noticed me were all frightened and started crying when I approached them.


    I was wondering what to do.


    ''Temma~, where are you~?''


    Kuhn.


    What''s going on, Shiroumaru?


    Do you have a Temma there?


    Won!


    I heard a voice say, "I''m sorry," so I stepped out of the house and beckoned to the three of them and one of the cows


    Hey, guys, over here! Were you hurt?


    I called out, and Lily and the others in front of Banza''s house came running up to me.


    ''No serious injuries over here!


    Are you hurt, Temma?


    How did you end up here?


    He''s going to pack it in, saying that the three of us are not hurt.


    Actually, something unexpected happened...


    And I''ll tell you what I''ve done so far.


    I told them, in turn, that we had defeated Banza and his minions, that I felt the presence of nine people in here, and that the women were captured and scared of me (the man).


    The three of them went in, saying that if that was the case, they would let themselves go and explain.


    In the meantime, I take out a skimmer and boil a lot of water. In addition to that, I fill another pot with hot water and make a simple soup.


    About fifteen minutes later, the three of them came out of the house.


    The women said that a few of them were too weak to make up their minds to meet the man yet, so I handed them a pot of soup and a skillet of boiled water and decided to leave.


    When I told the three of them that I was heading to Banza''s house, they asked me to bring them to the field where there were about 20 prisoners and a golem was watching them.


    When I got to the field, there was blood, parts of people and corpses scattered about, and in the middle of the field were 23 bandits tied up with ropes, with four golems watching.


    The bandits had noticed me and were shouting at me, but it was too loud, so I used ''stun'' to quiet them down.


    I took 30 small golem nuclei out of my bag and scattered them in the field to create a golem and gather the corpses in one place.


    I put the corpses on ice with magic and then put them in the bag.


    I then instructed the golems to gag their captives and carry them to Banza''s house, while I collected the carriage and flew to Banza''s house one step ahead of them.

 31-Chapter 2-4 First Slave?

    When I arrived at Banza''s house, I looked around the house again.


    ''Was that a bit much?''


    If anyone else had been there, they would have been more than a little ticked off.


    The back wall of the house was blown off, and of the twenty-eight bodies inside, nineteen were either punctured or partially blown off by the rubble, and the remaining nine bodies were split in two and blown out of their guts.


    Because of this, the room is filled with the stench of filth and blood.


    Well, let''s get it over with.


    Take out the three medium-sized golems and start cleaning up. First of all, I make them take Banza to the outside and wash it with water. I made one of the golems wrap the rope tightly around it and hang it on the eaves of the eaves of the building because it noticed and tried to resist on the way.


    I had the other golems carry large pieces of debris, broken tables and other furniture outside. At that time, the smaller golems arrived, and I had ten of them collect the bodies from the room outside, while the rest continued to carry the prisoners.


    After about 30 minutes, the room was empty.


    So we use the water magic method throughout the room in the manner of a high pressure washer to remove the dirt from the floor and walls.


    Wastewater is dumped outside, and I use wind magic to combine drying and air replacement. It''s a lot better than it was at first.


    The corpses we put outside are frozen and thrown into bags, and the furniture is burned and disposed of.


    I didn''t have time to do anything else, so I went to the field and used soil magic to extract a lot of clay.


    I mixed the clay with straw and used alchemy to form it into a square box shape.


    The size of the box is about 2m long, 4m wide and 60cm deep.


    I dried it with wind magic and fire magic.


    Finally, I fired it with fire magic and completed it.


    What I was making was a ''bathtub'' made of earthenware. I think it''s an okay job for someone who made it with half knowledge.


    I put the bathtub in my bag and headed for the garden of the house where the women were staying.


    I dig a square hole in that yard and harden it, then place the tub and fill in the gaps with dirt.


    Next, I built a wall with earth magic around the tub. I drilled a hole in part of the wall to make an entrance.


    Finally, I filled the bathtub with water and heated the water with fire magic to complete the ''bath''.


    By the way, I didn''t make the roof because it would be dangerous to make it at random.


    I called out to the three people in the house and asked them to come out.


    ''Temma, what''s going on?''


    Oh, what''s in this shack?


    What did you make?


    They seemed to be very interested in the hut, so I made a bath for them, to which the three of them replied


    ""Bath!"


    He rolled his eyes in surprise and was overjoyed as he hurried to check inside.


    ''Let the ladies who were held captive in there come in. I just don''t have any soap or towels, so you''ll have to do something about that.


    Then Lily went to ask the women inside if they had any towels.


    As a result, they said that there are no clean towels in this house, so we had to look for another house to collect them. By the way, it is said that there is no soap in this village.


    In addition to the towels, the three of us were also looking for and collecting tubs. The baths are supposed to be taken in three shifts of four people each, with one Lily and her friends joining each group to assist and add hot water to the baths by magic.


    While the women are taking a bath, I decided to take a stroll through the village and go inside to find the larder.


    As we left the house, Lily and her friends nailed me to the wall, never to look in. I nodded anyway, although I''m not sure why.


    The pantry was surprisingly large, but there wasn''t much food left inside.


    Instead, the thieves'' treasures were piled up in a corner.


    There was an unusual number of weapons: about a million g''s of gold, two small chests full of jewelry, 146 swords, 132 spears, 130 bows, and about 10,000 to 12,000 arrows for 20 barrels.


    ''''Funny, aside from the gold and jewels, the number of weapons is abnormal for a bandit group of about a hundred people to have.


    I concluded that it would be better to let the three of them know about this and discuss it with them, and decided to put off the collection until later.


    When I returned home, the third group had just finished bathing, and Millie, who was in charge, came out just in time.


    ''Milly, do you have a minute?''


    I called out to him, and he came up to me, scrubbing his still-dry hair with a towel.


    ''What''s up Temma?'' Ha! I didn''t think you wanted to see me take a bath or anything.


    ''It''s serious. Call Lily and Nellie, we need to talk.


    With a serious look on her face, Millie steeled herself and went to call them.


    Soon they were all together and I reported to the three of them about the weapons I had seen in the pantry.


    ''What do the three of you think?''


    There are definitely too many of them.


    But it''s not a coincidence? I had an extra set of spares, or something.


    ''But if so, how can the bandits get so many new ones? And if you add up all the bandits we''ve defeated, that''s a lot to spare.


    We talked about how we would record all the numbers and submit them to the guild, but we settled on the idea that we would submit them all to the guild.


    After the discussion was over, I tried to take a bath, but for some reason the three of us were vehemently opposed to it, so I had no choice but to boil a pot of water and just use it to wipe myself down.


    It was nearly dawn because of all the things that had happened, so we decided to talk about it again after we got up and got some sleep.


    The sun was already high in the sky when I woke up to the rumbling of my stomach. From the position of the sun, it was about noon.


    I stretched absent-mindedly and got out of the carriage I had slept in. After that, I wasn''t comfortable sleeping in the house with the women, so I took the carriage out and slept in it alone.


    It was halfway through the day, but I started cooking for an early lunch.


    The menu consisted of leftover soup from the previous day, plus dried meat and vegetables, added water to increase the amount of water and seasoning with salt and other seasonings, and a loaf of bread that I bought in town. I called out to the house so I could have some for the women.


    The woman who came out was not Lily and her friends, but the woman who served tea at Banza''s house yesterday.


    ''I''m sorry for being so rude to you yesterday for helping us out,''


    ''No, I don''t mind. It was under those circumstances, so I had no choice.


    The woman who apologized to me first thing at the opening said her name was Serna, and she was the daughter of the village chief of this village.


    After receiving the apology, I felt sorry, but I asked her what happened here.


    Serna was a little confused, and then slowly opened her mouth.


    According to Serna, the Banza gang suddenly attacked this village in the middle of the night about three weeks ago. At the time, there were about 60 people in the village, and all of them were present, but due to the fact that it was the middle of the night and they had been planning it for a long time, the villagers were all caught without being able to do anything.


    Afterwards, they were divided into women and men, but the men were killed immediately.


    There were twenty-five women, but thirteen of them, who were older, were killed in the same way, leaving only twelve who were worthy of being women to those guys. But when they couldn''t stand it, they bit off their tongues and committed suicide, Banza put the ''slave collar'' on Ms. Serna and the others.


    After saying this, Serna showed them the collar that was hidden by the scarf. The reason why she wrapped the scarf around her head and served us tea was so that we wouldn''t be suspicious of the woman''s absence.


    This "slave collar" was originally only allowed to be handled by "legitimate slave traders", but even in this world there are illegal people and underworld, and there are many people who purchase and use it through illegal channels, and it is said that it is impossible to eradicate it.


    A slave''s collar has the effect of forcing the slave to obey the three principles of robotics: "You must not harm your master," "You must obey your master''s orders," and "You must protect yourself within the bounds of your master''s orders," and if you try to forcibly remove the collar, you will feel pain and in the worst case, death. It can be reached.


    And a slave''s collar can''t be removed without the master''s permission, essentially. Also, it can only be removed by those who can use purification or breaking magic that is more powerful than the curse. However, cleansing and undoing the curse cannot be used without the master''s permission, and it does not work against one''s own collar.


    There are different types of slaves, criminal slaves, war slaves, common slaves, and illegal slaves, criminal slaves are, as the name implies, slaves of criminals and this one has a minimum of one year and a maximum of life, depending on the severity of the crime.


    War slaves are those who were captured and dropped into slavery during the war, and many of them lost the war.


    General slaves are mostly those who sold themselves or to reduce their mouths, and most of them volunteered or were sold by their parents.


    Illegal slaves are those who were sold for kidnapping or slave hunting, and will be released only if the complaint is legitimate, and the shop will be penalized according to the degree of the crime.


    Incidentally, during the examination, the collar is temporarily removed under strict supervision, but if the slave deliberately lies during the examination, is badly mistaken, or attempts to escape, he is dropped into criminal slavery for life.


    But in general, illegal slaves are rarely revealed and are rarely discovered because they are not easily distinguishable.


    War slaves and common slaves have no term and can be freed by their masters, but they must spend at least a year in slavery.


    Slaves are owned by the state (the king), landed gentry, collectives, and individuals, while criminal slaves can only be owned by landed gentry with permission from the state and the king. Uses are also determined.


    War slaves and civilian slaves can be owned by anyone, regardless of age. However, if the master is a criminal and has died, the slave''s right to be owned by his or her master''s murderer or the person who found him or her first.


    I was reminded of this when Serna said


    ''Therefore, until we are declared illegal slaves, Mr Temma will be our master. I look forward to working with you.


    I dared not to think about it, but Serna simply told me that I was about to become the master of Serna and her friends. Worst of all, I was about to become the master of Serna and her friends, and the three of them, hearing the news, came at me like a fierce fire.


    "What do you mean, Tenma?


    "You''re so weak, Temma!


    ''Temma''s naughty, dirty, perverted!


    He accused me of being a good friend. Me and Serna tried to calm them down, but to no avail, and they blamed me quite harshly.


    It was only after half an hour of blaming me that I managed to calm them down and explain the situation to them, and when the three of them were short of breath, me and Serna explained to them quickly and it was settled.


    The three of them are currently cowering in the corner of the yard in embarrassment after apologizing to me with the force of getting down on their knees.


    ''Hey, you three. We don''t care about it anymore, so come here. Let''s have dinner.


    The three of them reacted with a jolt at my voice and turned around fearfully. I tried to look as gentle as possible and beckoned them to me.


    Perhaps because of that, the three of them began to come closer to me.


    I handed the three of them some soup and bread and decided to have lunch together, Serna seems to take the other women''s portions inside the house and eat with them there.


    By the time we finished eating, we were back to the usual three of us. I watched them all catch their breath and I started talking.


    ''I think we should get back to the city as soon as possible, what do you three think?


    ''I think I disagree with you about the women,''


    Lily disagreed with my idea.


    ''I agree with Lily. I think we should wait and see what happens before we move on.


    ''I agree with Temma. I think the sooner we let the guild know about this village, the better. And if I can do that, I''d like to free them from slavery as soon as possible.


    Nellie is in opposition and Millie is in favor. We were just divided into two equal numbers of opinions.


    As I was thinking about what to do, Serna came over and opened her mouth.


    ''''Well, after our discussion, we''ve agreed that we want to leave this village as soon as possible...''''


    And then he called out to me in a reserved manner and continued.


    ''''We understand the inconvenience. But we really want to get away from places where it''s easy to remember days like that, and we can''t wait.


    I argued, then, and the two men who had been opposed to the idea were convinced, so we began to prepare to move.


    First they looked for something for the women to ride in and a carriage to carry the bandits in. As luck would have it, they found a safe carriage and a horse to pull it, so they selected three of the carriages and lightly cleaned them and tied the horses together. The bandits were lumped together in the ragged carriage.


    I threw them in together at this time because I was about to forget about Banza, and of course I tied the bandits'' hands and feet as a precaution.


    Three of the women''s carriages and I would be the driver of the bandits'' carriage.


    The women have no intention of living in this village from now on, so I asked them to collect what they can convert into gold from each house. They are to convert it into gold in the city and use it as a current fund. They will also take the rest of the carriages and horses with them.


    The last thing I want to do is to put the items from the pantry in my bag, while the three of them and Serna make an inventory of the items and put them in my bag, checking them one by one.


    The work was finished before evening, but we decided to leave without a care in the world.


    When it was time to leave, I noticed that Shiroumaru and Slarin were not in the dimension bag.


    I used my search to look for them and found them just as they were running from the forest.


    ''What were you guys doing?''


    At my question, Slarin came in front of me with a zing and spat out about six dash boars with a thud as his body ripped open as if he were opening his mouth. As we were stunned, his body ripped apart once more, and this time he spat out a boar that was more than twice as big as the others.


    The boar is called the King Dashboa, and it''s a C-ranked demon, a higher species of dashboa. However, it was originally supposed to be about 2.5 meters long, but this one was over 3 meters long.


    Slarin and Shiroumaru seemed to be good at it, and the people around them were rolling their eyes at the sight of a boar slamming out of a slime of about sixty centimeters.


    I put the dashboa in my bag and patted Slarin and Shiroumar and praised them as they took the meat from me and went into their dimension bag.


    I pulled myself together and left the village. Along the way, there were some bandits tumbling and wolf-shaped monsters looking for us, but there was no problem, and we arrived at the town a little after sunset.

 32-Chapter 2-5 per eight

    We got out of the carriage and went to the gate, where we found a familiar face, the gatekeeper, who knew us.


    ''I know it''s time to close the gates, but could you wait a little longer?''


    No matter how many newcomers to the Adventurers'' Guild you have, you can''t bend the rules.


    And despite the words, his face is smiling.


    ''Yeah, I know that. But we were attacked by a hundred bandits in the village we were asked to visit yesterday.


    Then the gatekeeper called for his friends and sent word to all the parties concerned.


    I''m sorry, but I want you to prepare any evidence or witnesses that can confirm this.


    I will. And please give a message to the Adventurers'' Guild.


    When I asked him to leave, he replied that he had already sent someone there.


    I returned to the carriage and informed Lily and the others that Serna would be the witness, and it was decided that Banza and the other bandits would be the evidence.


    Selna told me that she had relatives in the village, so I asked the gatekeeper to bring her back.


    After about 10 minutes, the first deputy guild leader from the Adventurer''s Guild came running in at a great pace.


    She was a small, childish-looking woman of the human race, whose name was Flute.


    ''''Are you all safe!''''


    I''m going to make sure we''re okay while I''m out of breath. Apparently they were in a hurry because they had only been informed that we had been attacked by bandits.


    He was later stuffing the gatekeepers to make sure that the information was accurate.


    ''I thought it was odd. I didn''t think there was any way I''d be able to keep up with a bandit with Temma-san around...''''


    He laughed with some kind of strange high regard for the situation.


    We gave Mr. Flute a brief synopsis, asking him about the weapons in the larder and the enslaved women and the banzas and other bandits, in particular.


    As a result, we were entitled to the food, jewelry, and weapons, but the jewelry and weapons would still be exchanged for a reasonable sum of money if their owners were identified.


    The women will be released after screening (to make sure that the identity is confirmed and that they are not lying) as long as they are not in trouble, and this one can''t claim ownership, but the city or the guild will pay some gratuity, and if someone is not released, the right will arise.


    Finally, as far as the bandits are concerned, you''re sure to get a reward for your capture and a bounty (if and only if it''s been put on you), plus half of the sale price you get for selling the captives as slaves.


    That''s quite a profit, Flute laughed.


    Just then, five knights arrived with a slaver, a female judge (who could use the magic of judging) and about fifteen soldiers.


    ''Any adventurer who catches a bandit, come here at once!


    One of the knights raised his voice, quite high-handed, but he didn''t care, he stepped forward.


    This is Tenma, the leader of the party I captured the bandits from.


    The knights looked like fools when they came forward to say


    ''Don''t lie to me! False statements are a felony. Tell the truth!


    There is no reason and no need to lie. We''ve got him.


    You''re kidding me! That''s Banza lying over there, the one we tried to catch but couldn''t! I''m not someone to be held captive by a bunch of kids and little girls like you!


    I started to yell at them, the knights had the same attitude, except for one of them. I was getting more and more pissed off too.


    ''You must be incompetent if you''re having trouble with someone the kid and the lasses could have captured.


    I said. The knights turned red in the face, but to stop them.


    ''We won''t hand the bandit over to you. We will take them to another city where we will tell them what happened and they will take them back. Thank you for wasting your time. You''re welcome to return to your duties.


    I turned on my heel, foolishly.


    ''Don''t be silly! You want to die!


    You had your hands full with Banza, do you know what you''re doing?


    And when he turned and challenged him, the knight drew his sword and slashed at him... but...


    Don''t stop! It''s disgraceful, you should be ashamed of yourself as a knight!


    One knight who had been silent from earlier raises his voice, it seems to be a woman from the height of his voice.


    ''''Finally, the squad leader(s) are here?''''


    I could see that there was an upset from the knights, including the women, as I said.


    ''You knew. ''I thought I was hiding it,''


    Yes, I recognized him right away. There was one person who looked too different.


    I didn''t belch the fact that I had a half-hearted hunch that it was a good idea.


    I''m sorry about that. But please do not provoke him unnecessarily.


    It depends.


    I blurted out a response.


    ''Well, that''s fine. But not as much as that guy, but it''s something I''ve been wondering too. Did the four of us really destroy the bandits by ourselves?


    How''s that?" he asked.


    Then I don''t know if I''m going to be able to prove it, but I''ll show you what I''m capable of.


    And then the knights got ready.


    ''Oh, it''s okay. I''m not going to hurt you.


    I took out the nucleus of a golem from the bag and threw it in a place where no one was around and summoned it.


    The golems I summoned are about 10 large ones, 30 medium-sized ones, and 30 small ones. I can still get them out, but this should be enough.


    And from the other bag, I took out a Shiroumaru.


    The knights fell in love with the golem and panicked when they saw Shiroumaru.


    ''''This is my strength. By the way, Shiroumaru... this wolf is currently a demon with the equivalent of A-rank strength.''''


    The moment I heard Shiroumar''s rank, one of the knights drew the sword he was holding. It may have been a reflex action, but Shiroumaru saw it as a hostile action and tried to jump at me... but I grabbed his tail and pulled him back.


    ''Can!''


    Shilomar screamed, and I lightly chided him and looked at the knights. The knights were sitting on their backs, except for the captain.


    It''s not surprising that a wolf of nearly three meters in size, if not an A-ranked demon, jumped on them, it would be hard for someone of low skill level, even for a knight, to do anything about it.


    ''''Ki, you! Now that was a fine hostile act, you know that!


    ''Oh!'' shouted the knight, who was still hunched over.


    ''Don''t get me wrong. You are the ones who drew the sword first. And this is not the city. It''s a noble self-defense!


    Shiroumaru also roars in response to my fury. It sounds like a thug like, "I''ll do it any time!" but I''ll ignore that.


    ''''Can''t we both just stop! I''m sorry I doubted you too, so can you bring that wolf back?


    And although it felt more like an order than a plea, he agreed and returned Shiroumaru to the bag and retrieved the golems'' nukes.


    The knights were all open-mouthed and stunned as they watched Shiroumaru go into the bag.


    It was then that someone who claimed to be Serna''s uncle appeared. The person was said to be an assistant treasurer of the city council and the identification was soon completed.


    So the examiners examined them and found that no one was in trouble, so the slave-trader man lifted the collar. The women were immediately taken to the sanitarium, but only Miss Serna remained as a witness.


    ''Then how do you wish to hand over the bandits?


    Before the captain could answer, Mr. Flute asked.


    ''There was 200,000 g in Banza, and two other bounty hunters with 50,000 g, so those three alone would be over 300,000 g. And since there were twenty-three prisoners of war, all of whom were men, the selling price was 100,000 g. Let''s see...half of the 2.3 million g. That''s 1,150,000 g. So, together with the prize money, we''ll pay at least 1,450,000 g.


    ''Mr. Flute, I have 75 bodies of the thieves I killed, what should I do with them?


    I asked, and Mr. Flute was surprised to hear that so much, and then


    ''If you can prove that they are a band of Banza thieves, if they are dead, ten thousand g''s per person will be paid in the name of a consolation prize for defeating them.


    The bandits alone are at least 2.2 million Gs, he laughed.


    In contrast, the knights looked like they had bitten down on a bitter worm. It''s because this payment is set to be taken out of the Knights'' budget on a temporary basis. Even if it''s temporary, it''s still several months away from being replenished by the knights, so it''s hard to make ends meet in the meantime.


    ''''What should I do about the other jewelry and weapons?''''


    I look at the knights and ask Mr. Flute again, getting a little carried away. Mr. Flute hmmm, while crossing his arms.


    ''''There were two small boxes of jewelry, 146 swords, 132 spears, 130 bows, and 12,200 arrows, and as far as a quick calculation goes, the jewels were estimated to be at least 20 million Gs, and the weapons were of decent quality, so the swords were 5,000 Gs of 5,000 Gs per sword, 1,056,000 Gs of 8,000 Gs of spears, and 2,000 Gs of arrows. 260,000 g, 24,000 g with 20 g of arrows, which is 2.29 million g. However, if the jewels were to be auctioned off in the royal capital or elsewhere, the value would be even higher.


    He answered with a slurred answer to his selling price forecast, which he must have memorized.


    ''Wait, wait a minute,''


    What is it?


    I asked the captain, who had interrupted me, if he had any problems, and he replied


    "I can''t pay that much money right away. I''m going to need you to pay me later.


    He said.


    ''I''ll just take the bandits. I''ll take the weapons and stuff to the place that buys them.


    And make it look like you''re only going to respond with a lump sum payment.


    ''''You know how much it hurts us ''Gunjo City Knights''!


    What about it, it''s none of our business, is it?


    I know this is almost like taking it out on them. I knew in my head that these guys had nothing to do with the soldiers of three years ago, but the condescending attitude at first made me think of them as the soldiers who abandoned us in the village of Kukri and ran away, and I couldn''t control my emotions.


    When I cooled down a bit and looked around, I saw the frightened expressions on the faces of the lillies nearby.


    I took a few deep breaths to try and stay calm and then opened my mouth.


    ''First of all, let me make it clear. We and you are ''not on equal footing'' in this matter. We are, of course, above you.


    You''re kidding me.


    Shut up!


    The captain restrains one of the rebellious knights.


    ''I''m sorry. Carry on.


    ''We didn''t mean to do it, but what we did was ultimately a clean-up for you guys.


    He broke off his words and looked around at the knights.


    ''The Banzas have been in that village for about three weeks now, and during that time most of the villagers were killed. It''s because you guys couldn''t catch them. We happened to kill them and capture them. But you mocked and looked down on us. Why should we deal with such people? We have the right to choose you, but we do not have the righteousness.


    I finished my story without saying a word about whether I had misunderstood.


    After saying this much, the knights finally realized why I was angry... although they weren''t the ones who would change their attitude once they realized.


    ''''It''s only natural to cooperate with the knights who are protecting the city!


    ''So I''m saying that if you can''t pay, I''ll deal with ''people who can'' so that you don''t have to force yourself to pay,''


    I gave the knight a simple explanation for his high-handed attitude, "What do you want?


    "What do you want?


    The captain asks me.


    ''No purpose, I just don''t want to make a one-sided deal with someone I don''t trust.


    What can I do to make you trust me?


    I was a little dismayed. I didn''t know if this captain was a nice young lady, or if he wasn''t telling me something important. I sighed.


    Who are you first?


    He asked the elementary question.


    ''....Huh?


    "I''m sorry," said a stupid voice from the captain''s mouth.


    ''So, what is your name, your affiliation, your rank, and what authority do you have? We haven''t been taught anything, though.


    I told him that I hadn''t provided him with the necessary information to do business with the company.


    "It''s only because of that...


    He didn''t seem to be able to voice whether he didn''t accept the deal. But from our perspective, it''s a big deal.


    ''Of course, that''s not the only reason. One of the reasons is that they have looked down on us and made fun of us. But if you''re a knight, so deal with me unconditionally, then there''s a loss for us, but not a gain.


    Still looking at me with a dumbfounded look on his face, the captain continued.


    What''s more, if you do business with someone who tells you that you''re a joke and you pay later without presenting your identity and you get ripped off, you can''t expect to get away with it.


    The captain''s face is indeed offended by this, and his captain''s face is red.


    ''''There''s no way I would do something so fraudulent!


    But I didn''t give a d*mn.


    I''m not doing business with you because you haven''t told me the identity of this ''me'' thing.


    When I said that, he finally seemed to realize that what he was trying to do was ''the same thing as the words and actions of a con-artist'', and he looked down, red-faced in a different way than he did earlier.


    ''''Do you understand, who likes to do business with someone who has a bad attitude and might be a con artist?''''


    The captain was still looking down, but the other knights were not silent.


    ''''You, disrespect! I''ll cut that head off!


    And drew his sword from his waistband.


    ''Wait! Wait! The fault is ours in this case! Besides, if you try to hurt this person with this, you could turn the Adventurer''s Guild against them!


    and seized the knight who had drawn his sword. At that, Mr. Flute saw it.


    ''''That''s right. If ''Our Guild''s Promising Newcomer'' is hurt by such a trivial matter, the news will quickly spread to all the guilds on the continent. If that happens, each guild will stop sending adventurers to this city and warn them not to stop by.


    I said, "You can see what that means. In fact, if the adventurers were to disappear from this town, their business would not be able to survive, and there are concerns that the security situation would worsen.


    For better or worse, the adventurers, who are called ''do-it-yourselfers'', play a major role in maintaining the city''s economy and security.


    The knights who understood this are pale with a pitiful look on their faces. If such a thing happened in reality, they couldn''t just have their own heads blown off, they said. Of course, that includes the physical meaning of it.


    ''Then let me ask you again on that. Who are you?

 33-Chapter 2-6 Unexpected rewards and retaliation

    Wow, I''m Primera von Sangha, commander of the Fourth Squadron, of the Knights of Gunjo. I have been entrusted with full authority on this matter.


    And I introduced myself with a straight spine.


    "Sangha?


    Captain....I was curious about the same name (thing) as the head of this dukedom attached to Primera''s name.


    I hurriedly used the appraisal.


    Name... Primera Von Sangha.


    Age...20


    Race... human race.


    Title: Third daughter of the Duke of Sangha, commander of the Fourth Squadron of Knights of the City of Gunjo


    And I got it. She was really the daughter of a duke (a good place).


    ''Yes, she''s the third daughter of a duke, but only in passing.


    ''Okay. So what do we do now?


    And he continues to talk like it''s not that important.


    ''Um, what do you want to do about...''


    So it''s a deal. If you don''t, I''ll take it somewhere else.


    Will you do it?


    Really? Primera asks, "What do you mean? Your attitude is very different from the first...


    ''If you''re going to make a down payment and write a testimonial, accept the deal in later installments. But not jewelry.


    ''The jewels are more important, sir, but...''


    And then he pulls back, but


    ''''Can you pay, a large sum of money, over 20 million g''s, in one lump sum? This one will almost certainly be worth more than that if we put it up for auction.


    And let me make it clear that this one is non-negotiable.


    I understand. But please refrain from displaying them for a while. I will consult with my father...the Duke of Sangha.


    I agreed conditionally with a shrug of my shoulders.


    ''I understand. If possible, please respond within ten days. The deadline for the auction item is near.''''


    The guild should be able to register their items, but I''d like to hear their response as soon as possible so that we can decide on our future plans.


    Once we''ve reached an agreement, we''ll sign a contract with the guild as a witness. With the bounty of killing the bandits, the sale of slaves, the sale of weapons and the rescue of Serna and the others, a total of 4.5 million G''s was paid, with 500,000 G''s as a down payment immediately after this, and the rest was settled with 2 million G''s to be paid two months later and another 2 million G''s to be paid two months after that.


    ''Then I''ll hand over the bandit and the body to you. Where shall we put the body?


    When I asked him, he told me to take the prisoners away as is, but to take out the corpses at the Knight''s headquarters. They must have thought it would be bad to expose the corpse here.


    I agreed, and when I approached the carriage carrying the bandits to bring Banza in, Banza noticed me and was frightened and had a hard time. The knights were also a little scared, as I was causing a lot of attraction and leaking.


    Banza will be put to death and the others will be sent to the mine as slaves, they said.


    When the situation was settled, Serna approached with a man.


    ''Thank you very much for saving Serna. My name is Serna''s uncle, Marcus.


    He greeted them politely. I wanted the knights to have at least half.............or about a quarter of this courtesy.


    This Marx-san is Serna''s mother''s brother, and he''s an excellent person who became the assistant treasurer of the council without any great connections (according to Flute).


    ''No, I just happened to have to help him out...''


    But that doesn''t mean I didn''t get him out!


    He repeatedly thanked her and kept his head down until Serna stopped him.


    After that, I pulled Serna-san up to take her to the doctor''s office, but at the end, I told her to come to me whenever she needed help, and she left.


    After that, I went to the Knights'' headquarters to write the contract. Mr. Flute accompanied me as a witness. At that time, he asked me to put the corpse out in a corner of the training camp, so I put the iced corpse in a pile and some of the knights and soldiers who were watching me spat it out on the spot, and some ran to the bathroom.


    They were enchanted so that those who could use ice magic wouldn''t melt, so they wouldn''t have to worry about them rotting.


    Three copies of the same contract were written in Flute''s presence, and me, the Knights and the Guild were to keep each of them.


    We''re going to have to go back to the guild after leaving the headquarters, but it was late, so we each went back to the inn and decided to show up at the guild in the afternoon of the next day.


    When we headed to the Manchurian Tavern, we were greeted by an old man. It looks like the bar is closed today.


    It seems that Tenma is safe. I have heard that you were attacked by bandits and fought back alone, and that you blackmailed the knights.


    He seemed to be starting to twitch slightly at the truth, and he went through the reception process, correcting himself.


    Here''s the key.


    He gave me a key to the same room as before.


    ''But that was really fast, you said you were due in a few days, so the room hasn''t been cleaned yet.


    ''Yeah, I''ll at least clean it up myself, and I might go out again in ten days or so.


    I told him about the auction.


    ''That''s a lot of money! I don''t think that''s what a rookie earns.


    I was surprised. Then the lady came out of the house.


    Have a seat at the table. Tenma just got home.


    And then he turned to me and warned his father.


    Welcome back, Temma. You can have dinner with the leftovers if you want.


    Please.


    And we were served dinner. The lady said it was leftovers, but she had made some extra chicken with herbs. It was pretty good, so I''ll try to make it next time I get the recipe.


    When we finished eating, we felt tired, so we decided to go back to our room and go to sleep.


    ''Old man, old man, I''m going to go to bed today, good night.


    Yeah, good night.


    Good night.


    The two of them saw me off and went back to my usual room. When I walked into the room, I felt like I was home and I could feel myself settling in.


    ''Sounds more like mental exhaustion than physical exhaustion. Let''s go to bed early and go take a bath in the morning.''


    A nearby bathhouse is useful for those who work the night shift, as they fill up the bathwater early in the morning.


    Good night. Slarin'', Shiroumaru.


    I opened the bag and called out to the two animals, but what came back was snoring.


    I chuckled and closed the bag and pulled the covers over me.


    The next day, I woke up to find Shiroumar and Slarin''s faces in front of me. Shiroumar was halfway out of the bag, peering in.


    ''Good morning you two. What''s up?


    At the same time, a grand sound came from Shiroumaru''s stomach.


    All right. Let''s have dinner.


    I said, and they slipped back into their bags as fast as they could.


    I chuckled as I dressed and went out into the garden.


    I cooked a meal for Shiroumaru and his friends, mainly vegetables. Slarin was pleased with the food, but Shiroumaru was not happy with it.


    Shiroumaru glanced at me, but eventually gave up and took a bite of the vegetables.


    I also decided to eat breakfast and head to the guild early.


    The guild was busy even before noon, but it was quiet for a moment as I entered. Every now and then I would hear a small voice talking about Banza and the others, but no one spoke to me directly.


    I''m not going to be able to get to the board and look at the request form in order.


    I found a special request to kill a demon called Rockbird in the mountains about half a day away from this city.


    There is no limit to the number of defeats or ranks of a special request, and it can be accepted by anyone who is registered to this registry, and as long as this request form is posted, it is a valid request. You don''t even need to apply for an order for the request.


    Apparently, the number of rockbirds is increasing and they want you to thin them out before they do any damage.


    Rockbirds have feathers as hard as stone and cannot be mortally wounded with ordinary weapons. On top of that, they are said to be bird-shaped demons that are 1.2 to 3 meters long, with a wingspan of more than 3 meters, and have a high flying ability that makes them difficult to defeat alone.


    However, their feathers are used for ornaments, weapons and armor, and their flesh is used for food. Meat is especially popular among women because it is delicious and low in fat.


    And let''s not forget eggs. Eggs are highly nutritious and have a rich taste, and the price per gram (gram) is higher than that of meat. The shells are thick and tough, so they are used to make processed goods.


    For a strike fee of 1000g per bird, the material belongs to the attacker. That sounds like a pretty good request. We should go and take them down tomorrow.


    I''m going to see if there are any other requests that look good, but none of them attracted me more than Rockbird.


    As I was looking at the request, I was called by Flute, who noticed me.


    ''Mr. Temma. Please come here for a moment.


    What''s going on around you? So he looked at me and Mr. Flute, but he seemed to lose interest immediately, especially since Mr. Flute wasn''t in a hurry.


    ''What''s going on?''


    I spoke to Mr. Flute at the counter and was immediately ushered into the back room.


    I walked into the reception room behind the counter and sat down in a chair.


    Congratulations. Mr. Temma has risen to a C grade.


    Mr. Flute said and clapped his hands.


    ''....Huh?


    I sounded dumbfounded, and Mr. Flute said


    ''''I contacted the guild leader in the royal capital about Banza''s case with my magic tools, and he replied that I should raise his rank then, so Tenma-san''s rank increase has been officially approved.


    That was the point.


    ''Isn''t that too easy? And the test?


    And since things were going so easily, I asked him anyway.


    No problem. It''s a special power of the guild leader. But this is not a favoritism, it''s a matter of precedent.


    And then he told me about that precedent.


    There was a time when a noble adventurer, when he was just starting out, contributed to the security of the city by capturing a wanted criminal. The criminals at that time were quite skilled and formed a clique, so he once raised their rank from E to C as an exception.


    Since then, a special exception was made to raise the rank to C for those who performed similarly.


    By the way, ranks can only be raised to C.


    That''s why my rank was raised to C because that special exception was applied to my performance this time.


    Well, considering your performance so far, it''s not surprising that you''re ranked B.


    Mr. Flute said with a laugh.


    ''Well, I''ll take it gratefully, then.


    I gave the guild card to Mr. Flute. He would give me an updated one later.


    When I walked out of the reception room, Lily and the others were there. The three of them were surrounded by other adventurers (mostly men).


    I just watched them (because it wouldn''t be a bad idea if I called out to them), but Mr. Flute was


    ''Miss Lily, Miss Nellie, Miss Millie. Mr. Tenma is waiting for you.


    I dropped the bomb loudly. Lilly and the others reacted to those words and came to me through the adventurers with their ears pinned up and slurped. On the other hand, very happily, Flute-san was laughing. Absolutely on purpose!


    Morning, Temma!


    Sorry, wait?


    I''m sorry to keep you waiting.


    He greets me as usual.


    ''No, I just came early because I had to run some errands,''


    I replied, and the three of them said something shoujo-like, even though that''s where they were going to say, "We just got here" or "We were waiting to see you because we wanted to see you sooner".


    What do you guys think I am? I was tempted to ask, but decided it was best to ignore it.


    ''I need to talk to you all about a request, please come this way.


    I was ushered into the same parlor as before.


    Inside, in an L-shape, I sat in a single chair and the three of us sat in the same chair. Mr. Flute sat in the chair in front of the three of us.


    ''I''m very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the guild''s inadequacies.


    I put my head down. We didn''t have a choice, I said.


    ''Normally, except for emergencies, I would have my client write a form for identification, but that form was incomplete.


    This was the case. The possibility that this kind of thing could have happened because of the inexperienced rookie who dealt with the paperwork deficiency.


    Therefore, as an apology, it has been decided that an annoyance fee of 10,000 G will be added to the original compensation.


    Saying that, Mr. Flute placed a bag containing 15,000g in front of us.


    ''''Does this include hush money?''''


    Flute-san shook her head at my question.


    ''''No, I will put this matter up on the guild''s internal bulletin board. So this is purely a nuisance charge.


    He laughed bitterly. They originally wanted to keep it hidden, but since I had an exchange with the knights in front of the gate, it''s possible that quite a few people know about this, and if they hide it poorly, their trust in me might fall to the ground, so they''re going to make it public.


    I''m sorry.


    I bowed my head, but Mr. Flute.


    ''''It can''t be helped since the knights had a problem this time. Never mind that.


    He said.


    After that, we told him the details of what happened in that village and then we disbanded.


    After that, me and the three of us decided to split the amount of money that was currently paid.


    I tried to divide it equally among the four of us, but Lily and the others were against it. The reason for this is that this request was like a joint request by the Tenma (me) and my family and the Wildcat Princess, so it''s common sense to divide the reward in two. I wasn''t quite convinced, but when Lily and the others told me that if it had been Wildcat Princess alone who received the request, I reluctantly decided to follow their lead.


    That and the dash boa that Shiroumaru and the others hunted are completely ours, I heard, but I decided to give away the three boas. The three of them refrained from giving it to us, but we decided to give it to them halfway through, saying that since we defeated them during the request, the three of them had the right to do so.


    Afterwards, we had lunch with the three of us and decided to rent a dismantling place behind the guild to dismantle the boa. We had to make a reservation at the dismantling place originally, but it happened to be available, so we were able to rent it for three hours at 300G per hour. There are professional staff at the dismantling yard to help us.


    Including King, we had seven boas. Thanks to the workers, we were able to dismantle the whole thing in about two and a half hours. They were very happy when we gave them a piece of meat and a piece of meat (motsu) as a thank you for their help. They said it was more difficult to eat the fresh guts than the meat, and although it was hard to process, it was worth it.


    The three of them will sell all the entrails and most of the meat to a butcher they know, and the rest of the meat will be made into a side dish for the evening. The material was being picked up by the guild.


    I decided to sell the material to the guild, with the exception of a few boa bones. The bones are a treat for Shilomar.


    As for the meat, I have a magic bag, so I decided to keep it instead of selling it.


    We found out that the king''s material is more than twice the price of ordinary boas. Fur in particular was five times or more.


    Normally I would be happy about it, but the amount of money I got from defeating the bandits was too large, so I only felt it was something like that.


    We left the three of us in front of the guild, but it was halfway through the day to do something. So.


    Okay, let''s go for it.


    And he came to the outside of the gate. From there he walked a little way to the field and called for Shiroumar.


    ''Shiroumar, sit down!''


    Won!


    He ordered and pulled something out of the bag. At that moment, Shiroumar tried to run away.


    "Shiroumar, wait!


    Kuhn.


    Suddenly, Shiroumaru cries weakly. His gaze is focused on the homemade soap (...) I have in my possession.


    I ignore Shiroumaru''s gaze and wet him with my water magic technique. Shiroumaru is reluctant to do so, but he listens to my commands and stays still.


    I rub the soap on Shiroumaru and make a lather, and in half an hour, Shiroumaru, the foam dharma, is ready. After rinsing off the foam, Shiroumaru appeared with a shameful look on his face.


    After about 10 minutes, I rinsed the hair with water.


    The only thing left to do was to dry the hair, when Shiroumaru shook his body. That was already a bold move.


    As a result, I was drenched. Shiroumaru was trying to move away from me, trying not to make any noise, but


    Shiroumaru. Wait.


    Shiroumaru sat up straighter than usual at the words "I''m sorry," he said. I slowly walked in front of Shiroumaru. That''s when Shiroumaru showed his belly to me.


    ''What are you doing, Shiroumaru!


    Shiroumaru reacted to the voice and twisted around even more. By the time he got up, he was a brown wolf. Shilomaru, who didn''t seem to realize what he had done, decided to become a foam dharma once more.


    It took longer than expected. By the time he got back to the inn, the sun was setting and the area was about to get dark. Shiroumaru was slumped in his bag, due to the fact that he had been carefully washed since then.


    ''Oh, Temma. Welcome back... you''re not dressed any differently, are you?


    The old man asked me about it, so I told him about Shiroumaru and he burst out laughing. Hearing his voice, the landlady came over and asked him why, and he laughed as well. Furthermore, all the guests who were familiar to me also laughed in the same way.


    This was the moment when Shiroumaru''s decision to skip dinner was made.

 34-Chapter 2-7 Rockbird and Bandit Mod

    Guuuu~. The first thing I heard when I woke up was the sound of Shiroumaru''s stomach. He seemed to be quite hungry without food last night. He sat down beside me and looked at me intently.


    ''Good morning, Shiroumaru. Shall we go for dinner?


    "One!


    He barked vigorously. He was drooling from his mouth.


    I got dressed and then headed out to the yard. A few guests were gathered at the well.


    I was hesitant to let Shiroumaru out of the stone, so I decided to just wash my face and head out of the city.


    There was a cool breeze blowing as we went outside the city. A short distance away from the gate, I let Shiroumaru and the others out of the bag and prepared breakfast. As an apology for yesterday, I took out the boa meat and used my magic to roast it.


    It was a bone-in thigh (about 15kg), but Shiroumaru went directly to bite into it and finished it in no time. We had left some vegetables on the table as well, but he ate them all.


    While watching him eat, I was eating the meat I''d grilled for myself on a piece of bread.


    I''m sure Shilomar didn''t want it, but Slarin was in front of me, begging me for it.


    I also grilled the meat for today''s lunch and threw it into the magic bag. The gatekeeper caught a whiff of the smell and looked at me, but I pretended not to see him.


    It was a little early, but I was going to go hunting for rockbirds, which was the plan for today.


    I got Tanikaze out of the bag and asked Slarin to join me. Shiroumaru is still out there, trying to run as hard as he can after a while.


    In my case, the preparations themselves are all in the bag, so as long as I have food, I''m ready to go at any time. I also prepared that food earlier.


    I attach the reins and saddle to the tanikaze and adjust the stirrups. Then I climbed aboard and called out to Shiroumaru, who was ready to go at any time.


    I give Tanikaze instructions to move forward. The instructions are no different from those of a normal horse. However, Tanikaze''s magic power decreases as she runs, so she has to replenish her magic power periodically. Well, if you don''t let it run all day long, its magic power won''t be empty.


    I let Tanikaze advance at a driven pace (about 20km/h). Shiroumaru is running alongside Tanikaze, but occasionally he goes ahead or stops off.


    We passed several merchants and travelers, all surprised to see Tanikaze and frightened to see Shiroumaru. Each time we apologized as we went along, but within two hours we were able to reach the mountain we were aiming for.


    I had heard that rockbirds were found in the upper part of the mountain, so I took the Tanikaze to the foot of the mountain and walked from there.


    I put the Tanikaze back in my bag and took a short break before starting to hunt.


    Using our search, we got some responses near us, but most of them were deer, rabbits, and the occasional boar, and we didn''t find the rockbirds we were looking for.


    So we gave up on the immediate area and concentrated on climbing the mountain, and after a couple of hours of climbing, we finally seemed to have entered the rockbird habitat and began to find what looked like glimpses of feathers and droppings.


    There were two responses on the radar about 100 meters from here. As I approached under my breath, I saw two rockbirds. Looks like they have a nest.


    I took aim from about 50 meters away and fired two air blitzes in rapid succession. The two bullets successfully hit the rockbirds in the head and let them fall.


    Shiroumaru rushes over. Slarin was on his back. I moved closer, too, and bagged my prey.


    I looked at the nest above and saw two eggs.


    "Whoa, Lucky, two eggs!


    Most rockbirds only lay one egg, and many of them are small. In that respect, this egg was large enough and the shell seemed thick enough. Probably, the parent''s magic power was strong or the food was abundant.


    By the way, the size of the egg of this time is an oval of 25cm in length and 20cm in diameter. The weight is 3 kg. It was bigger than the egg of the ostrich in the previous life. Normally, it''s a little smaller than this one.


    The eggs are placed in the back and the nest is broken down. A rockbird''s nest is also a territorial symbol, so this makes it easier for other individuals to build new nests.


    "Now we have a response 200 meters away!


    And after hunting at this rate, I had 20 rockbirds and 13 eggs in less than 3 hours. I decided to end the hunt, saying that this was enough for me.


    At the same time, I take my sword out of my bag. I instructed Shiroumaru to be ready for battle at any time.


    That''s because there are people who have been following me for about an hour now. There are five of them. I don''t know their gender or even their species, but I decided that there was a good chance that it wasn''t a rogue thing.


    We walked down the mountain with caution. The other side is going down accordingly. I knew it was going to be a bad idea.


    So when I got near the bottom, I started running as fast as I could. The five of us were struck by a false sense of security and panicked. I ran to a meadow where I could get a good view and stopped. There, I took out the Tanikaze and put Slarin in it and kept it waiting. Shiroumaru deliberately made me wait in the forest and instructed me to sneak up behind the five of them and follow them.


    Five people show up about five minutes later. Three men and two women. All of them are of the human race. One of the men comes forward.


    "Hey, kid. Hey, kid, why''d you run away?


    ''Then why were you following me in the woods?


    These words upset the five of them.


    ''Did you think you weren''t noticed? With such a lousy tail.


    In fact, the five of them were poorly followed. They seemed to be careful about the distance, but since the five of them were walking together, the sound would be audible, and they couldn''t hide their figures, so did they want to be found on purpose? I even thought.


    ''It doesn''t matter! Give me all your rockbirds!


    And leave your horse behind while you''re at it!


    I''m laughing at the joke. When the woman saw that I was silent, she got on a roll.


    The white wolf by this one looked like he had a nice shiny coat.


    I''d love to have that one, too. I''d like to keep the skin on the wall.


    I said. I looked behind the five of them (...), dumbfounded.


    Yeah? What are you going to do, Shiroumaru?


    Then Shiroumaru, who had been creeping up to 10 meters behind the five men, roared and rushed towards the five men.


    Dogon!


    With a loud bang, two women were blown away. One flew into the air and the other rolled around like a bowling ball, engulfing the men.


    The five men were devastated by Shiroumaru''s blow. From a quick glance, they didn''t seem to be dead, but they were badly injured, with broken bones and other serious injuries. I woke up the first man who opened his mouth, giving him a slight kerfuffle and waking him up.


    So, what do you want from me?


    He spoke to the man crawling on the ground.


    ''Don''t be silly you don''t know who I am.


    I don''t know!


    He punched him in the face and knocked him out. I looked in the man''s pocket, but I couldn''t find any guild cards or anything else.


    For the time being, I decided to tie him up with a rope and take him to the city.


    On the way back, I tied the carriage to Tanikaze and carried the five people. The carriage is more like a large eighteen-wheeler than a carriage, without the hood. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one.


    "I tried to take his prey, but they turned the tables on me.


    I couldn''t get a word out of him.


    "I''m sorry for attacking you.


    "Three men were killed in the process.


    "Soaring like a bird.


    I hung a board that said, "I''m not going to be able to do this. As I headed into town, with frequent stops along the way, people were pointing at me and laughing at me as I passed them. Some of them came to ask me what had happened to me, so I gave them a polite and detailed account of what had happened.


    Because of my slow return, I arrived in town much later than I had planned. It was probably past seven o''clock already.


    I explained the situation to the gatekeeper, and I walked into town with Tanikaze and headed for the guild. The gatekeeper was muttering to himself, "Here we go again....


    When I arrived at the guild, I called out to a staff member who was just outside and asked him to call Flute for me. Soon after that, Flute-san came, but she seemed a little upset that she was about to leave.


    I understand," he said. Mr. Temma and the five of you will now have a meeting to discuss the situation. The outcome of that will determine how to deal with the situation.


    The five of them seemed to be mumbling something when I said, "I don''t know what to do. When Mr. Flute removed the gag.


    ''Why should we be subjected to deliberation? We''re the victims!


    I said. The other four nodded.


    ''That little brat came up behind me and killed the white wolf and took our rockbird!


    The man gets even more heated. A crowd began to form around him.


    ''Otherwise, how could a kid like that hunt a rockbird?


    Yes! The man asks the people around him to agree with him. The people around me look at me and then look at the men with a dumbfounded look on their faces. The man is oblivious to the reactions of the people around him and makes a passionate speech.


    ''So how did you guys get rid of the rockbird?


    I turned to the men and asked them a question. The men.


    Bow! He killed it with his bow!


    I replied. So I put all the rockbirds out there on the spot.


    ''Mr. Flute, and everyone around you! Look at the heads of these rockbirds!


    He held up one rockbird.


    ''All the rockbirds here have been killed by magic. There is not a single arrow wound. Please make sure.


    I held out the rock bird to him. Mr. Flute took a quick look at it first, and then the people around him checked it out.


    ''It''s true. The hole has been neatly penetrated. An arrow would have messed up the wound even more.


    ''That''s a really beautiful wound! This way, you won''t die without causing any weird stress. It won''t spoil the flavor of the meat.


    And all the scars are in nearly the same place, just one spot. You have to be a top-notch wizard to do this.


    And there were cheers all around them. The men turned blue in the face.


    ''This is settled without needing to deliberate. What shall we do?''


    Mr. Flute asked the men, but they did not answer.


    ''Mr Temma. Are you going to fine him or drop him into slavery? The minimum fine is 100,000 G, but in this case it''s likely to be 300,000 G or more because it''s so bad. Of course, it''s per capita. In the case of slaves, ownership comes into play.


    He asks. Mr. Flute seems to be in a bad mood. You can see his frustration in his words. I''ll send you some food.


    "Is it my decision?


    ''Yes, it is. In this case, it would be considered an act of banditry. Thieves have no human rights.


    And when I got there.


    Wait a minute. My parents are noblemen. You know what happens!


    He said proudly. To a man like that, I am.


    So what''s the problem?


    I said. I actually knew it using an appraisal.


    His name...Geez.


    Age... 23.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Second son of an honorary nobleman (quasi-baronet), a pseudo-robber


    It was. Since he is the son of an honorary nobleman, it seems he is not a nobleman himself. Moreover, the title says that he is a pseudo-robber. This is a bad idea.


    You are an aristocrat. I''m a nobleman, not one of you!


    A man starts screaming. Watching it.


    An honorary nobleman is only good for one generation. So you''re just a common thief!


    I told him. The man turned bright red.


    My parents have ties to the Duke of Sangha, too!


    Finally, he even started to mention the Duke''s name. When I heard that, I was like.


    ''''Mr. Flute, have someone go to the Knights'' headquarters and tell the Fourth Squad Leader that I (Temma) am calling for you.


    Mr. Flute nodded at my words and let the staff go. The man had a good look on his face, but anyone who knew the identity of the fourth unit commander of this city''s Order of Knights looked at the man with a look at the poor man.


    It must have been about ten minutes later, but the Primera came running over.


    ''What is it, Temma-san, what''s wrong!


    For some reason, Primera speaks to me in a respectful manner. I said a quick hello.


    Excuse me. We''ve been having some problems. It wasn''t just me, it was something that involved the captain''s family.


    He said, and explained in turn. Primera''s face became more and more grim.


    ''''Hey, knight. My parents are noblemen and this kid attacked me. That''s disrespectful. Just let me go, please.


    He speaks up without reading the air. Primera turned to face the man and made a smile, but if you looked closely, you could see a twitch at his temples.


    ''''For now, let me introduce myself. I am Primera von Sangha, Captain of the Fourth Squadron of the Knights of this city. I''m the third daughter of the Duke of Sangha you mentioned.


    Primera said. The man stopped moving for a moment.


    Well, that''s good news. My father was the Duke of Sangha and he shut up!


    The primera let out a loud voice that was filled with rage. The volume of her voice startled not only the man, but also the people around him, showing a slight fright.


    ''''How dare a bandit talk about a nobleman and even mention the name of a duke! The disrespect is yours! You won''t get a death sentence!


    He was angry. The man scoffed at the swordsmanship too much.


    Primera turned to me.


    ''Let me leave these men in the custody of the Order.


    The words themselves sounded like they were asking for something, but they were powerful enough that they didn''t say anything.


    It''s fine. But please remember that I have the first rights to those guys, so please keep that in mind.


    I agreed. It''s helpful, said Primera, but she pretended to think about it for a moment.


    I''m sorry, but you''re going to have to help me carry these guys out.


    And it was still somewhat out of place.

 35-Chapter 2-8 Magical power of sweets

    The next day, I slept until almost noon. Yesterday, I was taking Geese and the others to the Knights'' headquarters and so on, and it was late for me to fall asleep. Let''s spend today in town.


    For now, it''s rice wine! I looked in my bag as I dressed and saw Shiroumaru chewing on a boa bone.


    ''Do you want some rice?''


    I asked him, and he swung his tail wide and barked lightly. Throwing in the rest of yesterday''s boa, I headed for the diner... but...


    ''Temma, there''s no breakfast left. You''re a little late!


    With his words, we headed outside.


    While taking a bite of bread from a nearby stall, we aimed at the store. It is about 20 minutes from the inn, but the shop was said to have the best selection of goods in the town.


    I''m looking for sugar and milk and flour. After a long time, we wanted to eat something sweet. I''ll stock up on some more while I''m at it.


    First of all, sugar... is a bit expensive. Well, I have a lot of money now, so it''s OK, I''ll buy 10kg of sugar, or 1500g.


    Next is milk. I need 20 liters of milk because I drink Shiromar. 600g.


    Lastly, I need flour. I''ll buy more flour because it can be used for various things. 100kg. 1kg, 40g, for a total of 4000g.


    Total 6100G or something like that.


    After paying the bill, we put the items in the bag in order. A few people look at my bag enviously.


    Back at the inn, I got permission to use the kitchen from the old man. It seemed to be a busy time and he followed me.


    ''Temma, what are you going to cook?''


    The old man was very interested in the idea.


    ''I''m thinking of making three kinds of sweets,''


    I replied.


    Candy! Do you have one for me?


    The landlady came over and said, "I''ve got enough ingredients.


    ''We''ve got enough ingredients to make it.


    Please!


    His eyes were shining. I was thinking, I knew my wife was a woman, too.


    ''Temma. Are you thinking of something rude?


    He gave me a sharp look.


    ''It''s nothing!''


    ''You''re an idiot,'' replied the old man behind the lady, laughing at her as she straightened up.


    ''Okami-san! Your father wants to offer his share to his wife!


    I got back at him a bit. The old man shook his head, saying he hadn''t said that, but the lady would take it from him by the way he looked.


    I started making sweets while my old man stared at me. I would make donuts, pancakes, and pudding.


    First, I decided to make the pudding.


    First, I put sugar in the milk and warm it up. Once the sugar is melted, I cooled it down with ice magic and mixed in the rockbird eggs (which I melted in a separate container because it was too much). Cut the eggshells in half (...) neatly in half lengthwise, and slowly add them to the eggshells, straining them through a colander. There are now 4 cups in all.


    Put them in a steamer, two at a time, and steam them slowly over low heat.


    Finally, put the sugar in the pot and put it on the heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add a little water and the caramel is done.


    Next, get to work on the donuts and pancakes.


    First, fill a large pot with oil and heat it up. Next, sift the flour into a bowl, mix in a little baking soda and divide it in half. Halve the rockbird egg, milk, sugar and melted butter mixture and add it to one half of the flour mixture a little at a time.


    Knead the dough until it''s about the consistency of an earlobe, about 5 cm in diameter and 1 cm thick, and poke a hole in the center of the dough.


    When the oil is hot, pour the doughnuts into the oil and fry them until they are golden brown. When the donuts are done, drain the oil well and sprinkle sugar on the surface. Makes about 50 in all.


    Add the milk and syrup to the flour and liquid that was divided in half when the donuts were made.


    When the mixture is thick, heat a frying pan and melt the butter in it. Add the dough, a ladleful at a time, and bake. When both sides are done, it''s done. I could make 20 sheets of dough here.


    It took me about an hour and a half to make them all. I put the donuts and pancakes into the Magic Bag while they were hot, and the pudding and caramel were cooled with ice magic before I put them in.


    Incidentally, I offered the lady a pudding (half shell) with a generous amount of caramel, 10 doughnuts, and 5 pancakes with butter and honey. The lady''s mood was so high that the meter seemed to shake out.


    I took the sweets and headed to the guild. When I walked in, I didn''t see Mr. Flute, so I asked another staff member and he told me that he was taking a break. I decided it was just the right time to ask him to come over.


    As soon as I asked him to come in.


    Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Temma?


    Flute came out of the back room, "I''m sorry for the break.


    ''Sorry to be on break. I made some sweets and I''m here to share them with you.


    The moment I said that, candy! And Mr. Flute''s eyes lit up. I offered him two caramelized shell pudding, thirty doughnuts, and ten pieces of butter and honey on pancakes.


    ''Please share yourselves, gentlemen,''


    A sweet smell spread as soon as the sweets were put out. At that moment, the gaze of the guild staff, especially the female staff, was focused on them. Some of them raised their hands and were happy.


    ''''So much... thank you, Temma-san!


    And Mr. Flute thanked me, but his gaze wasn''t on me, but on the sweets.


    When I told him about the rockbird''s defeat fee, a nearby female staff member took charge of it. I gave her 20 of the defeat parts (beaks) and received 20,000 Gs.


    As I left the guild, I was approached by almost every female staff member (about 10 of them) as I left.


    When I returned to the inn, someone who claimed to be a messenger of the guild was waiting for me.


    ''''I''m sorry, please accompany me to headquarters.''''


    Since I didn''t have any particular business to attend to, I decided to follow along. From what I''ve heard along the way, Duke Sanga''s reply came to Primera about the jewels the other day and yesterday''s incident with Geese and the others.


    ''''It''s quite quick, isn''t it?''''


    When I asked him about it, he apparently borrowed a magic tool from the guild and reported it to them. The magic tools were also in the guild in the city where the Duke lives, and they were given special permission to use them as an urgent matter.


    When I arrived at the headquarters, I was ushered into the room where Primera was.


    ''''Temma-san, I''m sorry to take the trouble. I got a reply through the guild this morning, so I asked you to come.''''


    I''m going to start talking to him.


    ''When I met Mr. Flute at the Guild earlier, he didn''t say anything to me, did he?


    ''Huh? I''ve asked Mr. Flute to let Temma know....


    He nodded his head. ''You forgot it because of the candy, Mr. Flute...''


    Well, that''s fine, but what happened?


    ''Oh, yes. As for the jewels, my father contacted me and asked me to give them to him for a total of 22 million Gs. That''s what he said.


    ''Give it to me,'' he says, but in reality it''s more of a half-hearted, ''make a move on it'' kind of thing.


    ''Okay. I''ll talk to the other three guys first.


    He said, and took out a box of jewelry. When the Primera saw it, she called someone to check it out and then had him put it in the safe. Then he asked her to write a note to make sure.


    ''And here''s Gies and the others, they want to give up ownership of this one too.


    Under what conditions?


    I asked.


    As for that one, he says he''s going to have to deal with someone soon, and he wants you to negotiate with him.


    They didn''t need those guys, so they didn''t have to come all the way out to negotiate, they could have just bought them out at a lower price...


    ''All right. Let me know a couple of days before that negotiator arrives.


    I asked. ''And while you''re at it,'' he said, and offered me a donut and a pancake.


    "Are you sure?


    He asks, but his eyes are already focused on me. ''Here you go,'' I said, handing him the honey and butter.


    ''Thank you! I''ll take it!


    And Primera carrying a donut to her mouth. I left the room as I watched.


    On my way back from the headquarters, I thought to myself, it''s sweets for women, so I went to buy more sugar.


    When I got back to the inn, I ate all the sweets with Shiroumaru and his friends... but the next day when I went to talk to the three of them about the jewels, they sulked and told me that they didn''t give me any sweets... Thanks to that, I had to devote two days in a row to making sweets.


    Two days after making the sweets for Lily and the others, just before noon, Primera contacted me and informed me that the negotiator would be coming in three days later at noon. I told Lily and the others, but I''m not very good at negotiating, so I''ll leave it to Temma! I was told.


    Now that we know the date of their coming, we decided to take the request.


    ''B-Rank Crocodile Shark''...There have been multiple sightings of multiple bodies in the river around 20km away from Gunjo City. Due to the high likelihood of them attacking people, we are requesting to take them out from the city at 30,000 G per crocodile shark.


    Crocodile sharks are demons like crocodile sharks, or something like that. It is 5-6 meters long, and has the appearance of a shark with crocodile scales and limbs. Even though it is a shark, it can work on land for a short time. However, its limbs are not very well developed, and its hind legs are even smaller than its front legs, so its movements are very slow. As a result, when he is on land, his rank drops to C.


    When I took it to the receptionist and presented my card, the woman at the receptionist''s desk had some difficulty with me accepting the request on my own as a C-ranked person. So, I stealthily handed her about five donuts, and she readily agreed.


    Then I felt his eyes on me and looked around, and I saw him and Mr. Flute. Mr. Flute was smiling and beckoning to the woman.


    When the woman reluctantly approached, she was hit in the head with a fist bone. On top of that, she seemed to have been robbed of about three donuts. The woman was crying and handing them over, but Mr. Flute was in a good mood. When she made eye contact with me, she put her hand over her mouth, laughed and left.


    The woman was quite depressed, so I decided to give her an extra donut.


    After that, I heard that more and more female staff wanted to be in charge of me, which caused a bit of a stir, but I heard later from a male staff member that Mr. Flute had invoked his power and was forcing me to take charge more often.


    Anyway, no problem? I was able to get the request, so I decided to get ready and head to the river where the sighting occurred.


    We arrived at the destination after about an hour of riding the Tanikaze. The place is said to be about 300m wide and about 30m deep in the river. Using the search, there are hundreds of responses. So we narrowed it down to something over 4 meters and when we used the search again, the response was down to 5. It was probably a crocodile shark reaction. I''ll have to catch one of them to find out more.


    Anyway, I start preparing to take down the shark. The most common method is to use a net to catch them, but my strategy is to ''fish alone''!


    The trick is to use a chain of about 100m long and a huge needle of about 2cm thick with a size of nearly 30cm that was made by using alchemy.


    The chains are made of 5 cm long ovals, and they are seamless and strong. I thought it would be useful for something, so I connected a couple of chains that I had made before.


    I use the meat from the boa for bait. I cut the boa''s liver and stick it in the needle together for better fish attraction.


    ''Ready!''


    I wrapped the chain on the other side of the needle around a stake I had driven into the ground.


    I held the bait and flew to the nearest reaction, 30 meters away, and dropped the bait. It floats in the air and moves up and down the chain with the bait on it to appeal to the fish.


    After about 10 minutes, it responded. I tugged on the chain (to match) to get the timing right, and it almost pulled me in with a strong force.


    I pass the magic power through the chain without panicking. When the magic power reaches the crocodile shark, I apply a strong stun on it. Since I imagined applying the stun to the inside of the crocodile shark, I don''t think the other individuals will be able to escape. Just to be sure, I used a search, and the other individuals seemed a bit surprised to see it move, but it is now quiet.


    Then a green shark, about 5 or 6 meters long, floated up immediately. I flew to shore and pulled the crocodile shark up with the white marlin and Tanikaze.


    The huge shark, estimated to weigh three hundred kilograms and covered in lumpy green scales, was jerking and moving. I put a stop to it by destroying its brain with my original non-attribute magic technology (...) "Cross Shock".


    It''s a technology that allows the non-attribute magic "shock wave" to hit the place you want to damage from multiple angles with the same intensity, and to deal a large amount of damage only there.


    This allowed me to kill him with minimal trauma. I''m going to use this guy to make a taxidermy one day.


    After I appraised it, I used the search to examine it and all the other reactions were crocodile sharks.


    After the second one, I started to get the hang of it somewhat. The method is the same as the first one, but the speed of catching them increased a little bit. After the second shark, I decided to kill it by draining it of its blood.


    When I had killed the fourth fish smoothly, an incident occurred. While the fourth one was being bled out, Shiroumaru was drinking water from the river when he felt a killing intent coming from 10 meters ahead of him in the river.


    ''''Avoid it, Shiroumaru!''''


    I hurriedly gave the order, but Shiroumaru''s reaction seemed to be delayed by the suddenness of the situation. The crocodile shark gained momentum and jumped out of the river, ready to bite Shiroumaru.


    He didn''t make it in time! Thinking that, he was about to release his air-bullet, but at that moment, Shiroumaru seemed to raise his right front paw, and then a single large, sharp blade was released and attacked the Crocodile Shark, tearing its body vertically.


    Grinning, Shiroumaru seemed to laugh... but in the next moment, the crocodile shark, split in two vertically, was crashing into Shiroumaru.


    ''''Cai~n,''''


    Shiroumaru rolled backwards along with the crocodile shark, shouting like some comedian.


    The unexpected happened in quick succession for a moment, and I froze for a few seconds, looking like I was about to release my magic.


    When I came back to myself and ran over to Shiroumaru, he was covered in blood in return, but he stood up fine and uninjured.


    ''You don''t seem to be hurt. I was worried about you, Shiroumaru!


    To me, Shiroumaru had his head and tail down. I used a search while stroking its head, but the crocodile shark''s response was gone from this area. Just to be sure, I changed a few conditions to check, but still no response.


    Since the defeat is complete, I decided to ask Shiroumaru to show me the technique he had just used. When Shiroumaru focused his magic power on his front and back legs and waved them, the same blades as before were released. Not only that, he was able to increase the number to four. Looking at Shiroumaru''s paws, there seemed to be two different ways to activate them.


    The first was to release magic power on the fingers (claws).


    The second method is to hold the fingers open and release the magic power from between the fingers.


    The method of releasing magic from between the fingers is easier than the method of releasing it from between the fingers, and it is easier to produce a sharp blade.


    On the other hand, the method of releasing from between your fingers is easier to create something larger than the method of releasing from your fingers, but it''s more like smashing through it rather than cutting through it.


    Shiroumaru looked good at it, but when I tried it a few times and succeeded, he looked shocked and unfaithful.


    To get Shiroumaru in a good mood, I repeatedly petted and praised him, and finally succeeded in fixing his mood by cooking the crocodile shark that Shiroumaru had killed.


    By the way, the defeat proof part of the crocodile shark was the tail fin.


    As the sun was beginning to set, I decided to drive Tanikaze back to the city. I got to the city in less than 30 minutes, so I went straight to the guild. When I entered the guild, I met eyes with Flute.


    ''''That was quick. What happened?


    I handed him four tail fins of the defeated parts and Mr. Flute''s eyes widened when he asked me.


    ''You defeated so many of them! In less than half a day!


    I asked him to follow me to the dismantling yard, and I showed him a nearly intact crocodile shark.


    ''Kyaaaahhhh!


    I shouted loudly, and even the adventurers who rushed to the scene when they heard the voice, saw the crocodile shark head-on and couldn''t help but raise their weapons.


    Before anyone could cut at the crocodile shark, he explained that it was already dead, and urged them to disperse, but some of the adventurers observed it as a good opportunity to see it up close.


    ''Mr Temma! Don''t freak me out!


    Mr. Flute is angry with me for being half in tears. I apologized and offered him a donut, well, I forgive him, but..., he whispered while accepting the donut...........a little too much.


    After putting away the crocodile shark, he returned to the counter and branded the four tail fins.


    These branding stamps will be stamped if the part of the strike has a commercial value. This is to avoid duplicate submissions. Therefore, it is attached to the item I just submitted at the demolition place.


    ''Yes. This is the demolition fee for the five bodies this time, 150,000 G.''''


    He handed me a bag with 150,000 g''s in it. I put the contents in the bag and hand the bag back. Some of them look at me enviously from afar, but none of them invite me to the party.


    It''s split between those who know I''m making money because I''m taking requests on my own, and those who don''t want to rely on younger kids, and those who know I rarely team up with them.


    In the beginning, some of them tried to force me into the party, but the ones who were too persistent were pretty painful to deal with, and now they''re almost non-existent.


    ''''Temma-san is a C-rank, yet you''re the top earner in this guild.


    Mr. Flute said with a smile, but jealous and murderous glances pierced me from behind. Every once in a while I turn around and see a few guys who have obviously looked away.


    I wondered if it was time for this place to go too, the thought crossed my mind.

 36-Chapter 2-9 Negotiators

    I was at the Knights'' headquarters. Today is the day that Duke Sanga''s emissary is coming. The place is the room where I signed a contract with Primera before.


    ''''Temma-san, please have a cup of tea. Oh, this one is for tea.''''


    Thank you.


    Primera places the tea and snacks in front of me. Himself takes a seat across from me, but he seems somewhat uncomfortable.


    If someone who doesn''t know anything about us, if they saw us, wouldn''t they have trouble deciding which of us is the knight? And I''m so restless that I can''t stop thinking about it.


    ''Mr. Primera. Are you hiding something from me?


    The moment I asked, Bikun, Primera''s body stiffened.


    ''''Nah, there''s nothing there! I''m not hiding anything!


    No matter how you look at it, it''s suspicious. I stared into Primera''s eyes and swooped away. My forehead is covered in sweat.


    I didn''t look away, but kept staring at her face, and after a couple of minutes of staring, there was a sudden knock at the door.


    ''Ha, come in,''


    ''Excuse me. Captain, the Duke of Sangha''s emissary is here to see you.


    It was a young woman who came in.


    ''Oh, oh, all right. I''ll meet you and show you around.


    Primera answers the woman''s words and leaves the room, fleeing my gaze.


    I hope it won''t be any trouble.


    Not four or five minutes later, there was a knock on the door again, and I heard Primera''s voice saying we''re coming in.


    The door opened and a gentle-looking man in his thirties came in with the primera.


    I quickly appraised him, sat down, and greeted him.


    ''''I am pleased to meet you for the first time. I am Temma, the Adventurer. Make your acquaintance, Duke Sanga (........).


    He greeted the man in a manner that was not too much, yet not too rude, and bowed to the man.


    ''''Hey, how did you get that?!''''


    The first one to cry out in surprise was Primera. The duke looked surprised for a moment, but he quickly returned to his smiling face.


    ''Primera, you don''t sound like that. You''re Temma, aren''t you? It is a pleasure to meet you, and I am the father of this primera, Arsus von Sangha. I am also a duke.


    The Duke chided the Primera and then introduced himself politely to me.


    My name...Arsus von Sangha.


    Age...48


    Race... human race.


    Title: Duke of Sangha, Lord of the House.


    He''s 48 years old with a face like that! If you''re alongside Primera, you''ll probably be mistaken for a lover if you''re not good at it. I thought to myself.


    ''''You are ... quite young, aren''t you?''''


    I returned it. Then the duke smiled bitterly.


    ''Even though I look like this, I''m almost 50. Sometimes my friends wonder if I''m actually an elf.


    and looks and seems to be having a hard time with it. I''m sure your friend is simply jealous.


    ''Let''s get to the point now. Take a seat, please.


    And sat me down. Himself sat alongside Primera in front of me.


    ''First of all, thank you for getting the jewel back. I can''t tell you the details of that jewel, but it belonged to a nobleman''s wife and was stolen by another thief. She was quite depressed because it also contained a gift from her husband. I''m sorry I could only give you that price.


    I told him that if I got any more than that, I''d pay some of it separately. Maybe the previous one wasn''t compulsory, maybe it was really a request.


    He smelled the same kind of smell as Primera ... natural, that''s what it was called!


    ''No, no, the extra payment is fine. That amount of money is more than enough for us.


    I said no. The amount of money was agreed upon in the last contract, and it would be less complicated to do business for that amount.


    Really?


    And then the duke takes out 22 white gold coins from his magic bag and hands them to me. I put them straight into the bag without examining them as far as I could.


    ''''So, what are the terms of the transfer of the rights of the Guise?''''


    And then the duke looked a little reluctant.


    ''About that, his father, the quasi-baronet, took exception to what was going on...''


    He seemed to have a hard time saying


    Are you saying that my son (Geese) is innocent and that I''m the one to be judged?


    The duke sighed.


    ''That''s right. He''s making a fuss about how his son (Geez) can''t lose to a kid if he doesn''t have a cowardly hand.


    The cowardly hand and Guise''s sin shouldn''t have anything to do with it, though.


    I asked.


    ''Yes, I know. He says that what the cowardly man says can''t be right,


    When it comes to cowardice, Geez is better than me.


    I said with a laugh, and he looked at me like he was looking at something strange.


    You''re not afraid of the nobility?


    He asked me. I can''t just say I''m acquainted with the king of this country (the pinnacle of aristocracy) and so on.


    ''I don''t mean to lick the aristocracy, sir. Is that quasi-baronet more frightening than a duke?


    And I''m not a fox who is a tiger (duke), but I''m a bit of a joke. This duke is probably on my side. And even if something happened, I was confident enough to get away with it.


    ''''Please don''t make statements like that anywhere else.


    He laughed. He knew it was a light joke.


    ''I''m sorry, that was an outburst of words. But by the looks of it, you must be refusing to deliberate, too.


    ''Yes, he is. He was a nobleman, for all intents and purposes. It''s not a good idea to submit his son to deliberation without permission. Moreover, he himself is a man of some distinction when it comes to matters other than his son.


    ''But being a criminal, we can force them to deliberate, can''t we?


    I asked, and the duke shook his head.


    ''''If he does that, he could start a rebellion. Moreover, his faction has a certain amount of power, so if he makes a bad move, the damage will be greater.''''


    He twists his head, "What shall we do?


    ''Shall we have a duel?''


    I said lightly.


    I like that!


    The response was.


    ''Well, if it''s a duel, the other side won''t complain. There''s a part of him that wants to do the aristocratic thing. If we give him a slight stir, he''ll come on board.


    This duke is quite flippant. But I''m not averse to such deviousness either.


    "Do you want me to throw a glove at you?


    I returned. ''Good,'' we both planned together, but Primera was the only one who seemed to be out of the mosquito net.


    ''But are you sure you''re okay with it? He''s got some skilled adventurers around him.


    He looked worried for the first time.


    ''As long as we don''t have a top-notch opponent (as long as we don''t come in a bunch), we can handle it. We have a trump card.


    At those words, the duke said.


    ''''Come to think of it, I heard you''re using an A-ranked demon...'''' ''''I see, and if you can win out against Banza, you should be fine.''''


    I was convinced that it was a good idea. Leaving the persuasion (provocation) for the duel to the duke, we began to talk about the price of the rights to the gees.


    ''How about 200,000 G per person, plus the assets of the quasi-barons, for one-twentieth?


    He suggests.


    ''That''s fine. However, I ask that all the compensation be in money.


    ''With money,'' he specified, to prevent the dukes from taking in the duke''s family for that, if the right to something was a reward.


    That''s a shame.


    It seems that they had such a plan after all. Primera is the only one who has a look on her face that says she doesn''t understand why.


    ''''Please don''t pull me in like that.


    He replied with a smirk. The Duke laughed, too, probably thinking that he''d be lucky if he could do it.


    ''''Then let''s draw up a contract.


    And then he writes down the contract on a piece of paper in a smooth manner.


    "Read the contents carefully and sign here.


    And he hands me three contracts. After looking through them all, I sign them.


    ''Then let''s each keep one copy and ask the guild to keep one for you.


    Then they shook each other''s hands and the contract was completed.


    ---at the Duke of Sangha''s house---.


    ''My lord. What happened to the little miscreant?


    The day after Arsus (Duke of Sanga) made a contract (secret agreement) with Tenma. A man appeared at the Duke''s house as if he was waiting for him. The man''s name is Honorary Associate Baron Legil Vend. He is Gies''s father.


    In this country, an honorary baronet could not take his middle name. And some ordinary people also have family names. Therefore, there are some nobles who believe that an honorary noble is not a real noble.


    This Regil was such a man that it was said that at this rate, he would be allowed to take his middle name before he died. However, it seems that this talent was not passed on to his two sons.


    ''My lord, my lord. So, Geez... what happened to your son?


    Regil was no longer showing the sharpness of his mind these days that he was in his younger days, but he was capable, Arthas thought, even with that... except when it came to his son...


    Arthas gave him a rueful look.


    ''Baron Regil. I''m afraid the negotiations have broken down. The other party refused to concede that your son was at fault.


    Regil became agitated at those words.


    ''What? It can''t be! Besides, why did the duke pull back against the little boy!


    I could see from his face that he was a duke and yet he was unworthy.


    ''''Don''t say that, they have the Guild behind them. Even a duke would be reckless to make enemies with the guild without a plan.


    So you have a plan!


    I got one! And Arthas chuckled inwardly.


    ''Oh, it''s a duel! In ten days, we''re going to pit their representatives against ours, and whoever wins will get to say what they want! Of course, the little guy on the other end of the line. I''ve got a firm commitment. Here''s the proof!


    Arthas hands Regil a pledge signed by Tenma that spells out the rules of the duel.


    Regil receives the pledge, reads it in one sitting, grins, and


    ''Of course, I''ll let you decide who to represent here. Do you mind?


    I said.


    ''No matter. It''s your son, I''ll keep my hands off him.


    ''I won''t get involved,'' he told Regil, but he didn''t seem to realize what he meant.


    ''Then I''ll go back to the house and start getting ready.


    With that, Regil leaves, while Arthas watches his back.


    He''s a good man, but it''s not like he''s going to be replaced. It''s not like I can''t find someone to replace him.


    I muttered to myself.


    The Pledge.


    In a duel on the xth day of the month of the xth day of the xth month, both sides will be allowed to decide if they are justified. Under no circumstances will the loser of this duel be allowed to challenge the winner.


    The duel will be fought by representatives of both sides, and will end with either side passing out, admitting defeat, or becoming incapacitated.


    There are no restrictions on weapons or magic, but intentionally attacking the defeated opponent or attacking outside the combat zone is prohibited. Those who violate this rule are immediately considered to be the losers.


    It is not a crime to cause the death of the opponent in this duel, as long as it happens within the rules.


    I acknowledge that I do not disagree with this statement and swear to abide by it.


    The duelist...


    The duelist, Legil Vend.


    Regil, who had written his signature in the duelist column of this pledge, grinned as he read one sentence.


    ''Representative (...), hey...''

 37-Chapter 2-10 The day before the duel

    From then on, word of the duel spread quickly... or rather, the duke spread it. Whatever.


    You won''t be able to get away with it if you let a lot of people know and then beat them up.


    It was a matter of fact. It seems that when it comes to a duke, even if he looks natural, he has a black stomach.


    Thanks to that, the town was in a kind of festival. At any rate, it was like a rookie adventurer picking a fight with a nobleman. Moreover, a duel would be held with the approval of the guild and the duke. To the townspeople, it''s a spontaneous and enjoyable pastime. All over the city, there are bets being placed among the townspeople.


    Guilds also seem to be a part of the betting process.


    By the way, the guild''s multiplier is currently 3.5 times that of me and 1.2 times that of the associate baron. The reason for this is because most ordinary citizens bet on the quasi-baronet that there is no way a nobleman can lose to a newcomer, although those who know me and others have bet on me. Lilly and her friends and old man even thanked me for the easy money.


    Incidentally, Flute was frustrated that he couldn''t bet because he was a baron.


    I decided to bet on myself.


    Hello, Mr. Flute," he said, "may I bet too? "Hello, Mr. Flute, would you mind if I bet too?


    Oh, Temma. As long as you don''t bet against them, you''ll be fine.


    Then I heard the citizens around me say that there are some idiots out there, and that my lucky multiplier would increase.


    The adventurers who knew me and were betting on me were struggling to stifle their laughter.


    "How much would you like to make?


    And Mr. Flute, who takes out his betting cards and asks


    A million g''s, please.


    And when he produced a single white gold coin, there was a rustle around, followed by two kinds of summonses. One was the jubilation of those who had bet on the quasi-baronet. The other was the curses of the adventurers who bet on me.


    Those who bet on the quasi-baronet echoed with laughter, saying he was a real idiot and that he was a good guy for going out of his way to make more money for us.


    The adventurers who bet on me say, "Read the air, you idiot," or "Don''t lower the multiplier, you idiot," and other foul-mouthed words are hurled at me.


    Yes, accepted. Please be careful not to lose this one.


    And Mr. Flute was the only one who was driving normally. The cursing continued until I received my wager and left the guild.


    After that, I heard that some of the citizens who had heard the rumors about me switched sides with me, but more than that, some of them started betting extra large sums of money on the quasi-baron, so in the end, I got 3.6 times as much and the quasi-baron 1.1 times as much.


    The duel is said to be tomorrow at noon, with the quasi-barons arriving this evening. I decided to return to the inn to take care of my weapons. However, on the way there, I felt eyes on me. It wasn''t just one or two people either.


    At first I wondered if they were watching me for the duel. In no way, it wasn''t that kind of look. I changed my destination and visited the Order''s Primera.


    ''''What''s the matter? ''''Temma-san,''''


    As soon as I went through reception, Primera arrived. When I told her what had happened, Primera immediately sent her men out the back door to search the area. A subordinate returned shortly afterwards in civilian clothes and reported that he had seen four unfamiliar adventurer-like men in an alleyway.


    ''''We don''t know if these are spying on Mr. Temma or trying to harm him, but nine times out of ten, they must be from the hand of the quasi-baronet.


    I''ve decided that. I agree with you. Or rather, that''s all I could think of.


    I thought about it for a minute.


    ''Primera-san. Can you let me stay at the Order''s headquarters today? Of course I''ll pay the price.


    I suggested. Hearing this, Primera, unable to make a decision on her own, said, "I''ll ask the other captains," and excused herself for ten minutes.


    When he returned, Primera said.


    The other captains have given their permission. In exchange for clearing out our armory, he said.


    I gave him an apologetic look. I didn''t know what that face meant as he led me to the armory.


    ''How...amazing...''


    In front of me was a pile of old weapons and armor piled up in a messy pile.


    ''''I''m sorry! When one of the captains heard that Mr. Temma could control a large number of golems, he suggested that that would keep him from being injured, and it was approved.


    Primera apologizes for that. But I agreed that it''s not that big of a deal.


    ''''Thank you. I had to leave some broken or old things in here, and before I knew it, it was like this, so it was hard to get to them.''''


    He said.


    Which squad was in charge of it?


    I asked, whispering as I looked away.


    ...the Fourth Squad.


    I said.


    ''It''s your jurisdiction!''


    That''s when I realized why this job had come to me.


    ''Excuse me! These things are not good for everyone in my unit...


    He was bowing his head incessantly.


    ''''Huh... well, I''m the one who asked for it, so it''s fine... but just in case, please put some people on me in the name of surveillance.


    I asked as a security measure.


    ''Leave it to me. I''ll have someone on hand to help you.


    I was mistaken.


    And so the five of us who had gathered were


    So, Mr. Temma, let''s get started!


    For some reason, there was a primera who was supposed to be the captain.


    ''Is the captain''s job good?


    I said, and Primera said, "You know what?


    I''m done for the day!


    He replied cheerfully.


    I went outside and summoned fifty small golems to start working on them, thinking that I was not going to be able to do that.


    First, I had the golems carry the things inside outside. At that time, I made them place the weapons and armor, separating them by type.


    Weapons include about 300 swords, including broken and missing items, 150 spears, 100 bows, 400 arrows and 100 other weapons.


    As for armor, there were about 80 shields, 40 breastplates, 10 pairs of full body armor, and 30 pairs of other armor.


    In addition, I''ll have them carry the shelves and other items outside as well.


    I finished taking them out in about an hour, so I decided to have the golem separate the ones that were just chipped or rusted and the ones that were completely broken. In the meantime, I started cleaning the inside of the warehouse.


    First, I created a thick fog inside the warehouse, wetting the entire area and washing it with water magic.


    The sewage water is scraped out with wind magic, then the broken and cracked areas inside the warehouse are filled in with earth magic.


    The only thing left to do is to dry the interior with wind magic.


    This one also took about an hour.


    Outside, the golem and the knight are working together on the sorting process.


    ''''This one is finished cleaning.


    ''What! Already?!


    Primera is surprised. The walls of the warehouse are so messy that she can''t even think about cleaning them up. Moreover, it has even been repaired.


    "Temma-san. Would you like to join the Order?


    I''m afraid not.


    Primera shrugs her shoulders at the reply I give her. With that figure by my side, I join in the sorting process.


    ''''What do you do with the irreparable items?''''


    Oh, yeah, they''re supposed to be picked up by a blacksmith or something.


    The Primera replied, but some of the items that the person who said it was being sorted out were even scheduled for disposal, even those that seemed repairable. I pointed that out to her.


    ''What! Can this be fixed?!


    and the tip of the spear was broken, but he let out a surprised cry as he held the spear that could be replaced.


    To try it out, I took the spear and replaced it, looking for one of the same kind with a safe ear tip. Primera and the other knights are surprised to see the fixed spear. When they saw it.


    Hey, Primera.


    Yes, what can I do for you, Mr. Temma?


    I pointed to the surprised knights with their spears as the Primera replied, "I''m not going to be able to do that.


    Do those knights come from a good family?


    In his words.


    Yes, sir. Many of my troops are from the nobility, for some reason.


    I said. I wondered if the fourth unit was actually a baggage unit, but Primera herself was naturally lacking in some areas, but she was not incompetent and seemed to have some ability there. Besides, there were some people I''ve seen so far who seemed to have some ability in their own right.


    (Not a complete baggage squad, but a squad of its chaperones to a bunch of naive people, I guess.)


    He concluded.


    ''How about this sword?''


    One of the knights brings in a sword with a chipped and slightly bent end.


    ''You can ask the blacksmith to fix this one for you.


    How about this one?


    This one has a non-replaceable ear tip, so you can just scrap it.


    And so I bring them to me. So I gave the knights a quick lesson on how to identify a spear and a bow, and I decided to sort the swords.


    It took about two hours to sort the swords, but the knights weren''t done yet. As I stepped in to help the knights, Primera


    Mr. Temma, let''s take a short break.


    So we all decided to take a break.


    During the break, I felt multiple signs. I followed the source of the presence and saw four knights standing there. The knights who had their eyes on me looked surprised and then approached me. The primera noticed by the sound of their footsteps and hurriedly stood up to salute. The knights who were resting together also stood up as well.


    ''''Ah, sorry for the break,''''


    The oldest of the four men controls the salute with his hand and eases him into it. In the appraisal.


    His name... is Alan Van Dortles.


    Age...45.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Baron and Captain General of the Knights of the City of Gunjo.


    I answered. The knights in the back.


    His name... is Santos Knight.


    Age... 35.


    Race... human race.


    Title....Captain of the First Squadron of Knights of the City of Gunjo, Honorary Baron.


    His name... is Simon Cairo.


    Age... 28.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Captain of the Second Squadron of the Knights of the City of Gunjo, honorary associate baron.


    Her name... is Aida Rice.


    Age... 27.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Captain of the Third Squadron of the Knights of the City of Gunjo, Honorary Baron.


    And the heads of the Order were all present.


    ''''You''re all together, what''s going on?''''


    ''What''s the big deal?'' asked Primera nervously.


    ''What, it''s nothing. You seemed to be having a hard time, so I just wanted to see how you were doing. There''s no need to be nervous.''


    ''Your husband says so, but really, he just couldn''t sit still when he heard you were with a man.


    You''ll get hurt later if you talk like that. Don''t say that!


    ''And we all heard he''s been in town lately and came to see him.


    And Alan, Santos, Simon and Aida will answer in that order. In the meantime, they don''t distract me.


    ''You''re the Temma that''s being bandied about now ... young.


    Alan was a stocky man with a stocky build and a skinhead head with a connected mustache and beard.


    ''It''s true. Not very much, but he doesn''t look like the guy who destroyed the Banza gang.


    Santos is a big man, and he looks to be over two meters tall.


    ''People are not always what they seem, I suppose. He easily recognized our presence.


    Simon is a man of medium build, with a kind face.


    ''I''ve asked people I know in the guild about his background, but then again, we might have to get a bunch together to be a match for him.


    Aida is a taller woman than Simon. She has short hair and a sallow skin color.


    ''It''s true!''


    Those who heard this looked quite surprised, but Alan, among them, asked, unintentionally, like.


    ''Yes, it''s true. You all know I don''t tell these kinds of jokes.


    I know, but...isn''t that an exaggeration?


    Simon asks, but Aida shakes her head.


    He took out two ogres early in his time in this city, when he was thirteen.


    But Santos said.


    That''s great, but we''re still stronger than you.


    ''''That''s not all, after that, there were also witnesses that he defeated a bunch of B-ranked or higher demons by himself, and he actually sold the material to the guild. Besides....


    So he glanced at me.


    I tried to kill him a long time ago.


    He said in shock. The people in the Order were extremely surprised.


    I was pretty surprised too, but I didn''t know which one they were talking about, as such things happened so often when I came to this city.


    ''''So, what happened?''''


    Santos asked, and Aida laughed lightly.


    ''I thought I was going to be killed. The next thing I knew, I had fled to my room at the Order''s headquarters. And on top of that, I even locked myself in the shadow of my desk.


    He said he was sorry about that time, but I didn''t remember it myself, so I replied that I didn''t care.


    Alan crosses his arms and snarls. And.


    Temma, would you like to join the Order?


    I''m sorry, but I''m afraid not.


    I refused without a pause. The primera.


    ''General, I recruited him earlier and he turned me down as fast as he could.


    Well....


    Alan looks disappointed. Primera looks a little happy to have the same refused (...) companion.


    ''Captain General, it''s time to get back, we''ll be in the way any longer.


    Simon advised Alan. Alan nodded and tried to leave the place, but


    ''Mr. Allan. Could it be that you ordered the Fourth Squad to clear out the warehouse to teach them about weapons?


    I ran up to him and asked him in a whisper.


    That''s right. Many of the men of noble birth are talented, but they don''t know anything about common sense. That''s why I make them do as many menial tasks as possible to learn.


    ''Keep it a secret,'' said Alan, and this time he left.


    ''Let''s resume for now,''


    At my command, the knights start moving. Earlier, about twenty unavailable knights came to support me, so the one who had selected them earlier proceeded to teach them.


    I had to teach them about new types of weapons and armor, though.


    Three hours passed, and all the sorting was done. It''s probably already dinner time. So, Primera showed me to the room we would be staying in today. We also had dinner in the dining room, but to be honest, it was much inferior to the one at the Manpuku-ji.


    When we returned to our room, the first thing we did was to have dinner for Shiroumaru and his friends.


    I took out some dried meat and boiled rice from my bag and put them in my dimension bag. Shilomar is eating them as if he is waiting for them.


    He then took care of the weapons. When he was done, he crawled under the covers.


    Tonight I decided to get an early night''s sleep in preparation for tomorrow.


    ---at a mansion ---.


    A man was kneeling in the dimly lit room, facing his employer. There were several figures around him.


    ''I''m sorry. I couldn''t interfere.''


    It was a man dressed as an adventurer who reported to his employer. However, this man made as few footsteps as possible when he walked, so those around him also thought he looked more like a spy or an assassin than an adventurer.


    ''''The kid has hidden in the Knights'' headquarters.


    The words made everyone around him zap. And the employer at the front of the man - Regil - was


    The Knights followed that kid!


    The man shouted out, "I''m sorry,


    ''That''s unlikely. It''s unlikely. Perhaps he got wind of it from someone else who was following him. As proof, as soon as the kid entered the headquarters, there was a knight in civilian clothes searching the area from the back.


    ''Perhaps,'' the man continued, ''they evacuated, just in case.


    ''Well, good, then. You''ll be working again tomorrow. Thank you for your service.''


    Ha!


    As the man walked out of the room, Regil had the others leave as well. Then he looked at the pledge.


    That little b*tc* is going to show everyone who she''s up against.


    Then he laughed ugly.

 38-Chapter 2-11 Settlement

    The dueling hall was packed. More than 20,000 people were probably in there.


    Some of the people involved are clearly relieved to be there.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with them.��Even though it was built, it was just a request to the city''s wizards and guilds, and a nearby hill was dug out and hardened, and it looks almost like a soccer field. However, there are no underground passages or waiting rooms, so some of the seating areas are fenced off and tents inside are used as waiting rooms.


    There is also an arena in Gunjo City, but the capacity of the arena was 5,000 people for 50,000 citizens. Therefore, a resolution was passed by the council to build a venue outside so that the citizens could see it as much as possible.


    This resolution was proposed and passed the next day after the Duke came to the city of Gunjo, because the Duke had his hand in the back of the house.


    Moreover, with the help of the guild, the venue was completed in three days, an unusually rapid process.


    Since the duel was not scheduled to take place until after noon and they were to enter the venue in person, Tenma woke up and took his time.


    Since we had nearly three hours until noon, we decided to do some light combat training against Shiroumaru in the playground of the Knights'' headquarters.


    Me and Shiroumaru were facing each other at a distance of about fifty meters. The moment Primera gave the signal, Shiroumaru closed the distance between us in an instant.


    He opened his mouth wide and jumped at me, but I quickly got under Shiroumaru''s chin and grabbed his left paw with my left hand. At the same time, I grab the hair at the throat area and pull it down.


    Shiroumaru was hit with a technique similar to a judo throw (albeit quite anomalous), but as soon as he could, he kicked the ground with his back foot and jumped forward. But I had read Shiroumaru''s actions and was quickly closing in on the landing spot.


    Shiroumaru seemed to be ready and put his body into a defensive position.


    I released the bottom of my right palm almost at the same time as my right foot stepped into the ground. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the comments below.


    As it was, Shiroumaru flew about five meters and landed on his feet as if nothing had happened. Probably Shiroumaru flew on purpose. As proof, Shiroumaru jumped on me as soon as he landed and swung his left and right paws at me in turn.


    While I was momentarily distracted by the paws, Shiroumaru''s face approached right in front of me, and he head-butted me in the chest area. This time I was sent flying about ten meters away, but since I was also halfway through the flight, I landed cleanly as well, losing to Shiroumaru.


    The Primera and the rest of the crowd cheered when I landed, but it didn''t take long for them to stop cheering. I released my stance and began to move closer to Shiroumaru. Ahead of me, Shiroumaru was cowering, holding his head down at the point where he had been headbutted.


    ''What! Oh, I''m done.


    Primera finishes with a look that says, "I don''t know why.


    ''Shiroumaru, are you okay?''


    Squeak, squeak.


    Shiroumaru responds to my voice and lets out a weak squeal. Then the Primera approaches.


    ''Mr Temma. What happened?


    He asked. I was casting a recovery spell on Shiroumaru while


    He countered with a head kick that knocked Shiroumaru''s head off.


    See," he said, showing his reddened right hand to Primera. I had punched Shiroumaru in the head at the moment Shiroumaru''s head butt was hit.


    I had also cast a recovery spell on my own hand after Shiroumar. The time I fought Shiroumaru actually didn''t take five minutes, but I was more tired than I was when I dealt with Banza and the others.


    I began to do some organizing exercises, despite the stunned Primera. After wiping off the sweat, I had a light meal and took a nap to pass the time.


    When I woke up after about an hour, I lightly relieved myself, washed my face and decided to leave the Knights'' headquarters. It doesn''t take less than thirty minutes to get to the venue, so I walk at a leisurely pace.


    Along the way, I was approached by several people. Most of them were related to betting, but surprisingly, they were also supported by those who were betting on the quasi-baron. Well, some of them seriously made fun of me, but they were all the ones who would shut up with a single glare and were later laughed at by others.


    When I arrived at the venue, the guild official who was working at the reception desk led me to the waiting tent. My tent was separated from the audience by about 10 meters, and my tent was surrounded by a dozen knight guards who kept everyone but the officials away.


    It seems that acquaintances and supporters have gathered around my tent. By the time I got into the tent, I was given quite a few words of support.


    For some reason, Lily and her friends and Mr. Flute were waiting for me inside the tent.


    ''Ah, here we are at last.''


    ''You''re late! Temma.


    I''ve been waiting for about an hour!


    and followed by Lily and the others.


    ''Mr Temma, we''re here to support you today.


    Flute said. ''They each have towels, drinks and wound medicines.


    ''''Aside from Lily and the others, why is it even guild staff member Flute-san?


    I didn''t understand why Flute (guild staff), who was supposed to be in a neutral position, was here.


    ''''Normally, I shouldn''t be here, but the quasi-baronet''s side has complained (accused), so I was able to come here.


    A complaint?


    I''d tilt my head back.


    The other side says that if I, who is on good terms with Tenma-san, were to be a neutral (guild), they would never know what kind of injustice they could do to me. So I was temporarily put on leave from the guild. So, I decided to put my back to Tenma-san with all my might.


    I''m a civilian now," he said smilingly, but behind him, I could see his Hannya mask with an aura of black anger. He seems to be storing up quite a bit of anger. Lily and the others are also quite frightened.


    I see. I''d like to thank you for your help today. And so are the Lillies!''''


    ""Yeah!"


    Yes!


    All four of them replied in unison.


    Shortly thereafter, a cheer went up from around the tent on the other side. The quasi-baronet must have arrived.


    Then I chatted with the four of them and relaxed, biding my time.


    As it approached noon, the murmur in the audience grew louder. Just when I thought it was time to go.


    ''It''s almost time to start. Please get ready and come to the center of the hall.


    The guild official in charge came to inform me. I took my sword out of my bag and walked out of the tent. At that moment, a loud cheer erupted from the audience.


    With that cheer in the background, we walked to the center. In the center of the ground stood a man I hadn''t seen in a long time.


    ''Pledge over here, please.''


    Yes, Guild Master.


    This slightly reluctant man is the head of the Gunjo City branch of the guild union. His name is Max Belcap.


    His name is Max Belcap.


    Age...41


    Race... human race.


    Title: Guild Chapter Leader and former A-rank adventurer


    The guild leader is usually lazy and lazy at work, but in an emergency, he becomes a very smart man.......apparently.


    ''''Yes, indeed.''''


    Shortly afterwards, the quasi-baron comes along and gives the same pledge. The quasi-baronet was accompanied by thirty rattling men, who looked like guards.


    I used an appraisal and found that there were thirteen C-ranked, sixteen B-ranked, and one A-ranked.


    ''''The pledge has been confirmed. Both sides should leave their representatives and step back to the wall.''''


    At those words, Lily and the others and Mr. Flute said good luck and backed off, but the quasi-baronet''s side all stayed behind.


    ''Quasi-Baron Regil? Please hurry up and get your guards back.


    The guild leader urged him to do so, but Regil laughed.


    What do you say, Guild Master? This is your representative, the Vend Squad. I didn''t say there had to be one representative.


    He made a ridiculous quibble.


    ''But it''s a duel. Even if it were, I wondered how it would be for a nobleman.


    "You are fooling me! I''m just following the rules of the pledge! Now, why don''t we signal the duel to begin!


    Regil is a bit confused. The guild leader looks at me to see what''s going on. Then.


    Then we''ll join you!


    Temma and I will have it easy!


    Yeah, yeah, yeah! No, I''m not going to let some kid''s quibble with me like that!


    The three of them, who must have been pretty pissed off, excitedly offered to join us.


    ''''I''ll help in some small way!


    And even Mr. Flute said something outrageous.


    ''Give me a break...''


    The Guild Chief has his head in his hands. Regil saw that.


    ''I don''t think the addition of three or four of the lasses will help, though.


    And a lowly smile on his face. The crowd started booing loudly. In some parts of the auditorium, the fan club guys are killing it.


    ''Guys, no pressure!''


    I sighed and spoke to the ladies.


    ''It''s okay, just step back,''


    I said to reassure them, but the four of them didn''t nod. So this time, in a voice filled with magic.


    First of all, do you really think I can''t beat those guys?


    I said a little more forcefully. The four of them trembled and then walked over to the wall, feeling reluctant to do so.


    ''''Come on, Guild Master. Let''s get on with it. We have to get rid of the vermin now, so we need to finish this quickly.''''


    I said lightly. Regil and the others have red faces.


    Incidentally, our voices have reached the auditorium through the loudspeaker-type magic item held by the guild leader.


    Hearing these words, I hear loud laughter from the audience in my tent side.


    I understand. We will now begin the duel between the adventurer Tenma and the honorary quasi-baron of Regil.......duel!


    The guild leader gave a half-hearted (and annoying) signal.


    ''Die! You moth, guhee.


    The man who rushed at me blew backwards and rolled ten meters straight to a stop.


    ''What happened!''


    With Regil shouting, I focus my magic power on my right hand. One by one, the men are blown away by another.


    ''''Deploy the magic barrier!''''


    That''s what an A-ranked adventurer would shout.


    ''''Hey, hey. You''re going to put up a barrier after four people have been killed? You''re a f*cking A-lister, aren''t you?


    Nonsense - Rank is a derogatory term used among adventurers for those whose rank is not commensurate with their abilities. It is mainly used for those who have earned points by latching on to those stronger than they are and passing the test through connections (the examiner is often an adventurer''s proxy).


    ''Kid, get on with it! Hey! Whoever can do magic should focus on that guy!


    With those words, twenty people, including the man, unleash their magic on me.


    (These guys are idiots. (What''s the point of using water and fire strains of magic at the same time?


    There are several incompatible combinations of attributes in this world when they are used simultaneously. The most common of these would be the attributes of fire and water, fire and wood. However, since wood magic can only be used by elves (many elves are not good at the fire attribute), the most common is fire and water. The others are incompatible, but only marginally so.


    In the meantime, magic is landing near me. I thought it was a waste of time and decided to use my trump card.


    ''''Out, ''Guardian Gigant, Guardian Gigant!


    Smoke obscured the area.


    ''You fool! You''re all standing on your haunches. You guys! That''s a lot of work!


    Regil was sure he had won, and he was laboring over the adventurers.


    ''Hey, ref! Why don''t you just go ahead and declare me the winner!


    Regil was calling out something to the guild leader, so I decided to unveil my trump card. With a little effort, my trump card blew out the smoke with a tremendous gurgling sound.


    ''Who''s winning?''


    People shouted in surprise as I emerged from the smoke unharmed. And even more than that, the audience buzzed at the two large arms that appeared to protect me.


    The Guardian Gigant, the Guardian Gigant, is only an arm, but that arm alone is more than three meters in size.


    The arms felt like they were growing out of the air about two meters diagonally behind my shoulders, and they were blocking magic as if to hide me.


    This one was made from the metal and magical core of a dragon zombie, and although its construction is similar to that of a golem, it can only move with my magical power.


    So it was like I had four more arms, and I had a hard time manipulating it in the beginning. Now, I can''t say it''s perfect, but it''s good enough to do some sketchy attacks and defense without any problems.


    As for its characteristics, it has high defense and magic resistance, and its hands and other parts can be replaced.


    Its shape is a sealed arm from a certain card game, and overall, it''s close to the image of the mental energy of a certain strange adventure.


    ''''Ba, it''s a monster!''''


    One of the B-classes screamed and frightened, but Regill


    "It''s nothing but a false threat! We''ll take them all!


    He tries to latch on, but the adventurer doesn''t move.


    ''Whoever kills that brat will get ten times as much money as I promised!


    I said, "Ten times ... seriously? After muttering, the survivors attacked us first.


    ''''I''ll kill him!''''


    No, it''s me!


    f*ck you, you little shit!


    He comes in, but when Buon and his right hand are waved, the men who were directly hit, not to mention the guy who was following behind him, are caught in the middle and blown away. Most of the remaining men who were left at the sight of it run away, but he launches a mass of magical power at their backs and snipes at them.


    After the sniping was over, all that remained were Regil and the five men beside him, the A- and B-ranked men, combined.


    ''''Well, it''s almost over now.


    I approached with my arms around me.


    ''Wha, what are you doing! Now get rid of that kid!


    Still, the five of them didn''t move. But as the distance grew closer, one of the B-ranked men couldn''t seem to stand the fear.


    Shit!


    And then he swung his sword at me. I blocked the sword with my left gigantle (...) and the sword broke with a high-pitched crack. The stunned man was stunned, and he took a deco pin with his right gigantor.


    With a vetikong sound, the man flew away ... dead?


    Not just the small fry, but the strongest ones!


    When I provoked him, he got a grade "A


    Don''t get cocky!


    I was ready to go.


    No, you''re not the strongest person in the room. It''s the ... you behind that ... you, you. You, the one with the hood hiding your face.


    I point to the man in the hood who had been standing at the back of the guys for a while now.


    "I''m a B. Why would you think that?


    ''If you say that, I''m a C-rank. Strength has nothing to do with rank.


    I said, and the man took off his hood. His face was sharp-eyed, short-haired and thin.


    ''You''re one of the guys who was following me yesterday, aren''t you?''


    I pointed out to him, and he narrowed his eyes sharply.


    You noticed. I didn''t think you''d notice.


    ''I thought it was a decoy because the other guy had a lousy tail. I just happened to notice it when I looked for signs of him, just in case.


    He said it in a way that didn''t make them realize that they could use exploration magic.


    ''Big deal,''


    And I was impressed.


    So, you''re not gonna call?


    When asked about the


    ''No thanks. If you fight me head on, I''ll be no match for you standing on my head.


    He said. ''You''re being humble,'' I said, and he huffed and laughed.


    ''Xamara!'' Don''t ignore me!


    And the A-ranked guy barked, grabbing the man in the hood by the shoulder, but


    Shut up.


    With these words, the man in the hood hit me with his back fist, knocking me unconscious and knocking me down.


    ''Ki, you, what are you doing! You betrayed me!


    Regil fussed, but the man in the hood glanced at him with a guillotine and left for the audience behind him.


    ''Come on, let''s resume!


    and beat up the three remaining B-ranked men. The men were so stunned by the hooded man''s betrayal that they fell down in a flash. Only Regil is left.


    I pull back my gigantism and approach him, snapping my fingers.


    ''Oh, I''m a nobleman! You know what happens if you mess with them!


    I shouted.


    Don''t worry. When this duel is over, you won''t be a nobleman anymore.


    What do you mean by my word? When I delivered a straight right to Regil''s face as he asked, Regil blew backwards and rolled four to five meters to a stop. At that moment, the guild leader told me that the


    That''s it! Winner, Temma!


    And the winner''s name was declared. Then a loud cheer went up from the audience. The cheers were even louder as he thrust his right hand up to answer them.


    Then


    Nicely done.


    The duke appeared, clapping his hands.


    ''''No! At one point I wondered what was going to happen, but you won hands down!


    He spoke to me smilingly. And then, to the Knights'' healing team that had been waiting for him to refrain.


    Okay, you can start now.


    and instructs Regill and the others to use their recovery magic. Then he turns to the audience.


    ''This makes this Temma''s point correct. Offer anything of significance.


    The audience was quieted by these words. But there was someone who could not read the air.


    ''I do not approve! That''s not gonna work! How can it be a duel to rely on something like that!


    Regill. He ranted about himself, shelving himself. The audience was taken aback by this and shut up.


    But Regil, mistaking this for the audience listening to his words, continues.


    ''There''s no way they would allow you to use such a tool for a duel and then send a spy into our camp! Shame....


    Will you shut up?


    Regil''s words were interrupted by the Duke''s short but powerful voice.


    ''''You are the one who will know shame! That thing is of Tenma''s own making, and it is powered by Tenma''s magic! And you, a man of noble birth, sent dozens of men to your duel, and all you did was hide behind them! You have dishonored the name of a nobleman. You have dishonored your name. You''ll be charged with the death penalty! Hey, get him out of here! This guy is no longer a nobleman!


    He tells this to the knights who were waiting nearby. ''''Regil, duke! ''Forgive me,'' he shouted, but the knights held him roughly by his sides and dragged him away from the hall.


    ''I am truly sorry. My handlers have sullied the duel...''''


    And the duke bowed his head to me. This seemed to surprise the audience more than me.


    ''Raise your head, Duke. Regil may be guilty, but the Duke is not.''''


    And as the Duke performed, I defended the Duke''s lack of teaming up with Regill so that the audience (...) could hear.


    ''It would help if you said so,''


    And then the Duke raised his head. Then he shook hands with me, congratulations.


    Then he whispered to the duke


    Was I overacting?


    I asked.


    That should be easier for the audience to understand.


    He smiled and said. His face was like the smile on a child''s successful prank (prank).

 39-Chapter 2-12 Confession

    After that, we went to the Knights'' headquarters. Together with me, the Duke, Primera and the guild leader. Someone is sneaking along from behind them.


    We were given a meeting room at the headquarters and began discussing the future.


    ''''Then let''s begin. First, let''s start with the disposal of Geese and the others...''''


    The duke began to speak, but


    ''My lord, before we discuss it, don''t you have someone to introduce to us?''


    Then he looked at the door. The duke said, yes, he did.


    Come on in.


    I called out, appearing at the door.


    ''What are Regil''s people doing here!


    It was the man in the hood. Primera reached for her sword in alarm, but


    If he''s here, that means he''s in the hands of the Duke.


    And I restrain Primera''s hand.


    ''What?'' What do you mean? Father!


    The Primera sounded surprised.


    ''Mostly a spy sent by the Duke to Regil''s side, I would say.


    ''That''s right,'' he confirmed to the duke and the man.


    ''Great. I knew that much. That''s right, he''s my man, the one who works for me, mainly in the intelligence business.


    He simply confessed. The man looked impatient.


    ''My lord! Teaching that sort of thing would hinder our future activities!


    And that''s the most important thing you can say.


    ''It can''t be helped. Temma-kun knows, and Primera is my daughter, and the guild leader is... well, he''s not one to be bothered.


    When I asked him, right, the guild leader nodded with a coy smile.


    ''''Well, if that''s what you say, Duke-sama, then let''s trust you.


    And then he turned to us and said.


    I was in the enemy (Regil) camp earlier, but I''m on your side. I can''t tell you his name.


    "Steele, no problem. Just say hello.


    The Duke was annoying this man Steele to no end.


    ''''It''s.......Steele. I work for the duke.


    I introduced myself, somewhat reluctantly. According to my appraisal.


    Name-- Steele.


    Age... 29.


    Race... human race.


    Titles... agent, assassin.


    HP...17,000.


    MP...10,000.


    Muscle strength...B


    Defensive Power... B-


    Speed...A


    Magic...


    Mental capacity... A


    Growth Potential...C+


    Luck... b-.


    And he was quite strong.


    ''I knew he wasn''t just a guy.


    After giving me a look that made me look like I bit a bitter worm, he said


    But if I fought him head-on, I''d have lost nine times out of ten... or more likely.


    You''re confident you can win one of those arrows?


    I asked a nasty question, but Steele didn''t change his face.


    It''s probably just a little more likely that way than it is from the front.


    I said matter-of-factly.


    ''In the Sengoku manga, he said that ninjas are the ultimate realists, and I suppose Steele is similar.


    ''I digress. Let''s get back on track. I guess that means Gies and the others will sell their rights to me, as they promised, right?


    ''That''s fine. And while you''re at it, I''d appreciate it if you would do what we discussed in advance regarding Regil.


    And that''s how most of the discussion ended.


    ''What''s going to happen to Guise and Regill now?


    ''Guise will be investigated for his crimes and sent to the mines, even if it''s light, and if it''s heavy, he''ll be put to death. Regil will probably get the death penalty. This one will be transported to King''s Landing for consideration, but that''s only to see if treason applies, and I have most of the authority to decide. If it''s treason, all of Regil''s family would be executed, but if it''s just treason, it would only be Regil.


    So take a breath.


    ''Well, even if something is speared, even if he is spared the death penalty, he will be stripped of his title and confiscated of his personal property. And furthermore, he would be reduced to slavery.


    ''Well,'' he said with a laugh, ''it''s up to my discretion.


    ''So, when those things are done, you''ll give me my reward?


    The duke scratched his head as he asked


    ''That''s what I''m talking about. He owns a lot of hidden property and it could take almost a year to do the math and find out if it''s criminogenic. So, can I give you the ostensible portion of the property first, and then we can get to the hidden property after the math is done?


    He suggested. I''m not exactly in a financial bind at the moment.


    ''That''s fine with me. Let the guild know when you''re done. I''ll come check on you occasionally.


    I''ll agree with them and write a contract. It will be kept by me, the duke''s family and the guild as before.


    I put a sentence and signature on the contract, stating that Primera was a witness to ensure that it would be carried out without a doubt in case the duke was unfortunate.


    ''So that''s the end of the contract! And, Temma. This is one million g''s worth of money for Guise and the others, and this is 1.5 million g''s for Regil''s personal fortune.


    And he hands me a bag of 2.5 million Gs.


    ''You''re well prepared. You didn''t think I was going to be a goner, did you?


    When I asked him that, he flipped out that it was the duke who would be prepared like this.


    ''''Will you continue to be based here, Temma-kun, in the future?


    At the Duke''s question, I thought for a moment, and then


    I''m thinking of leaving the city soon.


    I told him that I had been thinking about it lately.


    ''What''s the purpose of this?''


    ''It''s more of a goal than an objective. I want to traverse the Grand Old Man''s Forest sooner or later.


    It was a memory I didn''t really want to remember, but I said as I remembered the existence that I could say was the impetus for me to be here.


    ''I have a bit of an emotional attachment to that forest. So I''d like to traverse it myself.''


    The forest where the incident in the village of Kukuri took place...


    And when the name of the village was mentioned, my body strengthened for a moment. Unluckily, there were three people here who didn''t miss it.


    Each of them reacted in three different ways: one was curious, one was cautious, and one looked annoyed.


    ''Is there a reason?''


    Inwardly, I thought to myself, "Shit," at the Duke''s words.


    Yes, I heard that all my relatives were involved and all died, so...


    The duke misled him, but he was


    You didn''t go to check it out?


    He asks. I try to make sense of the story, and then I build it up.


    Yes, I was 12 at the time, so it was a long way to the village of Kukri, and my parents died around the same time, so I was afraid to check on the deaths of the people who loved me again.


    I told him that I regretted it now. The duke seemed somewhat suspicious.


    ''''I see..., then it can''t be helped. The village of Kukri is now abandoned, but I''ve heard that many of the people who survived have moved to Russell City and the royal capital. If you get a chance, you can go and talk to those people about their relatives.


    And I didn''t ask any unnecessary questions. I thought for the first time that it might have been a good idea to at least let someone know that I was alive and going on a journey.


    After that, the discussion was tenuous, so the meeting ended prematurely.


    I decided to stop by the guild on my way home and finish redeeming my bet.


    ''''It''s Temma~''''


    Congratulations, Temma.


    I knew Temma would win!


    ''Congratulations. Mr. Temma.


    When I entered the guild, I was greeted by Lily and the others and Mr. Flute.


    ''You''ve been waiting for me?''


    I asked, and Lily and the others said, yes! But Mr. Flute replied that


    ''I''m back to work after the duel. And I got a lot of benefits from my leave of absence.


    He has a look on his face that says, "I''m satisfied. ...From the looks of it, it looks like he received quite a bit of money. As expected of the deputy head of the guild, he was shrewd.


    "By the way, Temma-san. Where''s the guild leader?


    And when I check my back.


    ''You were gone before I knew it, so I thought you were back in the guild first, but... haven''t you gone back, guild leader?


    At my words, Hannya appeared behind Mr. Flute..........


    ''''Hmph, you''ve got some good nerve, that father. When you come back, I''ll show you hell.


    ...This was the moment when the messengers of hell appeared in the guild. As an aside, it was during the dinner hour on this day that a man''s screams echoed through the city (mainly around the guild), causing the knights to be dispatched.


    ''''Well, well, Mr. Flute, let''s leave that aside, we''re here to redeem the money...''''


    As I said this, Hannya finally disappeared from behind Mr. Flute once (...).


    ''''Ah, yes. Let me see your betting cards.........Yes, I''ve confirmed it. Please wait a moment.


    With that, he went into the back room, and after about ten minutes, Mr. Flute came in with a bag of money.


    ''This will be the 3.6 million G''s for the dividend on this bet. Please confirm.


    And when I looked inside, I saw that there were 36 large gold coins.


    ''''I''m sorry, but we''re short on white gold coins, so we''ll have to pay for the large gold coins.


    But I didn''t care either way, so I just put the gold coins in the magic bag, as usual, and returned the bag.


    Lilly and the others had also earned over 100,000 Gs from this bet, apparently. And since many of the adventurers had bet on me, I was thanked by quite a few of them, but on the other hand, I got quite a few stares from those who didn''t like me and the citizens who bet on Regil. (I got what I deserved.)


    ''Temma, I''ll have dinner with you tonight!


    Let''s do it!


    Of course, it''s on the house!


    I jokingly said that I had made quite a bit of money today, so I agreed that it was fine. I asked him to join us as a thank-you for his contribution, and he agreed to join us at the Manpuku-Tei when he finished his work.


    Since there were still nearly four hours to go before Flute finished, we broke up and headed back to the inn to make a reservation for the night with my father.


    When I returned to the Manpuku-tei, he was in the kitchen preparing for the night.


    ''Oh, Temma, you''re back. Oh, Temma, you''re back, I''ve earned it today thanks to you.


    He was smiling good-naturedly. I told the old man about the reservation, and he agreed to leave it to me, and he would prepare a special menu for me. I also gave him some rockbird meat and eggs and asked him to make me something to eat.


    Even though my appointment was over, I still had some time left, so I made my way to the library.


    The reason for this was to find my destination, since I decided that I would be leaving the city soon, so I thought I would try my hand at some dungeon attack.


    The library is a three-story building, the first floor has a reception area and a shop selling paper and other items for note-taking, the second floor is for entertainment books such as stories and travelogues, and the third floor holds specialized and academic books and other books.


    I usually use the third floor to study demons and refer to magic, but today I''m unusually using the second floor.


    Since the paper books of this world are valuable, they are not loaned out, and if you break or tear them, depending on the degree, you may be fined or even imprisoned.


    For this reason, many people who are eager to study buy or bring their own paper and copy them. For those who cannot read, they can ask a staff member who has free time to read for them, but it costs 50g for 30 minutes.


    It costs 200G to enter the museum for one day, and if you don''t do anything annoying in the museum, you get 100G back at the festival to leave.


    I went up to the second floor and asked the librarian to look for travelogues with dungeon-related stories in them, and I wrote down the names of several towns and regions on a piece of paper and compared the candidates with the specialized books on the third floor. Then we narrowed it down to three places.


    The first was a dungeon located about 100km west of this city, discovered thirty-five years ago and conquered two years later. It is 20 stories underground and is one of the smaller ones on a scale.


    The second one is about 300km northwest of this city and about 200km away from the royal capital. It is located in a city called Dungeon City, which was discovered more than twenty years ago, but it has never been conquered, and its depth is estimated to be more than 100 stories below ground. It is oversized.


    The third one is located about 500km west of the first one, which was also discovered 32 years ago in a dungeon city and was captured three years later. It was forty-five floors underground and medium in size.


    While comparing these, I somehow opened up a book I had at hand called "My First Dungeon".


    Dungeons mainly refer to the labyrinths and underground labyrinths. However, as an exception, there are times when magic power runs out of control, creating a distortion in space and using that as an entrance to create a dungeon in another dimension. Most of these dungeons are similar to the one around the entrance, but they are almost completely devoid of demons and are difficult to escape from. Even if you find one, it is best not to enter it. There have been two discoveries so far, with more than 200 victims and about 20 survivors.


    The word "labyrinth" refers to a sea of trees with thick magic, which has no nucleus, and there is no concept of an attack, but some people call it an attack when you reach the center.


    Underground dungeons, as the name implies, are dungeons that can be created underground and grow deeper until the dungeon core reaches its growth limit. The mechanics of getting deeper are unknown, but basically the core is often at the lowest level, and if you destroy it or take it away from the spot, it will be restored to the same position after a reasonable amount of time. Strangely enough, if you take the nuke out of the dungeon, it will spread its magic and collapse. Typically, destroying the nuke is called a capture. The crumbling nuke is used as evidence.


    A dungeon nucleus is made up of magic power, and the quality of the magic power determines its maximum size. The nucleus lures demons and absorbs magical power from demons and intruders. The closer a demon is to the nucleus, the more powerful it becomes under the influence of the nucleus. The ones that are especially strong are called bosses.


    Bosses have a territory, often at regular intervals, and rarely leave their territory.


    Dungeon cities are cities that thrive around dungeons, many of which have their own laws. They are the best place for newbies to dive into dungeons because they are easy to get support and gather information.


    And it was written. Given that, I''d dismiss the first one. Then it would be the second and third, but I''d prefer the bigger one anyway, or I''d make the second one my first choice and the third one my second choice.


    While I was looking for other places to go, it was almost closing time.


    I put the book back in its place, said hello to the librarian and left the library.


    After that, I passed the time in my room in the Fullness Pavilion, dealing with Shiroumaru and Slarin.


    ''Slarin, Shilomar. I''m thinking of leaving this city, what do you think?


    I try to talk to him, but of course he doesn''t respond. Slarin seems to understand the meaning of my words, staring at my face and twisting his body as if he wanted to say something.


    Shiroumaru, on the other hand, was lying on his back with his belly showing.


    When we headed to the dining room as it was probably time to go, the landlady showed us to the reserved seat.


    After a while, Lily and her friends and Mr. Flute arrived. I heard that Lily and her friends had gone to pick up Flute. The hostess saw that we were all there and brought us our food and drinks.


    ''Well, now that we have our food, let''s get started!


    They each picked up a glass of alcohol and made a toast.


    "''Thank you for the drink~''" "''Thank you for the drink~'' "''Thank you for the drink~'' "''Thank you for the drink~'' "''Thank you for the drink! Temma!


    Thank you. Mr. Temma.


    And then Lily and the others bring the food to their mouths one after another. In contrast, Mr. Flute''s movements are slow, but he is sure to aim only at the delicious parts of the food.


    The first topic of conversation was, naturally, about the duel.


    ''''Come to think of it, what happened to Regil after that?''''


    Millie asks, sort of. The other two seemed to be interested in it, but only Froot-san had heard about it from the guild leader and didn''t seem to be particularly concerned about it.


    ''''Oh, I heard he''s going to be transferred to the royal capital to be discussed. He said that at worst, he could be charged with treason. The death penalty is almost certain, he said. Apparently Guise will either be executed or fall into slavery.


    And although it doesn''t seem to be an appropriate topic of conversation during the meal, Millie doesn''t seem to mind, I see.


    ''''Well, thanks to that, Temma-san can buy me a meal, so I have to thank you for that.


    And Mr. Flute still seems to be rooted in it, and is quite tongue-in-cheek.


    After that, we talked about trivial matters, ate our food, drank our drinks, and had a good time.


    Speaking of which, what should we do next? I''m not in need of money at the moment, but it''s not a good idea to have a weird interval between them.''''


    Lily said.


    ''Right. I''d like to get a proper request this time, with Temma.''


    Mr. Flute, do you have anything new for me?


    And Nellie and Millie follow, and Mr. Flute looks like he''s trying to remember if there was something wrong.


    I turn to the four of them, thinking that the sooner I say it, the better.


    ''I need to ask you something,''


    At the sound of my serious voice, the four of them let go of their food and turned their bodies around.


    ''I''m actually thinking of leaving the city sometime soon.


    As I said this, the four of them stopped moving at my words.


    ""Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"


    The four of us all exclaimed.

 40-Chapter 2-13 Banquet

    ''What! What happened!


    The four of them shouted, and an old man jumped out of the kitchen.


    ''''Temma! You''re the one causing all the trouble!


    The old man, who instantly recognized me as the center of the commotion, comes straight to our table. However, Lily and the rest of the group came up to me before he could.


    ''What do you mean you''re leaving!


    ''What''s going on? Temma!


    You''re not going to tell me what''s going on here, are you?


    The three of them said that the old man seemed to understand what was going on. He explained to the people around him that it was always the same thing.


    ''Was it because of the Regil thing?''


    Mr. Flute, unlike the three of them, was calm and asked, soothing the three of them.


    ''It''s not the only reason, but it''s part of the reason.


    With that, I began to tell him what I had been thinking about these days.


    That is, in addition to what I told the duke, that I had recently become concerned about the jealousy and envy of my peers, and that this time, I seemed to have earned some resentment from the citizens as well.


    The citizen''s resentment was from someone who had lost a bet and was even in debt, which was completely counter-intuitive, but not a good feeling.


    When I told him about it, Mr. Flute apologized, but he was depressed that he had played a part in causing it, although he told me not to worry about it, because it was the person who had taken the bet.


    ''That''s why I thought this was just the right time to do it,''


    I said as cheerfully as I could, but Lily and the others didn''t seem to be the only ones who were not convinced.


    ''''Then we can just commute from our village to this city!


    Yes, that''s what I''m talking about!


    It''s settled!


    And I''m saying this in a way that says, "I had a good hand.


    No, that wouldn''t work.


    It was the old man who denied it. The three of them didn''t seem to be expecting the old man to deny it and didn''t seem to know how to say it. The old man looked at the three of them.


    Hey, girls. It seems that this time around, not only the adventurers, but also some of the citizens of the city have actually become terrified of Temma.


    He said something that I had never heard before.


    ''Think about it. A kid who is only fifteen years old has finished off a group of adventurers, beat up a nobleman and made him lose his title.


    ''''Father, it was the duke who stripped me of my title........''''


    From a citizen''s point of view, it''s all the same. You are connected to the Duke, and also have the power to easily defeat a group of adventurers who are working for the nobility, it is natural for those who do not have any power to feel fear. At any rate, if you cross them, you are almost certain to die. If that opponent (Temma) is an adventurer with a lot of ruffians, even more so.


    When I said that, Lily and the others fell silent. Apparently, the old man found out about it through the innkeeper''s network.


    ''You chose dungeon cities because the residents are used to being roughnecks, right?��Also, this city is too small for Temma to wield power in.


    Mr. Flute said, emphasizing the word "our selfishness".


    He may have been addressing Lily and the others, but they still didn''t seem to be convinced, and finally


    Then I''ll come with you!


    Me too!


    Of course I did!


    ...all three of us said something outrageous. Before I could say anything else.


    "...what about your family?


    Mr. Flute stopped him.


    Lily and her family are from a village that is half a walk away from this city, with many family members.


    There are eleven of them: parents, grandparents, younger brother and five younger sisters, and because their grandparents'' health has recently become weaker, Lily and her family spend nearly half of the month at home taking care of their family.


    I knew that too, but I guess Mr. Flute knew about it because of his profession. I don''t know if that''s why, but just because Lily and the others are high-potential adventurers, they''ve never been assigned a request that required a long period of restraint.


    The three of them came back to themselves at Mr. Flute''s words, and they began to worry, but


    ''Lily, Nellie and Millie, what are you confused about? You three need to take care of your family. Unlike me, you three have a family waiting for you.


    At those words, the three of them.


    ''I''m sorry for being so selfish. Temma.


    ''Temma is important, but family is more important, so...''


    ''But you''ll have to come back to the city, Temma, too. I promise!


    He seemed to have convinced himself in the end when he said that.


    I thought it was unfair of me to bring up my family, but I dared to use it because I knew I would definitely regret it if I threw out something I cherished for a moment of emotion.


    ''Yeah, I''ll come back to this city again someday,''


    I promised to do so, but I was no longer in the mood to resume eating.


    Then my dad and his wife showed up.


    ''Today is a day to celebrate Temma''s decision to move on! Drink up!


    It''s an adventurer''s way of sending them off with a smile! It''s on the house, so don''t be shy about having a drink!


    With those words, he placed four cups on the table, brought a barrel of liquor and opened it here and there, and pumped the liquor into the cups.


    ''Oi! You should be celebrating Temma too! It''s on me. Celebrate!


    At my father''s words, the people in the restaurant crowded around the sake barrel and called out to me one after another.


    When everyone had had their fill of sake, the old man led a toast. At that moment, the crowd erupts into a roar of cheers.


    Lily and the others were drinking at a fast pace, and Mr. Flute was eating snacks in between drinks.


    More and more customers were taking orders at the seats around us, and the old men were busy taking orders.


    As I watched them, I was lost in my thoughts about the three years I spent in this town, but...


    ''Tenma~ma~, kyahahahaha~. There''s a lot of temma~


    It''s true! There''s a lot of temas~. Let''s get one and go home~


    I''ve got this~. Don''t run away...


    There were three beautifully made up drunks.


    ''You guys!''


    Mr. Flute stood up quickly and stopped the three of them... or so it seemed.


    ''Since this is mine, I''ll take it!


    With that said, Flute grabbed my arm and held it to her chest, and the softness of her touch made my heart pound... but I didn''t feel it. In normal times I would have been thrilled, but the smell of alcohol wafting from Ms. Flute made me turn my head away.


    ''''Ah~! Mr. Flute is catching all the temmas!


    That''s not fair! Mr. Flute!


    I mean, there are a lot of flutes out there too! Why~


    Apparently, Lily and her friends are too drunk to see, and their vision seems to be blurred many times. That''s why it looks like there are a number of them, even the flutist who came near me. The flute guy seemed to have a sober look on his face, but in fact he was drunk.


    As it was, the four of us were fighting over me, and the other customers who were watching us were making bets on who would catch me.


    Although I had drunk a lot of alcohol, I wasn''t too drunk. Maybe it was because of my unusually high tolerance,


    Alcohol doesn''t seem to work as well as poisons. In such cases, fortunately or unfortunately....


    By the time dawn approached, most of them were drunk, and some were taken home by the slightly better ones, but most of them were sleeping in the dining room.


    Lilly and the others were drunk too, but the lady of the house had


    I can''t just let these girls sleep in a place full of men.


    I carried him upstairs to an empty room.


    I tried to help him clean up, but he refused, saying he couldn''t let a guest do it, so I decided to go back to my room and sleep.

 41-Chapter 2-14 Greetings, from...

    The next time I woke up, it was long past noon. When I went downstairs feeling somewhat languid, Lily and the others were already up and sitting around the table.


    ''Good morning everyone is Mr. Flute off today?''


    I greeted her that way, but she didn''t answer back. I wondered, and tapped Millie, who was closest to me, on the shoulder.


    ''Whew! ...Ouch.


    He screamed and held his head down. I looked at the other three.


    My head is killing me.


    I don''t like it.


    It hurts... it hurts.


    ''I''ve had too much to drink~. Ah~ Temma-san, good morning~ good morning~...ugh.


    I took out four specially made recovery pills from my bag instead of anti-intoxicating drugs, and gave them to the four of us.


    After taking the recovery pills and casting a recovery spell, the symptoms seemed to lighten considerably.


    Hey, old man, another one!


    I want a refill!


    I''ll take a big one!


    No, let me correct that. He seemed to be completely healed and was eating his old man''s special sick (hangover) porridge.


    ''''Well I''ll just have the soup.''''


    Mr. Flute didn''t seem to have an appetite for quicksilver and only drank the soup.


    ''So, Mr. Flute. Are you sure you''re ready to work today?


    Yes, I''ve taken the day off, just in case. I''m sure the guild leader will be working in your place by now.


    He seems to have pushed the guild leader to say that it won''t make much of a difference if I take a break now and then.


    ''''I see........oh, I''m going out soon.


    The moment I said that.


    ""Temma, I''m leaving!"


    The three of them, who were munching on their porridge, had an amazing reaction.


    ''No, no. I just thought I''d say hello to a few of the people who have been so kind to me.


    When I explained that that''s why, I said okay, go ahead and started on the porridge again.


    When I went outside, the first thing I did was to head to the Knights'' headquarters. When I gave Primera''s name at the reception desk in the headquarters, I told her that I was currently doing a patrol in the city, so I told her my requirements and said I would come back later, and then I headed to the next.


    Next, we headed to the Gunjo City Council headquarters and asked for Mr. Marx at the reception desk.


    Mr. Marx seemed to have his hands free and came right away and bowed when he saw me.


    Thank you for that, Serna. By the way, what can I do for you today?


    Yes, actually, I''ve decided to leave the city soon, so I thought I''d say hello.


    When he said that, Mr. Marx looked startled, and then he lowered his voice to


    Was it still because of yesterday''s duel?


    I''m sorry to hear that.


    That''s part of it, but I was originally a traveler, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to get back on the road.


    ''Well actually, I have a house near here and Serna is there. Can you wait a moment while I go get her?


    When I agreed, Mr. Marx left the reception room at a trot.


    He returned in about 10 minutes, but Mr. Marx seemed to be out of breath and unable to make a sound. Serna, on the other hand, was out of breath when she first arrived, but after a minute or two, she began to catch her breath.


    ''It''s been a while, Serna-san. Are you feeling well?


    Serna-san was caught by the bandits not long ago, and her strength should be quite low, but from the looks of it, she appears to be fine.


    ''''Yes, Temma-san. Thank you for all the help you gave me in that section. The recovery medicine that Temma-san gave me is working well, and my body is even better than before.


    He was smiling and laughing. But all of a sudden his expression turned serious.


    ''Mr Temma, will you take me on a trip with you? I want to do something to give back!


    That''s what I heard.


    ''No. We can''t take Miss Serna with us.


    I said no, categorically. Mr. Serna''s words made Mr. Marx look quite surprised, and at my words, he looked relieved.


    ''Why is that, sir? May I ask you to tell me why?


    ''The reason is that they are a liability. And you cannot take a man on a journey where his life is in danger if he is not steadfastly determined.


    And look at both Mr. Serna and Mr. Marx.


    ''I''m not prepared to take responsibility if anything happens to Miss Serna.


    At my word, Serna said.


    I''m sorry you''ve been dumped.


    It doesn''t sound too disappointing, but I''m sorry for sounding so harsh.


    Where do you plan to go from here, Temma-san?


    Mr. Marx came into the conversation I honestly forgot he was there.


    ''I''m going to aim for a dungeon somewhere. I don''t know what will happen along the way.


    ''I see. It''s certainly a long way to the dungeon, you know.


    But if you were Tenma-san, wouldn''t it be faster if you flew to the dungeon?


    Ms. Serna has a point. But.


    ''Oh come on, Serna. That''s no fun, is it? There''s no first romance!


    I almost nodded. Sure, Mr. Marx had a point.


    ''Mr. Marx. I understand what you''re saying, but that''s not why I''m here.


    I denied Mr. Marx''s words in passing.


    ''Serna, this trip is like my training. So I''m going to travel in a carriage so that I can gain a lot of experience.


    As a man, I agree with Mr. Marx, but this is a bigger reason to travel. Well, I can''t help but say that it''s a hobby.


    ''''I see........I thought your only purpose was to go to the dungeon.


    Well, that''s why I go around saying hello to all the people I know.


    After that, we had a great time chatting about trivial matters. It was only about an hour due to Mr. Marx''s work, but it was a fun time.


    At that time I asked Serna about the other women, and they all seemed to be on the road to recovery... but although their physical wounds and strength were recovering, they hadn''t gotten better yet, even their emotional wounds, and they were terrified of seeing men or being approached by them. Some people start to cry or panic, she said.


    They have no choice but to wait for time to heal them, Serna-san said.


    After that, I decided to visit the knight''s headquarters again and parted ways with Serna and the others in front of the assembly.


    Serna-san seemed to be planning to see me off until I was out of sight, and I was somewhat embarrassed because every time I turned around, our eyes met.


    When I came to the headquarters, the receptionist was the same as before, and she said she had already talked to Primera, and she led me straight to Primera''s place.


    ''Hello, Temma-san. I heard from the receptionist that you''ve set a date for your departure?


    Primera asked as soon as she was ushered into the room.


    ''Yes, I thought I''d leave for a trip in a couple of days, so I came to say hello.


    ''I see. That was a quick decision.


    Primera was at the meeting with the Duke yesterday, so she wasn''t surprised that I was leaving the city, but as expected, she didn''t expect me to leave in a couple of days, and she was surprised at how quickly I was able to do so.


    ''''The Duke is not here, is he?''''


    Oh, your father left yesterday. What I heard is that he wanted to get Regil to King''s Landing as soon as possible.


    He''s a very light duke. Normally, he''s a natural, but I hear he''s quick to act when it comes to a crisis.


    ''''I see. Well then, if you have the opportunity, please give my regards to the duke.


    Yes, sir. Of course.


    After that, we talked about some random stuff.


    Primera, you''re blocking my way!


    With that, the general and three captains of the Order came in.


    ''''What''s wrong with you, Commander-in-Chief? And all of you.


    At those words, Alan, the general manager, said


    ''What''s the matter with you, Temma''s leaving town, and you''ve come to say hello!


    That''s right, Primera. He''s done a great deal to keep the peace around this city. I suppose it''s only natural that he should come and say hello.


    Santos said that, followed by Aida.


    I rather take issue with the fact that you''re not letting us know about it.


    Then Aida stared at the primera with her sharp eyes.


    ''Well, well, calm down. You knew Primera was out of it.


    Simon also pretended to follow up with Primera, but in reality he was shooting his mouth off (...).


    ''Ah! I''m sorry. I had forgotten about it!


    It would be a sign of being a primera to say something that wasn''t necessary there. The men laughed, but Aida started fiddling with the weapons and armor equipment.


    The only thing you can do is to get a little bit more out of the way. That''s why we came to see Temma''s face.


    Perhaps to distract Aida, Alan returned to the conversation.


    ''''I''m sorry for taking the trouble. Normally, we should have come to you...''''


    You don''t have to use honorific titles. It''s not a classy place, unlike the Knights of the King''s Landing. Besides, I came here to ask a favor from Temma.


    Alan interrupted me and told me what his request was.


    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea. It''s an irregular match with five captains for each of us.


    The match was to be held at the training field.


    However, the result was an overwhelming victory for me. All five of us use swords as our weapons, our coordination is poor, and we don''t look like we are serious about winning.


    ''''Next time, let''s have a one-on-one match format, please.


    With that, Alan decided on the order of the five.


    The first one was Aida. From the looks of her, she seems to be a speed-oriented swordsman type with a lot of hands.


    ''''Then, nice to meet you.''''


    Taking that word as a cue, Aida rushed straight at me, holding a slender sword in both hands. I held out my sword (an imitation sword) as a check, and she tried to get behind me while catching the thrust out, but my kick hit her body and pushed her back in front of me.


    As soon as I could, Aida crossed her sword and took a defensive stance, but


    Slow!


    My single swing was released to cut up Aida''s right sword from underneath, sending Aida''s sword flying through the air.


    Aida''s hand seemed to have gone numb from the impact, and she was defeated, unable to overcome my blow with one hand.


    ''Alright! My turn!


    Santos, who was second in line, was wielding a large sword like a claymore with one hand.


    The method of attack is also a threat if it hits with a fighting style of getting close and smashing through, but if it doesn''t, it doesn''t matter.


    With that in mind, I jumped into my pocket, and before I knew it, a machete-like sword was held in Santos'' vacant left hand.


    Perhaps Claymore was a decoy and this sword was the real deal. But I didn''t care to see it, I stepped in further and


    Hmph!


    I slammed my left hand into Santos'' abdomen with my left hand while holding Santos'' left hand down.


    ''''Ugh!''''


    With that voice, Santos knelt on the ground and surrendered.


    Simon, the third one........what a bad match with me. Simon''s attacking style is mainly based on fencing-like thrusts, and besides overwhelming the opponent with his hands, he can dexterously change weapons and styles to suit his opponent, but against me, his thrusts are also overlooked and his attacks are light, so-called dexterity poor, so he won easily with a straightforward attack.


    Alan came out in fourth place.


    Who is your master?''''


    ''From my father and grandfather (including Merlin and his previous life), though it''s the closest thing to my style nowadays.


    I couldn''t afford to be respectful. Obviously, Alan''s skills are probably the strongest of any I''ve ever met.


    ''Let''s go!''


    Just when you think you''ve gotten into the spirit, the signs disappear from Alan. To be precise, he intends to suppress the signs as much as possible to make it difficult for people to realize his attack. I took the initiative and unleashed a thrust, but it was easily repelled.


    In return, Alan''s sharp thrust attacked me. From then on, we exchanged swordships, but we were both lacking in decisive strikes. To settle the matter, Alan flew backwards and I lunged as hard as I could and released a thrust. Alan tried to duck this one by shifting his body.


    Sweet!


    He unleashes a so-called hira-tsuki (...), releasing his sword in the direction Alan ducked.


    As expected of Alan, he seemed surprised by this, but he defended it without difficulty. However, as much as he was surprised, it created an opening.


    I guess I win.


    The blade was thrust into my neck with the returning sword.


    ''Shame.''


    He muttered to himself and shook hands with me, which was greeted with applause by the captain and his men.


    ''''Um, I''m not done yet...''''


    Primera softly raised her hand and muttered.


    ''''Oh, I forgot!''''


    It was the Primera who fell to her knees, depressed by everyone''s words.


    I managed to get him back on his feet and played the game, and surprisingly, he turned out to be pretty good at fighting.


    However, while the basics were good enough, he seemed to have trouble with application, and when I put in a few feints, he got stuck in an interesting way.


    ''Please don''t play!''


    He was shouting a lot throughout the game, but I think it''s worse to be caught out.


    In the end, I was stunned to lose, but I think I put up a pretty good fight once I got to the feint.


    ''Temma. I''m sorry to go on, but can you get some practice on the other guys? No pressure, of course.


    Saying that, Alan brought in a few of the higher-ranking members of each squad.


    ''''As expected, it''s a hassle to deal with each of them individually, so can I deal with them all at once?''''


    ''It''s fine. Between you and me, it''s not a good look for the captain to lose to a 15 year old boy all together. So I''d like to do the same to the guys downstairs and make as many accomplices as possible.


    And as far as I was concerned, I overheard the idea.


    ''Then why didn''t you just not do it in the first place?


    When I hear that.


    This is a good opportunity to have a real fight with someone other than the Order, and it would be a waste of time!


    He said so proudly.


    ''I understand, but I''m sorry if I made you lose your confidence.


    Then he turned to the knights.


    All hands on deck!


    I challenged him. There were a total of twenty knights, five from each squad, and at first they surrounded me and closed the gap between us, but due to the five of them (the fourth squad) who rushed in without thinking, they couldn''t coordinate and were destroyed one by one.


    When they all went down, they all looked bitter when they returned to the captains, but Primera, in particular, seemed to be the most uncomfortable.


    ''''Fundamentally, we need to review our training.......especially the Fourth Squadron.


    Alan muttered to himself.


    "...Yes, I''m sorry...


    Primera replied with a voice that seemed to disappear. From the next day, the fourth squad, including Primera under Alan''s supervision, was to begin their intense training.


    After these years, the Fourth Squad, which had been called a fallen unit, was called the most elite unit in Gunjo City Knights........I wish.


    Perhaps noticing my stupid thoughts like that, Primera was looking at me with resentful eyes.


    ''''Well then, I''ll be leaving soon.


    I left the Order, trying to escape Primera''s gaze.


    I then stopped by the guild, but as usual, the guild leader wasn''t there, so I decided to go back to the inn.


    Flute-san was still in the dining room of the Fullness Pavilion, and he was in some kind of hurry.


    ''''I''m back.......What''s wrong, Flute? You''re in such a hurry.


    ''Oh, Temma. Actually, Lily and her friends...


    With those words, I hurried to the room where Lily and the others were.


    Ew, that''s disgusting.


    Ugh, I''m gonna throw up.


    I''m getting out.


    The three of them were lying on their sides with their stomachs bulging.


    ''''.........What is this?''''


    I asked Mr. Flute, pointing to the three of them.


    ''''It''s a result of the burnout. To relieve myself of the gloom of not being able to keep up with Temma-san, I''ve been drinking and eating until just now after she went out...


    I lost my worry. I mean, how many hours were we eating, these three.


    "Ah~ Temma. Tasuku~tete~


    I don''t feel good~~


    I need my pills.


    "Go to the bathroom and puke! That''s the best medicine!


    The three of us slowly....really slowly, like a turtle (I think turtles are faster than that) heading for the bathroom at those words.


    I didn''t want to think about what happened after that, but just as it was dinnertime and the diner was crowded with diners, the three of them made the necessary beeping sounds. I heard that some of the customers who were there at the time had left without ordering.

 42-Chapter 2-15 Encounter with a dream

    Now, all of a sudden, we have a problem! What state am I in now?


    1, I''m sitting upright.


    2. I am sitting on my knees and getting angry.


    3, I''m sitting on my hands and getting very angry.


    Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!


    The correct answer is 4, sitting upright with Lily and the others, and the lady is very angry~.


    The cause is the beeping sound of Lily and her friends. The reason is that because the three of them did it at the same time, the sound was louder than I expected.


    At first the lady was only angry at Lily and the others, but then she and the others made me look like the main culprit (well, I can''t completely deny it), saying that Temma instigated it, and I was struck by lightning too.


    ''Temma! We''re also a place to eat! What are you making me do!


    ''No, ma''am. I was just....


    I don''t need excuses!


    Yes, I''m sorry!


    This situation of not even hearing an excuse had been going on for some time now.


    ''Hey, hey, it''s about time, right? It''s not that I meant any harm to Temma and the others.


    You shut up!


    Yes.


    The old man''s covering fire was unsuccessful.


    ''I''m sorry, lady!


    I didn''t mean any harm!


    I just wanted to feel better!


    "''It''s Temma''s fault! Please forgive me!


    Wait a minute, boys! I was just giving you advice!


    ''It''s bad enough that Temma teaches you something extra!


    ''Yes! We just went along for the ride!


    ''Mostly, Temma shouldn''t be out of this town!


    That doesn''t matter!


    I saw such a rambling exchange.


    You guys are killing me!


    The lady''s voice echoed through the city.


    Incidentally, the fourth unit on patrol who heard the voice mistook it for an enemy attack because it was so powerful, and kept a vigil inside and outside the city all night long.


    It was almost time for the date to change when they were finally freed. Without food, of course.


    As I returned to my room, feeling terribly mentally exhausted and hungry, Shiroumaru peeked out of his bag and urged me to feed him.


    I was too tired and tried to ignore him and go to sleep.


    "Kuhn.


    "Kuhnkuhn.


    "Kuhnkuhnkuhn.


    Shiroumaru began to make a worldly harmony.


    ''All right, just give me a minute.''


    With that said, I fished around in my bag.


    It''s all raw meat, but that''s okay.


    The moment I said that, Shiroumaru started drooling. It''s like Pavlov''s dog (wolf).


    I threw the meat of Rockbird and Boa into it and he ate it with great vigor.


    ''''We''ll have to think about securing your food........''''


    While muttering that, Shiroumaru ate up the meat he threw in.


    ''''It''s early~, taste and eat some more...''''


    After filling his belly, Shiroumaru barked a single, wong, and then curled up and began to breathe in his sleep.


    ''''Haa~, I guess we''ll start our journey with securing food. Mainly Shiroumaru''s........


    As I said this, I went to bed too.


    My desire for sleep seemed to be stronger than my appetite, and as I lay in bed, I fell asleep faster than I could feel my hunger and fell into a dream world.


    When I opened my eyes a while later, I saw an endless white space in front of me.


    ''''Well what a dream, let''s go back to sleep.''''


    I knew it was a dream, but it seemed so boring that I tried to meditate on it.


    Hey! Long time no see!


    He called out to me. I opened my eyes and turned around.


    ''It''s been 15 years, remember? It''s me, the Creator!


    The one who appeared before me was the God who brought me into this world.


    ''Long time no see. And goodnight.


    ''Yeah, oh no it''s not! Wake up! Mr. Temma!


    Me, being forced to wake up.


    What do you want now? If you reincarnate him, won''t you lose your involvement?


    ''It''s not true. Every ten years or so, we are able to connect the dream world of the reincarnated with the space we have created. The number of people who can join us is limited, though.


    The moment the Genesis God said that, a chill ran down my neck and my body started moving on its own.


    ''''Tae-n-ma-chan! Chu.


    It was the fastest and most optimal move I''d ever made in my life, including my last life.


    Feeling a chill in my neck, I stepped forward as hard as I could and pulled the Genesis God to replace the position I was standing in. As a result, the Genesis God ended up embracing the god of war (gay man) who was about to hug and kiss me from behind. With the added bonus of a passionate mouth-to-mouth....


    What are you trying to do, you idiot? Let''s get out of here, man!


    ''That''s my line! You faggot (god of war)!


    Oh, Temma! Long time no see! I''ve missed you!


    A skilled god appeared from the side.


    ''''Yeah, it''s been a while. By the way, why am I here?


    On closer inspection, this place is similar to the space we were first brought to when we were reincarnating.


    ''''This isn''t where we met before, but consider it similar! So, the reason I called you here is that it''s just a quick interview, so don''t worry about it. Just think of it as a small talk or something.


    That''s how it goes... so how many of you are here today?


    When he heard that, the god of skill folded his fingers.


    Me, those two and the Beast God, right?


    Where is the Beast God...


    Hmmm....


    Oh, gosh, you scared me!


    Before I knew it, he appeared behind me, sniffing desperately for a scent.


    ''''It''s been ... a long time.''''


    Hmmm.....


    When I try to pull away, he sniffs at me with strong force. But unlike a faggot, it''s not particularly harmful, so I give up.


    So, what do you want me to tell you?


    ''Yeah, not really. I''ve been watching you for the most part, you know.


    I was distracted by those words.


    ''Then you didn''t have to come, did you?


    Hey, she''s not a girl. Hemma.


    When I looked at the one whose voice I couldn''t understand what it was saying, I saw the Genesis God with a battered and swollen face. The god of war who was dealing with him didn''t seem to have received much damage.


    ''''Fix your face for now. I don''t know what you''re talking about.''''


    Oh, no. Hey!


    As I said this, the wound healed as he looked at it.


    ''You should''ve done that in the first place,''


    To my word, the creator of the world.


    That''s pretty exhausting to do in this place.


    And then he laughed, and suddenly he got serious.


    To tell you the truth, Temma. If you don''t, you will lose your mental and physical balance and eventually die.


    He said in shock.


    ''Huh! What''s that all about?!


    As if to calm my excitement.


    That is, if we don''t do anything about it.


    The way you put it, that means there''s something to be done about it, right?


    After I had calmed down somewhat, I asked the God of Creation that.


    ''Yes! You could use this!


    Challah challah challah~, 00~ (in the voice of the first generation), he took out what looked like two bangles from his pocket.


    ''What''s that?''


    This is a bracelet that suppresses Tenma''s power. It doesn''t mean that the current power is diminished, but rather that it is a tool that can be activated before Tenma''s body can''t withstand any more of it. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out if you can easily defeat the ancient dragon class, or if you try your best to defeat the ancient dragon.


    He''s trying to sound like, "Do you understand, Noh-tah-kun?


    ''Isn''t the fact that you might be able to defeat an ancient dragon enough of a monster?


    And I can''t imagine being called one of the strongest class of monsters in this world (except for God), like a slightly stronger demon!


    "Actually, when you were reincarnated, everyone there was too excited and the highest predictive value of Temma''s ability easily exceeded the strongest in human history. Moreover, the prediction value is increasing on an ongoing basis.


    According to the story, the strongest I''ve ever had was an average ability value between S and S-.


    My first prediction value was that the lowest was an S+, but now they say it''s an SS.


    ''''That''s why we all made these bracelets. If you do this, as you grow, you''ll somehow just barely fit into the human strength range.


    After God the Creator said that.


    ...and this one too.


    And the beast god held out three collars to me.


    ''''What are these?''''


    ...the god of skill.


    Yeah, all right. Temma, let me explain it for you. This is something the beast gods asked me to make, and it can reduce the size of the household in which the collar is placed!


    How about that! ''''I''m sorry,'''' said the Skill God, beaming with his chest along with the Beast God.


    ''''That''s quite handy. How much smaller can you make it?''''


    The size depends on the individual, but with Shiroumaru, it''s about 1 to 1.5 meters. However, it won''t have any effect on artificial life forms like Tanikaze or humans.


    Plus, you''ll eat less.....


    It was more useful than I thought it would be. If the strength didn''t change, I could get Shiroumaru out of the dungeon, and most importantly, it would save me money on food.


    ''''Thanks, you two. I''ll use it as soon as I wake up!''''


    They nodded happily at his words.


    ''Oh, I forgot to mention that those bangles also have a magic bag effect on them, so they can hold quite a bit of stuff! And when you wear it, it won''t feel heavy, and even if you lose it, it''ll come back to your arm with just a reminder.


    And this was another great feature.


    ''Are you sure you want to get this stuff?''


    ''Don''t worry. I''ve given them to the reincarnated ones from time to time in the past. Namitaro has one, too.


    From then on, we talked about names I hadn''t heard in a while, and before I knew it, it was time to wake up.


    I''ll see you later, Temma-kun. I''ll see you sooner this time.


    I was told that this bracelet even has the effect of making it easier to meet with the gods, and that I can use my abilities to the limit for a short period of time... well, I heard that it will be another two to three decades before I can activate it.


    As I was exchanging greetings with the Genesis God, the Skill God, and the Beast God, the previously eerily quiet War God


    ''Temma, I really shouldn''t be telling you this but your family is alone but alive.


    For a moment I didn''t understand what Takegami was saying, but then he said


    ''Who''s there! Who is that? Tell me, god of war, who is it and where is it now!


    I packed up with him.


    Calm down, Temma! I''m sorry, but I can''t give you all the details... and if I give you that much, it might be bad luck for that person...


    Bushin told me the reason why he couldn''t tell me the details.


    It''s something similar to the curse of the gods, the opposite of a blessing, he said, and it''s like a system that makes it impossible for the gods to shoulder anything other than reincarnated people.


    In the past, one of the gods had put too much on the shoulders of the reincarnated people, even the people involved, and as a result, all of the people involved had suffered mental disorders and most of them had died. The number of people involved was over a thousand. Furthermore, the god himself is said to have lost his power and disappeared.


    They don''t know the details, but they think it''s either a defense instinct or a bug in the world to keep the god from adding more power to this world than necessary.


    ''So I''m sorry. That''s about as far as I can go.


    No, that''s good enough for me. I''ll take it from there. Fortunately, the next dungeon city we''re going to is close to the royal capital, and adventurers from all over the continent will be gathering to seek out dungeons, so it should be easy to get information about them.


    I thanked Bushin. And as I was shaking hands with Bushin.


    Oh, I don''t think I can take it anymore. Bye, Tenma. I''ll see you later.


    And then my vision was filled with white.

 43-Chapter 2-16 Aiming for the next

    ...morning, I guess it wasn''t just a dream...


    There was a pair of bangles and three collars lying by my side as I lay in bed.


    I got dressed and went to the courtyard to put the collars on Shiroumaru as soon as I could.


    ''On?''


    As I reminded Shiroumaru of the collar, he shrank in size before my eyes, eventually shrinking to about 1.5 meters.


    It''s about half the size it was before I put the collar on it. Seeing this, I tried the collar on too, and although I didn''t feel anything different, the collar was absorbed and assimilated into my wrist area, as if it were being absorbed.


    When I tried to remove it in a hurry, the bangles reappeared.


    After trying several times, it seems that the bangles have a function to assimilate into the wearer''s arm when not in use, and appear if you remind them to do so.


    By the way, I tried to see if it would really come back when I thought of it away from the bracelet, and it really did appear on my arm.


    I''ll let him stay at his usual size until we get out of the city, because if I make Shiroumaru small all of a sudden, he''ll think something is wrong.


    This time, I reminded him to go back to his original size, and he returned to his usual size. The collar seems to be able to be fitted to any size of household member. It is indeed a tool of God''s direct transmission.


    After eating breakfast that day, I spent all day preparing for the trip.


    We threw food-related items into the bag from the end of the purchase, without thinking about how long it would last because we had a magic bag.


    As expected, putting it directly into the bracelets was likely to cause unnecessary trouble, so I did a roundabout way of putting it into the original bag and then transferring it to the bracelets, and stored the food in both bags.


    While I was stocking up on water, liquor, food, condiments, and recovery medicine, I found something in a street vendor on a back road that caught my attention.


    It was a small, dirty knife at first glance, but it was strangely disturbing.


    ''Can I have this?''


    I asked my dad, a street vendor.


    "You like things too! I can''t believe you''d want to see all that stuff... if you''ll buy it for me!


    But when I appraised it with the rest of the stuff, I said


    Orichalcong''s knife, Mithril''s dagger, Adamantine''s sword, Adamantine''s cuirass, and Adamantine''s armor.


    And they were all pretty ... well ... crazy good items. However, each of them had a thin layer of iron or copper on their surfaces, and they rusted and looked ragged on the surface.


    ''How much are all these things?''


    ''Can you buy me one? Then how about two gold coins... no, one and five large silver coins?


    ''Hmmm ... well that''s okay. If we can fix it, it''ll work just fine.


    I put in a bit of a play, took the money out of the bag, handed it to him, and took the item back and put it in the bag.


    ''Whoa, you''re a magic bag owner, that''s why you decided to buy this raggedy thing. It''s going to be useful when I take it in for repair! After all, it''s a boloi to look at, but it''s sturdy.


    But if I fix it all up, it''s worth several platinum coins'' worth of stuff, so I''ll be making a lot of money.


    ''Every time~''


    My dad''s face was very smug, but I wanted to thank him more than he did.


    I returned to the inn and quickly cleaned up my knife and knife. The method is simple. All I had to do was bump the two knives against each other.


    The knife is like a survival knife with a blade of 20cm long and a handle of about 15cm.


    The small blade is a thing that can be called a "wakizashi". It looks almost like a Japanese sword, and although there is no scabbard, it is single-edged and slightly warped. The length of the blade is 40cm and the handle is a little over 20cm.


    When I struck the two peaks together, the metal on the surface of the sword peeled off, revealing an unclouded blade from underneath.


    Adamantine''s sword was of a simple construction, greatsword type, with a blade length of one meter and a handle of 50 cm, which was quite large. This one was an Orihalcon knife, and as I scraped the surface, a blackish sword blade appeared.


    The armor and cuirass are not the right size for me, so they''ll probably be dead in my bag for a while.


    As I cleaned up the details, it didn''t take long for nearly two hours to pass. It was dim outside, and a nice smell wafted in from the dining room.


    I let Shiroumaru out into the room, small as a reminder to do some experiments.


    Shiroumaru, dinner is ready.


    When I fed Shiroumaru about half the amount of food I usually feed him, he started out eating vigorously, but by the time he was halfway through, he visibly lost his momentum.


    "Gep.


    He stopped eating, leaving about a third of the food.


    ''Good! This will keep the volume down!


    This would save me money and make meal preparation a little easier. At the thought, I was naturally gutted.


    ''Alright, I''ll have a meal too,''


    As I said this, I left food and water for the slarin'' and headed to the dining room.


    When I entered the cafeteria, I didn''t notice it in the morning, but I saw a lady with a strange good mood and smooth skin, and an old man who looked terribly tired and old.


    Try not to worry about what''s going on.


    I''m so sorry you had to go through that but here''s your homemade recovery potion.


    Then, when he said that, he tried to give it to his father.


    Sorry, Temma! Gulp, gulp, oh my, it''s surprisingly easy to drink!


    And the lady took it from the side and drank it all at once.


    ........I''ll never forget the look on his face......it was like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert and crawling up to it in a crawling body, and it was a mirage of cruelty. ...It was such a look of despair.


    I''m a white-washed old man who''s as white as Joe.


    ''''What can I say........good luck.......''''


    After saying that, he let his father hold two bottles of recovery pills in his hand, then he shoved about four more into his pocket and left the place.


    I took my seat as it was.


    Hey, Mom, can you give me some recommendations?


    I ordered as if nothing had happened.


    ''Yes! I''ll give you some more recommendations.


    The old man started to squirm at the words, took a gulp of the two recovery pills in his hand, and


    Yeah.


    And then he walked into the kitchen. The food that came out was a bit salty, mindlessly.


    ''Ah, lady, I''m going to leave tomorrow. Thank you for your help.


    ''Huh~! You just came out of nowhere!


    His wife was most surprised.


    ''You! Come here!


    The lady walked out while calling for the old man and hung a tag on the door that said ''Closed Today''.


    ''''What''s the matter~........''''


    The old man, who was still out of his element, appeared with a whimper. His wife told him what happened.


    Whaaaaat?


    bang


    He fell down because he forced himself to scream.


    ''Father!


    You...


    The customers around him started to make a lot of noise, and it was hard.


    The old man found out about an hour after that.


    ''Ha, I had a weird dream!


    You can''t be dreaming... but Temma is leaving town tomorrow!


    ''Seriously!


    The old man was so surprised that he was on the verge of a character breakdown.


    ''I''m sorry, old man. But I feel like I have to go now.


    I said that because I couldn''t tell the old man and the others what Bushin taught me in my dream.


    Well adventurers have a lot of instincts, so... it can''t be helped.


    Pops easily agreed.


    ''Grandfather. Here''s my thanks for all the help you''ve given me over the past two years.''''


    Saying that, I held out a few bundles of paper to the old man.


    ''''We''re in business, you don''t have to worry about it..........Seriously!


    What''s the matter... really!


    The piece of paper I gave my dad is one of the recipes for sweets I know and have successfully reproduced.


    ''You ... this alone is a fortune!


    In fact, there are not many recipes for sweetness in this world. The reason for this is the high cost of sugar and the strong image that sweetness is associated with fruit.


    Many people think that mixing raw, cooked, or dried fruits into breads and cookies, or simply pouring sugar directly on them, is enough to make them sweet and delicious in their own right.


    I wrote recipes for doughnuts, pancakes, puddings, puff pastry, etc., that weren''t particularly difficult to make, but still seemed to be acceptable to women and children.


    Don''t worry," he says, "there are some recipes that aren''t written down. And there are some recipes that I didn''t write in it. What you will find in there are things that can be easily made in the kitchen here, and with more ingenuity, you can make a variety of flavors. And as an insurance policy, we have the Duke of Sangha''s approval.


    Saying that, they were relieved when he pulled out a document from his bag. The reason for this was because there was a true story that a nobleman had used a sweetness recipe in a cookery shop in the royal capital a long time ago in his business without permission and put the owner of the cookery shop who protested to death.


    Therefore, when I consulted the Duke of Sangha during our recent discussion, he told me


    ''Well, I''ll write you a stroke. If you do anything to that store with it, it will be the same as the act of giving me a fight, you know.


    He wrote simply.


    ''Just on one condition: the Duke will send me a messenger from time to time, and he wants me to make some sweets and give them to him.


    When it comes to the Duke of Sangha class, even if you''re royalty, it''s not easy to get your hands on, so it can be said to be one of the highest levels of security.


    ''''That''s about as good as it gets, it''s a small price to pay.


    Now we can have sweets every day!


    ''Well, Mrs. White, if you eat too much, you''re in big trouble. Especially a woman''s secret...


    At my words, the lady stopped for a moment.


    Now we can have the occasional (...) snack!


    Retake. Apparently, in every world, weight is an alarming thing for women.


    Anyway, I''ll be grateful for the opportunity to use it.


    Afterwards, I spent the last night with my dad, taking questions from him about the recipe.


    The sky was clear and blue, a perfect day to start our journey.


    Even though it was early in the morning, all the people who had befriended me in this town had gathered to see me off.


    Lily and the others, my father and wife, Flute and the guild leader, Serna and Marx, Primera and the captains.


    Each of them showed up even though they would have things to do, but they showed up.


    We''ve already said our goodbyes to everyone, so we just dodge the light greetings.


    At that time, they gave us a thoughtful selection of food. They had prepared homemade snacks, food and drinks, a treatment set, and a hand-drawn map.


    ''Temma, take this,''


    Saying that, Alan gave me some broken swords, spears, and armor.


    ''These are all difficult to repair, but I''m sure Temma could rebuild them.


    Surely my alchemy can do it. I''ll take it gratefully.


    ''Mr Temma, this is from your father.


    Primera handed me an envelope that was sealed with wax. I opened it.


    Is this, by any chance, the coat of arms of the Duke of Sangha?


    Inside was a palm-sized, hexagonal metal plate with the deer emblem of the guard, or mating, painted on it, and a cord was threaded through the top of the plate.


    ''''Yes, it is. ''Yes, that''s right,'' he said, ''and if you keep it with you, it will come in handy in case something happens. And I have a message for you, and this coat of arms is my apology for all the trouble I''ve caused you. Please don''t hesitate to use it. Just don''t misuse it, please.


    ''Thank you for your concern. Of course, I won''t use it for anything bad. Please tell him so.


    Yes, sir. Take care of yourself, Temma.


    I took those words and got into the carriage.


    Thank you all for your support. I''ll be back in town!


    I let Tanikaze proceed slowly.


    I kept turning around and waving my hands until everyone was out of sight.


    Eventually everyone was smaller than a pea-sized grain and when I couldn''t see them anymore, I turned back to the front and increased the speed of the tanikaze to shake off the loneliness.

 44-Quiet-The Gunjo City Afterwards

    Dazzle Edition


    It''s been a week already since Temma left........so fast.


    There had been long term guests in the past, but he had never heard or seen a child who hadn''t yet grown up staying for an extended period of time.


    On that day two years ago, Temma wandered into this inn and... what was wrong with her?


    Anyway, since you pay for several months'' lodging in advance at once, at first, the patrons were wondering if you were the illegitimate son of a nobleman or something. What a rumor.


    In reality, they hunted an unbelievable amount of monsters in a short time, and paid for it in part.


    Because of this, badly behaved adventurers and adventurers who wanted to have fun got hurt when they tried to cash in on Tenma... Well, thanks to that, things got a lot safer.


    But still, he''s a strange guy. You can''t get away from the fact that it''s a very good idea for a child to be a top-notch adventurer, and he''s also a top-notch magician... It''s a shame to think about his bad behavior. It''s a good thing we didn''t antagonize him, because he''s a good guy... Speaking of which, there''s a rumor that there are more than 50 people who have gone out of business because of their involvement with Tenma.


    Are you~ finished with the preparation?


    We''re almost there!


    Oh no, oh no, I''ve been thinking and my hands have stopped. The Duke''s messenger is coming today, so I must be even more enthusiastic than usual.


    After this, the sweets made at the Fullness Pavilion were spread by Duke Sangha, and the name became known not only in Gunjo City, but also in the royal capital, and many nobles came to buy them, but Dzur set a limit on the number of sweets sold, and didn''t allow the nobles to buy them up. Because of this, they became scarce, and before long, Manteetei sweets became a brand.


    The brand name was "The Tenma Seal". Tenma was so embarrassed when she heard about this that she vowed to go and complain in person one day.


    Dzur part complete


    Guild Edition


    ''''Deputy guild leader, it''s a big deal. This week, the number of adventurers defeating demons has dropped by about 30% compared to last week.


    Calm down! That''s no surprise. We haven''t had Mr. Temma since this week.


    The staff was in a hurry, yes! And then he returned to his seat.


    Normally, a boy hunting nearly 30% of the number of demons killed by a boy alone should not only be strange, it should be abnormal, but our staff seems to be paralyzed to the point where they would be unconditionally convinced if I told them that Tenma-san did it.


    ''This might not be a good idea,''


    The paralysis of the staff''s senses means that there is a danger of unintentionally imposing an unreasonable defeat on the general (...) adventurers... Let''s talk to the guild leader.


    ''''Guild leader, excuse me.''''


    I knocked on the guild leader''s room.......but there was no answer. I had no choice but to open the door on my own.


    That man is........skipping out again?


    The room was empty. Even though it was the usual thing, I could at least say a word to him and then skip it... Well, if I said such a joke, I''d make sure to make it a.m., though.


    I''d be working in anger.


    Guild Master!


    He found the guild leader sneaking back in, hidden in the shadows of the adventurers.


    ''Sorry, sorry, just a change of pace.''


    ''Where do you need a change of pace!


    As I was getting angry, I noticed that the guild leader was holding a package that smelled good in some way.


    ''''What''s that?''''


    Oh, I''ll share this with you and you''ll miss it this time.


    Then he let me hold it in my hand.


    Cream puffs from the Mangokutei?


    They were the most popular snacks from Manpuku-tei these days.


    No~ I managed to get them set aside through my old connections. Nah, please forgive me for this.


    Trying to bribe me with a puff pastry is a nice touch!


    Thank you. I''ll take it.


    Then I took the whole package.


    ''''Ladies and gentlemen, the guild leader has brought these to you. There aren''t enough of them to go around, so the guild leader will bring them to those who can''t get them later.


    I shouted to the staff.


    ''Wait a minute! I didn''t say a word about that...


    ''Right. Guild leader.


    ''No, that''s not...''


    Gui-le-de-de-chou.


    Yes.....


    This is how I got the promise, but I forgot to consult with him about the most important thing, and I had a hard time.


    The Guild version is complete.


    Wildcat Princess Edition


    They''re going your way! Nelly!


    "Okay, Lily. Millie, please follow me!


    Okay. Hooray!


    Today, the three of us have come to kill a rabbit in a field near the city.


    When I say rabbit, I mean a rabbit-shaped demon, called a ''horned rabbit'' that has horns about 10cm on its head.


    Its meat is edible, its horns are processed and used in herbal medicine, and its fur is more popular with women than anything else.


    The recommended rank for defeating them is D or higher, so it was supposed to be an easy job for us to do.


    ''''Lily, there''s something wrong with you! There are too many of them!


    The three of us have already hunted more than 30 horned rabbits since we just started. By nature, horned rabbits rarely exceed 10 in a flock, except during the breeding season. Even if several flocks are assembled for breeding purposes, it would be odd to not have any cubs or pregnant female rabbits.


    But horn rabbits are so demonic that even the average kid can hunt them, so they can''t hurt us. It''s just exhausting.


    Normally we don''t have to do this kind of work. In fact, we have a whole lot of money left over from the defeat of the bandit group the other day. At that time, we were riding on Tenma''s shoulders, and we thought that he was entitled to most of the bounty, but Tenma gave us about 3 million g''s, saying that was not good enough. At first Tenma wanted to give us half of the prize money, but it was too much and we were afraid to have such a large amount of money, so we asked him to give us this price.


    But having that money, we became greedy. Well, we wanted to send our younger siblings to a good school.


    Even if it''s not a school in the royal capital, there are schools in large cities where ordinary people can attend. But, of course, it costs a lot of money. Moreover, there are only small schools in Gunjo City, so if you were to send them to a decent school, it would be quite expensive, including the cost of lodging. And that''s for five students....


    So we work! Seeking a prey that is less dangerous, offers rewards for killing, and yet turns materials into money!


    You two, let''s take the one we got and get it back to town.


    That was when I suggested it. Out of the bushes, a horned rabbit, almost a meter long, appeared.


    Peeeeeeeeeeeeeee.


    It made a high-pitched squeal. As if in response to that cry, a large number of horned rabbits appeared from all around us and surrounded us, wondering where we had been hiding.


    ''Whoa!'' What are these guys?


    ''One of them would be cute, but this many of them would scare me!


    The other two are also surprised. No matter how small a horned rabbit is, it''s normal to be scared of being surrounded by demons about 40cm long... even though not long ago I was often with people who were not normal.


    What do you want to do, Lily?


    I mean, that big, spontaneous-looking thing.


    Millie''s words and a big horned rabbit............................just boss. The boss looks at me with a hateful grin on his face (or maybe it just looks that way).


    ''When it comes to this, I''ll take out that boss!


    With a lot of energy, the three of us tried to launch the attack with our prized partnership. As a result.


    Piegeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.


    With such a decisive voice, the boss died easily.


    ''''........What the hell is this guy, he''s too weak for his big attitude.


    It''s a total sham.


    I guess a horned rabbit is a horned rabbit, no matter how big it is.


    For all the enthusiasm I had put into it, I didn''t expect this ending.


    And this outcome was unexpected, even for the hornbills.


    ''Nellie, Millie, the hornbills have stopped moving! Now''s your chance!


    Then he went on to warriors against the surrounding hornbills.


    ''''Welcome back. Ladies and gentlemen of the Wildcat Princess.


    When I got tired and arrived at the guild, I was greeted by Flute, with whom I had recently become friends.


    ''''I''m home~, Flute........''''


    ''Huh? Isn''t it kind of weird how tired you are?


    In front of Flute''s eyes, I turned the magic bag upside down. This bag was given to us by Temma before he left this city, and it is a very useful treasure.


    ''''What, what is this number!


    Flute shouted in surprise when he saw the horned rabbit (already bled out) coming out with a thud.


    The people who were watching the scene behind me said


    Hey, look at that. It''s like he can''t add up to anything when he''s working with Tenma.


    No, it''s not that, it''s that it makes it easier to encounter demons.


    I don''t know what to say. I don''t envy you!


    We heard a voice say, "I''m sorry. Ignoring it, we explained the situation to Mr. Flute.


    ''Really, that. I didn''t know that such a big horned rabbit was leading a large herd...''''


    I showed my boss''s corpse to Flute, who was a little skeptical.


    ''''I''ll go get the guild leader for a moment!


    Saying that, he immediately brought the Guild Chief over. As soon as the guild chief took one look at the corpse.


    This guy''s a king hornbill. Not many people know this, but hornbills have kings too.


    And then he took the horned hare''s hind legs and fished it out.


    Even when they''re kings, they''re so weak. They''re often eaten by other monsters and beasts. They are so big and tasty despite being so weak.


    After finishing his explanation, the guild leader went back, saying that he would take care of the rest.


    ''''Flute-san, no matter how many horned rabbits you have, it''s hard to take down more than 100 of them.


    No matter how unexpected it was for the guild, I felt like complaining about it.


    ''''I''m really sorry! It''s a complete research error on our part. We thought it was a herd of horned rabbits, so we thought it would be no more than 20 at most.


    If it had been an orc, we might have been dead. That''s how difficult it is.


    "For now, I''d like to ask for cash and rewards. And, of course, a little extra!


    ''Yes Lily, you''re starting to sound somewhat like Temma.


    With that thought in mind, we received our reward for coloring and headed back to the inn.


    Lately, we have been using the Manchuria Pavilion for our inn. As a favor to the old men, they give us priority for the room that Temma was using.


    The three of us talked about the room today. We''ve been discussing it a lot lately, but at the end of the day.


    ""I knew it was Temma''s fault!"


    We concluded, as if it were a watchword.


    I heard later that the guild had made several other mistakes like the one they made to us, so a simple defeat by the guild staff was decided upon as a training exercise.


    The Wildcat Princess version is complete.


    Knights of the City of Gunjo, Fourth Unit Edition


    There! Stay alert! You''re arms are going down!


    These days, the general commander is all over the fourth unit. I''m happy for me personally because it gives me good training, but as a troop leader, I feel very embarrassed.


    ''Primera! Don''t get fuzzy, that''s where the two of you are down, clean it up!


    The reason for this is that I see a scene before me that is so miserable.


    My squad is made up of no more than three sons or three daughters of the nobility, and the majority of the squad is made up of those who are no more than three sons or three daughters of the nobility. I don''t know why, but recently I''ve come to think that perhaps an inexperienced person like me is a good fit to lead a squad, as well as an inexperienced person.


    So I''m hoping to improve my strength through the general commander''s training and get as close to Temma-san as possible.


    When I first met him, I was shocked. He looked like a child, but the atmosphere he wore gave me the impression that he was a strong man of the past.


    I am the third daughter of the duke''s family, and I will definitely not be involved in the succession of the duke''s family. I do have the right to inherit, but I gave up early on because I have two older brothers and two older sisters.


    Fortunately, your father doesn''t seem to have much interest in political marriages, and even if a marriage proposal comes in from another nobleman, Primera seems to be living as a knight, so she refuses to talk about it, saying that this conversation never happened........


    Although this is a bit of a digression, due to the fact that they are a duke family, they have had many opportunities to see various top-notch soldiers and adventurers since they were young. However, Temma-san was similar to the atmosphere those people had..........or to the contrary, I would say overwhelming.


    When I had a dispute with one of my subordinates, I was so caught up in his murderous atmosphere that I was unable to move.


    After that, I had several opportunities to meet him, but each time I forgot that he was younger than me and my respect for him grew.


    The other captain or something would often say that he couldn''t tell which of us was the older nobleman when he saw me talking to Temma in a respectful manner.


    I thought it was inevitable. After all, the other side could single-handedly take on a group of noblemen''s hired hands and win a complete victory without suffering a single scratch, and even if we were to take on them all together, they would be no match for us.


    While I was thinking about this, the noblemen from my squad were all crawling to the ground.


    ''''Alright, that''s it for today. Get a proper rest and don''t be tired tomorrow!''''


    The commander-in-chief said and left the training camp.


    ''Is everyone okay?''


    At those words, it''s okay~, a somewhat dumb voice could be heard saying.


    The men of the fourth squad were often ridiculed by the rest of the squad, but lately it seems that more and more of them have changed their minds after seeing them training hard like this, and some of them are now giving advice.


    Considering that, the fact that the top of the knights were beaten to a pulp by Tenma-san must have been a good medicine in reverse. There were some noblemen in my squad as well, and some arrogant ones that could be said to be characteristic of nobility, but recently I haven''t seen any of those things anymore.


    If things continue at this rate, it doesn''t seem too far away that the Fourth Squad will become a full-fledged knight''s unit, not a mere baggage unit... I hope there aren''t any deaths before that.


    I was hoping so as I looked at my subordinates still crawling around.


    Gunjo City Knights of the Fourth Squadron Edition, complete.

 45-Chapter 2 Status After Completion

    Name... the Temma-Otori.


    Age...15


    Race... human race.


    Titles: apprentice of the wise, tamer, dragon slayer, top-notch adventurer, (favored by the gods)


    HP... 22,000.


    MP... 36,000.


    Muscle strength... A


    Defensive Power...A+


    Speed...A


    Magic power...SS+


    Mental strength... s-


    Growth Potential...SS+


    Luck... B


    Skills....Fire Magic 10, Water Magic 10, Military Strengthening 10, Alchemy 10, Magic Manipulation 10, Training 10, Light Magic 9, Wind Magic 9, Cooking 9, Demolition 9, Earth Magic 9, Swordsmanship 9, Fighting 9, Stick Art 9, Traps 9, Granting Magic 9, Night Eyes 9, Magic Strengthening 9, Spacetime Magic 8, Lightning Magic 8, Throwing 8, Patience 8, Archery 7, dark magic 7, spear technique 6, axe technique 6, all magic attributes 6 (10), (appraisal 10, detection ability 10, concealment 10, technology acquisition enhancement 10, creation magic 8, growth enhancement 8, life force enhancement 8, recovery enhancement 8, anomaly resistance 8, sensory enhancement 8, physical ability enhancement 7, martial arts 100 general 6, destructive power enhancement 5, destruction resistance 5, instant death resistance 5)


    Gift...blessings of the gods


    Name... slarin''.


    Age...9


    Species... slime.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 6,000.


    MP...12,000.


    Strength? ...C+.


    Defensive Power...B


    Speed...B+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity... B+.


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... B


    Skills....space-time magic 8, magic manipulation 8, anomaly resistance 8, patience 5, martial arts 5, all magic attributes 4.


    His name... is Shiroumaru.


    Age...5


    Race...Phantom Wolf Species (Golden Fenrir x Silveriofenrir)


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 23,000.


    MP...14,000.


    Muscle strength...A+.


    Defensive Power...A


    Speed...


    Magic... A


    Mental capacity... c-.


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck... B


    Skills....Night Eyes 10, Martial Arts 8, Abnormal Resistance 6, Physical Strength 6, Sensory Enhancement 6, Life Force Enhancement 5, Patience 3, Magic Control 2


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Her name... was Lily Millie Nelly.


    Age...18


    Race...Beastmen (cats)


    Titles... adventurer, city idol, (vomit)


    HP...12,000.


    MP...14,000.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power...B


    Speed...


    Magic...


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck...B+.


    Name... Primera Von Sangha.


    Age...20


    Race... human race.


    Title: Third daughter of the Duke of Sangha, Commander of the Fourth Squadron of Knights of the City of Gunjo, a natural.


    HP... 16,000.


    MP... 15,000.


    Strength...B-


    Defensive Power...B


    Speed...B


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck...C+.


    Name... flute.


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    Defensive Power...B+


    Speed...B+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity... A


    Growth potential...B-


    Luck...B+.


    Her name... is Aida Rice.


    Age... 27.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Captain of the Third Squadron of the Knights of the City of Gunjo, honorary quartermaster.


    HP...18,000.


    MP...8000


    Strength...A-


    Defensive Power... B-


    Speed...A+


    Magic... B


    Mental capacity...


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... b-.


    Name--Gees.


    Age... 23.


    Race... human race.


    Title....Second son of a former honorary nobleman (former quasi-baronet), a pseudo-robber, and a lifelong criminal slave.


    HP... 6,000.


    MP...800.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power...C+


    Speed...B-


    Magical power...D+.


    Mental capacity...D+.


    Growth Potential...C


    Operation...


    His name is Regil.


    Age...41


    Race... human race.


    Titles... former honorary nobleman (former quasi-baronet), death row (to be determined)


    HP... 5000.


    MP...2800.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power... B-


    Velocity...


    Magical power...C+.


    Mental capacity...B


    Growth Potential...C-


    Luck...B+.


    Regil had a little connection to the underworld and he used it to get an honorary knighthood.


    He said the Duke of Sanga was excellent, but that''s largely because he had connections to the underworld and was good at exploiting them.


    The adventurers during the duel were gathered by taking advantage of their underworld connections.


    Incidentally, Regil''s wife and eldest son are rather sensible people, so he quickly divorced them and went home with his eldest son.


    Both of them seemed to want to do something about Guise alone, but they gave up on the Duke''s explanation that they couldn''t do anything about it and asked him to at least spare them the death penalty, so they became crime slaves for life just in time.


    Guise''s companions are also criminal slaves as well. This one has a normal time limit.

 46-Chapter 3-1 Intermediate Location

    It had already been a week since I left Gunjo City but....


    ''''Funny, we should be able to see the village in the middle by now...''''


    I got lost.


    I definitely felt like I was going too slowly since I left the city. But if I''ve been following the map correctly, I should be halfway through by now! And they should be following a village halfway between Gunjo City and Dungeon City!


    This past week was filled with stops in the woods along the way, food supplies at the river, and Shiroumar getting lost.


    As for Shiroumaru, there was an unfortunate side to him (he got swept away by the river and lost his scent, so we went searching for him and picked him up), but we were averaging more than 20km a day, albeit slowly, and we were supposed to be in the village by the end of the day.


    But it was almost nightfall time. We had to stop the carriage somewhere to settle down and get ready for camping.


    When I say camp, all I have to do is set up a simple ward around the carriage and prepare a meal.


    The carriage we''re riding in now is the same one we used to go boa hunting (slaying bandits) with Lily and the others before, but with significant modifications.


    Firstly, the main body of the carriage was converted into a box carriage, and an iron plate with a strengthening spell was incorporated into the entire body.


    It''s not just a boxcarriage, it''s a boxcarriage with a strengthened iron plate throughout.


    This modification cost about 300,000 Gs. Mainly for the steel.


    It''s not only that, but it''s also necessary to replenish a certain amount of magic power every day to the strengthening and weight-reducing magicians that are everywhere in the carriage, so it''s a carriage for wizards only. Of course, I''ve registered as a contractor exclusively for me.


    Well, thanks to making life easier for me, it''s much easier to live there than staying at a strange inn.


    I''m thinking about building a bathroom in the corner of the house.


    While I was thinking about this, I was looking for a place to stay.


    Thieves!


    I heard such a voice.


    I used a search in the direction the voice came from and found a response on the other side of the hill about 100 meters away. It seemed that a group of sixteen people were being attacked by twenty bandits.


    ''''Is this dangerous?''''


    The sixteen men seemed to have been taken by surprise and were completely surrounded by bandits.


    I put my wagon away and ordered Shiroumaru to take off his collar and turn against me to attack.


    Then I myself directed Tanikaze to head up the hill.


    From the top of the hill, I looked out into the night and saw that the sixteen were still outnumbered.


    Apparently the one being attacked only had six adventurers as combatants, the others seemed to be three merchant-like men who looked like hired hands and seven slaves.


    As I was observing this, I heard Shiroumaru''s howl from the other side. As if to answer it, I launched a fireball into the sky.


    ''''What''s going on!''''


    One of the bandits shouted and looked around to be on guard, but


    Gah!


    "Wolf demon, goblin.


    You''re a big boy, Gabe.


    Faster than that, Shiroumaru attacked from the other side.


    I let Tanikazee rush in to put a stop to the confused bandits.


    ''Join us! You guys stay on the defensive!


    The bandits weren''t the only ones who were confused, but they still listened to my words and honestly went on the defensive.


    ''Also, the wolves are on our side! If you don''t want to die, don''t touch me!


    I would add that. Otherwise, Shiroumaru would not be able to distinguish between friend and foe. If any of the adventurers attacked Shiroumaru, they would definitely be killed by Shiroumaru.


    The bandits who were taken by surprise were killed by me (+Tanikaze) and Shiroumaru in the blink of an eye.


    ''Wow! Who the hell is that guy!


    You can''t snoop later! We have to believe we''re on the same side now, and stick to our defenses!


    But there are about three more bandits... or maybe they''re all dead.


    The bandits seemed to be working well together there, but they didn''t seem to be expecting a surprise attack, so they were easily dispatched.


    ''''Alright, come back, Shiroumaru!


    At my words, Shiroumaru ran up to me, wagging his tail. I was stroking Shiroumaru''s head like that.


    I appreciate the help, but are you on our side?


    One of the adventurers called out to me from a little distance.


    ''That''s up to you guys. If you guys want to antagonize me, I won''t relent.


    At the murderous words, the adventurers flinched, dropped their weapons and raised their hands.


    ''''As you can see, there is no animosity between us. In fact, we are grateful.


    All right. I''ll take your word for it.


    With that, he got Shiroumaru down and approached the men.


    ''I''m pretty sure these guys are bandits. The ones we took down...or rather all of them. I''ll take it.


    ''That''s just as well. These are all things that you and that wolf defeated.


    After hearing those words, I instructed Shiroumaru to collect the bandit''s corpses. I told Shiroumaru beforehand not to dismember the bandits unless it was too much, so most of the corpses were connected to each other in part somewhere.


    As I was putting the bodies in my bag.


    "Thank you for the danger.


    And then a merchant-like man came in.


    ''I''m a slaver, Jayman, I''m a slaver.


    His name is Jayman.


    Age...43.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Slaver.


    He scowled at me at the mention of slavers.


    ''There is no need to be alarmed. I don''t know if it''s proof, but here it is.


    With that, the man took out a sheet of paper.


    The paper was labeled ''Slave Trading Exemption'', with the man''s name after a few notes and contracts, and at the end, it said that the Duke of Arsus von Sangha acknowledges this.


    ''I don''t know if it''s genuine or not, but since I''ve given you the Duke''s name, I''ll trust you to a certain extent.


    ''Well, thank you for that. And you can call me Jayman, that''s fine. And ... if you could, would you take off your mask (...) and show me your true face?


    That being said, I remembered that I had to cover my mouth in a change of disguise. When I took off my mask, Jayman and the other adventurers were all surprised.


    ''You were that young!


    Those words made me wary, but


    ''I am sorry to have startled you. As a matter of fact, I handled Guise as a slave, and in doing so, I was told by the Duke about the character of Mr. Temma.


    Saying that, Jayman began to ramble on about what he and Duke Sangha had talked about.


    That included the deal between me and Duke Sanga, so I decided to let my guard down for a moment.


    ''''So, Temma-san, why are you here.........Thankfully for us, we heard that our destination is Dungeon City. This place is not the same direction as a dungeon city, you know?


    I showed him the hand-drawn map he gave me.


    I followed this map, but I think I took a wrong turn...


    I was told the shocking truth from Jayman''s mouth as he took a glance at the map.


    Hah!


    I see, no matter how far you go, you shouldn''t be able to see the village.


    ''''Ah, but the direction itself is similar, so if you take the proper road out of here, you''ll reach your destination... or rather, that relay village is our destination.''''


    With those words, I knew what he was trying to say.


    ''''I require information to accompany you to your destination and provide you with information on the road to the dungeon city. In return, we will join the rescue and escort you to the village as described earlier. Would you like that?


    We have a deal! It''s nice to meet you.


    I shook Jayman''s hand and signed the contract.


    ''We''ll only be a few hours away from here. As far as we''re concerned, we''d like to get there today if that''s okay with you?


    ''No problem. But I believe your adventurer has an injured person?


    I asked the man who was standing behind Jayman.


    He''s wounded, but fortunately he''s alone and his wounds are superficial, and he''ll be fine with light recovery magic and potions.


    So I inspected the carriage and since there seemed to be no problems, I decided to leave as soon as possible.


    I straddled Tanikaze without the carriage and let Shiroumaru get ahead of me as far as my voice could reach, giving him the role of scout and avoiding weak demons.


    The adventurers were surprised by Tanikaze, but Jayman didn''t show much surprise. If you ask him, he had heard about Shiroumaru and Tanikaze from Duke Sanga. But as for Shiroumaru, he was stained with blood when we first met, and I had him waiting a bit farther away, so he was slow to notice.


    Just as Jayman had said, we arrived at the village in about three to four hours. There were a few demons along the way, but they were all hunted by Shiroumaru, so we arrived without any problems.


    We''ve arrived. Thanks to you, we arrived safely.


    The adventurers who had been hired by Jayman''s words had a complicated look on their faces, but they seemed to be prepared for what was to be said this time.


    ''''I''m sorry, Jayman, I''m sorry. I''m sorry for putting you in such danger...''''


    The man leading the adventurers apologizes, but


    ''No, I''m in denial about this one. You and your men hinted at the danger before you left, but it was I who did not listen. I will put some color on the reward.


    Then he apologized for the opposite.


    ''I need to thank you again for your help, too. It really helped me. I appreciate it.


    There was a slight rasp in his voice, but he seemed to mean it, so


    No, that''s okay. You guys would have managed without my help. Besides, I''ve got a lot to gain from it.


    Speaking so lightly.


    ''Haha, we might have managed, sure, but some of us would have died for sure. All of them were safe, and that''s still thanks to you.


    He laughed as I spoke.


    ''Temma-san, please join us at the inn where we are staying today. It''s not safe to leave now, and I''ll have the rest of your reward ready by noon tomorrow.


    All right. Thanks for your help.


    Having said that, I put Tanikaze in my bag and followed Jayman.


    The inn is not as flattering as the Manpuku-ji, but the inside was rather clean and well-cleaned.


    Jayman persuaded me to take a room for one person.


    The next day was a rainy day. I was looking out of my room at the light rain when I heard a knock on the door.


    ''Come in,''


    It was Jayman who walked in, saying, "Excuse me.


    ''''Temma-san, I''ve prepared a map with directions from this village to the dungeon city.


    He unfolded a rolled up piece of paper in his hand and showed it to me.


    He finished explaining to me as he looked at the map.


    Please bring this map.


    He gave me a map, much smaller than the one I had just seen, saying, "Can I have it?


    ''Can I have it?''


    Yes, that''s fine. This is not an exact copy of what I just wrote, but I''m still trying to make it as similar as possible, so I don''t think there''s any problem.


    Thank you.


    Then he tucked it away in his bag.


    ''If you still get lost, there are two stars that shine brightest right after dark, and if you proceed in that direction, you''ll find a dungeon city.


    Oh, I see... okay.


    ''The skies are unfortunately bleak today, how do you want to leave? If you''d like, we''ll pay for your accommodations while we''re here in the village, as long as we''re under contract.


    I thought about it for a minute.


    ''Thanks, but with this rain, it should be fine. We''ll leave around noon.


    According to the map they gave me, it looks like it''s mostly grassland from here. If that''s the case, as long as you''re inside the carriage, there won''t be any problems.


    ''''I see, just in case you can use this room until this evening, please let me know if you change your mind.


    Jayman said and left the room.


    After having a light meal, I asked the innkeeper for the location of the guild, borrowed an umbrella and went outside.


    The guild was about 15 minutes'' walk from the inn, but as expected, it was a smaller building than the one in Gunjo City and other places.


    ''''I killed the bandits, but I want to make sure the bounty hunter is there.


    After briefly stating only the requirements to the receptionist sitting at the counter, the man in charge appeared and took me to the back of the building.


    ''There are twenty people in the building and the bodies are in a bag. Can you get them out here, please?


    I put the body out in the designated area. The man didn''t seem particularly bothered by the body.


    "Well, these guys have been bountyed recently. This guy got 50,000 G, this guy and this guy got 20,000 G, and the rest are gone. However, since all the people who were reported have been killed, we have a request to take out these guys just in time, so we''ll consider that request accomplished as well.


    After saying that, he transferred it to the guild''s magic bag and went to the reception desk again to hand over the rewards.


    ''''The total amount of money for defeating the bandits is 260,000 g, and the reward for the request is 150,000 g, for a total of 410,000 g. Please confirm.


    I checked the amount of money that was given to me and put it in my bag. Asking for the location of the grocery store at its reception, we decided to go to see if there are things you''re after.


    Arriving at the grocery store, I immediately look for the thing you want, but I did not find it anywhere.


    So I asked the clerk about the things I wanted.


    What, a big keg?


    The first thing he brought with him was a barrel about 50 cm long.


    I think this should be enough to store them.


    ''Oh, it''s too small. I''d like something about twice as big as this.


    When he said that, the clerk was thinking about it.


    Speaking of which, there was one!


    Then he took me outside to the warehouse.


    ''Here. This is this sake barrel. I think this one is the perfect size!


    He pointed to an empty liquor barrel that was about 1.2 meters high and had a maximum diameter of about one meter.


    ''Oh, it''s just the right size. How much is this one?


    This was originally supposed to be a disposal, so I''ll just take the wood portion.


    He said he was willing to pay 500g for it.


    I paid, put the keg in my bag and left the store in a good mood.


    A former Japanese necessity, a bath tub (substitute), I got it!


    By the time we arrived at the inn, the rain had almost stopped.


    ''Alright, let''s get going!


    I went to Jayman''s room and told him we were leaving.


    ''''I see. I often go to Dungeon City for business, so I might be able to meet Temma-san again. I''ll look forward to seeing you then.''''


    Jayman and I shook hands and promised to meet again. At first I was defensive when I heard that he was a slaver, but once I got used to it, it didn''t really bother me.


    Well, I just had a bigger feeling that it was strange to care about it now that I had sent Guise and others into slavery.


    Anyway, I left the village with the determination to not get lost this time around.


    Plus... my first barrel bath and stylistic version.


    This may be the biggest takeaway from this trip, the barrel bath. The time had come to use it for the first time.


    Okay, let''s get to it.


    To prepare the bath, he put the barrel out to the back of the carriage and opened the lid.


    ''Ugh, dammit what''s that smell!


    The stench spread as soon as I opened the lid. I hurriedly closed the lid and put it away in my bag to ventilate the carriage.


    ''I screwed up... with a moment''s thought, I should have realized that the inside was rotten...''


    For a moment, the thought flashed through my mind that I should give up on this barrel and hold out until we reached the city.


    But I was ready to take a bath, and my former Japanese instincts, my former Japanese instincts, did not allow me to do so.


    I first placed the barrel away from the carriage, opened the lid and moved away quickly. Then I took out one of the golems and let them wash it from a distance. However, the golem isn''t very good at fine force, so it''s like I''m directly pouring magic power into it and remotely controlling it.


    First, I discard the remaining wine inside.


    Next, I use water magic to rinse the inside of the barrel. After rinsing it several times, the water became clear.


    Then, I put soap on the rags from the bag and polish the inside of the barrel.


    Finally, I fill the barrel with boiling water to disinfect it. I let it disinfect for an hour or so, changing the boiling water, just to be sure.


    Now, how did it all turn out!


    ''Yes! I hardly care!


    It works! Now the longed-for bath will be installed in the carriage.


    I immediately put it in the carriage and filled it with hot water.


    ''Ha~, paradise, paradise.''


    I''m shoulder-deep in the slightly hot water, enjoying my first bath in a long time.


    I was dressed in a towel around my waist to cool off the heat of my body.


    I could have gone completely naked, but I''m going to have some fun after the bath, so I''m dressed accordingly.


    ''When I say after a bath, this is what I mean.


    As I said this, I pulled out a bottle of chilled milk from my bag.


    "Here we go!


    With a shout, I put my hands on my hips, stretch my chest and drink the milk.


    ''Gulp, gulp, gulp, puh-hah! That''s the best!


    Most people might prefer beer, but I''ve always preferred milk to beer to drink after a bath. I''d drink beer if I had it, but I can''t get too drunk in this body (due to my abnormal tolerance), and most importantly, knowing what beer tasted like in my previous life, the biggest problem is that beer in this world is bad.


    Or, more accurately, it''s not my cup of tea, which is probably a better way of putting it. Instead, I think milk is better than it was in my previous life. The reason for this is that it''s not weirdly heat-pasteurized.


    In the previous life, most of the milk commonly sold was pasteurized by rapidly raising the temperature to 130��C and the smell of the paper carton spoiled the flavor of the milk, but in this world, it tastes better and is less dangerous because it is magically purified (only germs are eliminated). (Reminds me of a certain agricultural cartoon where unpasteurized milk was considered to be better.)


    I know I''m off topic, but that''s why milk is a staple after the bath for me, anyway!


    However, I''ve been running low on milk lately.


    We must hurry, to Dungeon City! We must protect, the fun after the bath!


    The night passed with such nonsense in mind.

 47-Chapter 3-2 Dungeon City

    Five days after we left Jayman and the others, we finally arrived at the dungeon city.


    Dungeon City Seigen, a city that has prospered rapidly since the discovery of the dungeon twenty years ago. It has a population of approximately 160,000, of which 50,000 are guild members.


    Since adventurers are always involved in the development of the dungeon city, the top adventurers have a strong voice and are even respected. Weak adventurers, on the other hand, are sometimes ridiculed, even by children, and Seigen is no exception.


    The city is surrounded by a wall, with one entrance and exit, one for north, south, east and west. There are gatekeepers at the entrances and exits, standing around the clock.


    I came to the south gate. Around the gate, there were nearly 100 people waiting to enter the city.


    Waiting like this would take quite a while. However, the adventurers had a trick up their sleeves. It was.


    Excuse me. Mr. Gatekeeper, this is the Adventurer''s Guild''s card.


    ''''I''ll check ... C-rank adventurer Temma, that''s correct. Over here.


    People around me criticized me for skipping my turn at the beginning, but the moment I said the gatekeeper was ranked C, they stopped saying anything. Instead, they cheered.


    The secret trick in the dungeon city is that adventurers with a C-rank or higher will be given priority in the procedure. This could only happen in a dungeon city where adventurers were of high status.


    The procedure is just a simple question about your background and what kind of requests you''ve completed so far.


    Once those confirmations are complete, you will be given an expired citizenship. This is a procedure to make adventurers pay instead of taxes, and it requires 10,000G in six months. If they can''t pay it, they will be expelled from the city, and if they are too vicious, they will be dropped into slavery.


    The 10,000G must be paid at the time of entry, but those who can''t pay it will be forced to borrow money from the guild. The debt has a low interest rate, but no one has ever done such a thing, because if you try to step on it, you could turn all the guilds on the continent against you.


    By the way, such a system only applies to adventurers.


    I paid 10,000 G on the spot and got a certificate.


    ''Welcome to the dungeon city of Seigen!


    With those words, I stepped into the dungeon city for the first time in my life.


    The structure of the city of Seigen is similar to the Place de l''Etoile in Paris in the previous world.


    There''s a dungeon entrance in the center of the city, and the streets radiate out from there, and the city is about 30 kilometers in size at its widest point, which is quite a large area for a city.


    The north side of the city is home to many wealthy people, the south side is home to many commoners, the west side is unsafe due to slums, and the east side is home to many workshops and their related people. Even the high end shops are clustered in the northern part of the city.


    And in the center near the dungeon, the headquarters of the Knights, shops for adventurers, inns, and eateries are clustered together.


    I decided to go to the entrance of the dungeon first.


    The entrance of the dungeon is surrounded by a high wall, and there are no large buildings in the 500 meters or so around the wall.


    ''''Well, if it caves in, we''ll be in big trouble.


    A cave-in has happened in small dungeons, although there have been a few instances of it.


    However, it is often said that when the dungeon is this big, the dungeon itself is like a single demon.


    The reason for this is that the magical energy emitted by the monsters and adventurers inside the dungeon is stored, and the dungeon core is used to strengthen and regenerate the dungeon with this magical energy. Thanks to this, the larger the dungeon, the sturdier it is.


    Many scholars have been trying to figure out how it works for a long time, but no one has ever arrived at the truth of it.


    ''Maybe we should ask the gods about it some time.


    I approached the entrance, thinking about using a backdoor trick.


    I could easily enter the wall surrounding the entrance by showing my guild card.


    The first thing I see when I enter is a building that surrounds the rock pile that would be the entrance.


    And around it, there are those who are recruiting temporary parties, those who are trying to submit requests directly, and those who use recovery magic for a fee to ply their trade... What catches my attention is the large number of children.


    I asked one of my colleagues nearby about it.


    Oh, you''ve never been in a dungeon before and those are the kids from the slums who are hired to carry the luggage. Not unusual in dungeons.


    I thanked him and gave him a silver coin in exchange for the information fee.


    "Thank you!


    With that, the man headed for the exit. The kids were about to gather around when they saw that I had paid the guy, but they entered the building earlier than that.


    Apparently, those kids are not allowed to enter the building by rule.


    The inside of the building was rather simple.


    There is a large bulletin board with requests and warnings pasted on it, five receptionists to get into the dungeon, and other than that, there is a resting place and an advice desk.


    I asked at the consultation counter how to use this dungeon.


    First of all, they made me pay the registration fee of 1000G.


    Next, they made me sign a registration form that stated that I was basically on my own inside the dungeon, that I had to declare if I was going to challenge it with a party of more than 10 people, and that I had to take as much responsibility as possible for the children I hired outside.


    And then they recommended a particular item.


    ''What is this?''


    Here are the warp cards you can use in this dungeon.


    Simply put, it seems to be an item with a save function. In the dungeon. It seems that there are spaces that are connected to the outside of the dungeon in one-way traffic here and there, and in the past, no matter how far into the dungeon you went, if you made a mistake and entered the space, you would go outside and have to start over from scratch.


    However, after this item was developed, the location of the space can be recorded, and it''s no longer a one-way street...it''s just like the Everywhere 0a.


    There are no rules for warp points in a dungeon, sometimes there are multiple warp points on a single level, and sometimes not at all. Moreover, it seems that if you use a warp zone in the dungeon, you always return to the entrance warp zone, and if you want to go to another warp zone from inside the dungeon, you have to go back to the entrance one once and then use the entrance warp thorn again.


    ''But wouldn''t that make some people go downstairs for fun?


    The answer to this question is that it is possible, but if you do, other adventurers will criticize you and ostracize you. Moreover, it is said that only such adventurers are eager to go beyond their abilities, and there is no end to the number of those who die as a result.


    The warp card cost 100,000 G, a rather high price, but it was a price I didn''t mind right now, so I bought it.


    The warp card was enchanted to prevent theft, so that only the person who registered the card can use it.


    As a precaution on the other usage, they said that you can only go to places that you can remember.


    After that, he looked at the bulletin board and other things before heading to the guild.


    The guild is located about 500 meters straight from the doorway of the wall, the building was more than twice the size of Gunjo City.


    We decided to go inside and gather information...


    "This is no place for kids! Get the hell out of here!


    I got involved early. The other guy seemed to be quite drunk.


    I didn''t want to deal with a drunk, so I ignored him.


    ''Do you think this kid is listening to me, a C-rank, and you can''t listen to me!


    I started to fuss about it.


    ''It was a C-grade? I thought you were a D-ranked person with no work to do, since you''re drunk at this hour!


    I shouted, as if I was also surprised. I could hear laughter all around me; I was being dignified with a C grade and even the kids were making fun of me.


    ''You little bastard!''


    The man tried to set up the hatchet he carried on his hip.


    It''s not safe.


    And faster than the man could raise his hand, I held the knife to his throat.


    ''Please don''t move. If your hand goes crazy or something, you''ll be in a lot of trouble... you, though.


    The man didn''t seem to understand what had happened at first, but when he moved slightly, the pain of the knife''s light touch on his throat seemed to bring him to grips with the situation.


    ''If you understand, take your hand off the axe. Otherwise you''ll end up with a knife in your throat.


    At my words, the man held up his hands.


    ''It''s all right if you know. Let''s be careful not to drink too much.


    I said, and headed for the counter.


    Most of the adventurers didn''t seem to understand what had happened then, though. Some of them didn''t seem surprised. Rather, I noticed that they were looking at me with a look that said it was only natural to be able to do that.


    ''''Excuse me. I''d like to get some information on the dungeon.''''


    ''''Yes, that''s the information on the dungeon. We can only release the map up to the tenth level, and the rest will be examples of demon appearances, etc.


    From the first floor to the 10th floor, the demons are the same, with many goblins, slimes and skeletons, and only the occasional orc.


    From the 11th floor onwards, the number of insect-shaped demons increases, and more and more people form a party. Many insect-shaped demons are stubborn and are not suitable for eating, but their materials are popular for use in weapons and armor.


    From around the 20th floor, most of the C-ranked demons became C-ranked demons, and that''s as far as the information went.


    This doesn''t mean that they are stingy, it''s just that the appearance of demons is not consistent from the 20th floor onwards, so rather than making poor decisions, it''s more of a sense of danger, which in turn increases the survival rate.


    As for the map, it''s said that it''s limited to the 10th floor, which is relatively safe, due to complaints from adventurers and the fact that some of them would be reckless if they taught it too much.


    When I told the receptionist about Shiroumaru and the others and tried to get something to prove I was a member of the family, I was told that I wouldn''t need it in this city.


    Finally, we left the guild to get recommendations for the inn and restaurant around here.


    As expected, or rather, when I left the guild, a few men followed me. Apparently, they seemed to be my C-ranked friends from earlier.


    I walked into the back alleyway to invite the men to join me....


    Hey, she''s not here! Where the hell did you hide!


    I disappeared. Technically, I just flew onto the roof with my flying magic, but the guys who thought I was just a little strong kid didn''t consider the possibility that I was floating in the air.


    While the men were searching around, I moved across the roof to the inn I had been told about in the guild.


    ''''Excuse me. It''s been fully booked for the past few days...''''


    First shot ... a dud. Well, that was to be expected. Next!


    ''I''m sorry. All the rooms have just been filled.


    Second shot ...............a dud. I guess it was a touch difference but next time I''ll try it!


    There won''t be any openings for a while from today.


    Third shot a dud. It''s about to get ugly ... next time!


    Oh, my little darling! My room is available if you want to stay in my room!


    Fourth shot ... avoid! I don''t want to share a room with a faggot! I mean, why are you introducing me to this place! Next! Next!


    I''m sorry, but this is a ladies-only room.


    Fifth shot ..................dud. ........so why is this place in the mix! Next time I''ll be the last one but God no, that one''s useless.


    I''m sorry. You''ll have to look elsewhere.


    Last ... it''s over ... hah, I don''t know where ...


    All the lodgings we were told were no good... although there were a couple of strange places in the mix.


    Worst-case scenario, I''ll take the carriage out to sleep in a vacant lot somewhere... I''m sure I''ll get into unnecessary trouble, but as I was thinking about it


    Ow!


    With a light jolt to my back, I heard a pretty voice and, a little later, a rattle, and the sound of something rolling around.


    I turned around in a hurry to see a girl a little younger than me and some wood lying around.


    ''Are you okay?''


    When I reached out to him.


    ''I''m sorry! It was my carelessness that caused me to bump into him!


    Somehow, he looks like he''s half frightened. I reached out to him again.


    ...are you angry?


    I asked her, and she reached out to me fearfully.


    I grabbed her hand and got her up, being careful not to frighten the girl.


    ''I won''t be mad at you for this. Besides, I stopped to think about it, too.


    As he says this, he picks up the wood lying around.


    ''I''m sorry! I''ll pick it up too!


    But I had almost finished picking it up, so all I had to do was re-bind it.


    ''''Huh~ I''m sorry.......for causing you so much trouble.......''''


    The girl was depressed, but as I handed her the bundled wood, she seemed to get used to it, albeit slowly.


    ''Well, take care of yourself, then.


    As soon as he said that and started walking in the opposite direction from the girl.


    I got it! That kid!


    And the vindictive men found me. It''s a pain in the ass, I thought as I turned around.


    Get out of the way! Get out of my way!


    Yikes!


    Just then, the men had just pushed the girl from earlier.


    ''''You were good just now.....gbo!


    Before the man who pushed the girl away could say anything, my left fist plunged into his abdomen.


    ''What the hell, gasp!


    The man''s companion next to me had a right uppercut.


    ''What the hell are you doing?'' was my line! You violate a girl you don''t care about, and then you can''t play games with her!


    At my blackmail, even those who were around to watch the whole thing were blaming me.


    There were two other men''s companions, both of whom were confused by the pressure from their surroundings and tried to run away... but...


    If you guys are going to talk about being full-fledged adventurers, you''re going to have to take the blame for this one!


    He was thrown off by a large, muscular man who appeared behind the men.


    ''''Oi, that''s an A-ranked djinn. He''s a Jin Jade.


    Yeah, the one that''s rumored to be moving up to an S rating in a little while.


    I hear those voices coming from around me.


    His name...Jin Jade.


    Age...32


    Race... human race.


    Title: honorary associate baron and leading adventurer.


    HP... 25,000.


    MP...10,000.


    Muscle strength...A+.


    Defensive Power...A+


    Speed...B+


    Magical power...C+.


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck...B+.


    If you only look at his abilities, he''s even better than his father. He''s a guy who looks like he''s playing the vanguard, just like that.


    I left them in charge of that guy, Jin, and ran to the girl who was pushed away.


    It''s all right now. You''re hurt ... you''ve scraped your knee. Now hold still for a moment.


    Saying that, he held his hand over the girl''s knee and cast a recovery spell. The girl was frightened at first, but she seemed to calm down as she watched the magic close the wound.


    ''Thank you. I''m fine now.


    ''No, I''m sorry too. Those guys seem to have been after me, so it''s like I''ve gotten you into this whole thing I''m really sorry.


    The girl smiled at those words and...


    Hi!


    I was about to hang up, but when I saw the djinn coming behind me, I started freaking out again.


    ''Miss, boy, what do we do with these guys?''


    The men hanging in the air seem to be unconscious, their limbs are dalang, and they are swaying every time the djinn moves.


    I blocked the girl''s gaze with the palm of my hand.


    Please throw it out of the way and leave it somewhere else. The boy is scared.


    Oh, okay.


    Jin said, then turned to the alleyway.


    That''s it!


    He threw them both down. Then he flapped his hands.


    And these two?


    I pointed to the two men who were still in agony.


    I silently approached them, casting a recovery spell until I could talk.


    Apologize first.


    He told this in a low voice to the man who had pushed him away.


    ''I''m sorry ... forgive me ...''


    And he turns to me and says.


    Who the hell told you to apologize to me? You owe her an apology.


    He pointed to the girl and let her correct him.


    ''I''m sorry...''


    More care!


    I''m sorry, I''m sorry...


    It''s not heartfelt!


    Heeeee! I''m sorry! I will not do this again! Please forgive me!


    And then I let him say it.


    Here''s what you''re going to do about it.


    I asked the girl. The girl was stunned, so


    I won''t forgive you.


    And I tell the guy.


    ''Forgive me! Please! Please! Please!


    And he rubbed his head on the ground as if he were on his knees.


    ''Mo, that''s enough! I''ve had my injuries healed and I''m not in pain anywhere!


    The girl started to say in a hurry


    ''It''s good that you''ve been forgiven. No, you can''t do that to a civilian... and that''s not to raise your hand unprovoked to a child... so be careful in the future... if there''s a next time.


    And only at the end did he add, so that only the man in a blur could hear.


    ''Oh, and don''t forget to take your friends home with you, please.


    With that, the man disappeared toward his companions in the alleyway, dragging his companion, who was lying beside him in fright.


    ''Let me apologize to you, too. I''m sorry, girl.''


    Jin must have thought he was smiling, but the girl''s reaction to seeing his face was


    Huh!


    I hid behind me.


    Jin seemed to be quite depressed when he saw that.


    ''''Bu-ho!''''


    "Pfft!


    Then I heard two laughing sounds coming from the crowd.


    ''What''s so funny! Menas, Garratt!


    Jin must have known who it was that was holding back his laughter. He called out his name to the crowd.


    ''No, because, you know what? What can I say about that face... well...''''


    You have a very bad look on your face. It''s just like you''ve found your prey, isn''t it?


    That''s it, and the woman agrees with the man next to her.


    His name... is Menace.


    Age...28


    Race... human race.


    Title: Top-notch adventurer.


    HP... 15,000.


    MP...14,000.


    Muscle strength...B


    Defensive Power... B-


    Speed...A+


    Magical power...B+.


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth potential...B-


    Luck...C+.


    His name... is Garratt.


    Age...30


    Race...Beastmen (wolves)


    Title: Top-notch adventurer.


    HP... 21,000.


    MP...10,000.


    Strength...A-


    Defensive Power... B-


    Speed...


    Magical power...


    Mental capacity...


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck...B+.


    They have the power to be first class. They probably have a party. I saw them in the guild just now I mean, they weren''t surprised by my strength. But then again...


    ''You were in the guild just now. But wasn''t there one more person?


    With those words, the three of them interrupted their conversation and turned serious.


    I knew you weren''t just a guy.


    Well, of course.


    Apparently, these three men knew about me. I don''t know where they found out about me, but I guess I should be wary.

 48-Chapter 3-3 fixed lodging decision

    Well, don''t be so alarmed. We''ve only seen you duel in Gunjo City once.


    To give you the seed, Jin and the others happened to stop by Gunjo City on their way back from the request and saw me and Regil dueling there.


    ''''I made some money that time I was a bit rushed when my opponent came in a group. But it did help me remember the boy, though.


    And as we were talking about it.


    Jin-san, Menas-san, Garratt-san, where are you!


    I heard a voice that sounded kind of distracted.


    ''Over here, Leena!


    When Menace called her that, a petite woman with a demure look appeared.


    Her name...Lina.


    Age... 21.


    Race... human race.


    Titles... apprentice monk and baroness.


    HP... 6,000.


    MP... 15,000.


    Strength...C-


    Defensive Power...C+


    Speed...C+


    Magic... A+.


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth Potential...A+


    Luck...A+.


    And while the magic power related was high, the rest was rather normal.


    I also explored skills and other things just in case.


    Skills....8 light magic, 7 water magic, 6 wind magic, 6 stick arts, 6 cooking, 6 magic manipulation, 4 magic manipulation, 5 fire magic, 5 patience, 5 lightning magic, 5 magic augmentation, 5 abnormal effect resistance, 5 instant death resistance, 5 quick death resistance, 4 recovery augmentation, 3 all magic attributes, 2 technical acquisition augmentation, 2 growth augmentation.


    Blessing...blessing from the goddess of life, blessing from the goddess of love


    He was quite good and had excellent rearguard abilities with excellent prospects. You shouldn''t judge people by what they look like! Yeah.


    "Oh, there you are, finally! Moo~ Where are you going!


    He''s angry in a way that seems to be onomatopoeic, puffing and pouting. Then he finds me behind the djinn and the others.


    ''Oh! Primera-chan''s friend ... who was it?


    Apparently, Primera and I are kindred spirits (natural friends).


    ''Oh, you know Primera? Nice to meet you, I''m Temma.


    He nodded to himself, "Oh yeah, that''s what it was called," he said, nodding to himself. I shrugged it off.


    Speaking of which, what are you guys doing here?


    ''Just a gin. Well, the reason I''m here is that I was heading to the tavern and I saw those guys running around with their blood on their faces, so I got curious and followed them.


    I think she was worried about me, and...


    "That was a close call. We almost crippled those guys!


    I don''t think that was the case.


    ''No, I won''t do that. I''m just going to talk to you a little bit more politely and make you understand.


    Yeah, I heard you did a lot of talking in Gunjo City.


    I couldn''t deny it, but...


    You''re lucky to be alive.


    At my words, the djinn agreed with me, "Well, that''s true, and they''re adventurers, too.


    ''Well, all jokes aside, even those guys would be taken to the interrogation room by the military police if they were to reanimate. It''s a pain in the ass, isn''t it?


    ''Well thank you very much.


    That''s what Jin and I were talking about.


    Um...


    The girl tugged on my hem from behind.


    ''Oh, I''m sorry. Where''s home? I''ll take you home. See you later, Gin.


    Oh, I''ll see you later!


    You said I could call you by your name, so I did, but I don''t feel any different. I''ll let you call me by my name from now on.


    With that in mind, I grab the bundle of firewood that the girl was trying to carry.


    ''No! I don''t want you to go that far...


    The girl was trying to refrain from doing so.


    ''I''m the one who got caught up in the collateral damage I did, so I''ve got to do this.


    With that, he didn''t give in and headed for the girl''s house while she showed him the way.


    After Temma left, Jin and the others were face to face discussing the situation.


    ''Hey, Jin. Was it good? Let a kid like that call you out.


    Garratt asked Jinn that, but


    Don''t you think you know that Temma''s no ordinary person, Garratt?��If he''s weak, I don''t mind, but if he''s strong, I don''t mind.


    How strong do you think he is?


    In response to Menace''s question, Jin thought for a moment, then


    ''I don''t know for sure, but that equipment I saw in the duel? If they put out a ________, we''d all have to get serious about it. Without that one, wouldn''t it be about an even match, one on one?


    I said.


    ''Oh, Jin-san. Primera said that Temma-san seems to be better at magic! Moreover, he said he can control dozens of golems at the same time. Moreover, he also said that the match didn''t seem to be serious.


    ""Seriously!"


    At Leena''s words, Jin and the three of them were in unison.


    ''''I''m sorry, Menace. I was wrong I don''t want to deal with this party, let alone one on one.......


    ''''Well maybe it was the best decision you made to treat that guy as an equal or to stop those idiots...''''


    ''Well I''d better make sure I don''t turn to the enemy and tell everyone I know about it...''


    Yes, the djinn muttered after agreeing with each other....a monster....


    At that time, Tenma was aiming for the girl''s house, not knowing that she was certified as a monster by one of the best parties in Seigen.


    Aiming, and when I say aiming, I mean this girl.......did I say Amy, I heard that this girl''s house was close to here.


    Less than ten minutes'' walk from the place where the bickering took place.


    We''re here. This is my home.


    I introduced it by saying.


    An apartment?


    It looked like an apartment in a previous life.


    I was amazed at the first apartment I''d ever seen in this world.


    It''s a bit of a strange building, but it''s an inn.


    According to Amy''s explanation, many adventurers who come to the dungeon city are staying for a long period of time, and there are a few who say they want to use the room as their own home, so they rent out a room in an apartment. In short, it''s a house for rent, even if it''s for a short period of time.


    The advantages are that you don''t have to take care of your guests'' food and you don''t have to take care of them too much, and you can expect a stable income since many of them are looking for a long term.


    The disadvantage is that the size of the room is just right for two or three people, so adventurers who are in a party tend to shy away from it, and it is said that there are about four or five houses like this management style in Seigen.


    There is a two-story house next to the apartment, and that''s the house where Amy''s family lives.


    ''What have you been doing, Amy? You''re too late.


    As I approached Amy''s house, a woman came up to me just as I was walking out the door and noticed her and approached me.


    ''You know mom, just down the street...''


    And Amy went on to explain the situation to her mother.


    When she was done talking, a woman came up to her.


    "For all the help you''ve given our son, and for fixing his injuries...


    I''ve been bowing to him.


    ''No, I''m sorry to put you in harm''s way, as it was caused by us as well.


    I lowered my head back. I myself think Amy is not at fault in this matter, even if it''s our fault, so I''m troubled to be honest and thank her for it.


    Talking about it.


    Enough of that. You''re not going to embarrass me!


    Someone who looked like Amy''s grandmother appeared from the house and stopped her mother.


    ''Excuse me. I''m Amy''s grandmother and my name is Arie. This is my mother''s...''''


    My name is Carina. I''m sorry, I was in a bit of a rush...


    My name is Temma. I''m an adventurer. I''m sorry that I got Amy involved in this case.


    I bowed again. But Ms. Carina


    ''No, I don''t mind that much. If Amy had taken care of herself, she wouldn''t have gotten involved.


    As I said this, I was reminded of something.


    ''''Um~ It''s weird to say this at this time, but.......is there any room available?''''


    Then I told him I couldn''t find accommodation and I was looking for it.


    ''''Yes, there are rooms available, but we''re on a month-to-month contract, would you mind?''''


    I''ll be fine. And I have another companion...


    I said, and from my bag, I pulled out Shiroumaru and Slarin.


    ''Wow!'' You scared me~


    Surely a normal person would be surprised if a wolf or slime came out of the bag.


    ''''That''s fine but if it''s damaged or needs to be repaired, I''ll charge you separately but is that okay with you?''''


    ''I''m fine! So what''s the charge?


    "Your room will be 7,000 G per month. Also, you must pay for it in advance, and after one week, you will have relinquished any personal belongings you may have left in the room.


    Okay. For now, two months, please.


    I''ll get you a contract.


    ''It''s a simple contract, just show me your guild card, write down your name and the fee you paid and ask for a note.


    ''Here''s the key. Temma-san''s room is on the first floor, at the very front.


    I walked into the room as soon as I could.


    Wow, that sounds like a pretty good place to live.


    ''''Isn''t it an unusual structure! But that''s what we do around here (Seigen)!


    Amy, who was showing me around, told me so.


    ''For food and baths, there''s a cook''s and bath house nearby.


    So I went to the bath house as soon as possible. By the way, Shiroumaru was being stroked by Amy and seemed to feel good, so I left him with her.


    When I came back from the bathhouse, Shiroumaru and Amy were waiting for me in front of my room.


    ''Welcome back, Temma-san. You know, I gave Shiroumaru some snacks, but he won''t eat them...


    ''Yeah, Shilomar has been taught not to eat food from anyone but me when I''m not around so you can take it from Amy, Shilomar, you can take it from Amy.


    When he said that, Shiroumaru replied with a howl, Wong.


    ''''I like it~ I want a subordinate too...''''


    Amy is envious, but


    Maybe Amy could make her own family.


    It''s almost like a hunch, but it''s rare for Shiroumaru to be this nurturing when they first meet, so I said so.


    ''Really! Really true!


    He was packed in with a great deal of energy.


    ''It''s not a sure thing, but it''s rare for Shiroumaru to let up on me when we first meet, so it''s possible... it should be possible...''


    I said, a little smugly, but Amy didn''t seem to care about that.


    So I''ll be an adventurer in the future!


    I tensed up.


    ''Haha, you''ll have to talk to your mothers about that...''


    I wondered if I had taught her something strange, but later I heard that Amy''s father was an adventurer and he was currently away, hiding in a dungeon.


    After returning from the bathhouse, I''m going to prepare some preserved food and easy to eat for tomorrow''s dungeon.


    First up is the biscuits, simple flour and sugar with crushed nuts and walnuts and a few types of dried fruit, chopped up into small pieces, mixed and baked.


    Next is the meat, we have several kinds of meat to prepare. First, dried meat, which is a good size meat, seasoned with salt and other ingredients, and then magically dried, and that''s it.


    The rest is grilled meat, some question if this is a dish, but I just grill the meat and put it in a bag in small portions for every few pieces. This way it''s easy to eat hot food. Hooray for magic bags!


    Now all we need to do is cut up some bacon we bought nearby and the meat will be good.


    Now for the fruits and vegetables! But I''m going to throw the whole thing into the bag, and if it''s hard to eat raw, I''m just going to boil or bake it.


    And drinks.........water is magically available, so we only need a couple of water bottles.


    The rest is all kinds of seasonings, homemade miso and soy sauce, spices and herbs, and don''t forget the salt and sugar.


    Salt, sugar and water should be enough to survive for a few days at the very least...! For salt, I prepared crushed rock salt and powdered it into a powder, and for sugar, I prepared brown and white sugar that was magically compressed and hardened and powdered, respectively.


    There wasn''t much else to buy, but I only bought a large quantity of cloth.......which I could use for something.


    Since that was about it, I couldn''t think of anything else to do, so to pass the time, I decided to clean up Adamantine''s hand armor and armor that I had purchased at Gunjo City earlier.


    The inside of the armor wasn''t rusty, so I used a knife to lightly scrape and scrape off any rust on the surface, and then polished it with an oiled cloth to finish it off. Then I saw something ominous, but I ignored it.


    The armor is a torso section with shoulder pads, probably a full body armor, but for some reason the head, arms, and lower body section must have been lost, but this alone seems to have some use.


    This one was rusted to the inside, so I took it apart where it could be disassembled and carefully cleaned it up using the same procedure as the armor.


    "I guess it''s not a mistake or a misunderstanding after all...


    That said, this armor had something just as sinister as the armor. It was.


    That''s a nobleman''s coat of arms, isn''t it?


    There was a coat of arms engraved on it with a lion and a dragon (...).


    ''''This is a bit different from the royal one I saw before, which means it''s from the grand duke family...''''


    Even if I took it directly to the Grand Duke, it would only cause trouble. If I get the chance, I can give it to the king or one of his guards at that time..........only if I get the chance.


    I''m planning to visit the King''s capital eventually, so I''ll probably have the opportunity... let''s just say that I''ll have the opportunity.


    I made up my mind not to show these two armor to anyone and sealed them in my bag.


    Fortunately, the others didn''t have a coat of arms on them, so no one would notice if I treated them as mine, and even if they did, they would be able to cheat.


    Even if someone appeared who claimed to be the owner, as long as they couldn''t prove it publicly, there should be no problem with it being mine.


    While thinking about this, I check my equipment.


    For now, the equipment I''ll be using tomorrow will be the leather armor (modified) and the usual boots that were sold at a nearby armor shop, Mithril''s small sword and Orihalcon''s knife.


    I intend to go as far as I can go, but I decided not to push myself too hard at first, just to see how it goes, and decided to rest for today.


    Now, a new morning has arrived. I don''t know if it''s a morning of hope, but it''s a memorable one for me!


    As I thought about it, I looked out.


    ..........


    It was raining spectacularly hard outside. The weather pattern that suddenly frustrated my motivation almost made me go back to the futon.


    ''''No, it still has nothing to do with the inside of the dungeon.......it should!


    I folded the covers and got back into the swing of things. First of all, we''ll have breakfast, but I''ll just reheat some of the food I made yesterday and eat it.


    After filling my stomach, I picked up my umbrella and headed for the dungeon.


    Surprisingly, there were quite a few adventurers and merchants walking near the dungeon.


    Ignoring them, I headed for the entrance.


    Hey, man, it''s Temma. You wanna join us?


    I was approached by a party of the only people I know in this city.


    ''Sorry Jin. I''m making my debut today and I''d like to do it alone.


    When I declined to tell the djinn and the others, the adventurers around me began to buzz.


    ''''Well that''s a shame. If you were here, I thought we could make it past the first or second floor today.


    At those words, the murmur around them grows even louder.


    ''''Well then I''m going to go now...........oh, yeah. Just for your information, how many levels are you diving to now?


    You''re on the 64th floor now. It took me eight years to get here. It''s not like I''ve been diving every day.


    His words were met with praise from those around him.


    ''''Heh~ Is that how it is?''''


    These words were met with laughter from those around him, saying that he didn''t know anything.


    ''You say it''s like that, but the highest record in this dungeon is 78 floors. And it took fifteen years.''''


    But if you guys were serious about diving, you''d set a new record.


    I said, and Jin looked a little dumbfounded.


    ''It''s not so sweet. And my party is a little unbalanced.


    I started complaining about things that I didn''t know if I was being humble or serious, and about my friends, such as


    Oh, I''m gonna go, I''m gonna go.


    See you later, I raised my hand and slunk away.


    Jin looked like he wanted to say something, but I ignored him and headed for the dungeon''s entrance.


    The dungeon''s entrance was closed by a thick door, and a group of strong men stood at its side.


    When he showed his guild card to one of them, the man silently opened the door.


    The inside of the dungeon he was entering for the first time was dimly lit and the air was a little damp and had a unique smell.


    At the end of the door, there was a staircase, and when he went down it, there was another door. This time the men weren''t there, so I opened it myself, and there were more doors and stairs ahead.


    Eventually, after going under four doors and down the stairs four times, I finally saw a passage.


    ''I suppose it''s to make it harder for the demons to get out but it''s a pain in the ass.


    With these impressions, the first dungeon attack of my life began.

 49-Chapter 3-4 Dungeon Attack

    "Shilomar, cut through it!


    At my command, Shiroumaru snarls and swings his paw down with a grunt.


    ''''Bigger.''''


    The goblins in the swarm were ripped into several pieces by Shiroumar''s blow, killing them.


    ''Well done Shiroumaru! You''ve improved a lot.


    The blow that Shiroumaru delivered was one that he had developed earlier during the Crocodile Shark. For convenience, he named this technique "Slash Claw" and usually called it Slash and made him practice it.


    With the practice, he used to just release it with force, but now he''s learned how to control the force and can send it far away or even use it on his claws (feet).


    To be honest, his previous techniques were difficult to use. The reason for this was that they could be substituted with other magic and were too sketchy.


    However, after limiting its use, it became extremely easy to use.


    The method was divided into three attack methods: close range, where it was applied directly to one''s hands, fingers or feet to attack a target; mid-range, where it was applied to a weapon (a blade) to attack; and long range, where it was an improvement on the previous usage and released.


    As a result, even Shiroumaru was able to learn them easily, and his fighting ability increased dramatically.


    Most importantly, though, this is meaningless with the goblins I''m dealing with now...


    "Shiroumaru, you can ignore the ones that run away.


    I took out the demon core from the goblin and burned the corpse.


    There are no rewards for defeating the monsters in the dungeon, except for designated ones and subspecies. And even if you took the parts of the monsters from the dungeon to another city to be defeated, they would be found out through appraisals and the like. In that case, you''ll be penalized.


    In the dungeon, you can leave the corpses alone, but it''s a nuisance if they decay, so it''s an unspoken agreement that you should bury them or burn them when you have time. If it''s a material, you can take it home with you, but the only thing you can get from goblins is the magic core.


    There should be a staircase in a little while. Let''s go, Shiroumaru.


    Like this, my first dungeon went thumping along, and I was at the 10th level in about 2 hours.


    Normally, a beginner would be able to get to the third floor in two hours, but in my case, as a result of advancing the shortest distance with Shiroumaru''s nose and my search, and kicking out the occasional goblin or slime that appeared, I was progressing at a speed that would normally be unthinkable.


    As an aside, I had made up my mind not to let Slarin deal with his own kind as much as possible.


    The reason for this was not because I felt sorry for him, but because it made me feel bad to see him.


    In a fight between slimes that lacked a physical attack method, there were many ways to basically swallow the opponent whole and melt them away. Out of curiosity, I tried to kill Slarin, but Slarin would twist and turn to take advantage of my opponent''s openings in an attempt to swallow him up. I got drunk watching him wriggle around as he did the same thing.


    So from then on, I was able to play a slime duel against my opponent. He made them stop fighting by way of the method.


    In addition, the Slurin who ate the slime he had defeated had remembered the fire magic that his opponent had. Conceivably, he probably took away his opponent''s attributes, but since he had made the magic-holding demon eat a few times before, it would only apply when he was dealing with a magic-holding slime.


    Off to the side


    It''s said that this is the first wall for beginners.


    ''That was quick.......is that a caterpillar?


    The appraisal came up with Green Caterpillar, the green caterpillar. It seems to be poisonous.


    Shilomar, wait!


    I made Shiroumaru wait, and then I picked up a handful of stones that had fallen at my feet, cast a strengthening spell, and


    Go!


    He threw it like a baseball.


    ''Gross! And weak!


    Perhaps it was a mistake to have strengthened it to arm strength, but the caterpillar scattered body fluids and other fluids around the area and died.


    ''''........From now on, I''ll try to defeat them with magic as much as possible......''''


    The 11th level is nothing but caterpillars! As much as I wanted to scream that, all I could find was a caterpillar.


    I was getting a little tired so I decided to find a dead end and take a break.


    My idea of how to take a break was to first enter the dead end and block the passage with earth magic. If it''s like a private room, I''ll check to see if there are any demons hiding in it... that''s all.


    Although it''s a simple method, I think this method is rather useful. Because if you put a strengthening spell on the earthen walls, there aren''t many demons that will invade, and most importantly, it''s great that you can sit down slowly without too much caution.


    Moreover, I have all sorts of magic, food, water, and even a carriage in my magic bag, so if I wanted to, I could live in the dungeon as long as my food allowed.


    However, no matter how well you can live, if you get carried away, you will lose your mind and your physical condition.


    That''s why I''ve been looking for a place to stay on earth to rest my bones.


    So I was looking for an inn where I could rest my weary bones.


    I instructed Shiroumaru and Slarin to take turns keeping watch, eating and taking a light break. Of course, I prepared food for Shiroumar and Slarin... or else Shiroumar would start the concert with a belching sound.


    After eating, I laid down for half an hour and went to bed. It was a good thing I had one spare bed in my bag for times like this. Even if you take a break, there is a difference in the way you lose fatigue if you don''t lie down.


    This is what my grandfathers used to tell me in my past life, when you can lie down, you should do it.


    I feel much better mentally and physically, even after just a little sleep. It was an easy process so far, but I guess I was tensing up and getting extra strength without knowing it.


    ''I''d better get going, Shiroumaru.


    I call out to Shiroumaru, who was sleeping at the bottom of the bed, and then I clean up the bed and other things.


    Shiroumaru seems to have regained his strength and is stretching out, yawning.


    Instead, Slarin went into his dimension bag, as if to take a break.


    He was about to break down the wall to resume his adventure when he noticed a faint breeze behind him.


    ''Where''s it coming from?''


    If the wind was coming from the wall in front of me, I wouldn''t have cared, but the wind was coming from the one that was originally the wall, so I probed the wall with caution.


    There you are.


    There was a hole about the size of a fist in the corner of the wall.


    I found the source of the wind, so I used my earth magic to expand it, and there was a deep hole there.


    ''A hidden room.........something like that. I don''t know how far it goes, but I hope it''s not a demon''s nest.''''


    I muttered and put Shiroumaru in my bag and used my flight to slowly descend through the hole.


    I closed the hole I had opened up as it was originally, just in case.


    The hole is about 4 meters in diameter, but the walls are occasionally jutting out to make the hole narrower, so I use my magic to scrape away the hole as I descend, and it feels like I haven''t even descended 100 meters yet.


    Another 10 minutes of descending. Finally, the end is in sight.


    When I got down to the very bottom, there was a side hole there that a person could pass through, and the wind was flowing from there.


    I proceeded cautiously, using my search. And within five minutes, I was out in a large space.


    There was a considerably denser-than-normal magic in the space, so I quickly hid behind a nearby rock to look around, but there were no demons in the area that I could see.


    I used a search to be sure, and there was a rather large magical reaction in the back. Strangely enough, even when I used the appraisal, the only thing that came to mind was a string of garbled, unintelligible letters.


    I''ve never seen anything like this before, so I slowly proceeded to hide myself to where the reaction was.


    Dragons?


    There it was, a rock in the shape of a dragon.


    It was about four meters in size and looked like it was curled up and resting on its body.


    I was so intrigued that I forgot that I had a magical reaction and approached it carelessly.


    When I got about five meters closer, the dragon-shaped rock stood up with its eyes glowing red.


    ''''Huh, this thing was a golem!


    Inwardly impatient, I hurriedly took my distance, but the golem seemed to recognize me as an enemy and took up a fighting stance.


    I took out my adamantine sword from my bag and took a stance against the golem.


    There was an optional branch of escape, but I became interested in the nucleus that was driving so many golems, and I came to the conclusion that I would take it.


    The golem attacks by swinging its tail and waving its arms and legs, but fortunately it seems that it can''t use breathers, and the only way to attack is to throw a rock at it when it is far enough away.


    ''''That said, it doesn''t look like they''re taking much damage, even with Adamantine''s sword.......''''


    If he keeps going, he''s unlikely to lose. However, if he continued to let them run rampant in such a place, they might eventually cause a fall.


    So I strengthened my Adamantine sword and ran to the bosom of the golem.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.


    Of course, I also attack while dodging the golem''s attacks.


    I''m concentrating my attacks around the base of the golem''s right front leg, and have been able to chip away at it, albeit slowly.


    At first I was using magic, but this golem seems to have magic resistance, and physical attacks seem to be more effective than magic, so now I''m using strengthened swords and physical attacks with earth magic to inflict damage.


    Anyway, thanks to the concentrated attack from earlier, the golem''s front legs started to crack.


    So I took a large distance and hit the rock with my earth magic, and it hit the right front leg nicely and succeeded in crushing the golem''s front leg as it was.


    However, you can''t relax here. This is because this kind of golem is often equipped with a certain degree of regeneration ability, and in fact, the golem''s right paw in front of me is trying to regenerate by taking in the stones around it little by little.


    ''''I''m not going to let it!''''


    I unleashed my fire magic and attacked again, keeping the golem in check.


    This time I was able to crush its left front leg faster than before. After that, I also crushed the back leg just to be sure, but this one had a tail attack, so in a way I had to be more careful than the front leg.


    As a result, a dragon golem with no limbs was created in front of me.


    Even though it had no limbs, it had a mouth and a tail, so I had to be careful, but on the contrary, that was the only way to attack it, so I struck the golem''s head while trying not to let it regenerate.


    After five minutes of pounding, the golem''s head was crushed and gone, but the golem still didn''t stop moving.


    ''''No matter how much it''s a golem......................it''s gross when it gets to this point.


    With these thoughts in mind, I smashed its neck. Then I crushed its tail as well, and all that was left was its body, which at a glance looked like a simple rock.


    As I was crushing the torso, I heard a crunching sound as if I had hit metal, and unbelievably, the reinforced adamantine sword chipped away.


    ''''Whoa!''''


    I made a strange sound. When the sword chipped, my hand went numb from too much impact.


    When I looked at the place I was tapping earlier, I saw some kind of white object.


    When I carefully tapped around the white object, what came out was some kind of white, round object.


    ''''Could it be an egg........is it this?''''


    When he took it out, the golem stopped moving and crumbled, rattling.


    ''So this was the nucleus.


    With the removal of the nucleus, the golem lost its function and became nothing more than a stone.


    I put the egg in my bag for now and was about to walk out when I noticed some metal mixed in with the crumbling former golem.


    An appraisal of it showed that it was mithril, so I gathered it up, one by one.


    The big ones were about the size of a thumbnail and the smaller ones were about half the size of a little fingernail.


    ''''No wonder they must be so hard.... if they contain this stuff, they''ll have a hard time...''''


    As I said that, I cast an earth magic on the shards of the crushed golem and turn them into sand. The one thing that didn''t turn into sand among them is mithril, that''s why.


    The collected mithril weighs about 10kg in total, and at market price, it would cost 5 million G before processing.


    This is about the same price as gold. However, when mithril is processed, it can fetch nearly five times the price before processing, depending on the object. This is because mithril is hard and difficult to process, so the price of mithril is higher than before processing.


    I explored the surrounding area to see if there was any other mithril, but apparently the metal contained in the rock that had been turned into a golem had changed, and only about 20 kg of silver was found in the area, but no mithril was found.


    Still, it''s going to be about 100-200,000 Gs.


    When I was thinking of cutting it off at this point, there was a place at the edge where the space appeared to be distorted.


    ''Is this the thing you said was connected to the outside?


    Adventurers say this is called a warp zone. This was probably named by the reincarnators.


    I was a little apprehensive, but as soon as I entered the warp zone with my intentions, I was able to exit into another space.


    There was a door a little further on, so I opened it and found that it was near the door I had entered in the morning.


    ''Whoa, what the hell, Tenma just got back too!


    I looked at the direction the voice came from and saw the djinn and the others.


    ''Yeah, I dove in at random, and I got some success out of it, too.


    The djinn responded to the word "some achievement" by saying


    How long?


    He asked curiously. His tone of voice was about as lucky as I would be if he told me, but I took out some of today''s results and placed them on a nearby table.


    ''Hey, you ... how far did you dive for this one?


    Looking at the 100 or so magic cores and 20 kilograms of silver on the table (which, by the way, had been shaped by alchemy and turned into a 1 kilogram ingot), the djinn and others shouted.


    The people around them reacted to the voice and tried to look into it, but they glanced at it and kept it away.


    ''''The location is a secret, but I think it''s about 12 levels.... I''ve been hiding the place I took it from.


    Hearing those words, some adventurers ran to the entrance of the dungeon.......I''m not lying, never.


    The djinn looked at me like I was a stinker, but when they saw that I didn''t change my expression, they gave up.


    ''Don''t confuse me too much...''


    I muttered, putting a hand on his shoulder. I nodded vaguely.


    Adventurers are on their own, though.


    The djinn smiled bitterly as he said.


    ''''By the way, are you going to sell this silver to the guild?''''


    Menace, who was beside the djinn, said something like that, and I replied that I was going to, but


    ''''If the quality is this good, I''m sure you''ll be able to get a higher price for it if you go to sell it to some high class store than to the guild.


    I was advised to do so.


    Do you know of any better places?


    But I don''t know the city of Seigen very well yet, so when I asked him where he could buy it, Menace thought for a moment and then


    ''I''m sure most of the stores on the north side will buy most of the places but I''m not sure I''ll be able to tell you where to go until I find the right one.


    So I decided to keep the silver ingot in my bag for the time being.


    How about we have dinner together from now on?


    I''ve been invited to do so.


    Yeah, I''ll join you.


    We decided to deepen our exchanges with the djinn. The most important thing is that it wasn''t purely an attempt to deepen exchanges, it also included a calculation that if you get along with the djinn and others, they might be able to keep you in check to a certain extent, but I think the djinn are aware of this to some extent.


    ''''So, where are you going?''''


    "There''s a great place nearby. They have a great selection and they serve good booze.


    That good store seems to be located near the guild.


    I''ll stop by the guild and sell the magic core.


    And I decided to take a little detour.


    By the way, the Demon Nuclei were 3000G in total. Because there were so many goblins, and because the caterpillar nukes were of the lowest grade that could be obtained in a dungeon, most of them were 30G each.


    If a beginner wanted to gather that many, it would take several people to dive for nearly half a day to gather them. From the side, it''s hard to believe that we''ve accomplished about four hours of work.


    After that, we went to the restaurant that Jin and the others recommended, ordered and began to eat.


    I heard a lot of things during the meal, and I heard that the name of Jin and his party is ''The Sword of Dawn''.


    It used to be a party of three people, but since Leena joined four years ago, the party has become more stable, and recently the name has become well known in the royal capital.


    ''''Jin, have you ever heard of any rumors about the Kukri Village in King''s Capital?''''


    I''ll ask him that.


    ''''No, I haven''t heard of it... or rather, the last time I was in King''s Landing before that was about three years ago, and the disaster in Kukri Village was a little before that... but what about Kukri Village?''''


    Jin and the others knew about Kukri Village, but as expected, they weren''t going to tell him in detail, so I briefly explained what I had said to the duke before.


    ''''Well it would be nice to hear about that acquaintance...''''


    And there was no particular doubt about it. I was told that the Count of the Frontier, who had a very narrow view of the situation in Kukri.


    It was the men arranged by the Earl of Hoost that had caused the destruction of the village. Unfortunately, many of the villagers had some kind of connection with the adventurers, so the adventurers had been pulled out of the Earl of Hoost''s frontier territory. Moreover, they approached their own acquaintances.


    That''s why, for a while, the number of adventurers from the Howst Frontier Domain was reduced to less than half of what it used to be. I heard that the number has almost returned to the original number now, but the number of veterans has decreased considerably.


    Talking about that.


    Speaking of which, I hear Temma-san is very good at baking.


    Leena blushed and said..........................apparently it was the alcohol.


    How did you know, I wondered.


    ''Primera-chan was proud to say. ''I''ve eaten better than the sweets of King''s Landing,'' she said.


    The source of information was Natural Knight-sama (Duke''s daughter (Primera)).


    ''''I don''t know if it''s better than King''s Landing, but I''ve sent Primera a couple of times, but...''''


    And when I say that.


    ''Please make me one! Only Primera-chan is unfair!


    He leaned forward and said.


    Why, I wondered, was Menace sitting next to me?


    She''s got a sweet tooth but if you''re going to make it, so is mine!


    ''''Well that''s fine but.......you should at least pay for the materials.


    With those words, Leena, of course! He held out a single gold coin.


    ''That is indeed too much! Two silver coins would be enough!


    When I said that, he nodded his head and pulled out two silver coins from his bag and handed them to me.


    ''''As far as possible, the sweets should be something that Primera-chan has never eaten before!


    And then he ordered me to think about some things.


    ''''Then I''ll go and make about two different kinds. Well please come to the guild the day after tomorrow at noon or so.


    Then Lina said, I understand! It''s lunchtime, day after tomorrow! And he was quite enthusiastic about it.


    The meal went on like that, and by the time it got dark outside, it was time to break up...because Leena, who was strangely overzealous, guzzled some alcohol and got drunk.


    I decided to take some of it home for Shiroumaru and the others, feed them in the room and let them sleep.


    ''Hey, wake up Temma,''


    I was supposed to be sleeping alone in my room, but for some reason I was woken up by a familiar voice.


    I woke up with sleepy eyes.


    Hey, you''re finally up. You''re disturbing me for a second.


    And in front of me was the God of Skill and the God of Magic.


    ''''Oi, wasn''t the next one a decade later?''''


    That question was answered by the god of magic.


    The Creator made me do it.


    I was able to get away with a single word. I was so stunned that the god of skill told me that


    So let''s get cracking this time, since the time is much shorter than the last time!


    I said lightly.


    ''My requirements first! You got your mithril, Temma. I''m talking about how to forge it. Mithril is not easy to process by itself, so you mix it with silver, mix it up a little at a time, soften it and process it! And once you''ve formed it, you can beat it to a high temperature and the silver will gradually fall out, so you''ll end up with a high-purity mithril. You get the idea! And that method can be applied to Orihalcon and stuff like that.


    Okay.


    ''''The beast gods are next! The eggs that Temma finds will hatch if he continues to give them a significant amount of magical power. And the demon that is born will become Temma''s family... that''s all!


    I nodded my head in a humph.


    ''My turn. Temma''s slime - or was it Slurin, that''s not just a subspecies, it seems to be a new species. Supposedly, it has the ability to absorb the characteristics of its own kind. I''ll add it to Slarin''s status next time........................Very interesting.


    I''ve been thinking about how I sound like the protagonist of some drama, while the magical god laughing at me and pulling me back a bit.


    It''s time to go. Goodbye, Temma.


    Bye, Temma.


    When I said that, the two of them went into a haze and I woke up... but it was still the middle of the night, so I fell asleep twice.

 50-Chapter 3-5 Imprint

    When I woke up, I tried to give the eggs their magical powers like I was advised to do in my dream.


    What am I going to do?


    I forgot to ask the key question and stumbled out of the gate.


    At any rate, I let the magic flow through me as if I were granting magic.


    Oh, it''s working!


    I don''t know if this was the right thing to do, but I think I''m going to keep doing it this way for now.


    I just started to dive into the dungeon, but I decided to stop diving for a while and continue to give the eggs a magical boost, so I modified a cloth bag to look like a backpack and carried it on my back and put the eggs in it.


    My plan for today is to gather ingredients for baking.


    I still had some ingredients left in the bag, but I was a bit nervous about it, so I decided to take this opportunity to buy more.


    We couldn''t get a good selection at the nearby grocery store, so we asked someone on the street for directions to a nearby big trading company.


    The name of the trade association was written as Jay''s Trading Company. Somehow it reminded me of a single person, but I didn''t care and went inside.


    ''Welcome. What can I do for you?


    The employee who came to deal with the situation told me where to find the ingredients for baking, and where to find the items that could be used for baking, and I selected them.


    Once I had a certain amount of ingredients, I looked in the flavoring area and found something.


    ''Um, what''s this?''


    I was pointing at something that looked like a dead tree branch.


    The employee.


    Oh, it''s a vanilla branch. Its purpose is to add flavour to liquor.


    Then he opened the lid and let me smell it, but it was just vanilla beans.


    ''I''ll have these too, please,''


    And I buy as much as I can find in the store.


    The scent was less fragrant than the previous one, but the smell of vanilla for a long time made me want to eat ice cream.


    So I decided to buy additional tools and ingredients for making ice cream.


    When I got back to my room, I tore off a vanilla branch and soaked it in the warm milk.


    Other than that, I took the leftover rockbird eggs out of my bag and separated them into yolks and whites.


    I still had a few eggs, so I took out two and gave them the same magic as the eggs on my back. It can produce a warmth of By the way, I set the temperature to be about the same as my body temperature. The temperature is lower for chickens, but when I hunted rockbirds before, my body temperature was about that, so I thought lightly that it was just an experiment, so I didn''t mind.


    After that, it''s mostly up to Slarin to pour magic power into it every once in a while and turn the eggs over.


    I poured wind-attribute magic power into the rock bird, and alternately poured no-attribute and light-attribute magic power into the eggs on my back.


    It''s about time for the vanilla scent to transfer to the milk, so I take the vanilla branch out of the milk and start cooking it.


    First, I mix the egg yolks with the sugar, milk with vanilla, and melted butter. When the whole mixture starts to get sloppy, sift in the flour and mix some more.


    Next, whisk the egg whites to make a meringue. When the mixture is stiff enough to form a corner, mix it in with the one you just made.


    Be careful not to overmash the meringue at this point and pour it into the mold.


    Just substitute a metal cup for the mold, butter the inside, and pour the batter into it, then let it air out and bake!


    However, we don''t have an oven here, so we use a pizza oven that we made ourselves during our trip.


    Once the inside of the pizza oven is hot enough to work its magic, all I have to do is pour a cup of dough into it.


    All that''s left to do is bake it for about 20 minutes.


    In the meantime, I get to work on the next one.


    Make a meringue by adding sugar to the egg whites.


    Next, add honey to the milk and dissolve it, then sift in the flour and baking soda.


    Once they are mixed together, mix it with the first meringue. Again, be careful not to mash the meringue.


    All that''s left to do is butter a metal square box, pour the batter into it, let it air out, and you''re ready to go.


    The first pastry is about to be baked, so I take it out and skewer it.


    All right, the dough is coming together nicely.


    I repositioned the cup inside to be sure and baked it for about two minutes, and when I took it out of the kiln, I let it cool a bit and put it away in a bag.


    I heated the inside of the kiln again and put a square mold in this time.


    This time I baked it while changing the place for about 30 minutes. I let this one cool a little before putting it in the bag.


    At that time, I felt an egg move on my back. I hurriedly took a look at it, but it didn''t feel like it was being born yet.


    However, it is starting to move well, so it must be hatching soon.


    Somehow, I went out there.


    Oh.


    I met eyes with Amy, who was looking at us.


    ''I''m sorry! Something smelled so good...


    When I went outside, I noticed that there was definitely a sweet smell coming from my room.


    So I decided to share some of the sweets for myself (which doubled as Shiroumaru''s) that I''d kept in my bag with Amy.


    I asked her to go up to her room, and as I was preparing the snacks


    Mr. Temma! Eggs!


    At those words, I looked over the bed and to my surprise, a rockbird egg had hatched.


    ''Haha! I just started warming it up a few minutes ago!


    It was startlingly fast, but there was no point in being surprised when there were two chicks right in front of her.


    ''''At any rate, we need to move the shells out of the way and make a place to sleep.......''''


    The chicks were no more than about 20 cm in size, so I laid a piece of cloth in a 50 cm box that I had in my bag, for all intents and purposes, and made a bed for them.


    ''Ah, yes Amy. Do you feel anything when you look at these girls?


    ''Yes! Very pretty!


    I guess I asked the wrong question. I got my mind back on track.


    No, I mean, do you feel some sort of magical connection?


    I had to nod my head at the question.


    I think I feel something warm coming from both birds...


    He said that perhaps Amy had the qualities of a tamer.


    When I told her about it, Amy was happy to ask her how to sign up, but


    You need to talk to your moms first.


    I said and hurried back to my house. I took the opportunity to clean up my room (just put the things I''d left in my bag) and wait.


    A short time later, Amy brought Carina and Arie to her.


    ''''Do you really think this girl has the talent to be a tamer?''''


    That''s what Karina came to me at the opening. I''m not sure I know Tame well enough to be able to teach him with pride myself, but


    If the feeling Amy is feeling is not a misunderstanding, Amy has a talent for taming.


    If you feel the same way as I did when I experienced it, then you meet the conditions of Teemu.


    The conditions of tame are talent, enough magic power to make a contract, and affinity.


    I was taught that when all of these things are met, a demon can be turned into a family member.


    Having said that, I''d like to say a few words


    I just don''t know if Amy will be able to completely control the Rockbird.


    It''s not clear whether Amy, who has never had any training or control over her magic, will be able to do what she says even by force in a pinch.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what to expect.


    ''''It''s just that it''s not without possibility.


    What do you mean?


    Arie asked on Amy''s behalf.


    ''Do you know what imprinting is?''


    It''s just that... the geese think the first thing they see is a parent.


    Carina replied.


    ''Yes, you are correct. I just don''t know if that imprint will work on Rockbird.''


    They look at me as if to say, "Then why?


    ''What I''m trying to say is that it''s more of an imprint on the one who raises Aimee herself now and makes these chicks realize that Aimee is their parent. By feeding, disciplining, and giving them magic powers from a very young age, we make these chicks believe that Amy is the parent who is taking care of them.


    It''s a double imprinting strategy: if the bird''s imprinting works, then good, and if it doesn''t, I''ll put it on another possibility, and then I''ll make it into Amy''s subordinate by double imprinting it.


    ''''Of course, granting magic power takes practice, but fortunately, Aimee is in a growth period right now, so with practice, she can have some magic power.


    Amy''s face brightened at those words, while Carina-san and Arie-san, on the contrary, became thoughtful.


    ''''Can Temma-san teach us how to practice our magic power?''''


    Carina asked anxiously.


    I''m not going to stay with you, but I''m going to take care of you until you learn the basics. Besides, the method I''m going to teach you is the one I actually learned when I was four years old, so there''s very little danger. And if there is, it''s just that I''ll pass out from using too much magic.


    They both looked uneasy at the last word, but Amy, our own Amy, was


    Please!


    He was tense, so they reluctantly agreed.


    ''Amy, let me tell you first, I''m only going to teach you the basics. I can''t be responsible for the rest. And even if you learn the basics, you can''t imitate an adventurer. If you can''t follow, I won''t teach you.


    I said clearly to Amy. Adventurers are usually responsible for their own deaths, even if they die.


    But if I teach a child the basics of magic and he dies in a huff, I can''t be held responsible.


    So, as a condition of teaching the basics beforehand, I made it clear that I wasn''t going to teach them if they were going to imitate adventurers, and I listened to Amy in front of her mother and grandmother.


    However, Amy said.


    Be an adventurer and dive with your dad!


    I said so. So, once again, I asked Carina and Arie-san.


    ''It can''t be helped. Maybe it''s better to let him do it than to stop him for some strange reason... it would be less dangerous if he was with his father...


    I allowed myself to be half-heartedly surprised.


    ''However, you''ll have to tell your father yourself!


    And that''s on the condition that.


    ''And I''ll tell you ahead of time, if Amy gives up or can''t learn to manipulate magic, these chicks are going to be meat.


    What?


    Amy looks at me, stunned, but I don''t care.


    ''Think about it, it''s cute, but I don''t need a rockbird as a family member, and even if it''s just a coincidence, I''m giving away the thing I hatched, and if Aimee can''t control it, then the rockbird is just a demon. I''ll have to take care of it responsibly with my own hands before it harms people.


    ''You understand,'' I said, perhaps a little cruelly, but I told Amy that I was ready.


    ''So Amy needs to keep that in mind before she practices.


    Okay! I won''t let you kill these kids!


    He said with a resolve that could be seen as hostile to me.


    ''Well, let''s get on with it. But first, I''m going to go out for a bit, so change into some clothes you don''t mind getting dirty, and get a tub of water ready and waiting.


    With that, I ran towards the guild.


    The reason is because I was originally supposed to give Leena the candy tomorrow, but I didn''t want to take as much time as possible to teach Aimee the basics of magic, so I thought I could give it to her today if possible.


    However, things didn''t go as I had hoped, and Leena wasn''t in the guild.


    I went to the entrance of the dungeon just in case, and as luck would have it, Leena and the others were about to dive in.


    ''''Oi~, Leena!


    He looked around at me at the sound of his voice, but I didn''t care and ran over to him.


    ''What''s the matter, Temma?''


    The first person who approached me was Garratt, who was closest to me. I told him the reason, and he was about to hand Leena a piece of candy.


    Ladies and gentlemen, I have something urgent to do!


    And then he tried to pull me away.


    Wait a minute!


    And Menace had grabbed me by the collar.


    I heard him say something like, "Gee," but I dared to pretend I didn''t hear him.


    What do you think is more important, sweets or solving dungeons?


    ''Of course it''s candy! ........oh.


    Leena looked awkward as she reacted as if she''d said it without thinking.


    ''Well said, Leena you can sit there.


    ''''Um... the floor there is cobblestone, but...''''


    And so on, but he resisted.


    Seiza!


    I was sitting upright, crying out at the power of Menace.


    I don''t care about that, and I leave the candy with Menace.


    As expected of a top class party, the djinn all have magic bags.


    ''''Well, I certainly gave it to you!


    He raised his hand in greeting and slipped away, Leena''s voice behind him.


    "Heartless, traitorous... I''ll curse you...


    And so on, but after I heard a loud noise like a thump, I couldn''t hear the voices anymore.


    I left the dungeon, praying in my mind for good fortune (note: I''m not dead).


    When I returned to my room, I was greeted by a spirited Amy.


    ''Let''s get started!''


    Amy has her arms rolled up and a hachimaki wrapped around her head. Pretty spirited, though.


    Okay, I''ll tell you.


    He held his hand over the tub of water and created a wave in the water.


    ''Try to do what you think at first,''


    He looked slightly distracted by the words and hastily held up his hand and began to growl.


    ''''Yea!''''


    Thirty minutes later.


    Hi!


    One hour later.


    Woo-hoo!


    Two hours later.


    Unnu~!


    Three hours later.


    Why? Why aren''t you saying a word to me!


    It''s water.


    That''s not what I''m talking about!


    If I blurted it out, he got mad at me. As it was, Amy stared at me.


    ''Why don''t you tell me what''s going on?


    I was angry with him.


    Because I never heard you say, "Tell me about it.


    I said siretly. Those words stunned Carina and the others who had come to check on her, but


    ''If you don''t know, you have to say you don''t know, or I won''t know what Amy doesn''t know.


    I''m aware that I''m being nasty and cryptic myself. But I wanted you to understand that it''s important to learn from someone else, even if it means preventing Amy from trying to learn magic on her own in the future.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing.


    Me and Amy are in different situations and abilities, but let me imprint on you that you can''t do it without being taught by others.


    ''''Well I don''t know how to do it. Please teach me.


    It seemed that Amy was finally at the starting line I had in mind.

 51-Chapter 3-6 First disciple?

    Okay, sit in that chair over there.


    He obeyed honestly and went behind Amy and put his hands on both her shoulders.


    ''Breathe in slowly ... let it out ...''


    Amy does as she''s told, breathing, and I''m going to take a moment to exhale.


    Hi!


    The magic power flowed through Amy. He didn''t grant it, but flowed it like an electric current.


    ''''Wha, what are you doing!


    Amy was surprised, but


    Hold your hand over the tub again before you forget what it feels like now.


    I ignored him and gave him instructions nonchalantly.


    ''What is it, all of a sudden...''


    Amy held her hand over the tub while muttering, and this time the water shook, albeit only slightly.


    ''''Hey, it''s working!


    Amy started to get excited as if she had forgotten what happened earlier.


    She was so excited that Karina-san and Arie-san ran out of the house.


    However, Amy didn''t even seem to notice that.


    ''''Temma-san, what''s going on?''''


    Karina asked me, and I just told her that Amy was showing signs of magic.


    They were both quite surprised, probably not expecting to start seeing results this quickly.


    That''s when Amy finally noticed them and explained to them in a big way.


    But they were a little too excited, so


    Amy, just look at this.


    I manipulated the water in the tub, turning it into a string of rhythmic gymnastics ribbons, and twirling it around to show her how to do it.


    Amy looked at me dumbfounded, then put the water back in the tub.


    ''What Amy was able to do was less than the basics of the basics. Don''t get too excited!


    And then he nailed it.


    ''Yes! Teacher!


    And for some reason, the teacher had upgraded me to a teacher. In his eyes, instead of the slightly hostile look in his eyes from earlier, they had been replaced by a look of respect.................I''ve seen those eyes before, I was thinking


    Oh, it''s just like the eyes of a primera!


    I couldn''t help but say out loud.


    Amy was nodding her head, so I fooled myself into thinking it was nothing.


    (Oh, so that means Primera was respecting me... why?)


    I was left to ponder.


    ''Um~ Sir what should I do next?''


    Temma had been thinking that, but she hadn''t realized that in the world it was brainwashing.


    ''For now, let''s just do the same thing over and over again. We just have to get used to the feeling first.


    Yes, I understand, sir!


    I don''t feel bad about being called a teacher but it''s kind of frustrating.


    ''''Ahhhh, Amy, please don''t call me teacher........''''


    ''Well you''re a teacher, aren''t you?


    You used to call me Miss Temma not long ago! I''m trying to resist the urge to say.


    All right, just don''t call me unless it''s for practice...


    Then we''ll have to make the first move and get him to compromise!


    Um... okay.


    He agreed, although he was not happy about it, but he agreed.


    I''m sure that''s all we''ll be able to do for now. When you get used to it, let''s move on. We''re done for today!


    What, already?


    Amy wants to do more.


    ''Amy must be more tired than she realizes right now. Now is not a good time to push yourself.


    When he said that gently, Amy didn''t say more. Perhaps she realized her own fatigue when she was out of it.


    Aimee seemed to have more talent than she thought, and if she kept going, the two rockbirds would be able to use it in plenty of time.


    I shared some snacks with Aimee as a way of recovering from the fatigue. The sweet-smelling snacks seemed to revitalize Amy a bit... Beside her, Shiroumaru was begging her to have some too, so I cut her some.


    That''s when Aimee stumbled back to the house, stepping on a pebble.


    I pulled her in as quickly as I could, so she didn''t mock it.


    You! What the hell have you done to Amy!


    Suddenly, a man came running from behind me with an amazing look on his face.


    It was so amazingly swashbuckling that I manipulated the remaining water in the vat into a string and wrapped it around the man''s body to freeze it.


    The man was straining his arms to break the ice, but it wasn''t so easy to break it, as I poured a lot of magical power into it.


    Unaware of this, the man lost his balance and rolled grandly as he tried to break the ice that was clinging to his body as he ran.


    ''Dad! What are you doing!


    I could roughly imagine that it was Amy''s father, after all.


    It was so noisy that Karina and the others, who were far away, seemed to have heard it too.


    ''What are you doing! You stupid son of a b*tc*!


    Ms. Arie was bashing the man''s head with the broom she was holding.


    Miss Karina looked apologetic.


    ''I''m sorry that''s my husband Rick....''


    And the one who''s even angrier than I am is Shiroumaru.


    Shiroumaru, oblivious to my emotions, snarls at the writhing Rick as he approaches.


    ''Wow! Don''t come over here!


    Rick moved his body as if to chase it away, but of course it was ineffective.


    Eventually, Shiroumaru comes up to Rick''s doorstep and pokes Rick''s head with his paw, like a cat teasing a mouse.


    After a few pokes, Shiroumaru seemed to feel much better, and returned to me with a satisfied look on his face.


    He wagged his tail and came to me, showing Shiroumaru the candy that had fallen to the ground.


    You''re angry about the candy and you''re not worried about me?


    When I asked that question.


    Squeak, squeak.


    He started to squeal, showing his belly.


    The sight of him made me feel resigned to the fact that I''d had enough, but


    No more snacks.


    He looked shocked and then began to glare at Rick.


    Rick, in fact, was being lectured by Amy, Karina and the others.


    Then a faint voice came out.


    "Oh, that''s Temma? That monster rumored to be...


    I heard the unheard of thing.


    I slowly moved closer to Rick.


    Can you elaborate on that?


    I smiled (...) and called out to him.


    Just as Rick was turning his back to me, he was quite surprised to be spoken to so suddenly.


    Even funnier, I was smiling and talking to him, but Amy and the others, including Rick, seemed frightened as well.


    ''Eh, uh, well...''


    Yeah, it''s hard to talk about it as it is.


    Then I snapped my fingers. With a snap, the ice wrapped around Rick''s body shattered all at once.


    Incidentally, the act of snapping my fingers has no meaning.......I just did it because I thought it would be cool.


    I was free, but Rick was slumped on the spot and wouldn''t get up.


    So I crouched down so that I could make eye contact with Rick.


    So, tell me more about that rumor you heard earlier.


    I tried to sound as gentle as possible, but Rick, who looked pale, didn''t answer.


    I was trying to figure out what was going on.


    "Whoa, what''s up, Tenma? Has Rick done something wrong?


    Jin called out from behind him. In addition to the djinn, the members of the Sword of Dawn were all present.


    Rick''s complexion improved at the appearance of the djinn and the others.


    ''''No, for some reason I heard that rumors are circulating that I''m a monster, so I was just trying to talk to Rick-san for a moment.


    Those words.


    Oh, I was in a hurry. Sorry, Temma!


    Jin was about to raise his hand to leave, but then he said, "Bye.


    Oh, could that be the one you and Jin have been telling everyone about?


    And the noblewoman, who didn''t read the air, asked the djinn and the others to check it out.


    At that moment, the three of them, except for Leena, tried to flee in unison.


    I''m coming to you!


    As soon as I captured the djinn and the others with my earth magic, I summoned three golems at the same time.


    The djinn were carried by the golems with their bodies hardened like minnows by my magic.


    Not only Emilie and the others, but also the adventurers on the road rolled their eyes at this event.


    ''''Well, let''s hear the story, shall we?''''


    Then he buried the three of them in the yard with only their heads out... This would be perfect to accompany them with a blade-pulled saw, he thought back to a cartoon he''d seen in a previous life.


    ''Wait a minute! There''s a reason for this!


    So, first things first, you need to calm down!


    ''Yes! Listen to me first!


    Jin, Garratt, and Menace try to make excuses in that order.


    Well, I''m not a demon either.......so I''ll listen to them first.


    ''''Actually.........''''


    It was all Jin''s idea!


    Yes, Jin was trying to seduce us!


    Wait a minute, boys!


    Interrupting Jin''s speech, Garratt said that Jin was the main culprit, and Menace followed suit.


    ''I''m thinking of all of you! And even you guys, Temma is in trouble, if you mess with that guy, he''ll turn you into ground meat without mercy. Even the nobles in Gunjo City bowed their heads, what did you say!


    Apparently, each of them tailed off as they pleased.


    I smiled and........


    "Stan,


    An electric current was sent through the three of them.


    If this had been an anime I had seen in reruns as a child in a previous life, the three of them would have seen their bodies transparent, their bones visible, and they would have been burnt black and spewing smoke.


    Thinking about that, I punished them to the extent that they wouldn''t die or have any aftereffects.


    The next day, this news spread rapidly among adventurers, and those who knew about the Sword of Dawn feared that the rumors were true.


    I turned to Rick, leaving the three of them limping with only their heads sticking out of the ground.


    ''It''s a pleasure to meet you, Rick. My name is Temma, and I''ve been working with you here for a while now. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future. I look forward to working with you in the future.


    ''Oh, yeah...''


    I greeted him politely, but he didn''t respond well. He must be tired from hiding in the dungeon.


    With that in mind, I handed him a box of assorted hand-made potions (5 strength recovery potions, 5 magic potions and 5 wound potions) as a sign of closeness.


    ''''Ah, thank you... by the way, Djinn and the others...''''


    Oh, it''s okay. I''m not dead!


    I said that in a cheerful voice, and then I just said, "Oh, I see," and pulled up with Amy and the others to my house.


    It was quiet, as if they were all tired, and I thought to myself


    ''Speaking of which, Leena, I''m going to make you a cup of tea. I''ll get you some tea, though.


    I called out to Leena, who was poking at Jin and the others to see what was going on.


    I''m in for a treat!


    Then he ran over to me.


    I took out four servings of the snacks I had saved for myself and made a cup of tea for each of us.


    Speaking of which, what''s the name of that candy?


    I forgot to explain the sweets, so I put the tea in front of Leena and then


    The square one is the sponge cake and the one in the cup is the chiffon cake.


    I told him. However, the chiffon cake in front of me had been slightly modified and served with whipped cream and fruit.


    The fruits are strawberries, grapes, and oranges. Because the cream was sweet, I made the tea a little more astringent.


    ''Let''s have it!''


    Despite the calls, the way she ate was beautiful. As expected of a noblewoman, her eating pace was fast, and by the time I finished half of the sponge cake, she had already finished the sponge cake and had started on the chiffon cake.


    And even faster than Leena was Shiroumaru. Shiroumaru was biting almost entirely and swallowing it without chewing as far as he could.


    In contrast, Surarin was eating slowly as if he were savoring it. Moreover, he dexterously stretched out a part of his body like a tentacle, cut it into small pieces with a fork, and then cut it into his mouth? The body? I don''t know if Slarin has taste buds or not, but I don''t know what they are.


    Anyway, Slarin was the prettiest eater out of all of these... even though he''s a slime...


    After that, he talked with Leena at random.


    For some reason, Slarin had gone outside a few times in the middle of it. Well, he was back in a few minutes, so it didn''t really bother me.


    I''d been talking to Leena for about an hour.


    Speaking of which, I think it''s time for me to go home for dinner.


    As she said this, she had a container of whipped cream firmly in her hand.


    As soon as I saw her off to the door.


    Kyaaaah!


    Leena''s screams echoed.


    What''s going on! And when I walked outside, I found the djinn limping out of the ground with their faces in the air.


    ''Oh shit! I forgot!


    I hurriedly checked their digging condition, but all three of them seemed to be just unconscious.


    It was then that I realized that the reason Slarin was out there while casting a recovery spell on the three of them was to check on them.


    As soon as he dug up the three of them.


    Ummmmm...


    The first thing Jin noticed. It seems that the recovery magic worked.


    "Hey, why am I sleeping here?


    When I muttered that, Garratt and Menace also opened their eyes.


    All three of them seemed to have unclear memories, but they faintly remembered that I had been hit by magic.


    So I quickly discussed it with Leena with my eyes.


    You all right? I didn''t think you''d pass out like that!


    ''Yes. I''m sure he was just tired from the dungeon!


    I spoke up quickly. The three of them looked at each other curiously.


    ''Good for you, Leena. The three of you should wake up (...) soon!


    ''That''s right, Mr Temma! I''m glad I noticed it right away!


    And so on and so forth. In truth, we left them buried outside for less than two hours, but the three of us were convinced (or let them) that''s how it should be.


    ''It''s almost dinner, isn''t it? We''ve got to get going or we''ll run out!


    The three of them seemed uncomfortable with those words.


    ''I''m already starving! Let''s get going! Thank you for the candy, Temma.


    The three of them were swept away by Leena''s momentum and went to dinner.


    But a few days after this, when the other adventurers told them the truth, the three of them complained, but


    ''I was hurt when you called me a monster...''


    And when I flashed a physical attack in addition to the mental attack (like, "I''m going to flail like a monster here!"), the three of them apologized with tremendous force.


    From this point onwards, there was an added rumor that if you put up a fight with me, you would be buried in the ground and trained to become a servant.

 52-Chapter 3-7 Getemono Festival

    Today''s plan is to attack the dungeon. Of course, I didn''t bring Amy with me.


    Since there was something I wanted today, I didn''t focus on breaking through the tiers, but instead dealt with insect-shaped demons at the 11th level and below.


    There are many types of insect-shaped demons, from worm-like creatures to smaller caterpillars that appear in the Valley of the Wind, spiders, mantises, and grasshoppers.


    Some of them were even good to eat. There were also some insects that I had eaten in the village of Kukuri in the past.


    My personal recommendations are worms, caterpillars, and spiders. They may look disgusting, but depending on how you cook them, they can be considered high quality food, which is not uncommon in this world (you can like them or not).


    And surprisingly, some spiders have the taste and texture of a crustacean. My dad used to catch this one, and we used to have it with caterpillars as a snack for drinks.


    Thinking about this as we descended the hierarchy, the 16th floor felt different.


    The previous floors were all rocky surfaces, but this floor was covered in what looked like tree roots, with lush leaves growing in places. The height to the ceiling was nearly twice as high as it had been, and the passage was wide.


    As I proceeded onward with caution, small demons such as those that were mimicking the shadows of roots and leaves attacked me. Even the most demons were about 50cm long at the most, so it was easy to defeat them just by punching them.


    Some of them were spiders and caterpillars that could be eaten, so I decided to pack them in my bag and take them home.


    As we progressed to a certain point, we now started to see some decaying trees.


    As we broke down the rotting tree, we found the caterpillar we were looking for.


    The caterpillar was about 10 centimeters long and was called a white caterpillar.


    The caterpillar had a whitish body, which was nutritious and tasty.


    Mom didn''t like them because of their appearance, but Dad and I ate them occasionally.


    We had heard in the guild that we could get these caterpillars, so we came to capture them, thinking they would be just the thing to feed the chicks.


    I take an empty barrel out of my magic bag and put the caterpillars I caught in it. We found a lot of caterpillars, and in no time there were more than 50 of them.


    So I put crushed wood and chips into the barrel, covered it with a lid and tied it with a string.


    We also got a few dozen worms while collecting the caterpillars, so we put some wet wood chips together in another barrel.


    This fulfilled the purpose of the day. However, I had quite a bit more time on my hands, so I headed back to the entrance from the warp zone near here, and once on the ground, I warped back to where I found the eggs this time.


    What I did as soon as I warped was to fill in the vertical hole I had come down to make this place my private room.


    As expected, it would be too much work to fill it all in, so I decided to fill in about 10 meters from the bottom, and then fill in some of the places underneath that were like narrow passageways as well.


    Even if you find a vertical hole in this place, there should be few people who notice the space beyond it.


    This place is going to be like a secret base, and we''re going to build a furnace, an anvil, and a fire pit for blacksmithing. These will be removable and usually kept in a magic bag on my wrist.


    It''s an amateur build, so the workmanship may not be as good as it would be if my day job were to see it, but I''m going to use magic to cover that up, just like I did when I made the Kogarasuma.


    It took me a long time to make all this, as expected, so I decided to go back to my room.


    In front of my room, even though it was almost time for the sun to go down, Amy was waiting for me.


    ''Sir! It''s too late!


    He hadn''t made any specific promises, but he thought Amy was going to teach him.


    ''As expected, I can''t teach you every day but it''s just fine, I had something for Amy.


    Then I hand him a barrel of worms and a barrel of caterpillars.


    ''This is food for the chicks; it will last for a week, so give it to them along with the other food.


    In the meantime, the chicks have been entrusted to Amy, and I''m letting her take care of them as part of the imprinting process, but I''ve told her that if she signs a contract without permission, I''ll never teach her magic again.


    Amy was listening intently too, so I trust that she understands it well.


    I don''t want you to be surprised, so I''m telling you what''s in the barrel first. I told him to keep them covered with water every day to prevent them from drying out, and to keep them in a cool place with the lid on.


    By the way, the caterpillar is separate from the one I gave Aimee, and I''ve also reserved some for me.


    ''Um~ Sir? I know what worms are, but how do you give them a caterpillar?


    The question came up, and so, briefly


    Grind it up and get it down!


    I taught them that. However, I don''t think it would be possible for me to eat the caterpillar raw and spit it out before giving it to her (as expected, even I wouldn''t like it), so I decided to grind it up instead.


    Amy looked understandably disgusted, but I told her how nutritious (I don''t know how many) and delicious the caterpillar was, and asked her if she wanted to try it. When you ask.


    No, sir! I can''t even touch it!


    I was refused. I knew the caterpillar was too hard on the girl, I thought.


    ''Well I''m sorry, but these boys are in the meat...''


    I''ll do it!


    ...I think he made up his mind before he finished.


    Be that as it may, I''ve taught you how to make food I''ve shown you how to mash a caterpillar. The steps.


    Cut off the head.


    2, Put them in a mortar.


    Open the chicks'' mouths with their hands and spoon it into their mouths.


    That''s it. It''s not that hard, is it?


    So desperate.....


    I got a cattatical reply. I actually let Amy try it, and she was able to do it, although she turned away from me.


    The important thing is that the chicks seemed to like it very much, and after the first time they were only made to open their mouths, from the second time they opened their mouths on their own and waited.


    ''''It''s kind of a mixed feeling...''''


    Amy looked at the chicks who were eating the mashed caterpillars with relish and made such a comment.


    ''''Well then, you''ll be giving it to them properly tomorrow.


    Amy let out a dry chuckle at those words.


    I watched Amy go back to the house and I decided to make our own dinner in my room.


    Today''s menu consisted of steamed spiders, buttered caterpillars, caterpillar soup and uncooked fried worms.


    What kind of ghetto food is on the menu alone! You might think, "I''m not sure what I''m doing," but I''m doing proper prep work.


    For example, the head of a spider is cut off, the internal organs are removed, and salt is rubbed into the spider to clean it and remove its odor at the same time. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, a little butter and milk, and then mixed it with milled and sauteed vegetables.


    The worms are torn lengthwise and cleaned in salt water and then fried at high temperature to remove the muddy smell.


    The ingredients are ghetto, but the taste is really good.


    Incidentally, these were a hit with my dad and grandpa, but not with my mom (the ingredients themselves).


    I gave Shiroumaru some raw meat that I had saved, and Slarin ate leftover spider heads and guts.


    I felt sorry for Slarin, but Slarin himself didn''t seem to mind and went into the trash can himself... and of course I fed him the same food I was eating afterwards.


    I hadn''t tasted it in a long time, so I ate it while reminiscing about the old days.


    While Temma was drinking the caterpillar soup while reminiscing about the old days, a letter arrived to a man.


    After reading it, the man read it in one sitting, changed his blood and started to run.


    The man''s destination is a nearby mansion. It was so luxurious that no half-hearted nobleman could have it, but now that the master of the mansion was in trouble, the spacious garden was in disrepair and the walls of the house were cracked.


    However, it''s a relief that it doesn''t look like a haunted house, as occasionally those who have been commissioned from the outside will do the cleaning.


    The man ducked through the gate and entered the mansion as he was accustomed to do.


    There were guests inside the mansion, but he was someone I had met here several times before, so I just bailed and hurried to the owner of the mansion.


    As soon as he opened the door of the mansion''s master''s room, the man


    Oh, my God! I''m alive, Temma is alive!


    That''s what he shouted, and at those words, the two men inside (...), the one who was dressed in gorgeous clothes.


    Is it true!


    Then he grabbed the man by both shoulders and shook him.


    ''Heh, your majesty! Please forgive my rudeness!


    The man was Alex, the king of this country.


    Merlin had recently become half-blurred by the grief of losing his family and his long recuperation.


    Even now, he didn''t respond much to Mark''s words, but as Alex shook his body, he


    ''Sir Merlin! They say the Temma is alive!


    I called out to him a few times.


    Ten-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah-mah! It''s Temma alive!


    He suddenly shouted loudly, rose vigorously from his chair, crowded up to Mark, and


    Where''s Temma! Where are you!


    and grabbed his collar with both hands and tried to hang it up.


    Then Cliffe and Jean, who had been able to chaperone the king, hurriedly pulled Merlin away from the mark.


    ''Calm down, Master Merlin. This won''t allow Master Mark to speak!


    Yes, Master Merlin. What a force to be reckoned with! It''s really the power of the old man!


    It took two people to manage to pull Merlin away from him.


    It was then that Merlin seemed to come to his senses.


    Well, what are you here for? I thought I heard something called Temma...


    He looked around and twisted his head around.


    Mark sweltered for a moment after Merlin let go of his hand, but then he caught his breath and held out the letter to Merlin.


    ''This was sent to me by an old good friend of mine, and in it it said that a boy with a silvery white wolf named Temma is staying at his inn. The place is in Gunjo City.


    The letter was dated about a month ago (........) and was a reply to a letter Mark had written as he remembered, after he had moved to the royal capital from Kukri village.


    ''Gunjo City, I''m going there now!


    Merlin takes off his nightgown as if it''s too much trouble to change, throws a robe over his pants and tries to jump out the window.


    ''Lord Merlin, please wait!


    In a hurry, Alex and the others all held them back (physically), but Merlin was still putting up a fierce resistance.


    ''That''s right, Master Merlin! When you meet Master Temma, he''ll hate you for looking like that!


    Merlin, who managed to calm down through the desperate advances of Clef, and Alex, who is here to help.


    ''I know how you feel, Lord Merlin. I want to see Temma as soon as possible. But it will be nightfall and dangerously close to home if I go now. Therefore, I will have the people in the castle prepare for you today. In the meantime, Lord Merlin should be ready to go, too. Please make sure you are dressed in such a way that Tenma won''t be embarrassed when you meet her!


    He said so quickly, and then used Temma to further dissuade him from using his mind.


    Merlin was reluctant, but he was convinced that if it was for Temma''s sake, he would agree, but just in case, Mark, who was going to accompany him, was going to go ahead and pack up his things and take care of Merlin''s surveillance.


    Cliffe is going to go back to the castle first to get ready. Apparently Alex was also excited by the news of Temma''s survival and tried to prepare to go with him, but he had to give up due to the firm opposition from those around him.


    ''Wait for me! Temmer! Grandpa''s going to be there soon!


    Merlin''s howl echoed through the night in King''s Landing.


    The next morning, those gathered in front of Merlin''s mansion to pick up Temma were Merlin, Mark, Chris, Edgar, and about a half-dozen knights in his escort. There were more knights in the house.


    I don''t need that much! If anything happens, my magic will explode!


    Merlin''s words that he would destroy anyone who got in his way, and the ten of them included only the minimum amount of guards.


    The others were Alex, Cliffe and Jean, and Mark''s wife, Martha, who had moved from Kukri village.


    Everyone was happy to hear that Temma was alive, and they were calling out to Merlin to meet him as soon as possible, and handing him the food and other things they had brought with them.


    It was almost time for them to leave, so Merlin got into the carriage.


    This carriage is a box carriage with two horses, the front half being the seat and the back half being the cart.


    The other four horses are prepared, and this one is basically ridden by the knights in shifts to warn and intimidate the surroundings, or to serve as a reserve for the horses in the carriage.


    The coachman is to be a coachman, and Mark and the others will take turns being the coachmen.


    Edgar was the captain of the knights on the road this time, and Chris was the vice-captain.


    ''''Merlin-sama. I''d like to stop in Seigen on the way and resupply.


    Edgar suggested that we stop in the town of Seigen, about 200km away, to take a break.


    I think we''re closer to that road than we are to that one.


    Merlin traced his finger along the road that was almost a straight line on the map to Gunjo City.


    ''This road is a bit steeper, and I''m sure it will be more dangerous...''


    I don''t care! I''ll help you with your magic, so it won''t be a problem!


    Merlin interrupted Edgar''s words and spoke up.


    ''I understand. If Master Merlin is willing to help us, then it will be as good as no danger.


    Edgar easily changed his plan and followed Merlin''s instructions. In fact, it was bandits and demons of about B-rank at best that would be on that path, so with Merlin around, the danger would be much lower.


    ''''Well, let''s get going then.''''


    With those words, the group headed for Gunjo City not knowing that Temma wasn''t already there........


    A week later in Seigen, Tenma had been watching Amy practice her magic since morning.


    Day by day Amy''s magic power was increasing, and at this rate she felt that in the near future she would be able to use at least two of the rockbirds with no problem.


    But Temma didn''t dare to tell Aimee about it. The reason for this was to keep Aimee from getting carried away with her not yet having the basics in place.


    Well, there is another reason, too, that Tenma''s standards are strict. After all, he himself has been greatly enhanced by the gods, and because many of the people he''s met so far have been talented, with Merlin at the top of the list, he doesn''t know what the average strength of someone of Amy''s age is.


    Well, it was Temma''s opinion that it was better to be strong.


    If Aimee continued to train Tenma every day until she was fifteen years old, she had grown up enough that she would definitely be able to make it as an adventurer who could reach the top-notch.


    ''''Teacher! It''s time to move on!


    Amy was getting slightly bored with her current training.


    The current training was the second stage ... making a pillar out of a tub of water.


    Amy was now able to make a water column about 50cm high in the tub.


    Now that she could make it fairly consistently, she wanted to move on.


    Temma thought about it for a bit and decided it was time to get on with the next step.


    The method was to line up the two tubs so that they would stick together, fill one of them half full of water and transfer the water from the water column to the next one.


    I move the water from one vat to the other as an example. After a few times, I got into the swing of things and the water jumped in the form of a dolphin and moved to the next tub, which I did several times.


    At first Aimee was happy, but then her face grew darker and


    ''Sir do I have to be able to do the same thing...''


    I was worried. It was overkill, as expected, so I moved it again, moving it from the water column state to an archway to the next tub, and then


    ''Sorry, sorry, I just need to be able to do this.''


    I said apologetically. Aimee seemed quite relieved and started practicing with great effort.


    As expected, the difficulty level increased all at once, so even though Aimee could get to the water column, she couldn''t move it from there.


    On the contrary, she was so distracted by moving it that the water column she had made often collapsed.


    ''''Don''t try to move it to the tub next to you all of a sudden, focus on moving the water column first!


    Yes!


    I reply with a bluster, but it''s going to take some time yet. With that in mind, I poured my magic power into the egg on my back.


    Crack, crack, crack, crack.


    The egg cracked with such a sound. I hurriedly lowered the bag on my back and took a look inside.


    Cui!


    There was a small white dragon (...) that made such a pretty voice.


    ''Dragon!''


    At those words, Amy also looked into the bag.


    ''Wow~ Pretty~''


    When Amy pointed her hand up to touch it.


    "Squeeze.


    The dragon began to threaten. Apparently, this dragon is wary of Amy.


    Instead, when I try to pet it, it happily rubs its head against my hand.


    So I immediately decided to make this dragon my subordinate. When I gave it magic power, the dragon returned the magic power to me, and I could feel something connected to it.


    ''Alright, your name is ''Solomon''.


    Cuey.


    Solomon seemed to like the name too, and he chirped happily. When Shiroumaru heard his voice, he came out of the back and put his face close to Solomon''s.


    Cui.


    He made such a sound that he climbed up Shiroumaru''s face and straddled his back. Shiroumaru doesn''t show any signs of being uncomfortable, and he walks to keep Solomon from dropping him.


    Solomon''s back has wings, but he was just born and doesn''t seem to be able to fly yet.


    His name...Solomon.


    Age...0


    Race... the dragon.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 1000.


    MP...2000


    Strength...E-


    Defensive power...


    Speed...D+.


    Magic... B


    Mental strength...


    Growth Potential...S


    Luck... A


    Skills....Abnormal Resistance 5, Light Magic 4, Magic Manipulation 3, Destructive Enhancement 3, Fire Magic 2, Water Magic 2, Wind Magic 2, Lightning Magic 2, Magic Enhancement 2, Life Force Enhancement 2, Resilience Enhancement 2, Night Eyes 2


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Even though he was just born, he has some impressive abilities. As expected of a dragon, I''d say.


    Solomon seems to miss Shiroumaru a lot, and he clings to Shiroumaru''s back to keep his balance.


    Shiroumaru also seems to like Solomon, and is using his whole body to help Solomon keep his balance so that he doesn''t fall off when he loses his balance from time to time.


    I took Solomon closer to see what would happen with Slarin, and although he misses Slarin no problem, he can''t get on his back, so he tries to go towards Shiroumaru.


    On the way there, I found a back sack that had eggs in it, and he dragged it towards me, bringing it to me and getting into the sack.


    Cukewee.


    He purred sweetly. It seems to be telling me to carry it on my back like this.


    When I carried it on my back as requested, it peeked out of the mouth of the bag and purred with satisfaction.


    ''Sir! Is it safe to touch it now?


    Amy doesn''t seem to have given up yet. So I told Solomon about Amy and then asked him if it was okay to touch her.


    Squeak .....................


    Apparently, permission was granted. In fact, when Amy patted Solomon''s head, this time she didn''t threaten him.


    Amy was quite excited, but I was surprised at how intelligent Solomon was.


    I spoke to him for no good reason, and even though Solomon had just been born, that meant he understood what I was saying. It took even Shiroumaru a year to understand some of my words.


    When you think about it, you can understand some of the greatness of dragons. But then there is another question that arises. It''s about Slarin.


    Slarin had already understood my words completely from the time I made him a member of my family. Even though it was a mutant species, a slime that belonged to the lowest level of demons, that is!


    In a way, I thought, the most ungodly person in the world might be this Slarin''.

 53-Chapter 3-8 Test

    This is a road along the mountainside, much further from Seigen.


    There is a carriage and a group of knights on horseback going along this road as an escort around it.


    At that time, a horse came running from in front of the group. One knight is riding on its back. One of the knights in the escort instructed the knight to line up next to him. Apparently, the knight who came from the front was probably on a scouting mission. The fact that that knight came back without being replaced means that there was something going on up ahead.


    The knight who received the report from that knight.......Edgar, approached the carriage.


    ''Master Merlin, there seems to be a band of ogres and a pack of about twenty orcs fighting just ahead. What can I do?


    Edgar reported that to Merlin in the carriage and waited for instructions.


    The captain of this group is Edgar, and Merlin is the target of his escort, but he dares to ask for instructions because he thinks that the best results will come from this wise man who is superior in both ability and experience to make decisions.


    It''s obvious. Go straight ahead! I don''t think you can lose with an Ogre, but there''s always the chance that it will happen!


    With those words, Edgar let the knight who had just returned lead the way as a guide.


    ''All of you, pick up speed!


    "[O]nce!


    All of them shouted out without a pause. However, even if we increase our speed, the road is not completely maintained, so the speed of the carriage will inevitably not increase much.


    So in this case, let''s go as fast as we can without straining ourselves! But not too far from the carriage! ........sort of.


    The Ogre is fighting about two kilometers straight from where they reportedly are.


    It took Merlin and the others a little over eight minutes to reach the place after they had increased their speed.


    When they arrived, the orcs had been reduced to less than half, but soon after that, about ten new orcs had appeared from the nearby forest.


    The knights tried to make their way towards those orcs, but


    "Airblit!


    Merlin''s magic was unleashed in rapid succession towards the orcs about 100 meters away.


    The Orcs that had come to reinforce were decimated by Merlin''s magic, and they were no longer a marvel as reinforcements.


    When Edgar saw this, he


    "Go cover that gang! Don''t go near the ogre if you''re wrong!


    That ogre doesn''t seem to be an enemy. The proof of this is the carriage that the ogre is guarding is engraved with the emblem of a nobleman. However, since it is currently unclear if they are really nobles, I decided to aim at the orcs who are far away from the ogre and show them that we are on their side.


    From then on, the fight was one-sided. Originally, the orcs were not very strong on their own, and that ogre was efficiently damaging the orcs. If that ogre hadn''t cared about the carriage and fought, the orcs would have been wiped out before they arrived. In fact, there is no wounded on that side.


    From that, we can see that that ogre has a certain level of intelligence and is able to work together.


    Soon after that, the battle was over, and only the carcasses of more than thirty orcs lay behind.


    Just to be sure, the knights went to look around the area to make sure that there were no other orcs in the area.


    Merlin and Mark, Edgar and Chris, and one knight here, and over there, the ogre and about five others were out, with a few of the wagons remaining.


    The ogre was somewhat wary, but he didn''t seem to intend to harm us, and he dropped back near the carriage.


    As the ogre approached the carriage, the door of the carriage opened and a man and a boy appeared from inside. Perhaps they were father and son.


    The man has a kind face, but he is looking at us with guarded eyes. The boy is about 16 to 7 years old and seems a bit cocky.


    ''Thanks for your help. I am the Marquis Carlos von Samons. Who is your lord?


    Edgar, against a man who claimed to be a marquess.


    ''I am Edgar Van Valentine, a member of the King''s Kingsguard. I am currently under the king''s command to escort Master Merlin the Wise!


    As soon as the name was mentioned, Merlin emerged from the carriage.


    As soon as Carlos saw him, he said.


    ''Oh, so you are the illustrious Mr. Merlin! I have heard rumors about you but how did you end up here...


    That question was answered by Merlin.


    Well, I had to get to Gunjo City and I thought I''d get there as soon as possible, so I came this way.


    This Marquis has been treating Merlin with quite polite words and gestures, as if he respects him. However, the boy behind him had an uninteresting look on his face. This boy must have the kind of biased pride that aristocrats tend to have. Besides, he didn''t know Merlin well or seemed uninterested.


    Merlin noticed this attitude.


    "Ho-ho-ho, Marquis Samoyes. Sorry, we are in a hurry, but we''ll leave you to it but the ogre is magnificent. I''m not so much interested in his strength as his intelligence and loyalty, and I think you''re a very skilled tamer.


    The Marquis was pleased to hear Merlin praise him that way, but he was both happy and embarrassed to find out that Merlin had taken notice of his son behind him, and he had a complicated look on his face, both happy and embarrassed.


    Merlin didn''t mention it and went back to their carriage.


    Edgar and the others also bowed, returned to their carriage''s salute again, and began to leave.


    Their destination was the village that would serve as a relay to Gunjo City. This was also the village where Tenma had left Jayman.


    ''It, let''s go! Let''s get to the village on the way first!


    Thus, Merlin and his carriage started to move towards that village.


    After Merlin and the others were gone, the Marquis would teach his son how famous and talented Merlin was by preaching to him.


    I was thinking a bit on this day. That thought was about Amy.


    So far, Aimee has been listening to me. His magic power is also increasing steadily, and even compared to his age, he has improved to the point where he can be called a brilliant, if not a genius, even if not a genius.


    With all of this in mind, I''ve begun to think that it''s okay to have Aimee turn the chicks into household members.


    However, one of the drawbacks I''m aware of is the lack of friends of my own age. Well, even outside of the same generation, I don''t have many friends, but because of that, I haven''t been able to measure Amy''s abilities very well.


    If I''m going to tame it, I think it''s better to be early. But I can''t determine if I can actually control it.


    That''s why I''ve been cheating and avoiding talking about the chicks, and I was aware of that myself.


    ''''I guess there''s no point in thinking about something I don''t understand...''''


    So Temma decided to ask his acquaintances for their opinions.


    .


    That''s not an answer! If it''s just the way it is, then we''ll just have to give those chicks a chance to see what happens.


    ��Someone I know, number two, Garratt.


    I don''t know if I''m the right person to ask, but in the end it''s up to the kid, isn''t it? I don''t think you''ll be responsible for anything that far in the future...


    ��acquaintance #3, menace.


    It''s a tough question but I guess it''s ultimately about how much Temma will trust Amy.


    ��Okay, people #4, Leena.


    ''Don''t you think it''s okay for me to be your family? If you''re serious about it, I think it''s important to let them pay ahead of time as a reward to become your family members and help them develop a sense of responsibility. Besides, no matter how much you think about it, if the only person you have to compare it to is Tenma-san, she may never be able to have a family for the rest of her life.


    Acquaintance #5, Amy''s family


    ''You don''t have to take that much responsibility for my child, Temma-san. Whatever the trigger was, it was Aimee herself who decided to be taught by Tenma-san. It''s surprising that Aimee has such a talent, but in the end, the responsibility for the family members must be taken by Tamer himself. Besides, if something happens, it''s only a matter of time before our family members are able to help Amy.


    ''That''s right. Amy herself is responsible for what she wants to do, no matter how far she goes. And how can I tell you to take responsibility when you''re being taught by a skilled wizard for free?


    Well, I''m the father. I should have been the one to teach you. You don''t want me to take the blame for it, either.


    In order, Carina, Arie, and Rick.


    After listening to everyone''s opinions, I decided to test Amy the next day.


    Amy, in the next hour, you''re going to transfer the water in the tub to the one next to you.


    I told Amy why I was doing the test and then told her what the test would be about.


    Aimee was elated, but at the same time she was quite anxious. After all, Aimee had never succeeded in this training before, no matter how many times she had tried. But.


    ''And I think I''m going to stop hanging out with Amy at practice today so today is the first and last day of testing! Show me how far you can go.


    With those words, Amy seemed to regain her spirits, saying that she only had one chance.


    ''Then begin!''


    On cue, Aimee channels her magic power towards the water in the tub. A short distance away from Aimee, Karina and the others are watching over her. However, no matter how much they try, they can only make it to the water column.


    Ten minutes after we started, Djinn and the others walked by, noticed us and approached us. They ask me what I''m doing, so I tell them what I''ve been up to and tell them I''m doing a test.


    And I have a few things in mind for them.


    ''Jin, I''m sorry, but you''re going to have to watch Amy for me. I''ll be out of my seat for a little while, but listen to me, and don''t do anything extra (........).


    I pressed the reminder and ran away from the place. There''s a bit of distance to my objective, so I use my magic power to increase my physical ability and run as fast as I can. Probably in my previous life, I would have lightly beaten the world''s new short distance world record.


    When I arrived at my destination and quickly returned to finish my business, it had been about 20 minutes since then. It''s about half an hour since the test started, but Amy still hasn''t been able to transfer the water to the tub next to me.


    I guess she''s getting impatient for good, and the accuracy of the water column seems to be decreasing.


    Still, time is passing. Amy was too eager to transfer the water and the impatience of not having enough time to do it, so finally she couldn''t even make the water column.


    And inexorably.


    That''s enough! The test is over!


    It''s time to go.


    Hearing those words, Aimee crumbles down. She hadn''t run out of magic, she must have just lost her mind. However, tears gradually flowed out of her eyes.


    Seeing such Aimee, everyone has an indescribable expression on their face.


    However, in response to Aimee.


    Now, I''m going to teach you how to be a family man.


    I said. At that moment, everyone except Amy.


    Hahhhhh!


    We all made that kind of noise together. Amy was looking at me with an expression that said, I don''t know why, with tears and snot staining her face.


    ''''No, because I didn''t say I''d be disqualified if I couldn''t do it,''''


    When I said that, Jin packed up on me.


    Normally, if you say something like, "I''ll give you a test," you''ll either pass or fail the test!


    I said, "Show me how far you can go," but I never said, "If you can''t, I won''t give you a rockbird.


    And I told him that siree.


    Incidentally, Jin shook me by the collar, so I twisted my arm and took my back and tried to get a chicken wing facelock, but I couldn''t reach it, so I left the facelock alone.


    I released the djinn at the right place and spoke to Amy.


    ''First of all, let''s make eye contact with the demon I''m going to make my subordinate...''


    Wait a minute! I couldn''t do it!


    Amy interrupted me, so I decided to tell her what the test was about first.


    ''The test first, though. This one was easier if I did this.


    He took a tub of water and poured it into the tub next to him. In answer to this, Amy said


    Heh.


    What an interesting voice he had.


    ''I never said anything about me being magical, did I? It''s certainly a quibble, but I want you to know this. I''m not going to be able to get it right. In this case, it would be quicker and less labor intensive to do this.


    That''s not fair!


    Aimee''s voice was shrill, but I didn''t care.


    ''Yes, it''s not fair. But you know, if you think like that, you could easily die when you become an adventurer. A wizard is more vulnerable than someone who relies on magic to face something that can''t be solved by magic.


    At those words, Rick and the Sword of Dawn aspect of the game nodded.


    ''I wanted you to know that if you can''t do it with magic, I wanted you to know that I''ll think of other ways to do it, so I did this... I''m sorry, Aimee.''


    I apologize for that.


    Then I''ll show you how to become a family man again.


    Everyone was dumbfounded at how quickly I switched.


    Becoming a family man was easy to say.


    1, Look into the demon''s eyes and make sure you feel like you''re connecting with the demon.


    2, Try flowing magic power to the demon and make sure that the magic power comes back from the demon.


    If the demon is successful, name the demon.


    By doing this, the demon can be made into a family member. It''s pretty simple, but you need to have the talent of taming to feel the connection. This is a kind of slavery contract in a bad way, and giving the demon magical power is like a curse, where giving the demon a name is like a curse that makes the demon yours.........


    However, if you''re not compatible with that demon, or if the demon doesn''t recognize you, you need to be careful because that demon will attack you.


    Well, even though there are two rockbirds that Aimee is going to challenge now, they are chicks and they don''t seem to be a bad match, and most importantly, she is letting them take care of them before their eyes open. If this fails, all I can say is that Aimee has no talent.


    As soon as possible, Aimee proceeded to take on the chicks and make them her family members.


    It is a very good idea to have a good idea of what you are looking for. I''m able to become a family member.


    Amy let out a strange voice and then reported that she had succeeded. Indeed, the chicks seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with Aimee.


    ''Good for you, Aimee. We''ll have to name them as soon as possible.


    When he said that, Amy was in high spirits.


    Yes! I''ve already decided. The boy is ''Eee-chan'' and the girl is ''Shie-chan''!


    I don''t know what to say about it. The two birds together are ''rocks''.......well, my slarin'' is similar.......


    Then you can wear this.


    That said, I gave him a collar-like object made of small bills threaded through a chain.


    This is the one that I asked the guild to prepare after I told them the reason, and it is a proof of having been tamed. Ignoring this and killing someone will result in heavy penalties (or worse, slavery).


    I forgot to prepare this, so I ran to the guild just now.


    Thank you. I will take good care of these kids!''''


    Amy said as she quickly put the collar on him.


    ''The first thing Amy needs to do is to find food for them. Vegetable scraps would be fine, but the best food would be those caterpillars and worms I gave you before. Oh, and you have to continue your magic training without a break.


    Hearing the first half of those words, Amy stopped moving for a moment.


    But I''ll do my best...


    I declared that.


    In any case, we can settle this one down now. As for the food, we have Rick, so it should be fine. Yeah, it looks like Rick is a B-ranked adventurer. If we''re not careful, we can catch caterpillars and worms easily.


    I''d like to have a caterpillar dish once in a while too, so I can get more when I feel like it.


    With that in mind, my first ever teaching role was over.


    A few days later, early in the morning, the entrance to Seigen was unusually tense.


    He could see an ogre by one of the carriages. Although it seems to have been tamed, an ogre is a demon of the B rank equivalent. And the people gathered here are those who had not been able to enter Seigen before yesterday evening, most of them merchants and ordinary travelers.


    From their point of view, the Ogre demon is nothing short of a marvel.


    However, their worries aside, the ogre in question was a quiet one...or rather, he was calm as a knight, rather than a quiet one. Standing beside the carriage, he was guarding it without ever leaving it.


    The people around him admired his appearance. Hearing this, there was a boy who threw his chest out as if he were being praised.


    His name is Gary von Sammons, the second son of the Marquis Carlos von Sammons, age 17, and currently a student at the high school in the royal capital. He had just gone on a long holiday and had followed his father on his official duties (to inspect Seigen).


    By the way, he has no talent for tamer. However, this ogre was intelligent and recognized the boy as the Lord''s son, and he listened to what he had to say to some extent.


    Therefore, the boy mistakenly thought that the compliments directed at the ogre were in praise of him.


    ''Father, let''s tell the gatekeeper that we are nobles, and let him come inside now.


    Such were Gary''s words to Carlos.


    ''I can''t do that. You can''t do that. If you are a nobleman and you break the rules, it will come back to you. And it is precisely because we are noblemen that we must discipline ourselves and be an example to our people. The gates will open in thirty minutes, and you''ll be given priority to enter through the nobleman''s passage. Isn''t that enough?


    Carlos tells his son (Gary) so admonishingly. However, Gary''s face is clearly unhappy.


    Carlos saw this.


    (Whew, maybe I raised Gary the wrong way... nah, maybe my older (eldest) son grew up the way I expected him to grow up, so I went soft on him when he was younger (Gary).


    He regretted the way he had been raised. And that regret would become a reality here in Seigen.

 54-Chapter 3-9 Clever Ogre and Stupid Son

    It seems my profile has skyrocketed recently. The reason is simple: because of (thanks to?) Solomon. It is.


    There have been quite a few reports of dragon species being tamed in the past. The rest are different dragon species, but they are still lower class dragons.


    If it is unconfirmed, it is an intermediate species, and if it is in the legends, it is said to have been accompanied by an individual called the Dragon King, but it is not certain.


    The wyvern is said to be a tamer''s dream, and although they are ranked B by the guild, it is said that it is more difficult to become a member of the guild than an A-ranked demon, and their abilities surpass those of ordinary A-ranked demons.


    The reason why they are ranked B is because defeating them is not as difficult as their strength.


    All you have to do is scatter food on the ground and then attack the wyvern when it descends. A wyvern can only show its full potential when it is flying, but once it lands on the ground, its wonders are reduced to less than half.


    Still, it''s hard to create those kinds of gaps if the tamer controls it, and most importantly, being able to fly with people on board is pretty appealing.


    Think about it, if a demon with the fighting power of a wyvern is attacking you and even a wizard on its back, you can take a one-strike battle strategy. This is beyond amazing and terrifying.


    Also, the adults, even the smaller ones, are over three meters long, but they eat very little food and are a good economic bargain for that.


    I was going to try to get a shot at one someday, but since I tamed Solomon, the wyvern was not so attractive to me anymore.


    By the way, Solomon is currently (...) treated as a lower level dragon, but if he continues to grow, he will definitely become an intermediate or higher level dragon.


    That''s why it''s almost a given that I''ll be the first tamer to officially have an intermediate dragon as a family member!


    So it stands out. And Solomon was very popular with the women and children.


    If you took your eyes off him for a bit, he was adored by the people who were nearby. And of course there were people who would try to kidnap him for that, but those people were being burned by Solomon, bitten by Shiroumaru, and sacked by the people around him.


    And when Solomon got tired of flying, he would land on Shiroumaru''s back and rest his wings. Lately, he''s also liked to come over to me and rest on my shoulder.


    Today''s plan is to attack the dungeon. So far we''ve made it to the 28th level of the dungeon. This usually takes a party of four or five people a year or two to reach, and some adventurers suspect me of cheating. It''s not unusual for me to spend a year or more on the 50th floor to get to that floor itself.


    Today, I''m going to stop by the guild before I dive into the dungeon to see if they have any requests for me.


    Incidentally, Amy has an occasional request from me as well. It''s to capture a caterpillar.


    Amy is a former student of mine, so she sells them for 10 g per worm, with no commission. Most of the time, I get requests for caterpillars when I''m in the mood for them, so it''s almost always an afterthought.


    That''s why I came near the guild, and there was a crowd of people. At the center of it all was an ogre. Its massive body, over three meters tall, was visible from the chest area, rather than a single head, even though it was surrounded by people.


    The time went back a bit, and the Marquis of Samons and his son entered the city of Seigen and aimed at the guild.


    ''''Gary, I''m sure you understand, but this time you have a job to do, so try to act like a nobleman.


    The purpose of the Marquis'' group this time was to inspect the dungeon city, counteract and train against the demons, and hopefully recruit competent adventurers to his territory.


    However, even if we call it training, we can''t bring soldiers by the hundred, so the participation is compulsory for only thirty newcomers, and the rest will be held in a fifty-man team with about twenty people who wish to participate.


    However, because it would be difficult to bring all fifty people together at once, it was decided that the Marquis and his son, Ogre, the Marquis''s attendants, five newcomers and five veterans would first come to Seigen to make arrangements for lodging and to greet the town''s influential people.


    ''I know it by heart without being told.


    Gary replied back quickly, but Carlos realized that the words were for when he clearly didn''t understand. However, he figured that since he was still on the edge of nobility, he could at least do that.


    ''''I''m going to go greet the guild this time.


    After going around to a few officials, the next step was to go to the guild.


    However, to Gary, he didn''t understand why his nobleman self was doing the greeting rounds, and he felt almost irritated. Gary thinks it''s unthinkable that he would let his nobleman self come to greet them, but this Seigen is under the direct control of the royalty, and there''s a certain extraterritoriality to it. That is because there are so many adventurers and dungeons that are filled with demons, so competence counts in this city. And since many of the people who stand above this city are of real merit, it''s not something that can be treated lightly, no matter how noble they are. Gary didn''t understand that.


    However, as they got closer to the guild, as more and more adventurers came to the guild, and as some of them were attracted to the ogre that followed them, Gary''s mood improved.


    It was only directed at the ogre, but to Gary, the ogre''s master was his father, so he was like this ogre''s master, and therefore this gaze was as good as directed at him, filling his own self-esteem with the overly forceful idea that he was like this ogre''s master.


    When they reached the front of the guild, a few soldiers ran to find lodging, while the rest went into the guild ahead of them, Carlos told Gary that he was


    So, I''m joining the guild, but what about Gary?


    I asked. The answer Gary thought about and came up with to those words


    ''Father, I''m looking at Gulliver here.


    Gulliver is this ogre. Gary said that he''d be watching for Gulliver to make sure he didn''t bother him, but Carlos was more worried about Gary. However, he agreed that if he could satisfy that self-respect here, he would be quiet for a while... not knowing that an ogre and other incomparable beings (dragons) were approaching from beyond that. .........


    It wasn''t until some time after Carlos had entered the guild that Temma approached the guild.


    Even for Tenma, she was curious, as she didn''t often get the chance to see a live ogre up close.


    And as he approached that crowd of people.


    Hey, here comes the dragon!


    One of the people on the outside of the crowd noticed Solomon hooking up to Tenma''s head.


    When that happened, people rallied to Solomon without regard to the ogre, and in no time, Temma was surrounded.


    The people know what Tenma is capable of and what Solomon and his friends are capable of, so they don''t touch him without permission, but they keep some distance from him and surround him and look at him. People were all impressed by the dragon (Solomon), which they would normally never get to see in their lifetime, and praised Tenma for taming Solomon.


    Then it is Gary who is not amused. He had looked at himself (Gulliver) with admiring eyes a moment ago, and then his praise was snatched from his side by an unearned child in a potty.


    It was one thing for such a self-respecting Gary to do.


    ''Hey, you there!''


    What is it?


    Gary weaved his way through the people and approached Temma.


    Give me that dragon!


    I tried to get my new self-respect (toy), but....


    Don''t talk in your sleep until you''re asleep get out of my way.


    Hi.


    Gary lets out a pitiful voice and slumps down as Temma kills him. The people around him laugh at him again.


    Gary stops thinking for a few seconds, but when he comes to himself, his face turns bright red.


    ''Don''t think you can just mock me, a nobleman, for free! Do it, Gulliver!


    I was about to give the ogre (Gulliver) a run for his money, but he didn''t seem to know what to do. But Gulliver doesn''t seem to know what to do with it.


    But Gulliver doesn''t seem to know what to do about it.


    ''What are you doing? I told you to beat it! Listen to me!


    He yells and gives the order again. Gulliver approached Temma with something like reluctance and raised his arms, but the stronger killing intent of Temma stopped his movement with his arms raised.


    At that moment, Gulliver must have realized in an instant. If he swung his arm down, he would be dead for sure. On the contrary, Gary would be killed, or worse, his master in the building would be killed as well.


    Once he realized that, he couldn''t move.


    ''What are you doing, Gulliver! We need to kill that thing now!


    Finally, Gary said something he shouldn''t have said. If he said it in this situation, he couldn''t complain about being killed. Furthermore, everyone who was watching this situation would side with Tenma. It was a word in such a situation.


    Temma slowly closes the distance between himself and Gulliver. Gulliver drops back as much as he is packed in.


    At one point the process was repeated, but Gulliver was in a bad position standing. There was a wall of guild behind Gulliver, and finally he couldn''t move backwards anymore.


    But there was someone who wanted to get behind Tenma relative to Gulliver, Gary. Gary drew his sword and slashed at Tenma, who was facing backwards........


    ''Wobbella.''


    He was cruelly blown away by Temma''s back fist. It was then and there.


    What''s going on here?


    Two men came out of the guild - Carlos and the guild leader.


    As soon as Carlos came out, Gulliver slumped as if he had lost his back.


    When Carlos came out of the guild, what he saw was my subordinate (Gulliver) slumped against the wall, the boy in front of Gulliver''s eyes radiating killing intent, and his son (Gary) lying a few meters behind him.


    Carlos and the guild leader have no idea what was going on. But when one of them approaches the guild chief and overhears him.


    Hey, somebody tie up that guy lying over there!


    And commanded to the adventurers who were around him.


    ''What are you talking about!


    Carlos pressed up against the guild leader, but the guild leader sounded calm.


    If you don''t, he''ll kill you.


    He pointed to Temma and told Carlos what Gary had done.


    When Carlos finished listening to everything, he turned pale and shivered. That''s because of the seriousness of what my son has done.


    In this case, Temma was not at fault and Gary was charged with attempted robbery, attempted murder, and a penalty for injuring his family members in the city, so he couldn''t complain if he was sent to the death penalty. What Gary had done was deemed so vicious that the title of nobleman didn''t apply to him.


    When Carlos thought that Gary could not be saved in any way, a voice came from an unexpected person.


    ''Guild Master. That guy, you can let him go.


    It was from the victim, Temma. The guild leader asked for a translation.


    ''It was just a kid who got carried away and went wild. Let''s forgive him for once.


    His mockery was met with laughter from those around him.


    ''It''s really good, isn''t it?''


    The guild leader went over to confirm as a reminder and then told him to let Gary go. No matter how vicious the act, the biggest victim, Temma allowed it, Gary''s only crime was the penalty for trying to set up his family members in the city, and since no damage was done here, the guild chief can decide on the punishment within his discretion, even if it is not acquittal.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.


    Gulliver was not as frightened as before, since there was no killing intent coming from Tenma right now, but he still seemed nervous.


    The guild leader was discussing something with the man who I assumed was his father, but I didn''t pay much attention to it. I enjoyed seeing the ogre called Gulliver in front of me more than such trivial matters. Someone called out to me from behind.


    ''May I have a word?''


    It was the father of the man who had called him Gary who called out to me, his complexion somewhat better than it had been earlier.


    ''I''m sorry that our stupid son has caused you so much trouble this time. And I am extremely grateful that you have forgiven me for that sin.


    He made a very polite apology.


    ''I understand you are an aristocrat, sir, but may I ask your name?


    I know this because I actually did a secret appraisal, but it would be better to hear it from his own mouth as well.


    ''''He even went so far as to........I''m so sorry! My name is Carlos von Samons. I have the title of Marquis by His Majesty.


    ''I''m sorry about this. My name is Temma, and I''m playing a C-rated adventurer.


    When I returned the greeting, the Marquis heard my name and rolled his eyes.


    ''''Could it be that the Lord Sanga was talking about, um........''''


    Apparently, he seems to be close to the Duke of Sangha. From what I''ve heard, it seems that this Marquis de Samoens belongs to the Duke of Sanga''s faction and that they are kindred spirits. He''s listening to me because of that relationship.


    Then the topic of conversation shifted to the military. Since we both had a common acquaintance, we seemed to open up to each other to some extent. Moreover, they are also each other''s tamer.


    The first topic of conversation was Solomon. The Marquis is also excited to see a dragon for the first time. I was also interested in Gulliver, so I asked him about it.


    Gulliver found him injured and dying about ten years ago.


    Apparently, at first he thought it was dangerous and tried to stop it, but when he got close to it, he tried it and it seemed to be able to become his subordinate, so he tried it and succeeded, so he rushed to treat it.


    Then, after keeping it close to him as a guard, it became more intelligent than a normal ogre, it listened to what he said, and it became very familiar with him.


    When the conversation was going on like that.


    Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.


    With what a voice, I noticed Gary. Gary looked at me.


    Well, that''s a very stupid thing to do.


    I had no idea what he was talking about. Apparently his jaw was off, or maybe a bone was broken.


    Gary was ranting vigorously and was sprawled out in pain.


    I felt sorry for him as I watched him, so I decided to cast a recovery spell on Gary.


    ''Aqua Heel,''


    It is a water-attribute recovery spell. It''s a great way to get a good idea of what''s going on in the world. I''m not going to be able to get the same amount of recovery as the light attribute, but in the case of a broken bone, you need to be careful because the bone will be stuck in a misaligned state.


    The pain must have subsided considerably, and Gary stared at me again.


    You! You think you can put a nobleman (this me) through this and be forgiven!


    He was just about to close in on me.


    You''re an idiot!


    The Marquis'' blow fell on Gary''s head.


    ''''I''m really sorry I''ll be the one to tell this idiot...''''


    The Marquis forced Gary to stand and held his head down, forcing him to lower it.


    ''Yes, I understand. Then I''ll take it.


    Saying that, I gingerly set out for the dungeon. As expected, he didn''t feel like entering the guild in that situation.


    As I turned my body towards the dungeon, Shiroumaru, who had retreated before I knew it, came alongside me with Solomon on his back.


    We rushed into the dungeon and flew out of the warp zone to the 28th level.


    At that time, in front of the guild.


    Father! Why should we bow to people like that! He put his hands on me!


    Hearing those words, Carlos sighed loudly.


    ''I didn''t think you were this stupid...''


    Gary was furious at Carlos'' words.


    ''What kind of a joke are you doing! That one.....


    Shut up for a minute.


    Carlos interrupted Gary''s words with an unmistakable power.


    ''''Here, being a nobleman is a title that''s an added bonus. In the dungeon city, if you are competent, you are admired even if you are a child; if not, you are laughed at even if you are royalty. Furthermore, in this case, all the blame lies with you. If he hadn''t forgiven you on the spot, you could have been sentenced to death.


    Then he looked around slowly.


    ''As long as you''re in this city, you''re prepared to have people pointing backwards and laughing at you from now on.


    At those words, Gary hurriedly looked around and saw that everyone was whispering at Gary.


    As expected, Gary couldn''t take it, and he tried to yell out, but


    ''Don''t put me to shame. If you still think you''re an aristocrat, that is.


    He was stopped by Carlos.


    As it was, Carlos apologized to the people around him and went to the inn with the soldiers.


    Gary also hurriedly chased after them, not wanting to be left here.


    We had no idea that this was going to happen, and we were proceeding with the attack at a brisk pace.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of your time with this kind of a new product. We dare to slaughter the enemies with physical attacks only, instead of using magic as a practice for coordination.


    I thought it would be tough on Solomon, but surprisingly, he was active. He mainly flies around on top of demons, drawing their attention by screaming, and Shiroumaru kicks away the gaps he creates.


    And against skeletal opponents, he was scratching their skulls one after another and throwing them around to confuse them.


    However, his stamina was low, so if he flew too much, he was tired and slowed down. He had been attacked a few times at that time, but even as a child, he wasn''t seriously injured, as he was indeed a dragon.


    Even as a harvest, high orcs could get meat, kobolds could get fur, and skeletons could get bones (which could be used for fertilizer and equipment) other than magic stones, but only hobgoblins didn''t have any use for anything other than magic stones. However, some of them were equipped with knives and other items that seemed to have been taken from adventurers, so that was the only thing that saved them.


    The types of demons didn''t change even after descending to the twenty-ninth level. If there is, it''s only a slight increase in the number of skeletons.


    So we decided to take a break in a suitable place. As before, we found a dead end and decided to make an impromptu small room by blocking it with a wall.


    In the small room, we took out one of the high oaks, dismantled it and grilled it. You''re going to be able to get the best out of it.


    ''Shiroumaru you should eat more slowly as Solomon will imitate you!


    One of the things that has been bothering me lately is that Solomon has been imitating the way Shiroumaru eats. Maybe it doesn''t matter in the wild, but Shiroumaru has been a domestic wolf since he was born, and the way he eats is so amazing that it makes me want to say that he is a domestic wolf (household). Basically, he swallows his food after a few bites, doesn''t eat vegetables, and sticks his face in people''s plates whenever he sees an opening. At the moment, Solomon is so bad at sticking his face in people''s plates that I want to discipline him at all costs.


    In the first place, if you''re going to learn from him, I want you to be a slurin. Recently, Slarin has become an even better eater, and has finally learned to use a knife, fork, spoon, and chopsticks. I doubt if it''s really necessary to use them differently, but.....


    The meal went on like that, and we decided to get some post-dinner sleep, as usual.


    When I got out of bed and got under the covers, Shiroumaru was at my feet, Slarin was on my head, Solomon was beside me in the futon, and for some reason, when I sleep in the cave, we each have a designated position... when I sleep in my room, I sleep wherever I want. .........


    I went on to get a light sleep for an hour or so, and I felt pretty refreshed and good.


    As expected, we didn''t find any side-holes this time, but instead we broke down the wall and were greeted by a flock of a dozen or so high orcs that were right around the corner. They seemed to have been attracted by the smell of their companions being burned, and had gathered there.


    I woke up in my sleep and it was troublesome, so I took out my adamantine sword and cut it in half from one side to the other without any coordination involved... a lot of meat today!


    By the way, Kobold''s meat has a lot of stringy meat and even if it''s cooked, it will only give off an odor, so it''s not something you want to eat unless it''s an emergency.


    These High Orcs had a rare matching weapon.......a sword. But it was badly rusted and chipped in places, making it nearly incapable of being sharp. Still, I picked it up just in case and put it away in my bag.


    After that, I didn''t encounter any particular demons until I went to the lower floors.


    However, when I reached the 30th level, the air changed completely.


    How refreshing the air was. I think that expression is strange in a dungeon, but the air isn''t actually stagnant like it has been in the past.


    As I descended the stairs and turned at the end, the ground was wet with water. It seems that water is gushing out of the ground somewhere. There are some plants growing on the wall.


    But it was tricky for the ground to be wet. Every time I walked, it made a crunching, crunching sound. And it was slippery in places.


    I proceeded more cautiously than usual, but it was only at times like this that I encountered one demon after another.


    High goblins and high orcs, kobolds and slimes, and most troublesome of all, insect-shaped demons.


    They crawl up to you (which is natural since they are insects), and they barely make a sound of footsteps.


    Shiroumaru almost got bitten by the spider-type demon, but with a light backstep, he dodged the attack and bit it to death... I''ll wash Shiroumaru''s mouth out later.


    But it wasn''t all bad, either. Thanks to those bugs, we''ve found a way to attack this floor! It was simple, I realized. Just let it float in the air!


    I used my levitation magic to float about ten centimeters off the ground and slowly move forward. This was the kicker, as I was surprised by the G-like demon that attacked me from the side and flew away as quickly as possible to avoid it.


    The further back I went, the more bug types I saw, from spiders and caterpillars to centipedes and mantises, the more insect types I saw, and as I did, I didn''t see any goblins.


    Even if I saw them occasionally, they were eaten by the insects or already turned into bones.


    After an hour or so, I found the stairs and was about to go down, but when I stepped onto the stairs, a centipede, more than twice the size of the thing I''d seen so far, crawled out.


    As a check, I threw the rusty sword the high orc was holding at the centipede''s head.


    ''Geeee! ''Giggly''


    The centipede didn''t appear to have been particularly damaged. The sword that hit his head had been flicked off and also broken.


    The centipede, perhaps angered by the current blow, undulated and shook its body as it rushed toward me.


    I counter-attempted to fire my Fire Bullet at the centipede, but incredibly, the Fire Bullet was deflected by the back of the centipede''s head and swept backwards.


    I was distracted by this and my evasion was delayed, if only for a moment.


    I hurriedly tried to jump over the centipede, but the centipede''s fangs grazed my right leg and sent me flying.


    The momentum from the bounce sent me crashing into a wall, and I was unable to focus on my eyes.


    Centipede didn''t miss the opportunity and jumped at me to stop me. I tried to cut him down using only my gut feeling, and I took out my kobolds from my bag and held them ready, but


    Cuey.


    And Solomon spat out fire over the centipede''s eyes. It doesn''t seem to do much damage to the centipede, but the centipede had stopped moving because the fire had hit its face.


    Without missing the opportunity, a single silver and white arrow pierced the centipede''s eye and dropped its head.


    The arrow stuck to the wall with the same momentum, and this time, the arrow turned its body into an arrow once more, aiming at the centipede''s body.


    The second arrow cut through the centipede''s body, and although the centipede''s body was still moving, the wonder was gone.


    ''d*mn it! I was caught off guard. Thank you, Shilomar, Solomon, for saving my life!


    When I patted Shiroumaru and Solomon''s heads, they squinted their eyes in a pleasant way.


    ''''But this thing is huge... and it has a pretty strong poison... so let''s detoxify it just in case.


    I used the antidote magic ''Antidote'' on my leg. As soon as I used it, the slight numbness I had felt disappeared.


    While muttering this, I stared at the centipede that had finally stopped moving.


    Its total length would be over four meters. Its width would be fifty centimeters and its thickness would be less than twenty centimeters...


    When I picked up the head that had been cut off, its mouth was covered with nearly ten centimeters of fangs.


    It''s unlikely to be eaten by any stretch of the imagination, but the centipede''s instep is quite hard and also seems to have resistance to magic. There''s no way I can''t bring this back.


    I threw it in my bag and went down the stairs again, and was able to find a warp zone on the side of the stairs.


    I was a little lost, but I decided to pull up for today and sort out the contents of my bag.


    On my way out of the dungeon and to my room, I found Amy surrounded by a group of men I didn''t know, so I hurried up to her and managed to get between her and the men.


    ''What do you want with this girl!


    I questioned the men, positioning myself to fight off them at any time.

 55-Chapter 3-10 Tamers Guild (tentative)

    There are a total of four men surrounding Aimee. I quickly pull on Aimee''s arm and get out of the men''s enclosure.


    At the same time, Shiroumaru leaps over us and takes the men''s back. Above us, Solomon is flying around. Slarin, say..........................and before we knew it, he was at the feet of the men.


    The situation is now completely sandwiched between the men, and we have a definite advantage.


    ''''Wait, wait a minute! We''re not suspicious!


    One of the men will plead his case.


    That''s what everyone says when they''re suspicious.


    I cut the man''s words to pieces. The men were in a panic.


    Um, sir........these people are tamer........


    Amy said, and I couldn''t help but think.


    You want Solomon!


    And he was about to take up an offensive stance when....


    "W-wait, wait, wait, wait! We''re just here to recruit you guys!


    When I checked with Amy, it seems that the man was right, he was just trying to invite me and Amy to their gathering. He was on his way to visit me when he happened to see Aimee, so he called out to her first, and this is what happened when I saw him.


    ''''........Is this true?''''


    I swear to God, it''s true!


    In my opinion, that''s not material to trust, but he doesn''t seem to be lying.


    ''I beg your pardon. I spoke too soon.


    I apologized honestly, but the men didn''t seem particularly bothered by it.


    ''No, I''ve heard about what''s been going on with you lately, so I don''t blame you for misunderstanding.


    And he forgave me. The latest situation is that some people have been trying to kidnap Solomon. I''ve fought off both of them, and I''m doing my O-HA-NA-SHI to make sure they don''t happen again, but those kinds of idiots show up on a regular basis.


    At any rate, I decided to bring Shiroumaru and the others back to my side and listen to the guys. They don''t seem to have any guilty feelings, as they say the place is a guild.


    The men led me into the guild and upstairs, and I was led to a table at the end. An elderly man was sitting there first, and when he saw me and Amy, he stood up and welcomed us.


    His name...Agri Monakert.


    Age...61


    Race... human race.


    Title: Tamer, a first-rate adventurer.


    ''I''m Agri Monakert, the man who''s putting this gathering together. Nice to meet you.


    Then he holds out his hand to me. I take his hand in mine.


    Temma. And this one....


    I''m Amy. Nice to meet you.


    I returned the greeting. Amy seemed a little nervous.


    ''So what is this gathering about?''


    At my question, Aguri gave me a surprised look and turned to the men who brought us here.


    Boys! You brought him here without any explanation!


    Fool! I''m sorry," he said angrily, as the men tried their best to explain themselves.


    ''I''m sorry...Here, why don''t you introduce yourself first?


    With that, the men were introduced.


    ''I guess I''ll go first. I''m Ted. Nice to meet you.


    Name...


    Age... 28.


    Race... human race.


    Titles... adventurer, tamer, courier


    I''m Light Cedar. Nice to meet you.


    His name... is Light Cedar.


    Age...26


    Race...Beastmen (dog race)


    Titles: adventurer, tamer, peddler


    I am Akagi Sakharath.


    His name... is Akagi Sakharath.


    Age...24.


    Race... human race.


    Titles... adventurer, tamer, blacksmith


    ''I am Aoki Sakarat. I will be a twin brother to Akagi.


    His name... is Aoki Sakharath.


    Age...24.


    Race... human race.


    Titles... adventurer, tamer, blacksmith


    They all have a tamer in their title. If there''s nothing else they have in common.


    We call ourselves the Tamer''s Guild a guild, though we are a small mutual aid society.


    Aguri explained. It was true that he had never heard of a Tamer''s Guild. At least, it didn''t exist in Gunjo City.


    After asking Aguri to elaborate, he heard that the number of tamer''s has been gradually decreasing in recent years, starting twenty years ago. There used to be guilds for tamer''s, but these days they are rare. There was one in Seigen at first, but it went out of existence a little over ten years ago.


    One of the reasons for this is that taymars are either unsuitable for dungeon-catching or difficult to play. There are three main types of tamer: those who make up the numbers, those who assist, and those who are elite.


    Those who are counted are those who supplement their strength with the number of their families.


    Those who assist are those who focus on scouting and checking by their families, using their families, using birds to give orders, and assisting large demons in transporting and moving.


    Lastly, it seems that the elite few are simply guys like me. They are good at attacking and intercepting powerful demons.


    The best suited to attack dungeons are the auxiliary and elite types, but the demons that are good at auxiliary are not suited to battle, and the elite types don''t have much need to team up with others, so as a result, it is difficult to form an instant party, and rather than aiming to be a tamer, aiming to be a warrior or a wizard will give you more opportunities to play an active role and give you a chance to become famous. The number of tamer''s is decreasing because there are so many of them.


    I''ve heard that I''m an anomaly among them, I''m a high fighter, I can use magic and my subordinates are all powerful, so they thought there was no way I wouldn''t invite them to join their own group.


    It''s just that I''m not suggesting that you form a party with any of them and dive into the dungeon. However, one of the purposes is that if there are as many tamer''s as possible in a time of need, it will be easier to find a solution to the problem when we consult with them.


    So Ted says, and as Aguri adds, he says


    ''And helping new would-be tamer''s. It''s not usually such a fortunate thing that happened to Amy with Tenma, so it''s easier to help them if they know our name. So it''s easier to help them if they know our name.


    They also discuss other things such as how to raise your family members and exchange opinions on little things related to your family members.


    But since each of them is an adventurer, it is rare that they all get together.


    The story then moves on to their families.


    Aguri''s family is a large ape called a grappler ape. They are about 1.5m long and look somewhere between a gorilla and a chimpanzee, with high muscle strength and agility, and are said to be able to handle human weapons with dexterity. There are three of them, and each one is equipped with a sword, a spear and a bow. Of course, as its name suggests, it can also handle close quarters combat with its bare hands.


    Ted''s quarter is a large eagle called the Thunderbird. It''s 2.5 meters long, with a wingspan of just under 4 meters, and Ted is sometimes called a courier because he can hold onto this eagle as it travels long distances.


    Incidentally, he has the attributes of lightning and wind, and is said to have considerable fighting power outside of dungeons.


    It is said that Wright has ten wildcat-shaped demons called Hard Lynx in his household, and they are also useful in dungeons. Hard Lynxes are 1.2 meters long and have the habit of moving in packs, which is unusual for cats. However, other adventurers have asked them if they use cats, even though they are dog beastmen.


    The Sakarat brothers have an unusual way of using their family members.


    The two brothers are said to be the masters of their own household. When I first heard this, I couldn''t believe my ears, but it seems to be true and is considered to be one of the biggest mysteries of the tamers.


    Their families are the Mountain Turtle, a tortoise-shaped demon with a 2-meter-long shell, and the Flame Tiger, a tiger-shaped demon with a fire attribute.


    Other mysteries include how to determine the maximum number of families and how to make a higher level dragon a family member. It is said that.


    The maximum number of tamers was once when a tamer tamed 50 wolf-type demons, and the wolf-type could no longer be tamed. However, other demons were able to tame, so apparently there have always been tamer''s trying to figure it out.


    And it seems that they each use a small capacity dimension bag to move around, but even the 10m class ones cost at least several hundred thousand Gs each, so they make them endure with 5m class ones.


    Incidentally, I gave Amy a 10m class bag that she never used as a gift.


    As a defensive function because it''s a nuisance to be targeted, if anyone other than the contractor tries to forcibly use it, a powerful ''stun'' will be generated and only the opponent will be attacked.


    However, it doesn''t completely prevent theft, so I''ve told them not to use it or talk to anyone until the chicks have become adults.


    For now, the men don''t intend to harm you, and since they don''t seem to want to use you unilaterally, I decided to take them up on their invitation. More than anything else, I decided that these guys could be used to reduce the possibility of harm being done to Amy.


    There was no contract or registration form to join the guild, just a declaration of intent and permission to join.


    The most important thing to remember is that they came to recruit me, so I knew there was no way I would be rejected.


    And while I was at it, I went to the guild''s board.


    Oh, there you are, Temma.


    I encircled the djinn and the others. Just in time, I pulled the head of a large centipede out of my bag and


    I got rid of these things, but there are too many of them.


    I learned from my appraisal that it was a Gigant Death Centipede, B-rank, but I had never heard of it on my first sight of the demon.


    As soon as they saw the centipede, the djinn and the others


    Get that thing away from me!


    He shouted and retreated. The adventurers around me had the same reaction.


    I thought it wasn''t bad material-wise, so I had no choice but to nod my head at the reactions of those around me.


    ''''Oh, hey Temma.......is it okay to touch it.......''''


    Jin was afraid to ask me.


    It bit me, but I managed to detoxify it quickly.


    ""That''s not right!"


    Jin, Menace, and Garratt join their voices. Even Leena sounded surprised.


    Temma-san.... this centipede, as its name implies, is a giant species that possesses a poison so powerful it can kill an ogre in a matter of minutes... ...


    He told me that a normal human-sized creature could kill you instantly if you''re not good at it.


    Oh, I have a constitution that doesn''t respond well to poisons, so maybe that has something to do with it.


    That''s how I explained it to him.


    ''''No, no, no, no, it''s not at the level of ''the poison is hard to effect~''.......you''re a monster as expected.......''''


    I think he meant to whisper that last word so that I wouldn''t hear it, but it was firmly in my ear. So.


    Jin, here.


    And I threw the head of the centipede at it. By the way, the fangs are pulled out beforehand, so there''s no danger........


    ''''........heh, gahhh.


    Jin reflexively took the centipede''s head and hurriedly threw it to the side... towards Menace...


    Don''t throw it at me!


    Menace also hurriedly struck back at the centipede''s head. At any rate, the head of the centipede''s mouth hit Jin''s lips.


    From the time the centipede''s head hit the djinn to the time it fell to the floor, it would have taken only a second or two.


    However, at that moment, the adventurers around them stopped moving completely and all looked at the djinn together.


    The head of the centipede rolling around on the floor, it was as if time had stopped only in this area, and there was even an illusion that time had stopped. That illusion was broken by


    No... I don''t want to die like this! Somebody please... detoxify me, detoxify me!


    It was Jin''s screams that made him panic like that. Jin was sprawled out on the floor in a scattered manner, but when Leena saw that, she refrained from


    ''''Um, Mr. Jin........the poison of the Death Centipede is not effective when taken orally.......''''


    ...What do you mean by that?


    At Leena''s words, Jin, lying on the floor, asks a question... He''s still confused and doesn''t seem to understand the meaning of Leena''s words.


    ''In other words, Jin-san isn''t going to die,''


    The illusion of time stopping around us again.............................hits us.


    Jin slowly gets up, lightly tapping his clothes to remove the dirt, then


    d*mn it, Temma, that''s dangerous! However much centipede venom is ingested orally...? ....because that doesn''t work!


    As if nothing had happened, they re-partitioned and crowded me. Behind them, many of them, led by Menas and Garratt, were desperately trying to hold back their laughter.


    ''''Jin-san, no matter how much you say that poison doesn''t work when taken orally, it can still cause addiction in large doses.


    At Leena''s words, Jin stopped moving and


    Seriously, am I going to be okay?


    That''s not a problem. A glass of wine can be dangerous.


    Jin, clearly relieved at those words.


    Haha, it''s not gonna work... haha, it''s sickening.


    Did you see Jin''s face.... he had a look of great relief on it...


    The two behind them began to burst out laughing like they couldn''t stand it. And starting with the two of them, the surroundings turned into a whirlwind of laughter.


    When I repeated Jin''s line from earlier in the bar, the people around me laughed even louder, using it as a catalyst.


    ''Hey, hey, Temma!


    Jin reached out to grab me, but I slipped away.


    Oh no, this is not how I want to die.


    I repeated the challenge further. Jin was desperate to catch me, but


    "d*mn it, I''m not gonna get caught! Menas, Garratt! Help me get Temma!


    Finally, I called for help from my friends - they were laughing too hard and squatting on the floor, holding their stomachs.


    It was bad enough that I didn''t want to mess with the djinn too much.


    ''Sorry, sorry, Jin. I''ll give you this to make up for it.


    Then I put something on the table. It was.....


    ''Wait a minute! That''s the fang of a centipede, isn''t it!


    It was the thing that could be said to be the cause of Jin''s fuss just now.


    Oh, don''t worry about the poison. I''ve washed out the poison and put an anti-dote (antidote) on it just in case.


    Even so, the djinn didn''t try to get close. When Garratt saw that, he said.


    ''Good for you, Jin. The fangs of the Gigant Death Centipede are quite useful!


    Saying that, Garratt taps Jin on the shoulder, but his face looks like he''s trying to laugh.


    Then Menace taps him on the opposite shoulder from Garratt.


    ''That''s right, Jin. Wouldn''t having centipede fangs be a good chance to overcome your weaknesses!


    I''m saying that, but Menace''s face still looks like it''s holding back a laugh.


    ''''Is that so?''''


    Jin fearfully tucks his fangs into his bag as the two of them round on him like that.


    ''Come to think of it, I''ve never seen this centipede before, are these guys common from the 30th floor?


    My question caused a moment of silence around me. Did I say something wrong? But then I saw Jin, who had come to his senses.


    Is that true? These guys are so few in number, and they should normally be able to dive to nearly 40 levels, but you should rarely see them...


    After muttering something like that, I let the guild staff know and had them put up a piece of paper on the bulletin board warning them to be careful.


    ''Well, whatever it is, good job, Temma! We''ve never had any sightings near the 30th level, but now we can proceed with caution. You''ll be less likely to get hit by the centipede''s poison.


    Jin said, and called out to the adventurers around him to be careful.


    While he was at it, I asked him how to use the centipede, and he told me that although its meat has a bitter taste and is inedible, it can be used as a nourishing tonic if you dry it out, roast it over a fire, and drink it after boiling it.


    In addition, the instep is light and strong, so it can be used for armor and has magic resistance. It is said to be very popular with wizards and people who value lightness.


    The only thing I can think of is the fact that I''m going to be able to use it to poison centipedes. There is value in using it to poison centipedes as well.


    The one who said that was Leena, who looked around in some reserved manner, then gently approached me and overheard.


    According to the report, it is said that by pouring the centipede''s venom into the fire and diluting it with a solution of several medicinal herbs, a potion can be made that will energize the male functions, and it costs quite a good price.


    The poison is bottled just in case, and there is about 500 ml of it. But I''m not interested in that kind of medicine at the moment, so I decided to use it when I''m hunting or something, and decided to fix it in my bag. I heard that the poison would lose its potency when heated, so the fish I killed with it would be able to be eaten with no problem if I let it pass through the fire.


    While we were making noise like that, Aimee came down from the second floor.


    She seemed to be done asking about tames and how to raise chicks, so we decided to go home together.


    Along the way, Aimee told me many things she learned about how to raise the chicks.


    For example, bird-shaped demons would grow better if they were fed on insect-shaped demons, and if they were fed a mixture of crushed demon stones and demon cores, they would easily become a subordinate with a lot of magical power.


    There were a large number of goblin and orc magic cores in several bags, so I shared them with Amy.


    At first Aimee was hesitant to give them to me, but she was pleased when I gave them to her a little forcefully, saying that honestly, the magic core I was going to give her was of poor quality and in large quantities, and that it wouldn''t be worth much if I sold it to her, so she wouldn''t hesitate to give it to me.


    Since I had no more plans for today and it was halfway through the day to do anything, I decided to start making an early dinner.


    The ingredients are...........pork. The first item was tonkashi (pork chopsticks), the second item was ginger-grilled, the third item was braised pork, the fourth item was sweet-and-sour pork, the fifth item was tonkatsu (pork cutlet), the sixth item was roast pork, the seventh item was cartilage stew, the eighth item was steamed meatballs, the ninth item was gyoza, and the tenth item was steamed meat buns.


    When I made it while remembering what I can do now, I ended up with this... Actually, I wanted to make more Chinese and European dishes, but I couldn''t remember, so I couldn''t help it.


    But my real life is not one of these. I hadn''t made it in a previous life, but I knew how to make it for the most part.


    The way it''s made is by cleaning the bones and patiently getting the bone broth out of them, and it''s a dish that sometimes involves cooking onions, vegetables, and eggshells together. However, since there is not enough time to cook it and the other main ingredient is not available, it will not be on the table today.


    Oh, I can''t wait to eat that dish that was called the national dish in my previous life.......ramen! And it''s my favorite pork bone ramen!


    You''ll have to make your own noodles for that, but if worst comes to worst, just stick with the soup.


    Of course it''s better to put up with just the broth than eating with weird noodles!


    Eventually, I plan to add more variations, such as chicken bones, salt, miso, and soy sauce, but I''ll start with pork bones. Fortunately, I had a lot of opportunities to see how it was made on TV shows in a previous life, so I should be able to recreate it somehow!


    The night went on as we got into the spirit of things like that.


    By the way, the food is almost gone... I was going to make more and split it up into several portions, but my family''s foodie banshee was able to perish, and I was able to eat it... recently. I''m worried that Banzai II is forming.����By.Temma

 56-Chapter 3-11 Girls in the Serpents Hole

    The knights on horseback are moving around the carriage.


    ''Master Merlin, we will soon arrive at the village at the halfway point. In that village, we will look for an inn for today, and our departure is scheduled for tomorrow morning.


    Edgar spoke to Merlin in the carriage as he did so.


    ''Mm, all right. Let it be that way.


    To tell the truth, Merlin wanted to go to Gunjo City without sleep or rest. However, if I did so, even if the knights and the horses'' physical strength could be managed, Merlin knew that his spirit would suffer, so he had to reluctantly agree to it.


    It would have been quicker if I had gone alone and forced them to do it.


    I thought that I might have made a mistake in refraining from accompanying the knights directly from Alex, saying that I couldn''t ruin Alex''s face as king, but since it would be useless to say so now, I only thought of it in my mind.


    About an hour after the report, Merlin and his group were able to arrive at the village at the halfway point.


    ''''Merlin-sama, I''ll go find an inn, so please wait a while.''''


    Edgar dismounted his horse near the entrance of the village and told Merlin so, and then he took the two knights into the village.


    He left the commanding authority for the time being to Chris, so Chris gave instructions to the rest of the knights and made them alert to their surroundings accordingly.


    At that moment, a carriage came out of the village. Just as their own carriage was in the form of a blocked path, Chris instructed Mark to pull the carriage more to the edge to get it over. As the carriages passed each other.


    ''Sir Knight, we are merchants, can we get you anything?''


    The man in the carriage got out and called out to him. Chris was a little confused by the suddenness of the situation, but


    What kind of merchandise do you guys carry?


    He responded to Merlin''s words and casually stood between Merlin and the man. The man seemed to notice, but he didn''t particularly care.


    The goods we have are: portable food and dry goods, spices and liquor, herbs and potions, armor and weapons, and slaves.


    The man who calls himself Jayman slurs the products that can be sold now.


    ''''Hmm, I don''t need slaves as expected........Chris, is the number of potions okay?''''


    Merlin thought for a moment and then checked with Chris.


    ''There''s still a lot left, but we''ve consumed twenty percent of the total.


    Each of them had several bottles of the potion, and Chris managed the rest, giving them to each of them as much as they used and replenishing them each time.


    When Merlin heard how many were left, he said


    Well, I''ll take about twenty potions and of course I won''t buy them if they cost more than the market price or are of inferior quality.


    At those words, Jayman nodded and took out a potion. Merlin took one of them, opened it and examined it.


    ''''Hmm, that''s quite a nice potion.


    With that, he paid the fee and packed it into Chris''s bag. The fee was about ten percent less than the market price, so I bought another ten additional bottles.


    After bowing deeply, Jayman returned to the carriage and left in the direction from which Merlin and the others had come.


    ''''Merlin-sama, you were a very lowly merchant for a mere thirty or so bottles of potions.......''''


    Chris seemed uncomfortable with Jayman''s attitude.


    He may have known that Chris and the others were the Kingsguard. A merchant sells merchandise to the guards, and that''s a status that he or she has, but he or she wouldn''t make a fuss about it.


    Chris twisted his head, but stopped to think about it as Edgar and his friends returned just in time.


    Merlin-sama, there was a vacant room at the inn, so I got enough for all of us. Merlin-sama, me and Chris will be in a private room, and the rest will be sharing a room.


    That said, they were led to the inn where Jayman and the others were staying, and Merlin''s room was the room where Tenma had stayed... most of all, Merlin and the others had no way of knowing.


    ''Good! Now, you have a good day''s rest, and make sure you''re in good shape to leave for Gunjo City again tomorrow.


    At Merlin''s words, the group made their way to the inn.


    (We''re almost there to meet Temma! (Temma, my grandpa will be there soon!


    The journey of Merlin and his friends continues.


    Meanwhile, in Seigen at dusk.


    Godd*mn it, they were laughing in my face!


    A boy was walking down a back alley. The boy''s name was Gary, the second son of the Marquis of Samons, who had caused a great deal of embarrassment by messing with Temma early on when he came to Seigen.


    However, although he was certainly laughed at by the residents, more than half of it was Gary''s paranoia. It was true that rumors had spread about him as the son of a nobleman who had messed with Tenma, but most people who knew Tenma thought he was just another idiot, and those who didn''t know him were only interested in the fact that there was such a guy, and they didn''t know much about Gary''s face, either.


    However, Gary couldn''t realize that people didn''t care about him as much as he thought they did because of the unforeseen circumstances of being humiliated by a kid who was younger and more prominent than him, a nobleman, and even his father, who was unexpectedly angry with him.


    ''It''s all that kid (Temma)''s fault! Why didn''t you just shut up and offer me a dragon!


    Gary was growing frustrated with Tenma, not realizing that he was not strong enough to make the dragon (Solomon) his family.


    Perhaps that''s why, before long, Gary didn''t realize that he was lost, on the road.


    Seigen would not get lost so easily if he went down the main street, or worse, if he continued toward the center of the main street, he would reach the dungeon, so he would rarely get lost.


    Gary, however, was lost in a strange land, through back alleys to avoid people, lost because he was thinking, and his head was full of blood.


    So Gary didn''t realize that he had wandered into the west side of the city....or the slums, without his knowledge.


    When he finally realized that the area was full of dirty buildings, trash strewn all over the alleyways, and he had stepped into a place where he could see orphans and vagrants hiding in the shadows of the garbage.


    ''What is this place?'' It''s disgusting, it''s a shame to be in a place like this and to have some kind of disease.


    With that said, we headed back the way we thought we had come, but we couldn''t get to the main street at all. As it should be, this area was built very differently from the rest of the district due to illegal build-ups and such, and only those who had lived in these parts for many years were able to find their way around.


    Naturally, there was no way Gary, a newcomer to the city, would know the way, and no matter how far he went, he would never get to the main street.


    Frustrated to no end, Gary told a man lying nearby that he was


    Hey, you there! Take me to the main street!


    He gave the order. But the man took one look at Gary and gave him a sneaky smile.


    ''Heh, a moment, please.''


    The man said and gave some kind of earful to a nearby man before coming back to Gary.


    ''Then I will show you around. However, it''s a bit complicated around here, so it will take some time.


    As he said this, the man stood in front of Gary and began to lead the way.


    He must have walked for the next twenty minutes, just as Gary was beginning to get frustrated that he never made it to the main street.


    The main road is right around the corner from here.


    The man said and shifted off to the side, and Gary, without any warning, pushed the man away and turned the corner.


    Hey! What''s going on here! It''s just a dead end!


    Right in front of Gary was a square that had been half turned into a dumping ground.


    Gary looked back at the man.


    ''''This kid is a real idiot. It''s so easy to believe a stranger in a place like this and follow him around with a whimper!


    There were four men standing there, apart from the man who had guided them. As Gary quickly as he could, he tried to draw the sword from his hip.


    Look out, boy.


    Suddenly, he was seized by a man who appeared behind him. Behind the man, several men emerged from the shadows of the trash.


    ''Let go of me, you don''t know who I am! It''s Master Gary, second son of the Marquis of Samons!


    Gary went out of his way to introduce himself, and the guys got a good laugh out of him.


    That''s good! I''ll take the ransom! The Marquis would pay any amount for it!


    As he said this, he punched Gary in the back of the head, knocked him out, then bound his hands and feet and made him bite the gag.


    ''Oi! Somebody get me a collar!


    The thing the man had them bring is a slave collar that is originally fitted around the neck of a slave, a slave collar that makes it impossible for those who are fitted with it to disobey its owner, the man fitted the collar to Gary, who was unconscious.


    Of course, this was illegal and only official slavers were originally allowed to handle it, but to those living in the underworld, it was none of their business.


    I''ve got a good wig, someone go get some information on this guy! Look, don''t ever screw up!


    With those words, some men ran off and the remaining men carried Gary somewhere.


    I had no idea that such a thing was happening on earth, so I was working hard on my dungeon attack today.


    I''m in the middle of capturing the 38th level of the dungeon, which is the shortest time to capture a dungeon, and my name is becoming more and more well known.


    This makes people wonder about my adventurer rank.


    I can solo all the way up to the 38th floor (not strictly speaking), but the fact that I''ll always be a C-ranked adventurer is starting to get people''s attention, and they''re starting to speculate.


    They say that Tenma is a secret agent of the country and travels around the country without raising his rank, secretly investigating the influential people in each place and reporting back to the country.


    He says Temma is a magically created homunculus, and although he looks young, he has lived for hundreds of years, which is why he is so strong despite his appearance.


    She is the illegitimate son of an aristocrat, and since the incoming head of the family feels threatened by her strength, he has decided to expel her from the family, so she will not raise her rank to keep a low profile as she is building up her strength to take revenge.


    This is the reason why he doesn''t raise his rank in order to be inconspicuous, because he is in the process of accumulating his power to take revenge eventually. It''s really annoying.


    The last rumor I hear most often is that since I am acquainted with the Duke of Sangha, and since the Marquis of Samoens has bowed to me, I am the illegitimate son of a major nobleman, or perhaps His Majesty''s illegitimate son in this life. It seems that the rumor was spread by someone who had a hunch that it was a good idea. To the best of my memory, I''ve never mentioned the name of Duke Sanga in Seigen, so there''s a good chance that someone who knew me in Gunjo City, like Jinn, spread the rumor.


    Incidentally, I heard the rumor from the djinn, and for a moment I doubted them, but then I saw them shaking their heads frantically and decided it wasn''t the culprit.


    ''''Why do rumors like that circulate?''''


    I''ve been lurking in the dungeon for a couple of days longer to avoid those rumors.


    I''ve been thinking like that.


    Uh-oh.


    Shiroumaru suddenly began to growl and Solomon became more alert.


    I stopped moving and pulled out the korasumaru I was carrying at my waist, searching for signs of my surroundings.


    (Surely, something is aiming at us... where...)


    I was about to search for a position when a killing spirit came from above me.


    ''There it is!''


    I slashed at the top of my head with my kogarasmaru. I could definitely feel the response from the kobolds as if I had slammed something (.........) into it.


    Something that had been slammed into me was bounced a little away from me and revealed itself. There it was.


    Snake! Now the response ... it was like hitting a rubber tire with a stick, but ...


    What I saw was a big, black snake.


    According to the appraisal, it''s a dark rubber anaconda, B-rank, I heard. From what I feel right now, it seems that a half-hearted blow or slash won''t be able to pass the damage.


    Even though it was actually an incomplete blow, it doesn''t look like Kogarasuma''s slash was very effective.


    ''''Let''s get a little serious.......''''


    I sheathed Kogarasuma and took an iai stance. The anaconda shrank back as I jitterily closed the gap between us, and in the next moment it flew at me like an arrow with tremendous force.


    ''''Phew.''''


    I exhaled briefly and drew a counter-like sword at the anaconda.


    It''s not as fast as you might expect because this korasuma has little warpage, but when you swing it off halfway through, the blade bites into the anaconda''s lower half of its jaw and cuts straight to the back of the anaconda''s head.


    The body of the anaconda whose head was cut off flew behind me without killing the momentum, and when it hit the wall, it lost momentum and fell to the ground. It was still moving, but as expected, it didn''t come at you again.


    ''''If you don''t get your blade up properly, the effect of the slash won''t be much...?''''


    After muttering that, I sheathed the little crowbar and retrieved the anaconda.


    Looking at the cut, the surface of the body was covered with rubbery skin about 5 mm thick, the flesh was a beautiful pink color and looked like chicken at a glance, but when you touched it, it was more resilient than chicken.


    However, the strange thing is that an anaconda of about six meters in height was falling from above. If this were a forest, it would not be a problem, but this is a dungeon and this place is full of rocks.


    I took a closer look at the place where the anaconda was thought to have been, and found a hole.


    I floated down to try it out and looked into it, and I could see that the wind was flowing in from the back.


    So I asked Slarin to go and find out what was going on, and he came back in about two or three minutes. Apparently, there''s a space in the back.


    So I used my earth magic to expand the hole and spread it out until it was big enough for me to advance by moving forward on the ground, and then I decided to go inside.


    I followed Slarin for about five minutes, and after that we were able to get to an area where there were a lot of rugged rock formations.


    I was looking around the area where I got off, and there was one place where I felt a strange presence.


    The place is just across a large rock from where we are now. I felt as if they were eliminating some signs, so I passed Kogarasmaru and ordered Shiroumaru and the others to stand by, and then slowly approached the place, eliminating the sound of footsteps and signs.


    I couldn''t see anything as far as I could see from behind the rocks, but I could feel something like a ward only where I felt a presence.


    So I cut towards that place, chanting the counter-magic ''Dispel'', but the one in the place where the ward was broken was....


    "Girl... why are you here...?


    They were two dingy dressed girls.


    One was a petite, white-haired girl, and the other was dirty but blonde, and it seemed to be more of a woman than a girl.


    The two of them didn''t notice me, and were surprised to be suddenly unbound, but the white-haired girl who had returned to me glared at me with a tattered sword nearby.


    The other woman checked me with her empty eyes and then tried to move to protect the white-haired girl, but she seemed to be debilitated and fell down.


    ''Wait!'' I have no hostile intent!


    With that, I dumped Kogarasuma at my feet and raised my hands.


    The white-haired girl still didn''t break free of her stance, but


    ''We have numerous potions and several medicines over here! If you''re going to put the sword away, I''ll give you what you need to treat that woman!


    The girl looked lost at those words, then


    Then you''ll just have to send the pills over here!


    Then he lowered his sword. He didn''t take his hand off the sword, but he still seemed to relax his guard somewhat.


    ''''For now, I''ve put in a potion and a whole bunch of antidotes and stuff like that.


    I wrapped the potion and other items in Kobold''s fur and threw it lightly at the girl.


    The fur fell about three meters in front of the girl, and I sat back nearly 10 meters from the spot. However, just in case, I placed Shiroumaru and the others around the girls.


    The girl cautiously approached the furs, making sure not to turn her back on me, and quickly retrieved the furs and took out a potion.


    The girl opened the bottle of the potion she had taken out and lightly licked the liquid inside to see what was inside before she tried to make the woman drink it.


    ''Aura, drink it!''


    But whether the woman is not strong enough to swallow, or whether she is so debilitated as to be ineffective in her potions, I can''t see from here, but by all appearances, she shows no signs of recovery.


    ''Aura! For God''s sake, drink!


    The girls are shouting that, but the women''s reactions are gradually becoming weaker and weaker.


    The women are in danger at this point, I thought, so I immediately closed the distance between me and the girls.


    ''''What are you doing!''''


    Before I knew it, the girl was right in front of me, swinging her sword at me, but


    Now is not the time for that!


    I caught the sword with the back of my left hand and flicked it farther away. Blood flowed from the back of my left hand, but I lightly wiped it off with my clothes and let it go.


    The girl was on her buttocks on the ground, as if she had buckled.


    In the meantime, I checked the woman''s condition and found that she was quite pale and breathing heavily. It seemed that she had contracted an infection where her body was probably weakened by a weak poison or something else, and honestly, she could die at any time if she continued like this.


    ''''Antidote, Cure, Resist, Aqua Heel.''''


    I use magic in rapid succession. I used Antidote to erase poison, Cure to disinfect and increase resilience, Resist to increase resistance, and Aqua Heal to heal the wound.


    After that point, his complexion finally improved and his breathing subsided. I gave him a potion to try, and this time he seemed to be able to swallow it.


    I guess we can call it a relief for now. That''s when the girl who had been falling on her buttocks got up and took the woman from me and held her close.


    The girl was happy to see the woman''s complexion improve, but she still hadn''t let her guard down against me.


    I stood up as the girl held the woman in her arms and pulled the bed out of my bag.


    ''Sorry about the one I was using, but it''s better than having that woman lie on the ground. You could use it.


    With that, he moved away from the girls and called Shiroumaru and the others to him.


    The girls were frightened by Shiroumaru and the others who jumped out from behind the nearby rocks and so on, but I promised to tell Shiroumaru and the others enough to get them down and never let the girls be harmed.


    After that, I sent Shiroumaru and the others to scout the perimeter while I treated my left hand and then started cooking.


    The menu was a stew with anaconda meat.


    The first time I tasted anaconda meat, I tasted it raw and found it to be low in fat and tasting of protein, which I thought would be good for the weak girls to eat, so I chopped it up and stewed it with vegetables and other ingredients. For seasoning, I made a white sauce with milk and flour, made it a little thinner and without using spices, prepared it with the goodness of the vegetables, a little salt and soy sauce, and milled taro (or potatoes as I call them) to thicken it up.


    But that wasn''t enough for me, Shiroumaru and Solomon, so I also added anaconda kabayaki and orc meat skewers... and the orc bones, which would normally be a snack for Shiroumaru and his friends, were tucked away in my bag for my own ambitious purposes.


    The scent of Shiroumaru and the others came back to me, perhaps caught by the smell.


    In the midst of them, Slarin took up position in front of me, and with a thud, he spat out the demon''s corpse... No, I know the dimension bag is inside my body, but no matter how Slarin acts, it looks like he''s ghettoizing.


    When I regained my composure and looked at my prey, I found one small dark rubber anaconda (two meters in size), five kobolds, an orc and three hornbills. I transferred them to my bag for now and fed them while praising the three animals.


    The girl who was watching them suddenly blushed and held her stomach. Perhaps it was because her stomach was growling. I didn''t hear her, but I filled my bowl with stew and approached the girl.


    ''''I''m cooking it so it''s good for digestion, so it should be safe to eat.


    I said and offered her a bowl along with a spoon, but the girl didn''t take it.


    She looked at me as if she was probably hungry, but she still couldn''t trust me. I had no choice, so I put it on the ground nearby and then went back to the pot and started my own meal.


    I took a bite and thought.


    (Anaconda ... yum!


    It was. When I first tasted it, I thought it was low in fat and tasted like protein, but when it was stewed, the gelatinous part between the fibers of the meat melted, and when I put it in my mouth, the meat melted. Plus, there seemed to be some hidden flavor in the gelatinous area, which made the stew taste better.


    I scraped it into my mouth, and even had a second helping. Naturally, Shiroumaru and Solomon also demanded another meal of just the meat of the stew...as expected of No. 1 and No. 2.


    However, being the master of evil, I put a lot of vegetables in the stew as well as meat. The disappointed faces of Shiroumaru and Solomon were interesting to watch. They ate the vegetables as if they had no choice, but in the end both of them ate the whole thing up.


    The girl who was watching them fearlessly took a mouthful of the stew and gradually increased the speed of the spoon.......it seems she liked it.


    She seemed to have eaten it all in a flash, and looked a little underwhelmed, so when I took the pot and asked her if she wanted a refill, the girl nodded shyly, cocooning, with a little hesitation.


    In the middle of pouring a second cup into the girl''s bowl.


    Ummmmm ... this place...


    The woman seemed to have noticed.


    ''Aura, I''ve noticed! Can you understand me?


    The girl threw out her stew and ran up to the woman. The woman was stunned for a moment, but


    ''Jeanne where am I? Why are we in this place?


    He replied back.

 57-Chapter 3-12 The first slave...

    Do you have a minute?


    I said and looked at the woman''s face, then cured and resisted again, just to be sure.


    The girl called Jeanne didn''t let her guard down, but that didn''t stop me from casting a spell.


    ''I don''t know who you are, but thank you,''


    The woman who was called Aura remained lying down, but bowed politely and mouthed her thanks.


    ''Hey, Jeanne. What on earth happened? I''m kind of fuzzy in my memory and I don''t really remember...


    At Aura''s question, Jeanne took a pause as if to sort it out in her mind, and eventually


    ''After Aura got a fever, a demon attacked me and fell on this place... and that one (...) died then.


    Yeah.


    That seemed to be the only thing that made sense to me.


    Who''s that guy?


    I couldn''t help but interrupt him from the side. Naturally, Jeanne was.


    It''s none of your business.


    So, instead, Aura said


    It''s about our Lord.


    I said. It was only then that I realized that both of them had a slave collar around their necks, a sign of slavery.


    ''We were slaves, and our Lord was a nobleman with the rank of Viscount.


    Then I remembered something I didn''t really want to say.


    ''You know I don''t want to say it, but...''


    Jeanne saw me stammering and she said.


    ''For the record, we didn''t kill the Lord!


    He said.


    ''No, it doesn''t matter... you''re both slaves, then... er... well...''


    ''Speak up! What is it?!


    Jeanne sees me at a loss for words and hurries me along irritably.


    I guess that means I own the place now.


    I told them. Neither of them seemed to have expected those words and froze.


    In that case, the two of them would be my slaves...


    They didn''t move so slightly that I couldn''t tell if they heard my words.


    I waved my hand in front of them and they didn''t respond, so I panned, and I hit the oak hand in front of them.


    Why is this happening to me...


    Jeanne slumped down. Aura closed her eyes tightly and then


    ''I have a request. Please don''t try to separate us. If you do sell out, please negotiate for the two of us to be together.


    He bowed his head deeply and pleaded with me. All of a sudden, my mind was a mess, but then Aura saw it, and she


    ''In fact, Jeanne was originally from a noble family, and I grew up with her from birth as her valet.


    He began to tell a story about the two of them in the past. According to the story, they had grown up without any trouble, but about five years ago they had been involved in a dispute, the house had fallen and the whole family had died, and the two remaining men had been sold into slavery and bought by a viscount.


    Fortunately, the viscount was a masculine family and was not violated, but he was about to be sold off.


    They had snuck by Seigen on the way there and hid in a dungeon with an escort, but as they got carried away and went deeper into the dungeon, they were attacked by a powerful demon, the escort and the viscount were killed, and they fell into a hole nearby.


    That''s what Jeanne told me about the latter part of the story, but I don''t believe the whole story. I don''t believe the whole story, because the status will say something important.


    Her name...


    Age...14


    Race... human race.


    Titles: cursed girl (saint), former baroness, slave


    Her name... is Aura.


    Age...16


    Race... human race.


    Titles... maid and slave.


    It''s in Jeanne''s title, cursed child (saint), that''s what it says. I don''t know if she''s hiding it on purpose or if she really doesn''t know, but I don''t think I can trust her fully.


    I decided to put that story on hold for now and interrupt the conversation to let Aura take a break so I could examine my surroundings.


    The first thing to do is to look for the hole where the two men fell in, it is located about 100 meters away from where I came in, and the wall was like a slide from the hole, so the two men didn''t get seriously injured.


    The hole is quite high. I flew over to try and see what happened.


    I think I''ve seen this place before...


    The place looked familiar or not, but since it was in the same dungeon, I stopped to think about it, thinking that there would be plenty of similar places.


    After that, I examined the area, but I didn''t find anything of particular interest. However, there were reddish-brown stones everywhere, so there must be a lot of iron-containing rocks in this area, but I decided to ignore them since they weren''t particularly necessary right now.


    And since they were able to find one warp zone in this place as well, they decided to stick the ragged sword the orc was holding nearby as a marker.


    When I returned to their side, they were discussing something with me. They didn''t seem to notice us, so I decided to deliberately make the sound of footsteps to let them know that we were there.


    When they heard the footsteps, they stopped their discussion and looked at us.


    Let''s just get out of here.


    I urged them both to do so, but Aura still couldn''t seem to stand properly.


    So I took Aura on my back and put the bed and pots and pans in my bag. Then I placed Shiroumaru behind me and Solomon over Jeanne, just in case.


    Slarin would be in my bag, ready to jump out at any time if there was anything wrong.


    But those worries seemed to be unfounded, and we made it back to the ground from the warp zone without incident.


    Once outside, Jeanne''s first words were.


    It''s been a week since I''ve seen the sky!


    I was surprised that it was. After all, he had maintained the wards for nearly a week with the half-dead Aura at his side. This was because it was impossible for an ordinary wizard to do so.


    I thought it would be better to report to the guild first, and as I was walking towards the guild, there was something noisy around, and as I approached the guild, wondering


    Don''t move! You are suspected of kidnapping a nobleman!


    I was stopped by two men dressed as knights, and since I had no knowledge of kidnapping, I ignored them and tried to join the guild.


    I told you to stay put!


    And as he tried to swing the spear in his hand, he


    "Air Impact.


    I treated him to a shockwave caused by wind magic. The man who was about to swing his spear magically flew backwards about ten meters, then rolled over and hit the wall beyond, stopping his movement.


    ''''I knew it was you!


    I tried to attack the other one.


    Gluwaaah!


    I was being stretched out on top of Shiroumaru''s body, and I was being stretched out. Shiroumaru is waiting with his mouth half open to bite me whenever I tell him to.


    The man who couldn''t pass out from Shiroumar''s body hit (.........) saw Shiroumar''s angry face up close and wet between his legs.


    ''Shiroumaru, go drag that guy out!


    Giving directions to Shiroumaru, I had Jeanne open the door for me and walked into the guild.


    In the guild, several soldiers and knights were occupying one of the tables and discussing something, and they didn''t seem to have noticed us yet.


    So I threw the man Shiroumaru had dragged over to that table with his eyes.


    ''''What''s going on?!''''


    The knights, in their panic, seemed to instantly know it was me, but


    Don''t move! If you move, I will assume hostile intent and immediately activate my magic!


    Loudly, he checked the knights. But as one of the soldiers present drew his sword


    Airblit, Airimpact.


    He fired two rounds of magic. I popped the sword with the Brit and blew the soldier away with the impact.


    After that much, the knights finally seemed to realize that I wasn''t bluffing, but


    You dare to challenge the Marquis de Samoens?


    One of the knights shouts out, but


    Then the Marquis de Samons will be my enemy!


    He said back and slammed the killing spirit into the knights. That was enough to send the knights to their feet.


    ''''It''s a fight I sold you from there don''t regret it if you die.


    It''s as if they are in a state of instantaneous conflict. However, when it comes to an actual battle, there will be a difference in ability to unilaterally overrun it. This is unless the knight I just threw at you is the weakest among them.


    However, my overrunning show never began. It was because the Marquis of Samonth heard the commotion and jumped into the guild.


    ''Wait, that''s enough! Both sides, put your swords away!


    At those words, the knights settled their swords, but I wasn''t going to listen to the marquis'' orders.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not a miko. Isn''t it too much of a bug to ask me to put away my sword after attacking me unilaterally?


    To be honest, I was pretty pissed off. At any rate, the Marquis'' knights tried to attack me without regard to the fact that Aura (woman) was on my back.


    At my words, the marquis twisted his face as if he had bitten a bitter bug and stared at the knights. Then he turned to me.


    I''m sorry for this, again. I guess my instructions didn''t go over so well.


    ''''Anyway, we''ll hear the story later. I have some things I have to do first.''''


    I headed to the guild counter in a way that left the Marquis alone, told the receptionist there about Jeanne and Aura, and tried to complete the formalities, but


    ''''I''m sorry, but I can''t give you your slave rights until you prove that those two are former slaves of the Viscount, and that you did not kill him.


    That being said, the first interview was conducted in my presence.


    ''We were attacked by that demon around the thirty or thirty-one floors.


    The victims were three knights who were following the Viscount as his bodyguard, and one adventurer who was guiding him on his way.


    ''Aura she was attacked while we were taking a break at a dead end because she suddenly got sick.


    and answered the questions of the guild staff. And finally, he answered the last one.


    The monster that attacked us was a very large centipede.


    In response, the gaze of a staff member who knew the demon I had recently killed pierced me.


    ''''Temma-san, do you still have that centipede''s corpse in your possession? If you have it, please get it out.


    With that being said, I took the Gigant Death Centipede out of the back.


    ''Here it is! It was this demon that attacked us!


    Jeanne points to the centipede and exclaims. Then she stabbed a knife into the centipede''s abdomen and cut it open, and found a metal plate with a nobleman''s coat of arms engraved on it, along with an object that was clearly a part of a human body from inside its belly.


    ''''Wait a minute.......There it is. It''s the coat of arms of the Honorable Viscount Acer.............................The guild also has a record of the Viscount''s registration. That means it''s very likely that the two of you were slaves to the Viscount.


    The guild staff told us to wait a bit and left the room.


    I was worried about Aura''s physical condition, but for now she seemed to be stable and only seemed to be feeling light fatigue.


    Again, Jeanne and Aura seemed to be consulting with each other so that I wouldn''t hear them.


    About five minutes passed as it was, and a man dressed like a priest came in as the door opened.


    The man bowed to us and then


    ''Hello, my name is Fromm Fenno, I''m a priest of the Farma Church in this city.


    He called himself. Apparently, I''m here to judge Jeanne and the others. For now, I decided to leave this place to the priest and listen to the Marquis de Samoens.


    The Marquis seemed to be angry with the knights at the table just now.


    ''''Marquis, I''ve been waiting for you.


    At my words, the marquis interrupted his anger at the knights, turned to me and suddenly bowed his head.


    I''m very sorry, Lord Temma. It was my misconduct in supervising. I ordered you to find Tenma-dono in order to get him to cooperate with you, but it seems that the knight who knew about the dispute with Gary misunderstood that Tenma-dono was suspicious and brought him to you.


    He bowed again. However, I had no idea what was going on, even though I was suddenly accused of kidnapping.


    I''m sorry. I''m sorry, but this letter was actually delivered to the inn where I''m staying.


    The Marquis realized that he hadn''t said the main point, so he took a letter out of his pocket and handed it to me.


    I opened it and read it.


    "My son is in your custody. If you want your son back, you have until tomorrow evening to come up with the ransom of 10 million g''s. The ransom will be handed over at the former fountain in the central part of the slum. But we will not release him until we see the money.


    So the letter said. What a classic sentence (in the sense of Temma''s previous life), he thought, but it must be quite a concern for the Marquis.


    ''So what do you mean by ''cooperate with me''?


    ''I don''t want you to get me wrong, but this is not an order, it''s a favor I''m asking of you as Gary''s father. The man I know to be the most skilled and most trustworthy I''ve ever known is Lord Tenma.


    Trustworthy, I guess, because I know the Duke of Sangha. For now, it would be better for the future if you cooperate.


    "Your sudden and rude behavior is out of the blue...


    Okay. I''ll help you.


    ''What? Really?


    It was in the form of interrupting the Marquis''s conversation, but since we''re going to cooperate, there won''t be any problems.


    ''''However, if we move now, we are not prepared for anything, so we will wait for the night before we begin to act.


    That''s all well and good but what do we do here?


    The Marquis may have asked if there was anything he could help with, but to be honest, the only thing the Marquis can use in his handlers is Gulliver, and that Gulliver is also unsuitable for behind-the-scenes work like this one. So.


    Just pretend you''re taking precautions. If you want to, you might as well spread the word that you''re in the middle of letting me swim, otherwise it might disturb the kidnappers.


    I advised the Marquis, including the implication that the knights were only in the way without saying it.


    ''''Alright. I''ll do as you say.


    When the discussion was over, I went back to Jeanne and the others, and it looked like the review by the priest had just finished.


    When I entered the room, the guild officials noticed me.


    ''''Ah, Temma-san. There doesn''t seem to be anything particularly suspicious about these two, so as of this time, the rights to these two slaves will be transferred to Temma-san.


    After saying that, the guild staff handed me the certificate.


    I kept the certificate in my bag and decided to go back to my room for now.


    I tried to talk to Jeanne and the others along the way, but all I got was a raw reply like, yeah, or something like that.


    To make matters worse, I ran into Aimee, Jin and the others in front of the room.


    "Oh, Temma, that''s very unusual. I can''t believe you''re with a girl!


    ''Huh? Temma.


    Reena reacted to Jin''s words and found the collar that was fitted around their necks.


    ''''Sir........''''


    Amy was looking at us with a somewhat sad look on her face. Jin was smirking to himself that Temma was a man too, but Leena and the others began to distance themselves from Jin.


    So don''t hesitate.


    ...Stan.


    Abbe....


    I paid the djinn a visit for their magic... is the djinn really one of Seigen''s top class adventurers these days? I''m beginning to think that...


    Anyway, just so there''s no misunderstanding, let me explain...


    I briefly explained to them what had happened. After having gone that far, everyone finally seemed to agree with me.


    However, for some reason, Amy''s gaze from earlier was unbearable. It''s not that I''m doing anything wrong, but I felt as if my sister despised me somehow.


    ''''Then what do you want to do about the room?''''


    If I don''t think carefully about Amy''s question before answering it, I''ll be exposed to that gaze again.


    ''''Well that''s what we''re going to talk about now...''''


    This would be a safe answer. Amy didn''t seem to mind it too much.


    ''''Well, there''s a lot of things to do now, so I''ll have to leave you here.


    That''s what I said to Amy and the others, and then I walked into my room with Jeanne and the others.


    We walked into the room and got to the table and I was about to start a quick discussion.


    "Master Temma, if you will, keep us close to you as slaves.


    Heh....


    I couldn''t catch up with my thoughts at Aura''s sudden words.


    Now, if Aura didn''t mishear me, wouldn''t she have told us to put ourselves as slaves...


    ''Make us your slaves, Lady Temma. This is the answer that Jeanne and I have discussed.


    Apparently I didn''t mishear that, but...


    Why did you decide to do that?


    I couldn''t help but wonder. Because Jeanne didn''t seem to be comfortable with being my slave at first.


    ''I thought it was the best option. Of course, if you don''t want to do it, Temma-sama, then it can''t be helped, but...''''


    Aura says so, but there seems to be a reason for it. That''s what I''m trying to figure out.


    ''''There is indeed a calculation. The main reason for that decision is that Tenma-sama is an adventurer of considerable ability and is powerful enough to make the Marquis-sama bow down.


    It''s true that, for Aura and the others, it might be a pretty good deal for them to protect themselves. However, I never thought of having a slave at all........


    If Master Temma doesn''t take us in, we may be treated like whores.


    And the men will not leave such two people alone.


    "I''m a guy too, but........


    I tried to resist Aura.


    Yes, a thousand times better to choose someone with potential themselves than to be forced to be held captive by a complete stranger and a pervert.


    I was easily countered by a man who couldn''t say a second word to me.


    ''Oh, but if you''re going to mess with Jeanne, please get her approval. I''ll do what you want with me instead.


    ...I''m stuck, I think I''m stuck in this one I''m going to have to fight back at least.


    I''ll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow...


    I could only postpone the problem...


    Aura smiled and smiled.


    ''Yes, let''s do that. Master.


    And he was sure he was going to win.


    Incidentally, Jeanne, who hadn''t said anything at all, was blushing, and was also puffing on Shiroumaru to cover it up... Apparently, Shiroumaru had fallen for Jeanne''s technique... ...don''t you think it''s a bit too easy, Shiroumaru?


    That''s why it seems that two of my friends with the title of slave have decided to join my party. I.....


    So I thought about renting another room to Amy, but Aura opposed it, so we ended up living in this room with the three of us plus three other animals.


    I made a bed for Aura and Jeanne, who were not yet in good physical condition, and I made a bed on the floor for today. Aura told me she would sleep on the floor, but I adamantly refused, and since she still wasn''t convinced, I had to use my orders to convince her.


    For now, today''s meal would be leftover stew made in the dungeon, bread, and roasted meat, and I decided to let the two of them rest early, while I myself prepared tools and made a general plan for the night''s work... time and space magic and time. Is there any such thing as a rewind... if there was, I would have used it immediately to leave Jeanne and the others with the guild and run away...


    For me, who had never lived together, including in a previous life, the sudden addition of two female slaves was as unsettling as dealing with a dragon.

 58-Chapter 3-13 Large catch

    I''m in the heart of the slums now. The date should be changing by now. I''m on the roof of a building, though, when I say the center.


    It''s not only because of the fact that it''s a request from the Marquis, but also because I couldn''t stand the fact that I had just met a woman in the same room. I''m not a homos*xual by any means. It''s just that I''ve never slept in a room with a woman (excluding family members), including in a previous life.


    That''s why I left the room early and spent time in the slums. Oh, I''m doing my job properly.


    But I think I''ve had a valuable experience getting here, I think.


    When I was about to leave the room before I came here, I noticed a few strange men watching outside, besides the Marquis Child Knight, there were a few strangers watching me.


    So I left Slarin and headed for the slums.


    Currently, Slarin is resting in my bag, and I''m disguised in a black, raggedy outfit that coordinates my entire body and covers my face with what looks like an equally black turban, so that at first glance it''s not recognizable as me (Temma). Jeanne and Aura are sleeping in the room, so Shiroumaru and Solomon are waiting in the room just in case... but this outfit is not easy! I occasionally use magic to cool my body temperature, but I still can''t wipe away the sweat I''ve broken, I can''t wait to get it over with and take a bath.


    In the meantime, I decided to use my search to try to find Gary''s whereabouts. Fortunately, I''m acquainted with Gary, so if I remind myself of him, he''ll catch me in the search.


    Surprisingly, Gary was right around the corner....or rather, in the building I''m in now.


    It feels a little anticlimactic, but I remind myself that it''s good to get the job done quickly, and I decide to do some reconnaissance of the interior.


    This building is four stories high, and the exterior is so battered that it would probably collapse if a big earthquake hit. And so on. The first thing I did was to search the interior and found that there were four people near the entrance of the first floor and two on the stairs, the second floor had three people on the stairs and two in the corridor, the third floor had Gary and three others in the room with Gary and three in the corridor, and the fourth floor had two people in the corridor and three in the room directly below, for a total of twenty-two people plus Gary.


    There would also be me and the Marquis'' guards in addition to this, so there would be about thirty or so people in total.


    For now, we decided to start acting.


    First of all, just like when we left the room, I had Slarin swallow it and break into the room directly below us.


    When I broke into the room to investigate the situation, I found that it seemed to be the bosses of the kidnappers and the three of them were having a drink.


    So I took only my arm out of Slarin''s and put a ward around this room so that no sound could leak out, and then


    "Stan,


    He intensified his lightning magic on the three of them, making them unable to move. So I walked out of the Slarin and wrapped the three of them in a rope. After that, I put them in my dimension bag and went back inside the slarin''.


    Next, I broke into Gary''s room and welded him the same way, then matched the first three with the same eyes.


    Gary was bound with a rope and gagged, but as soon as he saw me, he looked like he was going to say something to Moga Moga, so I shifted the gag and


    I''m in this mess because of you! What are you going to do about it!


    I started to make a fuss about it, so I got Gary to be as mature as the kidnappers were with Stan.


    Once that happened, the rest was easy. If he left the room with impunity, before the other kidnappers could make a scene, he could neutralize them with stun, tie them up, leave them alone, neutralize them with another stun, and so on and so forth, the kidnapping case was almost solved in less than an hour.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good time with them, but it''s also a good idea to have a good time with them. If it''s the other party, it''s considered a legitimate act, so it''s a loss if I don''t bring it back with me.


    On the way back, I captured the people who were watching my room and the people who were watching the marquis and knights near the guild, packed them in my bag and entered the guild.


    ''''Marquis-sama, it''s over.


    As soon as I walked in, I announced this to the Marquis at the opening and took Gary out of the bag.


    Gary was still unconscious, but I gave it to him as it was, thinking that he would wake up naturally in time.


    ''Oh, oh, Lord Temma thank you. Despite all the trouble I''ve caused you so far, I''m so grateful to you for rescuing Gary.


    Even though he is such a stupid son, he must be an important son to the Marquis, I suddenly remembered something.


    ''''Speaking of which, what''s the reward this time?''''


    It''s something we originally had to discuss first, but this time there was so much going on (mainly because of Jeanne and the others) that I''d forgotten all about it. Well, if they were ditched, I don''t want to hand over the kidnappers and decide to release them somewhere else... I''m even willing to help them indirectly if they want to go after Gary again.


    ''''About that, including the reward and all sorts of wretchedness, I will give you half a million Gs of the ransom we''ve scraped together and a metal plate with the Marquis de Samons'' coat of arms on it. Although not as much as the Sanga dukes, my family is also a high noble family with a certain amount of power. If you have it, it could be of some use to you.


    Apparently, I had licked the Marquis a bit. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the city, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the city, and I''m sure you''ll be able to make the most out of your time in the city. If that happens, it might interfere with the adventurer family business in the future.


    Perhaps that''s what he''s thinking about. What''s more, if you have a connection with me here, you can have the presence of the dragon (Solomon) on your side if something goes wrong.


    Whether you''re thinking that far ahead or not, you should take this reward. However.


    Thank you for your generous reward. Let''s let bygones be bygones. However, if your son continues to target Solomon or lay a hand on my people, we will do something about it.


    I''ll make sure to nail it down.


    The Marquis seemed to understand the meaning of my words properly, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.


    ''''Oh, yes. I almost forgot.''''


    I acted somewhat exaggeratedly and took all the kidnappers out of the bag. There were thirty-one of them, and in the end there were four for me and five for the Marquis who were on guard.


    As expected, they didn''t expect to take this many kidnappers alive, and the Marquis and the knights, as well as the remaining guild officials, rolled their eyes in an amused manner.


    ''''I''ll leave the punishment of these guys to you. In the meantime, I think I''ve caught all the kidnappers, but maybe there were a few companions that I couldn''t keep track of.


    With that said, I pulled up to my room, leaving the surprised marquises behind.


    Is it selfish of me to think that........


    I decided to take a bath outside first. I really wanted to take a bath, but I held back because I felt like if I went in now, I wouldn''t have time to sleep.


    The said Shiroumaru was warming up my bed. Well, he didn''t retreat from the futon when I tried to sleep, though!


    For now, Shiroumaru dismissed them with all his strength and decided to go to sleep.


    When he woke up in the morning, Jeanne and Aura were already up, Aura was in the kitchen and Jeanne was sitting on her bed.


    ''Good morning. Lady Temma.


    ...Good morning.


    Aside from Aura, I don''t know if Jeanne was still not fully awake or if she didn''t recognize me as her Lord (probably both), but it was a bit of a blunt greeting.


    Aura seemed to be feeling much better and was in the kitchen making breakfast.


    ''Breakfast will be ready soon, please wait at the table.


    Aura encouraged me to take a seat at the table, but I forgot the most important thing.


    ''Good morning, both of you,''


    In response to my greeting, they both came back with the words (the former was Aura and the latter Jeanne), "Good morning, hmm.


    ''Here you are,''


    Saying that, Aura served leftover stew, a potage seasoned with grated potatoes and consome-style soup, and a salad on lightly seared bread.


    But the amount on the table was, by all accounts, only enough for one person. I asked Aura about that.


    A slave cannot share a meal with his master.


    It was a matter of time. I didn''t want to eat alone with Aura standing behind me, so I had initially asked her to eat as I did, but she stubbornly refused, so I finally ordered her to eat her meal at the same table at the same time as possible, since it was a waste of time and I''m not a nobleman.


    After going that far, Aura finally broke it off, so we waited a little while and then the three of us decided to eat together.


    While they were eating, I noticed that they only had the same dirty clothes they had yesterday.


    Therefore, we decided to go shopping for their clothes and other necessities, but unfortunately I had no idea where to find women''s items in Seigen.


    So I decided to prepare a powerful helper. That would be Amy! ........or rather, the closest thing to an acquaintance of a woman (or girl) in this town was Amy.......


    When I went to Amy to ask her about it.


    ''I understand. I''ll show you some of the cheapest and best quality places I know of!


    He was tense. However, Amy had an unusual guest.......Leena and Menace.


    When I asked them why they were there, Leena said that they were off adventuring today, so they came to love Iee-chan and Shi-chan, and Menace was their good luck charm.


    Leena was angry at Menace''s words, but she said that Leena is a natural, so she tries to go out with them as much as possible... an answer that seemed to make sense.


    Anyway, I heard they were going to follow me, so we were going to go to the restaurant Amy recommended.


    Temma you''re not gonna go looking for your children''s underwear with them, are you?


    I was told by Menas that I had to decline, so I just paid and declined........By the way, they took 50,000 G for the money, including food for the five of us.......I honestly don''t know the price of women''s clothes, etc., but it was clearly too much I think it''s too much.


    Women cost more money than men!


    And Menace pushed me to give it to him honestly. However, since I suddenly had some time on my hands, I decided to make a trip to the dungeon''s secret base to start making armor.


    The first thing I''ll start on is the armor. I used mithril, a silver ingot and anaconda leather as materials. First of all, I cut out the anaconda leather, large enough to cover my hand to my elbow, and make a shape.


    The hand part is shaped like a half-fingered glove, and the size of the hand is tentatively sewn. Adjust the size of the hand to be a little tight and sew it together. I sewed a layer of stitches on the outer part of the arm, and then I put the back of the hand on that part.


    For the metal part, I made it small enough for me to use easily, and shaved off the decorative part. I plan to use mithril to make the wrist part look like wedgemail.


    I''ve made a prototype of the actual shape I''m planning to use before with iron. It''s possible to use that one as well, but the size is smaller than my arm, so it needs to be reworked.


    Originally, I was planning to cast down Mithril''s body after I finished making it, but I''m going to hold off on this one because it might fit Jeanne and Aura''s size.


    The back of the hand is protected by mithril up to the base of the fingers to make it easier to move the fingers, and the arm part is made by combining several parts.


    Since we didn''t get to work on one arm''s worth of parts today, we decided to stop for a moment and devote what little time we had left to foraging for silver.


    After about 30 minutes of collecting, I got about 2kg of silver, so I decided to harden it into an ingot and store it in my bag, and I''ll think about what I''ll use it for sooner or later.


    When I went outside, lunch had long since passed, and it was now about 3:00 p.m. Jeanne and the others were returning by now, so I headed to my room to find Aimee and Leena waiting for me outside.


    They seemed to be waiting for me to come back, and their faces were grinning.


    ''Temma-san, I''m coming in~!


    The door to the room opened at the sound of Leena''s slightly slurred voice.


    With Amy pushing me back, I walked in and there it was....


    Who are you?


    The beautiful girl you don''t know........but Jeanne and Aura, who have become so beautiful that they look stunning.......By the way, my statement was elbowed into my side by Aimee as a sanction.


    That''s how beautiful they both were..............I had heard that women can be changed, but I never said it.


    Both of them had cleaned their hair, which had been rough and lightly trimmed, and Jeanne''s beautiful white hair, which was midway down her back, was tied back and fastened with a barrette that looked like a flowery, square cameo. She was dressed in a pale light blue dress with a skirt that was just below the knee in the front, but was up to her calves in the back. A white shawl was draped over her shoulders and was fastened at her chest.


    Aura''s hair was of a dark blonde hair color and short hair, but the first thing that caught my attention was


    Maidservant?


    That''s the outfit. It''s not the kind of thing you see in cosplay (I don''t know if there is such a thing in this world), it''s a classic-looking maid''s outfit... well, it''s got a frill on the apron and such, but... ...


    Don''t I look good?


    Aura asks me that, but she''s obviously used to wearing it.


    ''No, it looks good on you, but I could have gotten you some everyday clothes instead of work clothes...''


    At my muttering, Aura said.


    This is my normal wear!


    And he was so proud of his chest.......about a D?


    Sir?


    Amy''s words caused my consciousness, which had almost stopped for a moment, to reactivate. Everyone didn''t seem to notice my gaze... no, Menace seemed to notice. He makes a gesture with his hand to encourage me to drink... okay, I''ll buy you a drink next time in exchange for hush money.


    I finish my negotiations with eye contact, and then Amy''s horrified.


    So, the money you gave me........I''m sorry! I''ve used them all!


    Amy puts her hands together in front of her face and apologizes to me. But that was to be expected, so I told her not to worry about it.


    Mr. Menace and his friends did some shopping too, so we came up a little short.


    He spilled out the unheard-of thing in a plop, perhaps in relief that he wasn''t pissed at me.


    ''What did you just say?''


    The words were going to Amy, but her body and eyes were on Leena and Menace.


    I turned my eyes to the two of them as they tried to escape through the window.


    Let''s wait and see...


    I instantly grabbed her by the back collar and pulled her to me. As I made them both sit upright, Amy spontaneously tried to sit upright as well, so I stopped her and handed her the snacks I had in my bag and sent her home.


    ''Well you two let''s hear if you have any excuses...''


    At my words, Leena raised her hand and said, "Okay.


    Mr. Menace instigated it!


    And I sold my mate (Menace) as fast as I could. Naturally, Menace started to panic and tried to block Leena''s mouth.


    He said it was a waste of time to have an extra one, since it was Temma''s treat anyway!


    And I was like, it''s not my fault, so I looked at Menace.


    ...you know, there''s such a thing as a flea market...


    So I was going to have him go numb for a while.


    As I watched them, Leena was casually heading for the door, so I asked her to do the same with Menace.


    The two numbed men were in the way, so I decided to have Shiroumaru hold a note with the requirements on it and ask him to find Jin and the others and take them in.


    Leaving those two alone, I decided to talk to Jeanne and the others about what to do in the future.


    The bottom line is that I''m going to dive into the dungeon, so can I fight? That''s what I mean.


    The answer to that is.


    I can use light, fire, water, and earth magic, and I can use swords and a few maces for weapons.


    ''''I''m a fire and water demon, plus sword, spear, bow and minimal martial arts.


    The former is Jeanne and the latter is Aura. I know that Jeanne can use magic because I saw it the first time I met her, but I was surprised to see that Aura can use it too. But from what I''ve heard, the two of them don''t have many types of magic, and while they can use simple recovery magic, they haven''t had a chance to learn any highly effective magic or magic to recover from abnormalities.


    Name...Jeanne.


    Age...14


    Race... human race.


    Titles: cursed girl (saint), former baroness, slave


    HP...1500.


    MP...7000


    Muscle strength...E+.


    Defense...D


    Speed...D+.


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...A+


    Luck...E+.


    Skills....4 light magic, 3 water magic, 3 patience, 3 abnormal effect resistance, 2 fire magic, 2 earth magic, 2 life force augmentation, 2 resilience augmentation, 2 sword arts, 2 stick arts, 2 magic augmentation, 2 growth augmentation.


    Blessing...blessing of the goddess of love, blessing of the goddess of earth, blessing of the goddess of life


    Her name... is Aura.


    Age...16


    Race... human race.


    Titles... maid and slave.


    HP... 3000.


    MP... 5000.


    Muscle strength...D+.


    Defensive Power...D+


    Speed...C+


    Magical power...C+.


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck... b-.


    Skills....cooking 8, patience 5, archery 3, swordsmanship 3, spearmanship 3, martial arts 2, fire magic 2, water magic 2.


    Their ability level is not bad. But it''s not good either. Whether or not they will grow from here on out, but what I am concerned about is Jeanne''s cursed child (saint). I wonder why she, who has three goddess blessings, has a title such as cursed child.


    It''s times like these that I wish the gods would advise me....


    For now, let''s just let them do some things starting tomorrow.


    Before that, we need to get our equipment in order, but I don''t think this will be a problem if we buy all of this before we go to the dungeon tomorrow... Since we''re going to use it for practice anyway, we''ll choose something with minimal performance.


    When I told them that, the two of them tensed up on their faces, but...


    ''Well, it should be fine. We''ll just practice tomorrow where there are no demons.


    He seemed to relax a lot when I told him to rest assured that I would be there to protect him if anything happened.


    Then I tried to get ready for an early dinner.


    That''s what a maid does!


    The food that came out was pretty good.


    After dinner, I wanted to take a bath today, as I wanted to take a quicksilver, so I took the carriage out of the room and put the barrel in the carriage and filled it with hot water.


    I tiled the boards and made a drain in the area where I put the barrel, so I don''t think the floorboards will rot.


    I ordered Jeanne and the others to go in first, showed them how to use it and handed them soap and towels... of course I wouldn''t try to peek in! ........I was just being careless in underestimating the woman''s bathing......too long......it took me over an hour and a half to get my turn at leisure! ........but the bath was nice........


    Since I plan to go to the dungeon early tomorrow, I decided to go to bed much earlier than usual.


    By the way, I prepared another bed of the same size today, so I won''t be sleeping on the floor, and I made a simple partition between the two beds (with a rope on top and a cloth as a curtain), so it will be less of a mental burden.


    When I opened my eyes, I found myself in white space again.


    ''''Here we go again...''''


    For the third time, I wondered who was coming this time, and when I got to my hands to wake myself up....


    Anh!


    I heard a lusty voice along with a soft, elastic response that was funny and resilient.


    ''Wow!''


    Surprised, I let go of my hand and found the goddess of love lying there.


    ''''Temma-chan you''re so bold....''''


    He tried to hug me while saying that, so I tried to hug the goddess, and I put my eyes over her head.


    Ta-da!


    I gave her a light chop.


    The goddess said something like, ah-ha, but it didn''t look like that at all.


    Anyway, I asked her what the requirements were.


    You know, that little Jeanne, the curse is easy to break.


    And that''s the thing. In the first place, Jeanne''s curse seems to have the effect of stunting her own growth and lowering the luck of those around her, and although Jeanne was born with the curse, she also had the title of a saint, so it seems that she was less affected by it.


    ''''What''s the method?''''


    The goddess grinned at my question.


    That means ... making you drink Temma-chan''s bodily fluids!


    And you sounded like you were expecting something.


    So, you''re saying that blood works too?


    I said, looking rather boring.


    That''s right ... it''s boring!


    I was puffed up. But when I asked him why it had such an effect on my bodily fluids.


    That''s because Temma-chan is blessed with multiple gods, and she and Jeanne are close in age and different in gender.


    That''s the reason, apparently. The point is that curses have negative characteristics and divine blessings have positive characteristics.


    Therefore, it is said that you can neutralize the negative characteristics by giving the opposite of the curse.


    However, there are a few conditions. That is, the s*x of the body must be different from the one being cursed, the age must be close (roughly ��5 years old is the most effective), and the person giving the body fluid must have more than one divine blessing.


    Furthermore, the curse can''t be erased once, so it is necessary to give bodily fluids many times.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what the curse is, it seems to be caused by the stagnation of magic in this world.


    I''ve heard that this time, they''ve forcibly connected it to my dream, so I decided to ask one last question, since this space will only last a few minutes more.


    ''How often have you been connecting this space lately?''


    The goddess laughed as she asked


    ''I''ve been rubbing the creation gods to the brink of death and forcing them to connect!


    After that, for some reason, I ended up being held by the goddess of love until this space disappeared.

 59-Chapter 3-14 Reward for G extermination

    I''ve been in the dungeon since this morning. Jeanne and the others are with me.


    We didn''t come here to attack a dungeon, but to see what they can do.


    The two men were given weapons and armor by a blacksmith before coming here.


    It''s not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get the best results, but also the best way to get the best results.


    After that, they entered the dungeon, but immediately flew to a secret base.


    The two of them seemed to have been disappointed because they only thought they would be fighting a demon, but I summoned a golem as their opponent and let them lightly match hands. What I found out as a result was.


    ''Weak ... no, not weak, but you don''t seem to know how to fight.


    I came to the conclusion that this was the case. From what I heard, the two of them had only learned it as a nobleman''s etiquette, or at the very least to be able to protect themselves, and they only learned magic on the side because they happened to be talented at it.


    I''m impressed that they were able to survive the dungeon.


    Anyway, I decided to let the two of them train their magic in the same way I taught Aimee, while I had them play against golems.


    It would actually be better to teach them the basics, but since there doesn''t seem to be anything wrong with the basics they were taught, we''ll train them in a way that''s close to a real battle... We''ve set up the golem so that it can''t attack, and we''ll have Shiroumaru and the others to watch as well.


    In the meantime, I had a number of things I wanted to do.


    The first was to take care of my weapons. I wanted to repair the adamantine sword that was missing from my previous fight with the golem with Solomon.


    Secondly, I need to make pork bone soup. This is my first attempt at this, as I have a lot of orc bones.


    Lastly, I''m going to pick up where I left off yesterday by making armor. I want to finish at least one arm.


    In order, the order is to repair the sword and then create the armor, and since the soup is mainly to be stewed, we can work on it in between.


    But that idea was naive... no, too naive!


    Because.


    What''s that smell? It stinks too much!


    A smell that was unbearable even for me, a lover of pork bones, was wafting from the pot.


    Naturally, even I''m reacting like that, so Jeanne and the others have already fled to the edge. As for Shiroumaru, he was writhing in agony while holding his nose.


    ''''What was wrong with you?''''


    For now, I iced the pot, stopped the source of the smell, and used wind magic to change the air.


    By the way, this space wasn''t completely sealed, and I had made small air holes in places, connecting holes all over the dungeon. However, since there is a possibility that monsters like slime might invade the dungeon or be discovered by adventurers if it is left as it is, I''ve made it difficult for them to find me by fitting meshes in the middle of the holes and leaving holes in the ceiling, but there is a possibility that some people might notice the smell of this time.


    Well, even if that happens, a very capable wizard would have to spend some time to discover it....


    When I examined the excess bones and the inside of the pot, I didn''t find anything particularly rotten or weird that had been put in it.


    However, upon closer inspection, it was unusually slimy. To test it out, I dumped the broth in the pot once and then re-covered it with water and tried to simmer the same bones.


    When I did so, it seemed to come closer to the smell of the pork bones I knew this time.


    This is when I realized why. The point is that if you boil oak bones as they are, you can get a soup many times thicker than the pork bone soup I know. Furthermore, I noticed that one of the reasons for this is that I forgot to remove the dirt from the oak bones when I cooked them.


    So this time I decided to pay attention to that and make the soup.......but everyone is still gathered at the wall, and apparently they will resume their training at that location.......


    I got my mind back on track and decided to continue repairing the sword. The sword was chipped, but it was only about 5mm, so I heated up the sword with the fire of the furnace, magic and alchemy, tapping and stretching the chipped spot repeatedly, and then putting it in the water sphere I made with magic to cool it down.


    When I took it out of the water ball, I could barely see the chipped spot, but of course it was no longer sharp, so I moved on to the sharpening process.


    However, I didn''t want my adamantine sword to be very sharp, so I decided to cut it in the right place.


    The restoration was now complete.


    I looked into the pot before starting the next task, and this time it was a good one. So I looked at the wall and saw Shiroumaru, who had been holding his nose earlier, looking at me... his tail was also wagging slightly... this time it seemed to be fine. So I''ll take the lye and continue to stew it.


    While I heated up the armor I was making, I looked at Jeanne and the others and found that they seemed to have gotten used to the golems in a tame state, so I re-set them to mix in some light attacks and feints this time.


    After working on it for about an hour, I was able to finish the armor. Now I just needed to match it with the base part and repeat the fine tuning.


    When I put the base material and the armor together and put it on my left hand, I didn''t feel that much discomfort... or maybe it''s better to say that I didn''t feel it because I''ve never equipped any armor before.


    If I had to say anything, the area around my wrist was bothering me, so I decided to adjust it just a little bit, and then I''d think about the rest after I actually used it.


    I looked at the pot to see if the soup was ready to go by now, and there they were, No. 1 and No. 2... and also Shiroumaru and Solomon, all together, looking into the pot.


    Jeanne and the others seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with the smell of pork bones, and they still kept their distance. The golems seemed to be taking a break to keep up with Jeanne and the others, and the four bodies were aligned together.


    ''''Wahhh?''''


    Cui?


    However, we still use the bones in this pot, so I decided to give them the extra bones I had just given them. The bones were rinsed with water to remove the dirt and lye, so they didn''t smell as strong as the ones I gave them earlier.


    They were happy to take a bite out of it, so I decided to leave them alone for a while to see how the soup tasted.


    ''''It''s a bit smelly...''''


    So while remembering my previous life, I choose vegetables for odor removal.


    The things I picked out of my bag that could be used to remove the smell were ginger, green onions, and radish leaves... I''m sure there are others, but I can''t think of any, so I settled on just those three. I''ve seen other things with egg shells in them as a lye remover, but I''m not sure how effective they are at the moment, so I don''t do that.


    I also put in the chunks of meat that had been cooked on the surface, along with the odor-eliminating vegetables, and covered the pot with a lid and turned the heat down a bit.


    I decided to leave the pot aside for a while and check on Jeanne and the others.


    Since Jeanne and her friends didn''t seem to be injured, I decided to see how far they were able to go. However, since we were indeed hungry, we decided to have a late lunch first.


    Jeanne and the others got defensive, as if they thought they were going to get that (pork bone) soup, but today''s lunch is all the food from the food stalls we had in our magic bag.


    The menu consisted of a large number of pork, chicken and beef skewers, soup made from dried meat and a few types of bread. All this, along with shredded cabbage and torn lettuce, and we were done.


    I quickly cut the bread open and put the cabbage and pork skewers between them. Then I pulled out the skewer and made a simple pork sandwich. By the way, all the skewers are salty, but I also have a jar of my own special sauce, so you can taste the teriyaki sandwiches.


    Jeanne and Aura are making their own sandwiches like I did. Next to them, Shiroumaru and Solomon are trying their hand at grilled skewers.


    Jeanne and Aura are confused by the food at first, but after taking a bite, they like it and are trying different combinations. For Shiroumaru and the others, they took the items they had saved separately off the skewers and placed them on their plates.


    As I watched Jeanne and the others eat, I thought to myself, the women of this world basically eat well. I know that men eat well, but women are not to be outdone.


    Probably because death is closer to us than in the previous life and female adventurers are also commonplace, we naturally eat more... However, the common thread in both the previous life and this life is that touching a woman''s weight is dangerous.


    We prepared quite a bit of food, but as it turned out, there was no quicksilver and three of them to remain.


    After lunch, we decided to take a break and put out a bed (of course, there are two) to replace the sofa to relax on.


    By the way, I''m secretly mixing my blood in from this meal. To be honest, it''s disgusting, but I put up with it because I thought it was necessary to break Jeanne''s curse... But after eating, I was lightly depressed when it occurred to me that I could have given her a bottle of blood in a bottle, pretending it was medicine, without mixing it with the meal.


    By the time we finished eating, the soup seemed to be nice and complete, so I strained the bones and such and put the remaining bones in the bag for Shiroumaru and the others to snack on.


    Then I took out the chunks of meat that had been boiled together in the soup and marinated them in the jar that held the seasoning liquid. Now if I let it marinate for a few hours, I should have something like char siu.


    There were some guys trying to get at the jar with the char siu (planned), but I went through and put it in my bag... I''m still concerned about Solomon''s behavior lately, which is becoming more and more Shiroumaru....


    I was about to lie down on the bed with that thought in mind when I noticed Jeanne and Aura still standing there.


    ''What are you doing?''


    My casual question caused Jeanne and her friends to quickly distance themselves from me... I was a little hurt by their behavior, but upon closer inspection, they seemed to be concerned about it because they were sweating all over the place.


    Reflecting on the fact that it was not considerate to ask a woman to use a bed while she was sweating, I used my earthen magic to build a roofless hut-like structure a short distance away, with a barrel of water inside to provide a simple changing room. I gave them both towels and instructed them to use them as they wished, and then I built another identical one away from that spot for my own personal changing room.


    After the break, I watched Jeanne and Aura train as planned. After watching them for a while, I thought that both Jeanne and Aura''s sense is not bad, but they are overwhelmingly inexperienced, and I feel that their progress would be faster if I taught them how to fight while actually hunting demons.


    So I decided to teach them both some fighting techniques today and let them gain experience in the shallow levels of the dungeon from tomorrow onwards.


    I made Jeanne do the bare minimum gestures from the kesa-slash, thrust, and karatake splitting stance, and taught her how to use them and how to be effective.


    For Aura, I made her learn the timing of the spear and repeat the gestures of striking, cleaving and sweeping.


    I had her continue to practice the swings for about two hours, with a break in between, and at the end I had her practice attacking with the two of us working together.


    I let them practice this practice for about an hour, and then we ended it for today.


    They were both exhausted, and it was good that they got out of the dungeon on their own, but it looked like they wouldn''t be able to walk from there, so I decided to take out what looked like a rear car from my bag, put them in it, and asked Shiroumaru to pull it.


    This rear carriage is small but sturdy, made when they were in Gunjo City, but it was made from leftover materials from the carriage''s construction, so it hadn''t been used very often and had become a fertilizer for the bag.


    They looked embarrassed, but I told them they couldn''t help but be unable to walk and carried them to their rooms, albeit somewhat aggressively.


    An early dinner, bath, and bedtime today would keep him from getting tired tomorrow.


    When he woke up, the sun had just risen, but he went to bed early last night, so he woke up feeling refreshed.


    Jeanne and Aura were still asleep, so I decided to make them a quick breakfast.


    In the middle of making breakfast, Aura woke up and apologized for not being able to make breakfast, but I told her not to worry about it because I like doing it.


    Jeanne didn''t get up easily, but just before breakfast was ready, Aura forced her out of the covers... Jeanne''s clothes were in disarray as she slept and woke up, and she looked more like an eye sore than an eye sore.


    After breakfast, I quickly cleaned up the dishes and then headed to the dungeon.


    Today, we didn''t use warp, but instead used the stairs as we would be attacking the dungeon from the first level. I''ve told Jeanne and the others to deal with the demons beforehand, so I''m not going to mess with them unless there''s something wrong.


    It seems that they didn''t have to worry about dealing with goblins, and Jeanne and Aura are slaughtering goblins smoothly... most of all, if they practice against golems, and then struggle against mere goblins, then they can''t even look at them. .........


    The way the two of them are fighting has been steady so far. It was good to give them advice in places, letting them fix what was wrong, and their understanding of each other was better than I thought it would be.


    We tried not to dive too deep today and only dealt with the goblins, but the pace of the two of them was faster than we expected, so we collected roughly 50 magic stones in about six hours.


    Well, it could be said that it was enough of an achievement for two beginners. More than anything else, the fact that the two of them were not injured was a good achievement.


    We left the dungeon and headed to the guild to have the two guild cards issued to us at the reception desk.


    Up until now, the two of them were my slaves, so registration was unnecessary, but I still think registration is necessary, so I tried to issue the card, but unwisely, Jeanne was not yet old enough to do the main registration.


    So, only Aura was registered for real registration and Jeanne was registered provisionally. However, Jeanne was going to turn 15 in a few months, so we decided to re-register her again at that time.


    The next day, we started hunting goblins in the dungeon in the morning. After that, I trained against me at the secret base for a week, and after that, I was able to fight reasonably well.


    It was fortunate that both of us had talent, especially when it came to magic power, and we were getting close to an intermediate level of magic power.


    Therefore, I decided to make them learn simple attack magic, recovery magic and supplementary magic in addition to their previous training.


    The training of magic is simple. First, either Jeanne or Aura would be the wall player.


    While the wall player is keeping the goblins in check, the other one will release magic from behind the wall player, that''s all.


    The attack magic is also taught mainly in the ball and blitzing system, and while I haven''t completely mastered it yet, I''m able to produce enough power against goblins.


    The magic is helping me expand my attack range, so once I get a little more comfortable with attack magic with goblins, I''ll let them take on a different kind of demon.


    It''s the fourth day since I started practicing attack magic, and today I''ve decided to switch to training while attacking dungeons. The plan is to reach the 10th level by the end of today.


    Before that, the two of them will be upgrading their weapons and armor to increase their strength. Jeanne''s sword and Aura''s spear will be the ones I made for her. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get a good deal more out of it.


    In addition to the weapons, I gave him a pair of armor made of magic iron. The rest of them were used from before. The two of us are basically the type of people who fight with light armor, so leather armor is the main focus, but we decided to make some modifications to it.


    Specifically, the centipede''s instep with anaconda leather affixed to the back of its back was affixed to the surface of the leather equipment.


    Because centipede shells are light and thin in comparison to their hardness, the back of a centipede shell is not very thick and the weight of the shell is not a problem. However, because it would interfere with your ability to move if you put it all over your equipment, I only put the centipede shell on the breastplate and the part of the back and sewed the anaconda leather on the back for the rest.


    The anaconda is a dark rubber anaconda, as the name suggests, the leather is very similar to rubber, so if it is used as a lining for the equipment, it will absorb some of the shock.


    Since I changed the equipment to something like that, it won''t be enough for goblins. So, let''s dive right in.


    1-5 levels........there''s no way they would stumble in such a place, Jeanne and the others aim for the stairs at the shortest possible distance and slaughter the goblins standing in their way without using magic.


    However, there are many goblins and only the occasional slime, so as you get used to it, your speed will return to normal.


    Seven levels...........................Here, Jeanne gets injured for the first time. The moment she defeated the goblin, she lost her mind and got hit by a slime that was hiding behind a rock and scraped her body, causing her to scrape her leg at the time.


    The slime was easily killed by Aura, but she was confused about how to treat the wound. In the meantime, I taught her how to treat it before, so I remembered that, and cleaned and disinfected the wound, and didn''t use potions or magic.


    This is unusual, but since they are only goblins and slimes, the difficulty level doesn''t change much whether they are together or not. However, Jeanne and Aura seem to be a little nervous, and they seem to be overkill from earlier.


    The ninth level........here, too, is a set of goblins and slimes, but Jeanne and Aura, who have begun to get used to it, have become good prey for them. It''s been about five hours so far, and we''re almost at the target level 10. At this rate, it''s a sure bet that they''ll be able to reach the 10th level.


    I''ve asked the two of them, and they''re both fully motivated!


    When this happens, we''ll change our plans and go as far as we can!


    Eleven levels I was wrong I could handle these two guys, the caterpillar, but he''s out. ...the black one. The most hated thing in all of insect world, the black devil!


    Even I''ve only seen this guy once at level 30, and I don''t know if Jeanne and her friends are a good match, but I''ve encountered more than 10 of them so far (probably because I didn''t look directly at them).


    These demons are about sixty centimeters in size. They are really creepy.


    Where have these guys been? I thought, so I used my search to check it out and found countless responses at a nearby dead end. I looked in fearfully and found nothing there.


    Using the search again, I found that the passage was apparently buried in the middle of the pathway, making it look like a hidden room. The black demons seemed to crawl out of the slightest of gaps, and there were a few gaps in the corners of the passage that G could pass through.


    So I took out about 10 golems and made them wait in front of the wall and used earth magic to turn the wall into sand.


    The moment the wall is gone, I activate the wards and take the form of covering the passage with wards in front of us.


    At this time I made a big mistake that is, the warding was transparent.


    I knew there was a group of demons on the other side of the wall, but because I left the ward invisible, I looked directly at the group of demons... what if they appeared in my dreams...


    Jeanne and Aura are on the verge of fainting. I wouldn''t want to see such a scene...or any other person in my right mind would not want to see it.


    In the event you''re not a fan of this, you''re going to be able to get a good idea of what to expect when you see a group of 60 centimeter class G''s rushing at us in packs of several hundred... Fortunately, there weren''t enough of them to break the wards, but the ones that collided with the wards and got crushed, and the ones that stuck to the wards and moved around like they were showing off their bellies, that''s something you never want to see again. The lightscape was spread out before me.


    I gave orders to the golems to exterminate the demons, but it was also a series of gross scenes.


    So, as a last resort, I made a hole in the ward that even G couldn''t pass through at the top, and released an ice and snow-based magic ''blizzard'' from there.


    In a past life, I had heard that G was vulnerable to the cold, so I used it, and it works great!


    The more I look at it, the more I see G and the others slowing down... or rather, freezing... it doesn''t seem to matter if they''re weak in the cold or not...


    But I think it''s the most effective way to get G.


    I can only imagine, but if you burn them over a fire, they will move around and smell the burning until they die.


    With water, they''ll be less effective, as they''re also known as "oil bugs," so they won''t be as effective.


    With dirt, you''ll see crushed Gs, and even if you try to bury them alive, there will be too many of them, and many of them will be able to escape with their natural quickness.


    Even if you chop them up with the wind, it''s a stubborn G, so even if their bodies are chopped up, they''ll still be moving for a time, and I don''t want to see them in shreds in the first place because it''s disgusting.


    When I think about it, freezing them seems like the right thing to do...


    When all the Gs were completely frozen, I moved the golem to crush the frozen Gs so that no one would come back to life in case they melted.


    The crushed Gs were gross, but I guess it was better that they didn''t get splattered with body fluids.


    I sent a golem to the back of the space to check for any surviving Gs, and then had them explore the space.


    As a result, I found something unexpected. This G''s nest was also a mithril deposit.


    Probably because even demons that didn''t have much magical power like G and the others had gathered and solidified on the spot in hundreds, the density of magical power had increased, and as a result, the silver that was originally there had reacted and turned into mithril.


    It was a complicated feeling, but I wanted to keep the mithril in my hands, so I scraped the remnants of G from the nest (by the golems) and once I placed them in the corner of the passage, I applied earth magic to the entire wall inside the nest to turn it into sand, and then collected the remaining mithril.


    The collected mithril, made into 1kg ingots, amounted to 34 pieces, with a market price of 17 million Gs, a whopping amount of money. In addition, 40 1kg ingots of silver were also found for 1kg ingots. This one will probably fetch around 200,000-400,000 G, but this one will be needed for processing mithril, so I won''t be selling it as long as I have mithril... I have to admit, my financial sense is paralyzed these days.... ...


    Anyway, if I have this much, I can sell it off in small pieces and use it to enhance my equipment. I''ll think about how to use it for now, but I tried to examine Mithril again using the search, but it didn''t get caught in the search.


    The only thing we could find was something as small as a grain of sand, which was either exhausted or too small to be trapped in the search.


    So I dug a hole to turn this place into a graveyard for G and the others, and ordered the golems to dump the wreckage into the hole.


    When they finished carrying everything out, they covered it with sand and hardened it with earth magic.


    Then we all went outside and decided to seal the space by breaking the ceiling part of the entrance with magic.


    I tried to return the golems, who had finished their role, back to the dirt to collect the nuke, but I was somewhat confused to pick it up. However, I couldn''t just abandon them, so I washed them with water before putting them in my bag.


    Since I didn''t feel like attacking the stones from now on, I decided to call it a day and go to the ground from the nearby warp zone.


    Jeanne and Aura seemed to have been mentally beaten down by the last Gs, so they didn''t speak a word until they were on the ground, and were languishing.


    By the way, it seems that you can get a magic stone from G, but we haven''t recovered one from G. I left the dungeon, wondering if there was a brave man who would dismantle it.

 60-Chapter 3-15 Reunion of fate?

    Our reunion was sudden and unexpected. I finally got to meet the one I had been longing to meet.


    He was standing quietly in front of a store. He looked divine, like a painting of a saint.


    The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of him, staring at him, stroking him, and then....


    Auntie! I don''t have more of this rice!


    I asked the woman in the store, pointing to a 10 kg jute bag of rice.


    This rice was not the indica rice I had seen before in this world. It was very similar to the japonica rice I used to eat almost every day in my previous life.


    ''There''s still fifty kilos in the back. How much more do you want?


    That''s what Auntie asks, but that''s a given....


    All of them!


    As a former Japanese, I can have as much japonica rice as I want!


    Auntie was surprised, but she was glad to be able to handle all the inventory. I hurriedly approached the employee in the back and brought five jute bags similar to the one I was holding in my hand.


    The total price was 60kg, or 1,800g, but the lady discounted 100g, probably because we bought a lot.


    It would be unusual for someone to buy so much at once. The lady was laughing.


    When I finished the bill, I heard that this rice is grown in some areas of the north, the distribution of this rice is less than indica rice, and it is not so popular because of its strong tenacity, this time I happened to be asked by a merchant acquaintance to buy it, but he said he was wondering what to do because it did not sell .


    With a wave from Auntie, we (...) left the shop.......in fact, we''re on our way back from the dungeon now.


    Jeanne and Aura seemed to be surprised by my sudden action and just didn''t speak a word.


    ''Temma-sama, what are you doing buying so much rice.......I''ve never cooked this kind of rice before.......''


    Aura seems to think she''s going to be made to cook, and she''s anxious to hear it, but


    Don''t worry, I''ll cook this for you!


    I will not let anyone interfere with this momentous encounter! I had made up my mind that I wouldn''t let Aura mess with me either.


    However, after buying the rice, my steps were lighter than I''d thought, and Jeanne and Aura, who were following behind me, were a little out of breath.


    I suppressed my impatience and consciously decided to slow down.


    Shortly afterwards, I arrived in my room and pulled out an earthenware pot from the depths of my bag.


    It was one of the dishes I had made myself when I was in the village of Kukuri, and it had a lid on it.


    The rice is usually thought of as being cooked in a cauldron, but I had never cooked rice before and I didn''t have a cauldron, so I decided to use an earthenware pot as a substitute.


    First of all, I sharpened the rice and put it in the water, after 30 minutes I pulled it out of the water and put the rice in the earthenware pot, poured the same amount of water and flattened the rice.


    Next, I make a pizza oven to set the earthenware pot on fire intermittently by magic.


    At first, heat it on high until it gurgles and boils, then when it boils, turn the heat to low and heat it until it stops making noise, then remove it from the heat and let it steam... and that''s it!


    First, taste the rice as it''s cooked...


    Good....


    A nostalgic taste spreads in the mouth. Perhaps the quality of the rice is lower than that of the previous life. But that doesn''t matter ... no, I don''t care! Because the primary thing is that I''m eating the same kind of rice as in my previous life, and the taste is secondary to the taste.


    Surprisingly, it was Aura who was most concerned about the food I was eating.


    ''Temma-sama, may I have a bite?''


    Jeanne and Aura are having a different dinner than I am. It was prepared by Aura and was lined with bread and stewed meat in soup.


    Lately, Jeanne and Aura had been getting rid of any unnecessary restraint from Jeanne and Aura, and since we were no longer paying attention to the weirdness of the situation, we were starting to spend time together and not have any pain.


    ''Hoi,''


    I handed the whole plate (I''m serving it on a plate because I don''t have a bowl) to Aura. Aura was puzzled, but she took a bite of her food and....


    Delicious....


    I was surprised. Maybe it is rare in this world to cook rice like this.


    Moreover, this cooking method is one that I learned in a previous life, and I''m even proud to say that it''s delicious.


    Perhaps inspired by Aura and I, Jeanne also seemed to be interested in this method and came over to us with a plate of rice.


    In the end, we didn''t have enough rice to cook, so we decided to cook some more.


    Shiroumaru and the others showed interest at first, but after taking a bite, they were surprised by its heat and stopped wanting it.


    We''ll continue to collect this rice with all the vigor we can muster when we see it!


    At any rate, with the magic bag, I didn''t have to worry about it going bad, and my current bag could easily hold a ton or two of food.


    I enjoyed a good meal for the first time in a long time and hid under the covers that night.


    The next day, we continued to attack the dungeon. We started at the 11th level.


    I convinced them that we wouldn''t see each other often since we had destroyed G''s nest the day before, and we started the attack.


    Thirty minutes later, as expected, we haven''t seen any G''s so far.


    Moreover, perhaps because of the fact that they had seen G''s swarm, the two of them did not back down even when dealing with demons such as spiders, centipedes, and yasde, not to mention caterpillars.


    Shortly after that, they found the stairs and aimed for the lower floor.


    The twelfth level........there were many grasshoppers and spiders, but the two of them attacked from a distance while using magic. At first, their attacks were repelled and so on, but gradually they seemed to have figured out where their attacks could easily pass, such as the joints and the abdomen, and they were able to win without danger.


    Thirteen levels..........Here Aura was attacked. The two of them were advancing with caution in the area, but they didn''t seem to understand their opponent''s characteristics very well, and the spider that was attached to the ceiling almost bit them when it pounced on them.


    But I, who had noticed the spider''s presence, kicked Aura away just before she was bitten, so she didn''t get seriously hurt.


    I taught him to be careful because the insect type can be attached to the ceiling as well, and he resumed his attack.


    The fourteenth level........this time Yasudeh attacked from the ceiling, but the two of them, who were also wary of the ceiling as they had been warned earlier, avoided this with ease, and Jeanne was able to counter it.


    Both of them seemed to be able to handle weapons much better, and if it was a demon that wasn''t that big, they could slaughter it in one hit.


    Their concentration seemed to be starting to lose its power of concentration, and they were increasingly getting hit by the demons'' counterattacks. We''ve been taking breaks along the way, but I think we''re nearing our limit.


    We''ve already started to dive and about five hours have passed. It takes about an hour to get through one level so far.


    We could go back here, but there should have been a staircase near here, so I''ll let the two of them use a potion and then proceed a bit further.


    The sixteenth level.............................This level was different from the previous ones, so they were both surprised. However, the level where they met the two of us was much lower, so I thought it was strange and asked them about it, and it seems that their former master, the Viscount, forced the adventurer who was guiding them to the path, took a flight to the 30th level before starting the attack, and was attacked by a centipede while resting at the dead end just after descending the stairs.


    No wonder he was surprised by this place then. However, the viscount must have been an idiot too. It''s as if he went out of his way to become the food for the monster (centipede) without knowing what he was doing.


    Putting that aside, I dug up the roots of a nearby tree and began collecting white caterpillars after a long time.


    Jeanne seemed to be curious about what she was doing and looked at me, but the moment she saw the caterpillar and heard what it was used for, she pulled away from me at a great rate.


    In the meantime, we made sure to get some for Eee and Shih-chan and called it a day.


    That night, I enjoyed a caterpillar dish for a long time, but Jeanne''s rejection was so strong that she didn''t listen to me for a while afterwards.


    Aura, as a cook, was interested in it, and she took a fearful bite of the soup and was amazed at how good it was, but she couldn''t butter it up. Jeanne was astonished that Aura had tasted the caterpillar dish.


    The chicks at Aimee''s place had grown up recently and could eat the caterpillars without having to grind them down, which reduced Aimee''s mental burden.


    Incidentally, in exchange for giving Aimee the caterpillar and the demon nucleus, I used to get her to clean my room and so on, but since Aura''s arrival, she doesn''t have to do that anymore, so now it''s a tab...................I don''t really need to pay for it, but there''s also the public opinion. He''s an apprentice, so he''s a bill of goods, I''m assuming.


    I felt like the caterpillar brought me closer to Aura, but on the other hand, I felt like the distance between me and Jeanne had opened up.


    It''s not going to work out, I decided to get ready for the bath... By the way, no bath-related, lucky-scheme events have happened so far... or rather, I don''t intend to happen No!


    ...


    But but you don''t have to scream and call Aura!


    That''s why even Aura and Amy broke into the carriage!


    Well, I hid in the bathroom at the time, but then I had a hard time clearing up Amy''s misconceptions...


    Eventually Aura explained it to me, but until then the psychological damage was enormous...


    By the way, Amy heard Jeanne''s voice when she came to thank me for the caterpillar, so she reflexively went after Aura.


    The next morning, today is another dungeon attack....


    "Jeanne, good morning....


    The moment I called out to Jeanne, she disappeared right in front of me... no, she just squirmed under the covers.


    ...


    And so on, Jeanne keeps avoiding me.


    It''s the same even when I''m hiding in the dungeon. Even if you try to talk to Aura.


    Jeanne she''s lovely.


    And with a smiling smile on her face, she didn''t take my advice........Aura was enjoying this state of affairs, occasionally comparing me and Jeanne and smiling at me.


    The dungeon attack continues without my reliance working........


    At the eleventh level, they proceeded with a vigilant eye on G''s raids, but they were able to get rid of most of them yesterday, or maybe they couldn''t even see their shadow at the moment.


    When that happened, Jeanne and Aura regained their usual form and their attack speed increased.


    Their abilities had improved considerably since they met, and with their strengthened weapons and improved magic skills, they would probably be comparable to a C-ranked adventurer.


    However, if they fought head-on with magic and only in the act of combat, they would still be able to do well as D-ranked adventurers even if you subtracted that from them.


    Even at the twelfth level, there was no G in sight, and the two of us (and me) were clearly relieved.


    Even though they were relieved, they hadn''t forgotten to pay attention to their surroundings as before. In fact, a spider-type demon tried to attack from right above the two of them, but the two of them effortlessly avoided it and intercepted it.


    By the way, it was a spider that I had eaten before, so I was responsible for retrieving the corpse.


    After that, although it took some time, I was able to break through the thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen levels.


    Jeanne, I think it''s time for a break...


    When I call out to her, she still hides behind Aura....


    And Aura is still smiling, oh dear, as usual....


    Her face seemed to be red for some reason, but I didn''t have time to worry about it.


    I felt half-heartedly that I''d had enough, and made my way to a resting place.


    Seeing this, Aura pulled Jeanne over to the corner and started the discussion.


    I don''t know what the outcome of the discussion was, but Jeanne was blushing and Aura was grinning even more than usual.


    Neither of them seemed willing to tell me what they were talking about, so we decided not to ask them either, and decided to eat.


    It was all that was sold at the food stall today, but it was quite good.


    After the meal, I gave Jeanne a medicine mixed with my blood and took a break...Because Aura might get suspicious if she only took the medicine with Jeanne, I decided to give her the same color-tinted one for Aura to drink.


    It''s a good idea to have them both drink it, saying it will speed up their recovery of strength. I''ve made three other medicines, one to speed up the recovery of magical power and another to increase resistance, and I''m not lying since they are effective as well.


    After a short break, we attacked the rest of the sixteenth level, and after breaking through the seventeenth and eighteenth levels, today''s attack is over.


    As we walked out of the dungeon, we noticed a number of people looking at us and whispering to each other.


    Some of them were pointing at us while talking, and it bothered me, but there was no way to check as they kept their distance from us as soon as they got any closer. The only thing we know is that they are paying attention to us rather than making fun of us, so I think there''s little danger of us getting into trouble for now.


    As we headed straight to the guild, we just ran into Djinn and the others, and I told them about what happened earlier.


    What, you don''t know? You guys are the hottest young party in town, and Temma is the most powerful adventurer in the city, or so they say, and they''re talking about it.


    I couldn''t hide my surprise at Jin''s words. I could kind of understand that this was a young party that was in the spotlight, but I couldn''t understand why there were rumors circulating that I was the strongest.


    It''s true that even before Jeanne and Aura joined, there was a lot of talk about solo dives and accompanying dragons, but not once did rumors circulate that I was the strongest.


    When the djinn saw what was going on.


    Maybe it''s because Temma beat up the son of a nobleman and scared the ogre.


    ''In addition to that, because Temma-san used to faint and bury Jin-san in the dirt, and Jin-san used to complain in the tavern that he was afraid of Temma, that he wouldn''t go against her, that he didn''t want to die dealing with Temma, and so on.


    It was your fault!


    Leena''s tip-off revealed the person who spread the rumor... so I tried to stun Jin as usual.


    Farewell!


    And Jin started to run away from the scene as fast as he could.


    There was some surprise at how fast he acted, but as soon as Jin started to run, Shiroumaru gave chase, and before fifty meters had passed, Jin was crushed by Shiroumaru... As an aside, from those who had seen this scene, Temma Rumors are spreading that there''s no way to get away with it.


    ''Oh well, don''t mention it. But the Temma and her friends are in great shape these days. I have two girls with me and they are getting a reputation for fast recovery without serious injury.


    Menace was grinning at me, emphasizing the part about two girls, but I didn''t change my expression.


    ''So that''s what happened...''


    I ignored him. Despite Menace''s vaguely boring face, this time Garratt


    Speaking of which, will Temma and the others be participating in the martial arts tournament?


    I''ve been trying to talk to you about


    What''s that, I''ve never heard of that before...


    It was unfamiliar to me, but I could imagine it from the name alone. Garratt looked at me like he was surprised to see me like that, but


    ''Well, these days Temma wouldn''t have had time to be interested in such things. Wouldn''t it be strange if they didn''t know?


    And to Menace''s words, "Oh, I see! I was convinced.


    ''What''s that martial arts tournament all about?''


    I asked Menace and the others honestly why Leena was beside herself.


    A royal warrior''s ceremony, to be exact.


    That''s what they tell me, but I can only know that it''s a very ostentatious name.


    Menace, who couldn''t bear to look at it.


    It''s an awkward name, that''s why everyone calls it a ''martial arts tournament. In the past, when the country was still small, knights would hold mock fights to stimulate the economy, and it has become a form of entertainment nowadays. The top finishers are often knighted or appointed as knights, so the number of people participating in this tournament every year exceeds a thousand.


    He explained in simple terms.


    ''Plus, this competition is divided into three divisions - individual, pairs and teams - so there''s a lot of adventurers who want to make a name for themselves.


    Garratt added. He said that a maximum of five people are allowed to fight with the team in this case and one replacement is allowed as an alternate.


    ''So, will Temma be joining you?''


    I don''t think I''ll be joining... or even Temma (...)


    I reacted to some of the words, and I looked at Menace.


    Yeah, we, the Sword of Dawn, will be participating in the tournament.


    He said that with pride. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but it''s also a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    By the way, last year, about 450 people participated in the individual matches, 200 pairs and 100 teams in the team matches.


    The number of participants lightly exceeded 1,000, but this is because there was no limit to the number of participants, and some of those who participated in the individual rounds also participated in the pairs and teams rounds.


    Some of those who took part in the pairs event also took part in the team event with two members of the same pair.


    In the individual matches, dozens of players take part in a battle royale, and the last two players to leave are the finalists, with a maximum of 32 players selected.


    The pairs also used the same battle royale system, with a maximum of thirty-two pairs selected in the same way.


    In the team competition, all the teams were divided into sixteen blocks and played in a tournament format, with the winning team from each block qualifying for the main tournament.


    The main event is a tournament, and opponents are decided by lot before the games begin.


    In the individual matches, however, only those who have advanced to the semi-finals or higher in the previous tournament will be seeded and will be exempted from the qualifying round.


    The tournament is scheduled to last 9 days, with qualifying rounds on the first 3 days, the semi-finals on the next 3 days, and the final round on the last day after a 2 day break.


    There are various types of official and unofficial betting on this tournament, including one to find the winner, another to find the first three places, and another to find the finalists.


    The event will be held in about two months, and an auction will be held at that time.


    I''m thinking of going there. I''ve been thinking that if I go to the capital, I''ll be able to hear the stories of the village''s survivors, and I''ll be able to let the kings know that I''m still alive.


    We''ll discuss this matter with them all this evening.


    But for now, I think my priority is to get back on track with Jeanne, and I look at her, but she still hides when our eyes meet. It was getting better than in the morning, but it didn''t make a difference that she was still avoiding me.


    Today we made dinner simple and quick, and then we discussed the future.


    Even though we discussed it, Jeanne and Aura have no veto power due to their position, so we only had to decide on the route to the royal capital and the date of our departure.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the beach, but it''s not easy to say that the king of this country is an acquaintance of yours, so you can''t say that you''re going to meet someone from your hometown.


    ''''Um........Temma-sama, there are probably relatives of Jeanne in the royal capital.......''''


    And so Aura said.


    Well, I guess I''ll say goodbye to you there.


    And when I told them that I was going to hand them over to the man I knew.


    That''s the last thing I want!


    Jeanne objected, unusually loudly.


    Surprised that Jeanne was so loud and that she didn''t want to be freed from her slave status, she continued


    "I''d rather die than go to a man like that!


    I tried to ask her why, but Jeanne didn''t seem to want to talk about it, and instead, Aura


    The relative is Jeanne''s mother''s cousin''s marriage to a disgusting man by the name of Quasi-Consort Podro il Chloride.


    It seems that not only Jeanne but Aura also disliked this Podolo or something like that and expressed a clear dislike for him.


    According to Aura''s story, Podolo had come into the family of a branch of Jeanne''s family, but when Jeanne''s family went bankrupt, he was the first to abandon Podolo.


    In addition, Podolo''s wife is mentally weakened by Podolo''s bad habits, and she is almost bedridden because she abandoned her husband''s family so easily.


    ''''That''s why I don''t mind going to King''s Landing, but please just don''t give us to that man.


    And Aura begged me with her head down. As for me, I couldn''t just hand them over to such a man, so I clearly agreed that I wouldn''t hand them over to him no matter what.


    When Jeanne saw me, she said.


    Mr. Tenma....


    You can call me Temma.


    And when I said it was okay to call him out, Jeanne thought for a moment and then


    So, Temma I mean, thank you...


    Then she looked embarrassed.


    Aura tried to note that Jeanne had called me out, but I convinced her that I had given myself permission to do so.


    I told Aura that it was okay to call her by her name too, for a change.


    ''I am a maid before I am a slave, and I cannot be so disrespectful to my master.


    And he refused to do so...


    After discussing things like that, we decided that we would leave for King''s Landing a week from today in order to secure lodging as soon as possible, that we had no plans to participate in the martial arts tournament for now, that we would not hand them over to Podolo, and that we could flee to Seigen as fast as we could in case of an emergency.


    He also promised that they would be given a specially made golem nucleus as their bodyguard when they went to King''s Landing.


    The two of them seemed quite relieved, especially Jeanne, who seemed to have fallen asleep early in the futon.


    Tomorrow, in addition to attacking the dungeon, we''ll be starting preparations for the trip to King''s Landing, so I thought it would be good to go to bed early, and Aura and I also went to sleep early... not knowing that this would lead to the commotion the next morning... ...

 61-Chapter 3-16 Unexpected Events

    ''Master Merlin, Gunjo City is in sight!


    One of the knights who had preceded them returned to report. The area was still dim and it would be another hour or so before it would be light.


    Normally, they wouldn''t drive a carriage at such an hour, but since they had come to Gunjo City...less than a day before they could see Temma, Merlin had selfishly proceeded to do so.


    However, the knights, who knew how Merlin felt, drove the carriage up here, taking turns to take a break without a word of complaint.


    ''''Mm, I''m sorry for asking you to do that. But now we can finally see Temma........Chris, I''m sorry, but go to the gate first and get permission to pass.


    Merlin said that to Chris and handed him the royal coat of arms that he had kept from Alex.


    With this coat of arms, you can bypass most places, but in order not to confuse the gatekeepers, I dared to make Chris head towards it as a harbinger.


    ''''Ha! Yes, sir!


    He straightened up on his horse and saluted, and Chris rode off with one of the knights.


    Perhaps thanks to having sent Chris out as a harbinger, they were able to enter Gunjo City without any confusion... However, since most of them had never seen the actual royal coat of arms before, the knight captain who was there confirmed it, so some of them suspected it was a fake Merlin would later find out that it wasn''t.


    ''Mark, how long will it take you to get to this Manpower Pavilion?


    It shouldn''t take long for us to get there from here... oh, there it is, there it is!


    Mark exclaimed, pointing to a single inn, but


    There''s a line of people but is it really over there?


    What Merlin saw was a large number of people who had been queuing up since early morning, not unlike the inn.


    As it was, he parked his carriage near the line and tried to talk to the three girls who were lined up near the entrance.


    ''Grandpa, we have to get in line behind you!


    The duke is going to be very upset with you if you cross the street!


    The end of the line is right around that corner.


    I was warned by the three cat beast girls.


    ''Oh, sorry about that. But we have something to do with our guests here at the inn.......what''s this line about, by the way?


    The three of them realized that they had misunderstood what he said and apologized and told me what this line was all about.


    ''This is a line to buy sweets!


    It''s so popular these days that you have to stand in line early in the morning or they''ll be sold out in no time!


    ''We lined up an hour ago, too, but it didn''t take long before there were so many people in line.


    That''s what they said. Merlin thanked the three of them and headed to the doorway of the inn he had been taught.


    ''Hey! Dazzle, you''re here! It''s me, Mark!


    There was a sound that sounded like a response to his voice, and one large man came from the back of the inn.


    ''Oh, Mark, it''s been a while! How in the world has it been years!


    The man approached with an air of ease to speak, unlike his appearance.


    ''Don''t come here out of the blue I would have prepared to welcome you if you had let me know in advance...''


    ''Sorry, sorry, well, let''s just leave me out of it, he''s the one who wants to be here.


    Mark shifted his body and introduced Merlin, who was behind him.


    ''Well well it''s nice to meet you, I''m an old friend of Mark''s and my name is Dzur. I have heard of Master Merlin the Wise for some time now.


    Oh, don''t be so formal. As a matter of fact, I''ve heard that my grandson is in your care.


    Is this your grandson?


    Yes, his name is Tenma, and he''s a 15-year-old boy.


    And when Merlin mentioned Temma''s name, Dzur put his hand to his forehead.


    Temma is not already here...


    I told Merlin. Merlin was stunned, but quickly regained his composure.


    You don''t know where he is!


    And then Dzur stuffed him, but Dzur


    ''''I''m sorry I haven''t heard any details, all I know is that he said he''d try to get to a dungeon city before he left.


    By the way, were there any white wolves and slimes in that temma?


    I asked Dzur to confirm that.


    ''Yes. That Temma did indeed have a white wolf named Shiroumaru and a slime named Slurin, who were his relatives.


    I assured him. Merlin heard those words.


    "Oh ... that''s my grandson Temma indeed... thank God he''s alive... ...


    He muttered with tears in his eyes.


    Everyone watched without speaking to Merlin until he calmed down, and then, as he settled down, Dzur


    ''There are several people in Temma who were close to me in this city. If you would be so inclined, you might want to talk to them.


    And he gave me a few names, and Merlin told me the names of a few people.


    ...not a lot of women''s names...


    I muttered. That''s when Dzur said


    Three of them are in the store right now. I''ll bring them in.


    As soon as I said that, I brought in the girls who had just lined up in front of the store.


    ''Huh? Is it your grandfather from earlier who wanted to ask us about Temma?


    The girls were holding a paper bag containing sweets in their hands, and on the paper bag was written ''Temma''s Sweets''.


    The girls'' names were Lily, Nellie and Millie, and they were triplets.


    When Merlin said that he was Temma''s grandfather and that he wanted to know where Temma was going, the three of them started talking at once.


    They talked about how they had known each other since Tenma had saved them from a dangerous situation, that they were the closest friends in the city, that they had worked together on Tenma''s first request and killed a bandit, and that when they asked Tenma to take them there, she refused, and that the only place they had decided to go was the dungeon city They were not there, he said.


    After thanking the three of them, Merlin went to the guild to meet the next person he was introduced to.


    There they met the guild leader and deputy guild leader, whose names were Max and Flute, and Temma was good friends with Flute.


    ''I heard that he was Temma''s grandfather and I''m very grateful to Temma for all his help.


    And a woman who introduced herself as Flute bowed to me.


    Even there, she was surprised to hear Merlin''s name, but when she began to speak, she told me a lot of things.


    That Temma was active above his own rank, that the number of poor quality adventurers had been greatly reduced thanks to Temma, and that the guild''s reputation had increased due to Temma''s success.


    However, this flute also heard that Tenma''s destination was only a dungeon city.


    Next, Merlin headed to the city council, where he met with a man who called himself Marcus, and when he told him his requirements, he went out of his way to call his niece here, saying that his niece would know more than him then.


    ''How do you do, my name is Serna. Your grandson, Temma, saved my life.


    And he told me why.


    The story was that when their village was attacked by bandits and several women in the village were being enslaved and treated badly, Temma, who had been tricked into coming to their village with a false request, noticed something was wrong with the village and helped them out.


    Serna, as before, didn''t seem to know where they were going in detail.


    As we were about to head to the next location, Serna told us as we were leaving.


    When you see Mr. Temma, please tell him that I am forever grateful to him.


    He was asked to say a word to me. Merlin agreed, thanked him, and headed to his next destination, the Knights'' headquarters.


    It is said that the one who was close to Temma is the captain of the fourth unit and the third daughter of the Duke of Sanga.


    ''''You really know a lot of women........''''


    Merlin wondered if Temma was a womanizer, but from their reactions so far, it didn''t look like they had become a man and a woman.


    ''''Is she a slacker... or is she just being dull...?''''


    I have no idea which one it is, but I decided that at least when I meet Temma, I don''t seem to have to worry about my great-grandchildren, so I decided that it''s better.


    When I blurted that out to Mark.


    Would you rather be there or not?


    He asked me if I was going to be there. So I replied that I should be there in the future, but it might be better if I wasn''t there now.


    The knights, including Edgar and Chris, seemed to be holding back their laughter at that answer.


    When I entered the knight''s headquarters, it seemed that the conversation had already gone through, and I was sent straight to the captain''s room.


    ''''Ha, nice to meet you! My name is Primera von Sangha, Captain of the Fourth Squadron of the Knights of Gunjo!


    When I was ushered into the room, I was greeted with a salute by a woman who was standing upright in the room.


    I''m sorry for the short notice, but I am Temma''s grandfather, Merlin. If I may say so, make yourself at ease.


    At those words, the Primera who came to her senses was offered a seat, and as soon as she sat down, the Primera made herself a cup of tea.


    Apparently, this Primera seems to be nervous about the presence of not only Merlin, but also the king''s personal guard such as Edgar and Chris.


    ''''So what do you mean you want to talk to me...''''


    Well, don''t be so nervous. We are looking for Tenma, but we don''t know where she is going, so we''ve been asking her friends.


    At those words, Primera made a little pretense of remembering.


    ''''Come to think of it, Temma-san seemed to have narrowed it down to three of the dungeon cities.......''''


    And then he answers the name of the place.


    ''I talked to my father afterwards, and he said that the most likely place to go would be around Seigen.


    ''I can''t be sure, sir,'' he said, also giving the details of his conversation with the duke.


    ''Seigen, then ... you were just passing through...''


    He lamented that, but there was no way to speculate on what had passed, so he gave up and decided to listen to Tenma''s story.


    The content of the story was that Temma was angry with him, that Temma had beaten the knights to a pulp, and that he had teamed up with the duke to punish the nobles. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it, but it''s also a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.


    At the moment, respect is stronger than respect, but maybe it might develop into a love affair.......the only person besides Merlin who thought that was the same woman, Chris.


    By the way, Mark and the other knights were out of the question, but surprisingly, Edgar also seemed to be unfamiliar with the love affair.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.


    I''ve been able to find a room at the Manchittei for today''s lodging thanks to Dzur''s kindness, and I was treated to a sumptuous meal as well.


    I''m sure you''ll be surprised to learn that some of the dishes and desserts were created by Tenma.


    Next time we''ll see Tenma again!


    So it was Merlin who regained his spirits.


    When Tenma, who had been sleeping, felt uncomfortable and slowly opened her eyes, she saw the face of a girl in front of her.


    Temma, who was a little sleep-deprived


    (Beautiful hair........if you look closely, Jeanne is a beautiful girl.......)


    And so on, but a few seconds later, when I woke up in consciousness.


    Not good!


    I try to escape, but Jeanne is grabbing my clothes, so I can''t escape from the bed. Furthermore, Jeanne twists her legs together and buries her face in my chest... something smells so good coming from Jeanne... not!


    I try to take off my clothes so as not to wake Jeanne up, but every time I move slightly, she puts more effort into it.


    I can''t let this happen, and just as I was thinking that, something moved behind Jeanne........it''s Shiroumaru!


    It''s useless in Shiroumaru! You could tell he thought that, and Shiroumaru put his paws on the edge of the bed and....


    Whoa.


    ...It''s over... so I thought, and I covered my ears with my free hands to withstand the expected sonic weaponry... but...


    Mmmm.


    And with a distracted voice, Jeanne fell asleep again... thank God... she tried to slip out when Jeanne''s hands left her clothes... ...


    Cueeeeeeeeee.


    This time it was Solomon who spoke up. And this time Jeanne''s eyes were fully opened...


    Good morning, eh?


    Time seemed to stand still around me for a while. Jeanne greeted me in her sleep, but before she could say it, she woke up and froze in my face.


    I couldn''t move about and ended up staring at Jeanne at close range for a while.


    The only thing that broke that kind of silence was.


    "You two are hot! Are you already in the same bed?


    It was Aura''s voice as if it was a tease. Time began to flow with that voice...


    Kyah, kyah, ugh, ugh, ugh.


    No shouting in the morning, Jeanne.


    It was a fine play by Aura to stop the sonic weapon. She blocked Jeanne''s mouth with her hand and


    "Jeanne, look closely. This is Master Temma''s bed.


    That''s what Aura tells Jeanne, while I slip out of bed and keep my distance.


    ''''Jeanne, you must have gotten out of bed anyway and slipped into Tenma-sama''s bed on the other side.


    When Aura said that, Jeanne started to growl in a low voice, as if she had an idea.


    ''Well, it''s possible that Temma-sama pulled a sleepy Jeanne into her own futon!


    The line that would ruin all the persuasion so far is released from Aura''s mouth, and Jeanne blushes and stares at me with her eyes moistening.......give me a break, and then she looks at Aura like.....


    Well, whether by accident or on purpose, I''m sure Tenma-sama will have to take responsibility for sharing the bed with the beautiful young maiden!


    He would say something unreasonable, but there was an atmosphere emanating from Aura that would not let him argue....


    So that''s what Aura is....


    But I''m not convinced that this is how my future is determined!


    ''Tell Aura from Jeanne, too! ........Hey, Jeanne....


    I thought Jeanne would disagree, so I called out to her to draw her in, but she didn''t answer. But she didn''t answer. I looked at her and wondered why.


    "Sleeping ... and responsibility ... for your ... marriage ...


    He muttered some disturbing words and buggered up, his face red.


    ''Then let''s take a majority vote. Slarin, Shilomar, Solomon, and you all have the right to vote as well.


    Aura, who said that and tried to force a majority vote.


    Hey, what are you...


    People Against...


    I raised my hand reflexively at those words.


    ''''You''ve decided to join us, Temma-sama! Any other objections....


    Shit! I look at Shiroumaru and the others, but


    No compulsion, Master Tenma!


    Saying that, Aura interrupted the gaze I directed at Shiroumaru and the others.


    Deep down, I thought there was no way Shiroumaru and the others would agree with me, but the result was....


    The case passed by a vote of 3 in favor, 1 opposed, and 2 abstentions!


    And there was a victorious Aura there, chanting Hail Mary........


    Invalid...


    You don''t say it''s invalid after the fact, do you? Lady Temma.


    No, it''s not...


    ''''Master Tenma, who has gained fame in this dungeon city, wouldn''t be so cunning as to use his master''s position to ruin this result just because he lost a majority vote, would he?


    No, this one''s a drag.


    ''Ma~sah~ka, you don''t say shamelessly that it''s invalid or even cowardly after you''ve lost the game, do you?


    Oh no I''m not going to win this by myself Jeanne.....


    ''''It''s embarrassing to ask for help from a girl you''ve shared a bed with..........................Lord Tae-n-ma!


    I''m dead but I didn''t think I''d ever get married.


    ''No - I''m looking forward to my two children - it''s been my dream. I''m going to take care of Jeanne''s kids!


    You''re going to take it all the way to marriage at any cost... if that''s what it takes!


    ''''There''s nothing I wouldn''t consider....''''


    Aura frowned at me, who managed to find a way out of the situation with vague words, but


    ''Well, let''s forgive me for saying that we''ll consider it for now... tch...''


    Why do I have to go through this I didn''t hurt you I didn''t hurt you I''m innocent I''m innocent I''m innocent and Aura, my tongue is not working. Don''t....


    I was glaring at Shiroumaru and Solomon with the emotion of a traitor, but they didn''t seem to understand why they were staring at me and started begging Aura for food.


    By the way, the majority vote was.


    Ayes = Aura, Shilomar and Solomon.


    The opposite = me (Temma)


    Abstentions = Jeanne, Slarin''


    It was.


    Aside from the abstention slarin'', Temma didn''t know why Shiroumaru and his friends had come around to agreeing with him, but the Shiroumaru thought process at the time was


    Temma = your favorite husband, parent figure, someone who loves you and gives you food


    Jeanne = coworker, someone who loves you and gives you food


    Aura = coworker, someone who loves you and gives you food


    and furthermore


    Temma + Jeanne (with aura) = 3 people who love me x 3 people who give me food x 3 = happiness x 3


    Temma + Jeanne + Aura - (Jeanne + Aura) = people who love you x 1, people who give you food x 1 = happiness x 1


    The calculation went through Shiroumaru''s mind. He didn''t think Jeanne and the others would disappear, but he was sure that his happiness would be tripled if Temma and Jeanne were together, so he turned in favor of it... he could see that he put his own happiness first.


    In Solomon''s case.......he came to the same opinion as Shiroumaru, so he came around to agreeing with him.


    In Slarin''s case.


    However, unlike our own demons, the fact that a human being is on duty is a big deal, so it''s only right that we talk about it together, and it''s not right for people around us to complain.


    Moreover, since I am only a slime, it is not advisable for me to cause unnecessary confusion by my actions.


    The most desirable thing to do is to have the two of them talk to each other until they are satisfied with the situation and come to a conclusion.


    He decided to abstain, so he dared to abstain...............................Furthermore, Slarin


    (I''ll give those two a lecture later.)


    He had made up his mind to do so.......but unfortunately, since he was a slime, everyone never noticed that Slarin was thinking that far.


    And by the way, Jeanne was....


    "Sleeping ... and responsibility ... for your ... marriage ...


    And because I was still buggy, I was forced to abstain.


    ''''Eh~ Today''s plan is to go get the demon core of a high ranked demon.


    I announced that, trying to shake off the sinking feeling, trying to sound cheerful, but....


    "The responsibility.....


    Jeanne, come back to me, for God''s sake!


    Aura chopped Jeanne, who was still buggy, with a chop to the head at an angle of 45 degrees.


    ''''Muguu.......................Huh? My head hurts....


    Apparently, they succeeded in rebooting Jeanne.


    ''Are you awake? I can''t wait to eat breakfast and get to the dungeon!


    Aura offers her a quick breakfast.


    Jeanne nods her head and picks up her breakfast sandwich, but as she finishes eating, she


    ''Aura I had a weird dream...''


    But before Aura could hear the content, she started to say


    ''Oh, because it''s probably not a dream. Jeanne has been selected as a potential wife for Lady Tenma!


    Jeanne said without a care in the world as she cleaned up her plate.


    Well then I''m going to marry Temma...


    ''Maybe,'' is all I said. Don''t worry about it now, just think of it as the Tenma-sama''s responsibility to protect you.


    Yes, I know, and he waved it to us.


    ''Oh, yeah, well...''


    He nodded with a dry laugh. Jeanne was about to bugger up again when she saw that, but


    ''Yes! I''ll get ready to go!


    And I started getting Jeanne ready while pushing her back, so she managed to avoid the bug.


    Once I was ready, I headed straight to the dungeon and flew up to the 38th level, my highest record.


    ''''Listen, compared to the previous floors, the demons here are much stronger, so don''t go too far forward or too far back!


    "Yes!


    ''Siloumar, Solomon, Slarin and I are to be protected by putting the two of you before me!


    Wah!


    Cui!


    Each one takes my word for placement. In order, it''s me, Solomon, Jeanne, Slarin, Aura, Shilomar, and so on.


    Seeing that each of us is ready to go.


    ''Yes! Let''s go!


    He started hunting for the demon core.

 62-Chapter 3-17 Retraining

    ''By the way, what are you going to do with all those high-ranking demon cores you''ve collected?''


    Aura asked a question as she was wary of her surroundings.


    ''We''re going to use it to make a new type of golem. You''ll need insurance in case the two of you go to King''s Landing.


    The two people who didn''t know how to make a golem tilted their heads, but they thought it was no use worrying about it, so they didn''t particularly ask how to make it.


    There are generally two ways to create a golem.


    The first is to make a nucleus out of a stone that has magical power..........a magical core, magical stone, or gemstone.


    The second method is to make a nucleus out of metal.


    Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and with the first one, it is difficult to carve a magic circle into a small core, and if it fails, it is almost impossible to redo it and difficult to repair it, but a golem made with this method is highly versatile, and the amount of magic power consumed is comparatively small, so it is often used for various purposes.


    The second one is easier to carve the magic circle because the shape and size of the metal can be changed freely, and even if it fails, it is easy to redo and repair, but because it can only give simple commands and consumes a lot of magic, it is mostly used for simple tasks or to carve a lot of things into the magic circle to make it a specialized type.


    The difference in the amount of magic consumed has not been clearly understood, but the prevailing theory is that it is the difference between natural and artificial objects.


    When creating a nucleus, we must not forget to specify the material of the golem''s body and register the master.


    In general, the materials are often carved into earth and stone, and if there is room, the number of materials is increased. If you don''t carve it, you can''t create a body when you summon a golem and it is useless.


    The Lord''s registration is to prevent it from being used by anyone other than its creator, but sometimes it isn''t engraved on mass-produced objects, for example.


    ''The orcs are coming!''


    The one that appeared from the bend just ahead was a high-oak, and since there were six of them, I was the only one to cut into it and kill it instantly.


    ''''What ... haha!


    Jeanne and Aura looked surprised when they saw the high orcs collapsed in the blink of an eye... Come to think of it, it was the first time they''d seen me fight properly...


    With that in mind, I put the corpse of a high orc in my bag and moved on.


    After that, they encountered a few more demons, but they were all orcs and kobolds, and they couldn''t find the desired demon.


    Jeanne and Aura were surprised at first, but they seemed to be getting used to it, so they proceeded deeper, letting them train with the high orcs they weakened several times.


    It''s good that we broke through the 39 and 40 levels, but when we thought about pulling up once we didn''t see any B-rank or higher demons, we found a place in a dome-shaped space.


    ''I did it........1, 2, 3.......I guess the B-rank equivalent is 3 in total......................There are a dozen or so other reactions, so I''ll have to go with Jeanne and Aura, focus on working with Shiroumaru and the others to protect yourself!


    I didn''t hear Jeanne and the others'' reply and ran out into the square.


    Noticing my presence, a large scorpion, nearly three meters long, came out.


    In addition to the large scissors and sharp poisonous stingers, the scorpion had sickle-like claws on the tips of its feet, and the surface of its body looked like a rock. There are three such ones, each one raising its scissors to threaten us.


    First, for a small check, I let the scorpion in front of me take an airblit, but it didn''t seem to take much damage, just a scratch on the scorpion''s surface.


    I selected my adamantine sword as my weapon of choice, and with a swift movement, I struck at the scorpion that was coming at me with force.


    The scorpion crossed both scissors and guarded its body to protect itself, but with a loud thud, both scissors snapped off.


    The scorpion raised its tail to stab the poisonous stinger while spewing green body fluids.


    I didn''t want to take a bite, so I ducked by flying backwards, but the other two scorpions came running in with their eyes on the landing spot.


    ''''Stonewall!''''


    I summon a wall with earth magic into the scorpion''s path.


    The scorpion that was a short distance away from the wall seems to have been damaged by crashing into that wall, but the other scorpion, because of the distance between it and the wall, jumped over the wall and jumped at me.


    ''''Say!''''


    With my spirit, I swung my sword at the scorpion that was trying to crush me.


    Unexpectedly, the blow made a zubang sound and sliced vertically through the scorpion''s abdomen, sending green rain down.


    ''''These guys, unlike their backs, their abdomens are soft...''''


    While muttering about this, I slammed my sword down on the head of the scorpion that was trying to attack me even if it was torn apart.


    With a crunch, I succeeded in crushing the head, but the scorpion was still moving. I decided to stay away from them and looked at the other two, but the one that had been crushed by the scissors was trying to escape, while the other one was moving to get behind me.


    So first I decided to lock the scorpion that was trying to escape into a box made of earth magic to fortify its surroundings, and then I decided to take care of the other one first.


    The scorpion was trying to get behind me, but when it made eye contact with me, it stopped getting behind me and pounced on me.


    Unlike the other two, this scorpion attacked me with its tail rather than its scissors.


    It was probably the strongest of the three, but I had an opening after it attacked me with its tail, so I attacked at the right moment and was able to cut off its tail with surprising ease.


    I attacked the scorpion, which had stopped moving due to pain, and by crushing it with scissors, legs, and head in that order, I was able to easily defeat it without injury.


    By that time, the first one whose head had been crushed had died out, and there was only one scorpion left in the box.


    As I approached the box, I could hear a sound as if it was tapping with something from inside... perhaps it was trying to break the box with its tail.


    At this rate, it was likely to break it eventually, but I figured I''d kill it sooner or later so it wouldn''t be a problem, so I punched a hole in part of the top of the box and released a blizzard spell inside.


    After about five minutes of releasing the blizzard, a completely frozen scorpion was created.


    When I appraised the scorpion, I found that it was an Earth Scorpio, B-rank and the desired rank of demon.


    For now, I put it in my bag with the other scorpions and returned to Jeanne and the others, where Jeanne and Aura were standing with a stunned expression on their faces.


    It seems that no demons came to Jeanne and the others'' place, but there are still more than a dozen demons reacting around them.


    I don''t know how they will move, but for now, I decided to move on.


    Taking another look at this space, it''s a dome-shaped space with a diameter of about 200 meters, and the height to the ceiling seems to be about 20 meters.


    Solomon is playing around a bit hashishly, since it''s a space that allows him to fly around freely, which is unusual for a dungeon.


    After that, we proceeded with caution, but there were no attacks from the demons that were in response, and we were able to pass safely.


    ''For now, let''s take a break and look for a nearby warp zone to get back to the ground.


    I made my resting place as usual, got out my bed and table set and asked Aura to prepare the tea.


    While the tea was being served, I tried to think of a certain food recipe...


    ''''No....I can''t think of any ingredients for ramen noodles and curry roux by any stretch of the imagination...''''


    To be exact, it''s a combination of ''can water'' and curry spices that you add to the noodles.


    I''ve made udon noodles in a previous life, but with ramen noodles it was easier to buy them than to make them, so I''ve never made them myself, and I only know how to make them roughly and the ingredients.


    Curry is more serious. In my previous life, I could easily get very good curry powder, curry roux, and even a retort, so I only know a few spices to use for the ingredients.


    ''But I don''t want to give up! If we go to King''s Landing, there might be some clues...


    I decided to stop trying to recreate it in Seigen, thinking that if I went to the King''s Capital, there might be some similar food or that stuff, since it''s a city that''s considered to be the center of the country... and I don''t have time for that.


    Temma, what were you thinking earlier?


    Jeanne, who seemed to be getting used to it somewhat, but was still awkward, asked me that, so I decided to ask Jeanne and Aura if they knew of any dishes that were similar to ramen and curry.


    ''I don''t know of any such dishes I don''t know of any such dishes... and Aura?''


    ''I''ve never heard of Kansui, but is it a... curry? I heard a long time ago that there are dishes with several different spices, such as the dish called "The Spice". Some of them may be the same dishes that Master Temma has in mind.


    He told me with a bit of confidence.


    Now there are dishes with spices, and that''s just gratifying information.


    The same was true for the noodles, and he could only come up with the noodles for pasta.


    I know I have a long way to go, but I''ll make it happen someday, I decided.


    After that, I decided to go out in the warp zone I found nearby and fly to a secret base, this time to start working on the golem.


    The first step was to dismantle the Earth Scorpio. I don''t know what part of it can be used, but this scorpion''s shell seems to be very strong, so it would be good to peel it off and store it.


    The venom could be used for something, so if you collect as much of it as possible in a jar, you''ll probably use it eventually.


    As for the meat, do you want to try it at first? I thought it was a scorpion, but I didn''t know if I could eat it after taking it apart, so I decided to burn it this time.


    This scorpion''s magic nucleus was about 5 cm in size, and one of its nuclei was unlucky to be broken.


    However, the color of this magic nucleus was reminiscent of a black pearl, and even though it was called a jewel, I almost believed it.


    This time, I''m going to try to make this new type of golem, I''m going to try to take the best out of the two ways of making it.


    In other words, I''m going to combine a magic core and a metal core, and then I''m going to carve a magic circle on both of them.


    As for the design, I plan to make a necklace, and I''ve bought the chain pieces and hardware from a specialty store, and I''ve also looked at the neckpiece that I''ll use as a reference.


    In this golem making, I''m going to carve magic circles in the image of a soul on the nucleus and a body on the metal, and I''m going to make a mechanism to connect the two in a part of each magic circle.


    The magic core has a mechanism to connect the magic core and the magic circuitry to be carved into the magic circle in detail so that it can absorb magic power from its surroundings to some extent.


    I''m going to use mithril on the metal side and carve the magic circle while it''s hot. This one was a race against time, and I worked with fire magic to make the temperature harder to drop, but I made a few mistakes.


    Every time I failed, I had to mix the silver and start over, so I was going to make two, but I only managed to make one due to lack of time.


    By the way, for the metal and magic circle, I made the body material of earth, stone and iron, and the shape was a scorpion that looked exactly like Earth Scorpio. This is because I thought that this shape might be a good match for the magic core, and I was inspired by the scorpion''s excellent offensive and defensive skills and considerable speed in the actual fight.


    So far today, in about five hours, I''ve completed the magic circle with two magic cores and one decorative pedestal type. The rest, adjustments and test runs were to be done tomorrow.


    When I returned to my room, Amy and Shi-chan were in front of it, so I told them about the future.


    ''What? Sir, you''re going to leave?!


    I was surprised.


    ''''I''m not moving out of here completely. I''m going to go to King''s Landing, but I''m planning to come back here and I need to talk to you about it, but I''m going to pay you in advance and I need you to keep this room for about six months.


    I still wanted to conquer the dungeon, so I just wanted to make sure I had a room.


    ''''I''ll go ask my mothers!


    With that, Aimee ran to the house.


    Eeechan and Shiechan stayed here as they were flirting with Shiroumaru and Solomon.


    A short time later, Aimee returned with her mother, Karina.


    ''Do you want to be paid for six months in advance?''


    Carina asked me, so I told her that I still wanted to challenge Seigen''s dungeon, so I wanted to secure a room, and that Jeanne''s relatives are in the King''s capital, but the warp doesn''t fit, so I wanted to use it as a refuge in case of an emergency.


    ''''I understand the situation, but for a lump sum of six months, it will be 42,000 Gs.......''''


    Is that all right?


    Saying that, he took out money from his magic bag and handed it over.


    ''''Well come to think of it, Temma-san was a terrific adventurer, wasn''t he? I beg your pardon.


    Carina took out the contract she had brought from home and wrote a lot of things on it after checking the money she had received and handed it to me.


    I skimmed over the contract and signed it, then handed it back to Karina.


    ''Yes, I''ve confirmed it. Then I''ll keep it for six months from the time the current contract expires. Please let me know when you come back here and let me know.


    Karina said, bowing her head and walking back into the house. Amy was petting Shiroumar.


    I''m going to miss you...


    ''I''ll definitely be back,'' he said, and I promised him I would.


    ''Yeah, well Amy, make sure you change the air in your room every few days while we''re gone. This is a request. We''ll pay you for what you''ve done so far.


    Then Amy would say.


    ''Yes! I understand, sir!


    He agreed with a raised hand.


    Just before he walked into the room.


    ''Oh, I forgot to shop for dinner tonight!


    Aura exclaimed. There must have been more material in the magic bag, Aura said.


    It''s bargain-basement day at our usual store!


    And since I was concerned about the time, we all went out to shop to see if there might be anything left.


    The store is an affiliate of Jay''s Company, where I''ve shopped before, and inside it was full of people...or rather housewives.


    ''''Well then, I''m off!''''


    I couldn''t bring myself to go inside, so I decided to wait outside and keep Shiroumaru company.


    ''Oh? Isn''t that Mr. Temma there?


    I turned around as a familiar voice called my name.


    Mr. Jayman?


    There stood the slaver who had previously rescued him from being attacked by bandits.


    ''''I knew it! I thought it was a familiar wolf!


    He laughed at that, but I asked him why he was here, and he wondered why he was here.


    It''s an affiliate of my brother''s. Oh, just in time. I''d like you to meet my brother, Jake.


    I was introduced to a man who looked vaguely like Jayman. After the man called Jake looked at me, he seemed to notice something, and after talking briefly with Jayman, he introduced himself to me.


    ''Nice to meet you, I''m Jayman''s brother, Jake. I''ve heard of you, Temma. I look forward to your continued patronage.


    I introduced him to the audience, and Jayman asked Jake about the rumors, and he rolled his eyes when he heard about Solomon and what happened with the Marquis of Samonth.


    When he tried to talk to me about it.


    Hey, I don''t know what you''re saying, but you''re not gonna let me off the hook.


    And the man behind Jake joined in the conversation.


    ''Oh, excuse me, Master. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one. I''m the best blacksmith in town.


    Upon closer inspection, the master was a short, but muscular-looking man with a full beard, of the so-called dwarf variety.


    ''''Nice to meet you, my name is Temma,''''


    ''Oh, I''ve heard of you! I''m Gunz, nice to meet you!


    Then he held out his hand to me and I shook it, and the master looked at the cuirass on my arm.


    Hey, did you make this?


    He suddenly asked in a low voice, and I replied that yes, I did.


    ''You''re making fun of your armour! You''re making such a shoddy job of it, and your hard-earned mithril is crying!


    He started yelling at them loudly. It was so loud that even the customers inside the shop came outside, but since the center of the commotion was an adventurer and a dwarf, they went back in like it was the usual thing.


    ''''Oh, is it really that bad...''''


    So I asked him, pressurized.


    ''First of all, it''s not balanced. And it''s not the right size. In addition, the connection part is a problem. In addition, the surface finish is poor.


    And then he gave me a quick look and ruined it. Other than that, though, I said, it''s the right size.


    ''You weren''t that bothered by all those mooks because you''re so d*mned good at it. It''s partly due to your high mithril strength, but you''ve compromised yourself without even knowing it with all those weak opponents.


    ''Huh, I see...''


    Come to my workshop tomorrow! I''ll fix it up in a day!


    And with or without saying so, he let me hold the map with the location of his workshop in my hand, and he left.


    I''m sorry to have been shouted at, but you''re lucky, Temma-san.


    That''s what Jake says, but I don''t know if I can trust him.


    You read that idea.


    ''You can trust that master. After all, if you don''t like him, he''s so stubborn that he''ll turn even the nobility against you.


    Most of all, though, there are many more allies than that, he said.


    If Jayman''s brother says so much, he could visit him once.


    The rest of the day was spent chatting about idle things, and when they both wanted to see Solomon, they called him over, and he came out of his bag, alertly, and moved to Shiroumaru''s back.


    They were both impressed by the first dragon they had ever seen, but were disappointed that Solomon didn''t want to be touched.


    ''Master Temma, we''ve finished our shopping,''


    Just as Aura and Jeanne returned from finishing their shopping, I said hello to Jayman and his friends and decided to leave.


    On the way back, I changed my plans for tomorrow and told them that I had decided to go to the dwarves'' workshop and that I thought they might be able to discuss their equipment with me, so I decided to let them accompany me.


    By the way, the items I bought were in a magic bag that Aura had left for me, so I didn''t have to carry my luggage.


    The next day, we decided to visit Master Ganz''s workshop from early morning.


    It was located in the center of the East District, a little over an hour''s walk from our room, and we didn''t have access to a carriage.


    As we got closer to the east area, we could hear the sounds of noisy people, even though it was morning.


    There seems to be a lot of blacksmith''s workshops along the road we''re on, and the sound of hammering metal and the heat of the furnace are everywhere.


    About 20 minutes into the east area, we see our master''s workshop, but


    Are you sure this is the place?


    Just like in here...


    This is where it says on the map...


    It''s an ordinary house that makes us want to shake our heads. We had imagined a workshop that was more sturdy and had the sound of metal tapping coming from inside, but I think we''ve got the map wrong. I suspected that it was a good idea.


    Just to be sure, I looked inside on a search, and when I saw Master Ganz and a few other people reacting yesterday, I ventured to open the door.


    What the hell are you doing? The temperature of the furnace is dropping!


    ''You''re not a constant pounder of iron!


    "f*ck you! Don''t let your mind wander through that last step! You''re going to ruin everything!


    ""Excuse me, sir!"


    And from the front, it was unbelievable how loud the shouting was.


    ''Oh, isn''t that Temma! Now get your armor out of the way!


    The master notices us and beckons us over, wiping the sweat off his face.


    ''The more you look at it, the rougher it is built! You''ll never be a top blacksmith like that!


    ''No, I''m an adventurer, and that''s something I made up in between adventures...''


    And then the master stopped moving and


    What! You''re an amateur! No wonder it''s supposed to be messy!


    He gave me a surprised look and then started laughing out loud.


    Apparently, this master mistook me for an aspiring blacksmith. When I asked him why he misunderstood, he told me that the metal object he was wearing was poorly made and that he had made it himself, and that he had the skill to process mithril, so he figured that his relatives or someone close to him must have had a blacksmith to teach him. It seems.


    Hey, you guys! Come here!


    The master called the three dwarves, who looked like his apprentices, and showed them my equipment.


    ''''Do any of you know how to make this!


    So the master asks his disciples, but they all shake their heads in unison.


    ''''What are you guys learning when you know a bunch of amateurs ... and even kids who have nothing to do with blacksmiths!


    He blackmailed them. The disciples shrank back in surprise at the power of this, but


    ''Oh well. I''m in a good mood today, so I''m going to show you guys a special way to work out!


    He said, and walked off with his disciples to the back of the room, but


    ''What are you doing? Why don''t you guys come along?


    He called out to us as well, and then proceeded to the back again.


    ''''Well let''s just follow along for now...''''


    Jeanne and Aura nodded at my words and followed me out to the back of the room.


    The back room was filled with tools that looked even more used than the tools in the room earlier, and the tools seemed to be bigger than normal.


    ''Alright, let''s get started then! Hey, you said Temma or something. Let''s start with your arm size.


    As he said this, the master began to touch my arm and began to carefully examine its size and shape.


    ''It''s going to take a lot of tweaking, but, well, the shape is ready, so it should be ready in three to four hours.


    Then he removed the base and began to heat the dismembered palmshells.


    When he heated the palm shells until they were bright red, he now dipped them in the molten silver until they were liquid, and then began to beat them and reforge them.


    As expected of a master, he was very good at this, heating up the silver and then striking it, and when it cooled down, he heated it up again and dipped it in the silver, and then struck it again, repeating the process for about an hour and a half.


    Now the other armor!


    And without taking a break, I continued to work on it.


    This one was also worked out using the same procedure as before, and it took about an hour to complete it.


    ''Now all we have to do is polish the surface and put them together and we''re done!


    and then brushing the surface and removing the soot.


    ''Oh, and if there''s anything else you''ve made yet, put it on the table over there!


    As he said this, he put down the kokarasumaru he had made so far, as well as Jeanne and Aura''s cuirasses.


    As he looked at them sideways, the master looked at them.


    Hey, guys! Just try to brush the surface!


    He handed his apprentice a mithril cuirass and came over to the table.


    and pulled the kokarasuma out of its scabbard to see how well it did.


    Seeing my master like that, I realized that I was getting nervous without knowing it.


    ''Well, it''s better than the Tekko... but the way you hit it is sweet!


    He was furious.


    The master said, and began to beat Kogarasumaru with heat.


    ''It''s a shape I''ve never seen before, but the basics of the sword must be the same!


    and reforge it without losing its shape.


    Here, it''s done.


    This too was reforged in just less than an hour.


    As I polished the Kogarasumaru and sharpened the blade, the color of the blade seemed to be darker than before. When I asked the master about this, he said.


    That sword is made of the metal of the dragon, right? That kind of metal, when you work it out properly, the colors get darker and darker, like they''re concentrated!


    He laughed vigorously. Then he took the magic iron cuirass.


    Is this yours, girls? I''ll work this one out again, but not today, as it''s a stone''s throw away. Come back tomorrow!


    He handed it to me and I put it in my bag and tried to pay for it.


    I didn''t ask for this money. I didn''t ask for this money!


    But I couldn''t do that, and I had to push back and forth.


    Finally, he refused to give up the money, so I paid him three kilograms of mithril and ten kilograms of silver.


    While looking at Mithril, he thanked the master who was thinking while muttering about what to make, and left the workshop.


    Incidentally, Jeanne and Aura may have been hot inside the workshop, but they mostly took refuge in the drawing room, only occasionally bringing drinks and other items.

 63-Chapter 3-18 Depart for the King!

    Good morning........master?


    I came to my master''s workshop first thing in the morning, but when I opened the door to greet him, there was no answer.


    I felt bad, but I went in and opened the door at the back.


    ''Master! It''s morning you''ll be sick if you sleep here!


    There, sleeping on the floor of the workshop, were the master and his apprentices.


    ''Oh? Oh, is it morning already Tenma is here already. I finished modifying everything that you took care of and as an added bonus, I put some boots on the floor for you girls there''s some in there for you to take with you. ...I''m going to bed now...


    With that much said, the master seems to have become a resident of the dream world again.


    It seems that he worked all night after that. We thanked him and received the armor.


    Then let''s go to the dungeon right away.


    My schedule was a day off, but I decided to resume making golems, so I set out for the dungeon''s secret base.


    I arrived at the secret base, but I knew that I couldn''t train Jeanne and Aura if I didn''t, so I decided to ask Slarin to capture a suitable demon for me.


    Slarin shook his body, and with a quick shake, he climbed up the wall and entered the air hole.


    Before Slarin could fully dive into the hole.


    Slurp! And fix the hole while you''re at it! Also, if there''s any scrap metal or weapons or anything else on the ground, pick that up too!


    I threw the words at him. I don''t know if Slarin heard me, but with a hole of that size, even if it was intruding, it wouldn''t be much of a threat since it was only a slime or a small insect or reptile demon, though.


    In the time it takes for Slarin to come back, I give Jeanne and Aura the handcuffs and boots that my master fixed for me to equip and check.


    ''''They fit true to size!


    He''s a skilled craftsman, isn''t he?


    And he was checking the condition of the boots. The boots were mostly made of leather, and they seemed to be lighter and softer than they looked, and as an added bonus, they seemed to be quite good.


    From the looks of the two of them, they seemed to be comfortable, so I decided to give my master something to thank him for before I went to the royal capital.


    Slarin came back when I finished preparing to make the golem, so I built something that looked like a smaller version of Gunjo City''s arena at the edge of the secret base and had the demons that Slarin had captured out there....


    Stopp, Slarin'', stop! That''s too many!


    Slarin put out about 10 high orcs, 30 orcs, 20 high goblins, 20 goblins, and 10 kobolds. Each of them were only roughly counted, so maybe the total number was over 100.


    After being told that there were too many, Slarin was suddenly let out and jumped into the crowd of confused demons, leaving five orcs behind, as if widening their mouths, and putting the demons into the dimension bag inside his body.


    ........It was quite strange to see the slime, which was originally the lowest level of the demons, swallowing the orcs.


    When Slarin finished swallowing the extra demons, I let Jeanne and Aura deal with the orcs while I let Shiroumaru, Solomon, and Slarin watch over them.


    Is five orcs still too much for Jeanne and the others to bear? I thought, but I figured that since the orcs didn''t have any weapons or anything else, I could handle it, and even if they didn''t, I told Slarin and the others to come in to help, so I figured it would be fine, so I let them start training.


    In the meantime, I proceeded to make the golem, but it was finished faster than I expected, so I added a magic bag function to the metal plate and stored the iron, the material for the golem''s body, in it.


    I ran out of iron on the way, so I went to get the iron ore that was in the dungeon and added the iron extracted and the iron scrap I had asked Slarin for, and I managed to secure enough iron for the golem to summon.


    Since I still had some time to spare, I decided to use mithril to make two simple constructed rings and add a simple function to these as well.


    After we finished making everything, it was almost time for lunch, so we decided to call Jeanne and her friends over for lunch.


    For lunch, we''ll have boiled rice, which is becoming a staple for us these days, and vegetable soup with skewers and fried foods that we bought at a food cart.


    ''''Since it''s finished for now, let''s try it out to see if the golem can be summoned properly, and if it''s fine, then let''s actually have a mock battle with the golem.


    Then he gave them both a necklace and a ring as well....


    "Already an engagement ring........my ring!


    And Aura spluttered, and Jeanne blushed as she caught on, and Shiroumaru and Solomon mistook it for a snack and sat down beside me....


    ''No, it''s a magic item to make it easier for me to sense where we''re both at in case of an emergency...''


    When I explained that, Aura purposefully pretended to wipe her eyes.


    ''Ugh, Ugh, poor Jeanne I can''t believe she suspects me of cheating on her before we''re even married...''


    But the edge of her mouth, which peeked out slightly, lifted and I could see that she was smiling.


    As expected of an over-acting person, Jeanne didn''t panic and left us alone and asked us how to use the necklace and rings, so we ignored Aura and taught her how to do it.


    When Aura saw that we weren''t dealing with her, she stopped mimicking crying with a frustrated look on her face and started listening quietly to me.


    ''''So, if you take off the necklace and then channel your magic and remind yourself of it, the golem will automatically be summoned... I''ll give it a try.


    Jeanne summoned the golem in the same procedure I taught her.


    The necklace on the floor was placed on the floor, and as the magic power flowed through the procedure as determined, iron came out of the magic bag granted to the base of the magic nucleus and used it as material for the body to become a golem... However, since this golem was a scorpion type, the two of them were quite surprised There it was.


    The two of them had only ever seen a golem that I had summoned, so they seemed to think that this golem was naturally humanoid, and at first this big scorpion-shaped golem was a rejection, but I made them tell me how amazing this scorpion-shaped golem was, and then I actually made them fight against the orcs And.


    I mean, it looks like it, but it''s really strong...


    ''Well that''s what it looks like, but the orcs look like garbage...''


    He seemed to have partly changed his mind and reviewed his thoughts... To be honest, it''s a secret that the person who made them (me) was most surprised at the strength of these golems.


    These golems are about 4.5m in size, half of them have tails with sharp needles, they have three pairs of legs and a pair of large scissors, and their speed (about 30km/h?) is unbelievable for an iron body! He approached them with his scissors and tail like a hammer, smashing them into chunks of meat, and grabbing the orcs'' bodies with his scissors and tearing them apart like rags, but it was more like pliers than scissors.


    Only.


    Even Shiroumaru and Solomon didn''t seem to be in the mood to eat the muddy minced orc meat, as expected.


    I had intended to have a mock battle as well, but I decided to call it off because it was going to be a disaster if I had to deal with such a thing. By the way, the mock battle was supposed to be me versus Jeanne, Aura and two scorpion-type golems.


    ''''And for now, I guess it''s a success... although it might be overpowered for an escort...''''


    They just nodded at my words.


    They were quite taken back, but they were so strong that they didn''t say anything about their appearance preferences.


    As he instructed the golems to return to their original necklaces, the two golems stopped moving on the spot and disappeared as if they were sucked into the necklaces.


    They picked up the necklace and put it around their necks, showing some confusion.


    ''''Do you feel any discomfort with the necklace?''''


    When I asked them, they were lightly moving their bodies while wearing the necklace and adjusting the length to make sure it was right.


    ''Not really but it''s a bit hard to adjust the length of it.


    And Aura saw that Jeanne was concerned.


    ''Jeanne has long hair, you know. But you''ll get used to it soon enough.


    As he said this, he helped adjust it.


    The chain I used this time was a modified version of the one I bought at the store.


    I cut one chain into pieces around the middle and hardened it with silver on one piece and attached a small hook to the other so that it could be hooked up at the desired length so that it could be adjusted.


    So, aside from Aura, who has shorter hair, Jeanne, who has long hair, was not used to trying to adjust it with her back hand, and her hair was grabbed along with her.


    So I decided to rework the chain to change the length of the chain only for Jeanne''s and stop it at the top of her collarbone.


    ''Thank you!''


    As I expected, being a girl, she seems to be happy to be presented with an accessory, and this is the first time Jeanne has ever thanked me in such a cheerful voice.


    I''m not accustomed to being thanked by a woman other than my own family members to begin with, so I was unexpectedly a little embarrassed to be thanked with Jeanne''s smile in a way that was almost a surprise.


    While watching it, Aura was grinning as if she wanted to say something, but I couldn''t think of anything else to do but pretend not to notice and turn my back and fool her.


    ''''Hmmm.......for now, it seems there is no inconvenience in the movement of the golem, so after we finish the final check of the magic circle, all the things we had planned to do will be done......is there anything to do?''''


    I shook the story to fool them and asked them that while receiving the necklace, but they didn''t seem to have any quick ideas either.


    So I decided to take a break for now, and in the meantime, I tried to think about what I needed and what I wanted to prepare for.


    ''''Umm........the only thing I can think of is to secure and distribute food.


    ''I ... well ... mass-producing food and storing it in a magic bag ... is that about it?''


    Me and Aura got the food-related stuff out of me and Aura, but Jeanne looked up as if she''d just had a hunch.


    ''I want a changing room and a toilet in the carriage!


    He said loudly.


    Those words seemed to have occurred to Aura as well.


    ''Speaking of which, it wasn''t attached to Master Temma''s carriage!


    I was convinced that it was a good idea. When I thought about it, I didn''t have to worry about it either, since there had only been a man (and two animals) so far, but if Jeanne and Aura were going to join us on the trip, it would be the first place I would have to worry about it.


    There is space in the carriage for a barrel to replace the bath, but there is no space for a change of clothes, and the toilet has been outside so far, or when it rains, the barrel is stowed away in an empty space.


    But this was only possible because I was the only man, and if I let a woman do the same thing, I would definitely be in the noose for s*xual harassment in my previous life... even in this world, if the outside world found out, I would definitely be pointed at the back of my mind. .........


    ''Sure we need it... but the question is how to make it... if we just want to expand the internals, we can do it a bit more without any problems...'' ...


    As I was thinking, a scene came to my mind.


    ''Yes! We could make it look like a unit bath!


    A unit bath?


    Master Temma, what exactly is a unit bath?


    I quickly said it out loud and they heard me, but I figured there was no need to fool them, so I decided to teach them my idea.


    A unit bath is a bath, toilet, and sink in a single room.


    I gave them a brief description of what I had seen in my previous life.


    ''''With this, we won''t have to build a separate toilet and bath room, and if we make this private room to fit the size of the carriage''s space, then we can put it in a magic bag and carry it around afterwards, and it will be easy to use in the dungeon like it is now!


    It''s obviously more convenient to just take it out and use it without having to magically create it, like now.


    The only problem is cleaning up after using the toilet.


    But I have a feeling that this isn''t so difficult if you use your magic well.


    ''But won''t that make the toilet smell stuffy?


    However, if you set a pot in the toilet bowl and attach a device like a dimension bag to the pot, or carve a magic circle of wind or water on the toilet seat, you should be able to reduce the odor considerably. I think it''s worth a try.


    I decided to make a toilet bowl using earth magic and alchemy, relying on my memory.


    The finished product is a western-style toilet, and since I made it while remembering a famous manufacturer from my previous life, I had to scrape off a letter ''t0'' on the edge of the tank.


    It''s a good work for a first time.


    I muttered those thoughts while actually sitting on it.


    Jeanne and Aura seemed to be interested in the unfamiliar shape of the toilet bowl as well, but they didn''t seem to be comfortable sitting on the toilet seat in front of a man, no matter how much, so they both just looked at it.


    Next, I got out the carriage and worked on expanding the back of the interior, and made a shed that fit that size with earth magic and alchemy, but...


    ''I''m afraid the roof is going to fall off...''


    I felt that it was a good idea, so I looked at assembling it without the roof, but at this pace, I was getting the feeling that I wouldn''t be able to get it up in time to leave.


    So I decided to compromise and changed it to an installation instead of a removal.


    The wall and door are made of wood in the expansion part of the inside of the carriage, the floor is made of tiles in the manner of pottery and pasted, and the toilet is fired from the one made earlier so that the jar can be removed and fixed.


    The work was done in two days because the golems were also mobilized, so we were able to finish it in two days.


    As for the bath tubs, I''ll keep the barrels I''m currently using, but I''ll try to find a replacement for them when I have some free time when I go to King''s Landing.


    One last detail and an inspection of the magic circle to make sure it''s working properly, and we''re done.


    The toilet bowl has a magic circle written on the lid of the toilet seat, and when the lid is raised, it activates and the jar has the same ability as a dimension back.


    Other devices are also installed to create a layer of air with wind magic, so that no odor can leak out, but this is something I''ll have to wait until I actually do my business, so I''ll hold off on this one.


    The inspection process is simple: lift the lid and pour more water into the pot than it should be, and if it doesn''t overflow, it''s a success.


    We set up a space of about 5m square in the pot. I decided to pour about 10 liters of water into it for now.


    The result......


    It''s working. It''s not leaking, so that''s good.


    I can''t find any problems at the moment, so I''ve stopped tinkering with it, and all that''s left to do is dig out the water jar, the dividing curtain, and the drain and it''s all done.


    The drain was also embedded in the floor with a jar that functions as a dimension bag.


    After showing Jeanne and Aura the inside of the renovated carriage, we stowed it away in the magic bag and decided to return to the ground.


    We''ll be leaving Seigen soon, so we''re going to take a walk around the city from now on today and shop around for food...


    ''Jeanne, Aura, this is already the tenth house I''ve been to...''


    They say women shop a long time, but please don''t let them forget their original purpose and browse through the stores for clothes and accessories.


    ''Temma, just one more shop!


    I''m going to make a decision soon!


    This is the third time, and only one more house. Shilomar and his friends are back in the dimension bag early and are taking a break. They seem to have no interest in anything but food, and Shiroumaru and Solomon go in, happily sucking on an orc bone before returning to the bag.


    After that, the "just one more shop" was repeated about five times, and I gave up and looked in the general store a few doors down from the one Jeanne and the others were in, to pass the time appropriately.


    There wasn''t anything in particular that caught my eye, but they had about 20 well-built vases of various sizes, and I bought all of them, much to the delight of the shopkeeper.


    On the way back to Jeanne and the others, I found a familiar ogre walking around. It was Gulliver, of course.


    Prior to the familiar, I had never heard of any other ogre being tamed in this city, so there was no doubt that ogre = Gulliver.


    The space around Gulliver was pockmarked with no people huddled around him, and it was very easy to see and approach.


    When Gulliver noticed me approaching, he gave me a frightened look for a moment and retreated, but he quickly straightened his back as much as possible and assumed a posture of caution.


    I couldn''t help but laugh when I saw Gulliver, who was about to salute me, but Gulliver, in his own right, responded to my laughter and began to freak out again.


    ''Oh? Isn''t this Lord Temma? Are you shopping?


    As I was distracted by Gulliver, the Marquis of Samonth came out of the entrance by Gulliver''s position, accompanied by his guards.


    Those guards also saw me and stepped forward in alarm, but dropped back when they were stopped by the Marquis of Samonth.


    ''''Yes ... most of all, I''m currently swamped with my companion''s shopping and I''m running out of time.


    The Marquis de Samonz smiled bitterly as he replied


    It takes a lot of patience to keep up with a woman''s shopping... so, as I say, when I was young, my wife used to push me around a lot...


    I whispered so.


    Gulliver saw his master, the Marquis of Samonth, talking amicably with me, and his nerves seemed to have finally eased.


    When the Marquis de Samons saw this, he said


    ''''Gulliver is arguably the strongest force in my guards, yet he''s formless in front of Lord Temma...''''


    I muttered to myself, and Gulliver heard that and shrugged his big body. From the side, it was quite an amusing sight, but it was a pity that Gulliver was depressed because of me, so


    ''No, I think Gulliver is pretty good at it. Normal ogres have a rough temper and low intelligence and fight without thinking, but from what I''ve seen, Gulliver is trying to fight while thinking quite a bit. At this rate, I think Gulliver is still going to be strong.


    I followed up, and the Marquis de Samons nodded his head.


    ''I''m very aware of that, sir. ...Between you and me, I suspect you''re more intelligent than Gary.


    This was another whisper, but the content was strangely convincing.


    ''By the way, which way is this Gary........''


    I asked him, thinking that I''d be a pain in the ass to meet Gary here, and the Marquess of Sammons laughed and said


    ''Oh, that idiot son of a b*tc* has joined those who came after him and is currently in the dungeon re-beating his guts out.


    He told me. For now, it looks like trouble has been avoided... but it''s a little awkward for Gulliver to be afraid of me.


    As for me, I wanted to get along with Gulliver, so I thought about what to do, and the first thing that came to mind was the foodies at home.


    I took out a chunk of oak meat and offered it to Gulliver, but Gulliver did not change his attitude when he saw the meat.


    ''Lord Temma, what?''


    No, our foodies would react in some way if we offered them food, so I was wondering if Gulliver would...


    That''s rather rude to say, depending on how you ask, but the Marquis blew out lightly with a pfft.


    ''''Haha, Lord Temma. I don''t care how much Gulliver is an ogre, he doesn''t bite into raw meat in this traffic.


    I was taken aback by those words. At any rate, I had a clear picture in my mind of how the foodies of the house would undoubtedly jump on the meat and eat the raw meat without regard to publicity.


    After failing to feed Gulliver, I made sure the Marquis had his magic bag and gave him about ten chunks of oak meat for Gulliver.


    At that point, I deliberately made it look like Gulliver, but it''s unclear if our Gulliver will miss it at all with this.


    ''''Well then, I think my companion is about to finish his shopping, so I''ll leave you to it.


    I said hello to the Marquis and waved to Gulliver as well, but Gulliver tensed up at the movement of my hand, and it was quite frustrating to see the blatantly relieved look on his face as I left.


    When I returned to the shop where Jeanne and the others were, Slarin, who I had left behind as an escort, noticed me and tried to fumble his way into the bag.


    I petted Slarin and then handed him an oak bone as a reward and unfolded the bag, and in response to the scent of the bone, the devourer No. 1 (Shiroumaru) peeked out of the bag and begged me for it. Naturally, No. 2 (Solomon) was also waiting behind No. 1.


    ''I wish Gulliver was this obvious...''


    I patted Shiroumaru and Solomon on the head and gave them both a bone and added a new one for Slarin.


    After watching the three animals return, I decided to go inside the shop to call Jeanne and Aura.


    ''Jeanne, Aura, are you done?''


    When I called out to the two men, they had just finished their shopping and were on their way to pay the bill.


    The two of them were shopping for women''s cloaks, jackets, trousers, skirts, boots, and other items of clothing that were sturdy, yet cute in color and embroidery.


    It seemed that after sixteenth shop, they finally found something they were happy with.


    They paid the fee and packed the items into a magic bag.


    One of the male customers in the store was looking at the bag with a strange look on his face, so I stood to block his gaze and warned him with a deadly look.


    The man was trembling, pale and shaking, so he''d probably be fine, but I''d have to give them both a lot of attention later.


    On the way home, I found a liquor store, so I decided to buy five 10-liter barrels of whiskey and six 5-liter bottles of wine as a thank-you gift to my masters.


    By the way, whiskey is about 40% alcohol, it is commonly drunk in this world.


    The wine purchased is half red and half white, this is mainly going to be for cooking.


    After that, we bought all the rice, raided the vegetables and bought spices and condiments and cooked food, and before we knew it, the total weight of the food was well over 100 kg... most importantly, it''s not heavy because we have it in a magic bag.


    ''''We have plenty of meat for Shiroumaru and the others, and probably six months worth of food, so we won''t have to buy more for a while now.


    ''''That''s right. You''ll just have trouble handling it any longer, so from now on, it''s probably just as well to buy more after you''ve consumed some.


    Aura agreed with me. I should actually have a surplus of what I bought before, but I''m not sure what I have left over. I''ll have to sort through the contents of my bag once.


    That night, we split the food from my magic bag to the magic bag I''m leaving with the two of them, and then we''ll finish dinner with the cooked items we think we bought before.


    A few days later, the day to leave Seigen finally arrived.


    I had called out to everyone I knew within the previous day, and today''s send-off was attended by Amy''s family and the members of the Tamer''s Guild (provisional) at the Sword of Dawn.


    He went to greet his master yesterday, and the greeting was done when he gave him a drink to thank him.


    The Marquis has a discussion with the guild leaders today from this morning, so I have already said hello to him yesterday as well.


    ''''Then Amy, I asked you to ventilate the room.


    Yes, sir! We''ll take care of it!


    As they exchanged greetings, it was unexpectedly announced that the members of the Tamers Guild (provisional), excluding Amy, would also be participating in the martial arts tournament.


    ''''We''ll take this opportunity to spread the name of the Tamer''s Guild and gather members to make it a great organization!


    Everyone was enthusiastic about it. When Menace was asked if it was possible to bring their families to the tournament, it seemed that it was, but since a family member was counted as one of the team members and rules were added to the tournament from time to time, or since there were not many strong families on the team, the number of participants was low.


    The members of the Sword of Dawn and Tamers Guild (provisional) have acquaintances and so on in the royal capital, so they would not be able to go to the royal capital until a week or two before the tournament.


    ''''Then we''ll be there first! Amy''s got to go, too!


    With that, he gave Tanikaze a signal.


    Doctor, Jeanne and Aura, come in! I can''t wait for you to come back~


    And with Amy''s energetic voice at our backs, we were leaving for the royal capital.

 64-Status after Chapter 3

    Name... the Temma-Otori.


    Age...15


    Race... human race.


    Titles: apprentice of the wise, tamer, dragon slayer, top-notch adventurer, (favored by the gods)


    HP... 23,000.


    MP... 38,000.


    Muscle strength... A


    Defensive Power...A+


    Speed...A


    Magic power...SS+


    Mental capacity... S+.


    Growth Potential...SS+


    Luck... B


    Skills....fire magic 10, water magic 10, household strengthening 10, alchemy 10, magic manipulation 10, training 10, night eyes 10, light magic 9, wind magic 9, space-time magic 9, earth magic 9, cooking 9, demolition 9, swordsmanship 9, fighting 9, stick arts 9, trapping 9, granting magic 9, magic enhancement 9, lightning magic 8, throwing 8, patience 8, and Archery 7, dark magic 7, spearcraft 6, axecraft 6, all magic attributes 6 (10), (appraisal 10, detection ability 10, concealment 10, technology acquisition enhancement 10, creation magic 9, anomaly resistance 9, sensory enhancement 9, growth enhancement 8, life force enhancement 8, recovery enhancement 8, physical ability enhancement 7, martial arts hyakusen 6, destruction enhancement 5, destruction resistance 5, instant death resistance 5)


    Gift...blessings of the gods


    Name... slarin''.


    Age...9


    Species... slime.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 6,000.


    MP...14,000.


    Strength? ...C+.


    Defensive Power...B+


    Speed...B+


    Magic... A


    Mental capacity... A


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... B


    Skills....Space-time magic 8, magic manipulation 8, anomaly resistance 8, patience 5, martial arts 5, all magic attributes 4, fire magic 3


    His name... is Shiroumaru.


    Age...5


    Race...Phantom Wolf Species (Golden Fenrir x Silveriofenrir)


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 25,000.


    MP... 15,000.


    Muscle strength...A+.


    Defensive Power...A+


    Speed...S


    Magic... A


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck... B


    Skills....Night Eyes 10, Martial Arts 8, Abnormal Resistance 7, Physical Strength 7, Sensory Enhancement 7, Life Force Enhancement 5, Patience 5, Magic Manipulation 3


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Name--Solomon.


    Age...0


    Race... the dragon.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 5000.


    MP...10,000.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power...B+


    Speed...B+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...D+.


    Growth Potential...S+


    Luck... A


    Skills....Abnormal Resistance 6, Light Magic 5, Wind Magic 5, Magic Manipulation 5, Life Force Enhancement 5, Recovery Enhancement 5, Destruction Enhancement 4, Fire Magic 4, Night Eyes 4, Water Magic 3, Lightning Magic 3, Magic Enhancement 5.


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Name, Jeanne.


    Age...14


    Race... human race.


    Titles: cursed child (saint), former baroness, and slave of Temma.


    HP...2000


    MP...8000


    Muscle strength...D+.


    Defensive Power...C-


    Speed...C+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...A+


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 65-Chapter 4-1 Unforgivable behavior

    What the hell! Temma has gone to King''s Landing!


    Merlin''s loud voice echoed through the streets of Seigen at noon.


    Merlin and the others arrived in Seigen at noon, a week after Temma and the others had left for the royal capital.


    After showing the king''s letter to the gatekeeper, Merlin and his group, who had entered specially through the nobleman''s entrance, immediately came to the guild to gather information, and Merlin couldn''t help but shout at the content of the information he had obtained from the girl taming the two rockbirds that were there.


    ''''Hii, I''m sorry!


    I looked at the girl who had reflexively apologized and realized that she was blind to her surroundings.


    ''I''m sorry, I couldn''t help but yell out...''


    What''s going on! Amy!


    What did that old man do to you?


    A group of men heard this girl''s voice and came slamming down from upstairs and stood there to protect the girl.


    ''Hey, old man! What do you want with Amy!


    ''I mean, what have you done to Amy!


    The four men raise their voices as if to threaten me, but I must confess that I am not a good enough actor to challenge them.


    However, I am the one who has frightened the boy, and I can only apologize to them.


    I heard that he knew my grandson, and I asked him where he was, but I was already on my way, and I couldn''t help shouting at him. I''m sorry for making you misunderstand.


    As I was apologizing to him, a man about my age came down from the second floor.


    He said, "I think there was a misunderstanding between us. I am Agri Monakert, the man who sort of brings these men together. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Merlin the Wise. Henceforth, I wish you well.


    As he said this, the man who introduced himself as Aguri gave a polite greeting.


    ''No, I''m sorry for making a scene. You may not follow the wise man, Mister Aguri. It''s my pleasure to meet you.


    Saying that, he shook hands with Aguri, but then he realized that the guild was quiet.


    In particular, the four people just now had stopped moving and froze like puppets.


    As I wondered, Lord Aguri laughed and said


    I guess they didn''t know who they were messing with so we''d better get moving.


    And Aguri poked each of them lightly on the head with the cane in his hand against the four of them.


    ''''Momo-momo, I''m sorry!


    I didn''t know you were the famous, wise man.


    Please forgive me!


    I''m so sorry!


    The men suddenly started to move and started to apologize, getting down on their knees with great speed.


    It is only natural that I am at fault in this case and that I tried to protect the child, so would you please stand up?


    I didn''t want to get down on my knees for this," he said. Aguri-dono, who couldn''t bear to see us like this, intervened.


    He said, "Don''t you think you''re going to make things worse? Get up off your ass.


    With that word, the men stood up, but the awkward looks still didn''t change.


    For now, at Lord Aguri''s recommendation, I decided to go upstairs to a table and listen to the story of Temma in this city.


    ''''Nannu! I wonder if it''s true that Temma has made dragons his household!


    Lord Aguri and the others had told me many things. There was the speed with which he had attacked the dungeons of Temma, and how he had beaten the son of a nobleman and frightened an ogre, but the dragon''s case was such a shock that it made them hazy.


    ''''Yes! The teacher''s dragon is a pretty little boy named Solomon.


    Amy told me, though.


    With the doctor?


    I stared at Amy''s face as she said these unexpected words.


    ''Yes. My teacher taught me the basics of taming, and I was able to make these kids my family.


    He called two rock bird chicks from his bag and placed them on the table and began to pet them.


    ''Ho~, that Temma........hmm? These kids seem to have more magical powers than normal.


    I asked Mister Aguri-dono because the magic I could feel from these chicks was large for a chick, but he shook his head and


    ''That''s what makes us wonder too. One of our members even says that it seems to have more magic power than his own Thunderbird chicks... Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was Tenma who hatched them.


    Those words made me think.


    It''s Temma, so I wouldn''t be surprised if something so strange happened...


    I muttered, and those around me agreed. That alone would make it understandable that Tenma had done something out of the ordinary.


    ''''But when I came looking for my grandson, I didn''t expect to find that I had a grandson disciple.


    And then he looked at Amy.


    ''''Haha, come to think of it, if you''re a disciple of Temma, you''d be a grand-disciple to Lord Merlin!


    Lord Aguri said, laughing, but the wizards who were listening nearby turned their envious gazes on Amy.


    ''''Merlin-sama, if we''re going to go after Temma, shouldn''t we leave early?


    I''ve been waiting behind me," advised Edgar, who had been standing behind me until then, in a reserved manner.


    Well, if we go after him now, we might be able to meet him when we get to the capital.


    With that in mind, I greeted the members of the Tamer''s Guild who were present and headed outside to chase after Temma.


    When I stepped out of the guild, I saw a familiar ogre right in front of me. I think it was Gulliver from the Marquis of Sammons'' place....


    Gulliver caught my gaze and turned his head in my direction.


    And to my surprise, he bowed his head in greeting!


    To be honest, I didn''t expect the ogre to have this much intelligence and courtesy.


    That''s why I was late in realizing that the Marquis of Sammons was in Gulliver''s shadow. Behind the Marquis of Samons was also his son.


    ''Oh! Master Merlin, why are you here?


    The Marquis of Samoens approached me at a fast pace. The knights in the guards were alarmed, but when they realized that it was me, they let down their guard and refocused their attention on their surroundings.


    I was on my way to the city, but I''m a step late again.


    ''I don''t know what to say to that.......is your grandson an adventurer, by any chance?


    As we continued to cross paths, the Marquis changed the subject a little forcefully, as if he couldn''t think of the right words to say.


    I''m sure you''re not the only one. It seems that you are doing a good job of it.


    It''s Temma!


    The Marquis of Samons was terribly surprised when he heard Temma''s name. And his son, who was quietly behind him, was also surprised.... no, frightened... for some reason Gulliver seemed to be frightened as well... ...


    Is my grandson in some kind of trouble?


    I was a little worried that Temma had done something, so I asked her that.


    ''No, no, it''s the opposite. In fact, we were the ones who got in trouble with Lord Tenma...


    And the Marquess of Samonth began apologetically telling him about the events that had happened between his son ... Gary and Temma and the incident that followed.


    ''''That''s why Lord Temma was so inconvenienced and helped me in addition to causing me trouble.


    When he finished, the Marquis of Samoens glanced at Gary and looked embarrassed.


    ''''That guy has no mercy no matter who he''s dealing with.......''''


    No, I can''t complain about what my son did, even if he was sentenced to death. Moreover, he was allowed to do so and then saved his life again.......so my son is just now getting his nature back in order.


    No wonder Gary was looking a bit peeved...


    Anyway, I''m leaving now, so I''ll leave you to it.


    Sorry to keep you waiting. Have a safe trip.


    This time we set out for the capital, and on the way we heard adventurers who looked like four adventurers saying things like "Tenma is~" or "Tenma is~", but we ignored them and hurried out of the city.


    "This time, we''re going to meet Temma again, for sure~


    ''Master Merlin! It''s dangerous, don''t lean out of the carriage~~


    I was so excited that I was barking out of the carriage, and then Chris, who had a desperate look on his face, pushed me back into the carriage... remorse, remorse.


    ''Heck yeah!''


    Tenma, are you okay?


    On the way to the capital, my nose suddenly became mushy and I started sneezing profusely.


    Jeanne, who seemed to hear the sound and was worried about me in the governor''s seat, called out to me.


    Oh, I''m fine. It''s just a sudden mushy nose.


    It''s a nice day today, so I''m using an ordinary wagon instead of the usual magic-granted carriage.


    So I was worried as Jeanne leaned forward from right behind me.


    ''''Oh, you look like a lover when you do that,''''


    Aura has been teasing me at every turn.


    ''I''m used to Aura''s words!


    Jeanne was becoming immune to it. When Aura saw Jeanne like that, she looked bored, but then she seemed to think of something, and suddenly her face became vulgar


    ''''Temma-sama~, when you sleep at night, please use the magic carriage for the two of you. Of course, I''ll sleep outside~........oh, don''t worry. No matter what happens, you won''t peek inside or listen in, Hebu!


    Before I could say it, I flicked a pebble at Aura''s forehead with my finger and hit her.


    It was a lot of tame, but when she was caught off guard, she was unexpectedly attacked and Aura was on her back.


    ''''Aura! That''s enough! Don''t say anything funny!


    Jeanne''s face turned bright red as she gave chase to Aura.


    However, Jeanne''s throwing, which has been getting stronger with her recent training, seemed to be enough to knock Aura down.


    The firewood scattered outside and Aura turned her eyes around, so we decided to take a meal break around here... By the way, it didn''t take long to collect the firewood as Shiroumaru and Solomon collected it while playing.


    ''Well, let''s grill some meat today!


    I built the base with stones that had fallen nearby, burned some wood and put the griddle on it.


    While I was carving the meat until the griddle was hot, the gourmands, who only behave themselves at times like this, were sitting beside me, drooling from their mouths, waiting.


    I had no choice, so I wrapped the raw meat in lettuce and fed it to them, and they dexterously spit out only the lettuce and begged for the next piece of meat.


    ''Thunk!''


    Picutre!


    They were both doing the same thing, so I gave them both a love whip (iron fist sanction) and they started chewing on the lettuce with some reluctance.


    ''Temma, Aura, I''ve noticed!


    So, let''s have lunch!


    The meat was just cooked and there was an appetizing aroma in the air.


    They had prepared salt and sauce to put on the meat, along with a salad, bread and milk.


    When Aura woke up, she checked the area and sat down next to Jeanne.


    ''''Then I''ll take it.''''


    Thank you.


    "Woof.


    Cui.


    In fact, there are few times in this world where people hold their hands together before a meal, except when church officials or devout laymen offer a prayer before a meal, and the rest of the time they either make a toast like the nobility, etc., or say a simple prayer verbally for each of them.


    It''s unusual for people to clasp their hands together and say "Itadakimasu" like I do, but that doesn''t mean they don''t have a similar custom, so naturally Jeanne and Aura started doing it when they saw me doing it, too.


    ''''Come to think of it, Temma, aren''t you taking the wrong road to King''s Landing? I think the sign on the billboard earlier said that King''s Landing is on the right.


    What do you want?


    Jeanne and Aura asked me this as we were finishing our meal.


    Oh, it''s a bit of a detour, but I think there are wild cows living in the grasslands just down the road. We''ll have to hunt a couple of cows while we''re at it and stock up on beef.


    Shilomar and Solomon were suddenly restless in response to the beef. They seemed to want to eat the beef as soon as possible.


    ''''Well Shiroumaru, Solomon, just to be sure, they''re not vermin, so you can''t hunt too much!


    The two animals nodded seriously at those words, but with drool dripping from their mouths, I made up my mind to lock them in my bag if the need arose.


    ''That''s good beef, Shilomar,''


    It''s been a long time since I''ve had anything but pork.


    Jeanne, who didn''t know what I was thinking, was petting Shiroumaru, while Aura was answering as she thought about how to cook it.


    When they both agreed, we cleaned up and decided to head out to hunt cattle.


    Continuing on for an hour, there was a river running through it, and the desired grassland was about an hour along that river.


    ''Temma, is there a cow?''


    You don''t seem to be anywhere near, are you sure it''s around here?


    As they entered the desired grassland, Jeanne and the others began to strain their eyes for cattle, but there didn''t seem to be any as far as they could see.


    ''Solomon, look for the cows from above,'' said Jeanne. Shilomar, let me know if you smell a cow.


    "Woff.


    "Kewey.


    I instructed the two animals and we were advancing through the meadow for a while in the direction of King''s Landing, when suddenly Solomon came down beside me and tried to tell me something as he moved his body.


    ''Temma, I heard you found a cow?''


    Jeanne asks me, but Solomon seems to want to tell her something else, and she shakes her head, then looks at me.


    ''What, Solomon?'' ...hmmm, hmmm... what! Okay, let''s head out now!


    ''What! Do you understand now?


    Somehow, yeah!


    I started to run Tanikaze in the direction Solomon had informed me.


    ''What did Solomon say?''


    I heard there''s a herd of kids being attacked by a herd of cattle on the riverbank down the road!


    But with the carriage pulled, we didn''t get as much speed as we would have liked.


    ''Sorry, I''m going first! The carriage will take out the golem, let them pull it! Shiroumaru is Jeanne''s bodyguard! Solomon, show me the way!


    With that, he took four golem nukes out of his bag and threw them on the ground.


    ''I''ve transferred command authority to the two of you, so take care of the rest!


    I removed the clasp from Tanikaze and jumped on, making sure the golem appeared before I followed Solomon.


    Once I removed the quicksilver, the speed started to double from what it was before, and the vibrations started to increase, so naturally the way I rode was like a horseman in a horse race.


    It had been a long time since I had ridden as fast as I could, so the vibration was a bit painful, but I didn''t have time to be weak.


    Less than ten minutes later, we saw the children who said they were being attacked.


    There were two children, a man and a woman of about the same age.


    The children appeared to be noblemen, dressed in ornate clothing, with a few men who appeared to be their guards.


    The men were struggling, but they were completely outnumbered by the momentum of the cattle, and they were being pushed back due to their numbers.


    ''''Seize it!''''


    I let out a burst of energy so that the guards and the cows could hear me and kicked the cows around as I rushed forward, forcing them to keep their distance.


    The guards and the cows were momentarily distracted by the sudden intruder and stopped moving.


    ''''Stonewall!''''


    In the meantime, I succeeded in creating a wall between the two sides to divide them.


    However, the cows came to their senses and began to ram the wall in an attempt to destroy it.


    I don''t know what would make them go that far, but some of the cows had broken horns and some were wobbling with concussions, but that didn''t stop them from hitting it...all thirty or so cows outside were equally furious.


    ''''What the hell...?''''


    The scene was so bizarre that I was surprised and turned to the children who had been attacked.


    Then I found the source of the cows'' anger.


    ''I don''t know who you are, please! I need your help!


    A couple of kids noticed my gaze and came up to me with their heads down, but


    Thump, thump, thump.


    And I slapped those kids on the cheek.


    Instead of the children who were confused by the suddenness of the situation and fell on their asses, the guards who were around them started to make a scene.


    ''You! What the hell are you doing! You don''t know who these people are!


    "That brutality cannot be allowed to stand!


    And two guards drew their swords and tried to cut at me, but my magic hit them faster than they could swing their swords, and the guards were blown backwards and unconscious.


    The other guards were badly injured and exhausted, but when they saw what I was doing, they stood up and drew their swords.


    ''''Do you know why you guys were struck?''''


    I ignored my escort and visited the two guys who were on their asses.


    ".........


    They shake their heads in silence. I can''t help it, so I force the boy''s head out of the kid and make him turn his head.


    ''Any creature would be angry if their beloved child was killed without a trace, of course.


    In the direction I had them pointing in, a dozen or so calves had been magically pierced through their bodies or slashed to death with swords.


    Judging by the number of cows outside, probably all the calves in the herd had been sacrificed.


    ''And now that this has happened. Those cows outside will continue to attack us when they see us humans... poor thing, but we have to kill those cows outside too.


    So I broke off my words and looked at the kids again.


    ''I''m not denying that I hunt I''m an adventurer. But I won''t allow people to kill for fun from a safe position without putting themselves in danger. If such a person were to become the head of the country, this country would be destroyed.


    There were still traces of the wall that had been created by magic around that calf''s corpse. Perhaps in some way they had separated the parents.......especially the male, and then trapped the calves in the gap and killed them.


    If this was something they had done to eat, they wouldn''t have been this angry, but that corpse still bore the marks of a magic spree and multiple slashes with a sword.


    As we looked at the corpses of the calves, the walls collapsed under the rush of the cows.


    Many of the cows that appeared in front of us have broken horns and their heads are bleeding and wobbling, and they look like they could fall down at any moment, but their eyes are bloodshot and they''re shooting a tremendous amount of murder and hatred at us.


    ''''I''m sorry........''''


    I muttered to myself and then fired a light magic at the cows. The magic bounced off the front of the cows, filling the area with light and taking away their vision.


    A moment before the light flashed, I closed my eyes, pulled my sword out of my bag and ran into the herd, swinging my sword at the killing power of the cows.


    One swing per cow, and with that one swing, I drop the heads of the cows so that they suffer less.


    As the light subsides and the area comes into view, there are a total of thirty-one decapitated cow corpses lying there.


    I summoned the golem and had it collect all the bodies of the cows, leaving their heads behind, and tucked them into a bag.


    The children and guards were surprised and alarmed to see me summon the golem, but they ignored it and dug a hole in the ground with magic and ordered the golem to put the bodies of the calves and the heads of the cows into the hole.


    After that, I fired fire magic at the hole and continued to burn the corpses so that they were reduced to ashes to the bone.


    It was more than half an hour after I arrived here when Jeanne and the others finally arrived.


    ''Temma, what are you burning? And these people?


    Jeanne and her guards were alerted again as they appeared with the golems pulling the carriage, but Jeanne and the others ignored the guards and approached me.


    ''''Ah, those fools who caused this mess.


    At my words, Jeanne and the others took one look at the children and the guards, but they didn''t seem to understand what I meant.


    The guards seemed to be offended by my words and were about to complain, but they were frightened by Shiroumar''s glare and kept their mouths shut.


    ''''Now that the burial is over, let''s head to King''s Landing.


    After burying the cows reduced to ashes to the bone, he told Jeanne and the others so, then retrieved the golems'' nukes and put them in his bag, and reconnected Tanikaze to the carriage.


    In the meantime, Shiroumaru and Solomon seemed to be searching frantically for something where the wall had been.


    ''What is it?''


    Shiroumaru looked up in response to my words, and the horns of the cows I mentioned earlier were in his mouth.


    Not only Shiroumaru, but also Solomon had horns in his mouth as well, but Solomon had acquired a total of four horns, one in his mouth, two in his hands and one in his feet, while Shiroumaru had barely managed to get two horns in his mouth.


    Shiroumaru looked so frustrated when he saw this that I decided to keep the two horns and let him collect the horns that had fallen around and keep them in his bag.


    They seemed to understand that they could take all the horns home with them, and they scrambled to collect them with happy faces.


    Well ... well ...


    As I was looking at Shiroumaru and the others, a boy called out to me from behind.


    ''''What do you want?''''


    The boy flinched for a moment at my brusque words, but seemed to pick up quickly.


    ''I''m sorry! And thank you!


    Then he bowed his head vigorously.


    The girl beside him was surprised by the boy''s behavior, but she quickly bowed her head as well as the boy.


    The guards were surprised by their actions. They immediately started to move to stop them, but Shiroumaru blocked them and threatened them as if he had read their movements.


    ''''Grrrrrrrr.''''


    The guards had their hands on their swords at the waist when Shiroumar blocked them, but at Shiroumar''s roar, they immediately removed their hands from their swords and raised their hands in surrender.


    The boy and the girl seemed momentarily frightened by Shiroumar''s roar, but they quickly looked back into my eyes.


    To be honest, they have more liver than their guards. Is it the power of the blood flowing through them?


    ''''If that''s the only requirement, please excuse me. Prince-sama (...)''''


    At my words, the two kids and their guards fell silent with a look of astonishment on their faces.

 66-Chapter 4-2 Dragon-killing Hero

    How did you know?


    It was the girl who was the first to speak up. The girl hurriedly covered her own mouth, but it would be too late now.


    ''How did you know?''


    The boy seems to have given up, but his center of gravity is a little further back than it was before.


    Depending on my attitude, it''s probably because I''m going to run away soon.


    ''''A hunch........''''


    I couldn''t say that I could use the appraisal, so I slurred my words appropriately.


    Name...Tida von Bluemail Crustin.


    Age...12


    Race... human race.


    Title: Prince of Krastin, second in line to the throne.


    Name ... Luna von Bluemail Krustin.


    Age...8


    Race... human race.


    Title: Princess of the Kingdom of Krastin, third in line to the throne.


    Do you really expect me to believe that you can see through this on a hunch?


    Saying that, Tida took a protective stance over Luna.


    Well, that''s what would normally happen. I had no choice, so I decided to think of a plausible answer.


    ''You look like someone I met a long time ago,''


    What about it?


    Followed by a more alert Tida.


    Does the name Kukri Village sound familiar to you?


    With those words, Tida responded, though only slightly.


    ''Did you know that five years ago, that person was attacked by a pack of orcs on his way to the village of Kukri? Did you know that one of the kids helped you at that time? And that the child was invited to join the Konoe and was rejected?


    Tida is looking at me as if she''s seeing something unbelievable.


    Apparently, the king has heard of me before.


    ''The child I rejected that person''s advances the Temma of Kukri village.


    With a stunned look on her face, Tida pointed at me.


    The dragon-slaying Temma is real?


    ''I''ve never heard that name before, but I''m pretty sure I killed a dragon... a zombie.


    At those words, Tida suddenly straightened up...


    I''m sorry!


    I apologized for some reason.


    Luna stared at me intently.


    Is your brother really Temma, the hero?


    I thought I just heard a word I wasn''t familiar with.


    ''What''s that hero?''


    I asked Luna back.


    My grandfather told me that Tenma was a hero, a great man who single-handedly slayed the dragon and saved the country.


    What is that king teaching his own grandson.......seriously.


    But I still can''t understand why Tida is frozen in place....


    So, why are you frozen?


    To make enemies with such a person might be the worst thing that could happen to the country, so be careful.


    Really, what are you talking about, that king! Don''t use people as discipline for your kids! .........and a hazy feeling filled me, not being able to shout it here.


    Seeing me like that, Tida was trembling.


    ''''I''m sorry! Please, please help my sister! My sister didn''t do anything! Just spare my sister''s life!


    Who will kill him?


    I shouldn''t have tsked at Tida''s desperate pleading.


    It made Tida completely frightened.


    ''Don''t tease my brother! My brother just practiced what the minister told him to do!


    This is where the information about the apparent mastermind came from.


    What did the minister say?


    The minister said that if you''re going to be king, you should at least have some experience in battle. He said the calves are being born at the right time, so you should practice with them.


    I don''t know what the minister is like from Luna''s words alone, but at least he seems to have inspired these two men.


    ''''Listen, you two. No matter how much the minister says, you shouldn''t believe everything he says. I happened to be able to help you this time because I happened to be walking by, otherwise you''d be dead.


    At my words, they started to tremble after all this time.


    ''Besides, if the two of them die, not only will the kings be saddened, but the minister and his two guards will likely be punished as well. Perhaps even their relatives will be punished.


    This time the guards are turning blue in the face.


    ''''If you had just said a few words to the kings first, we wouldn''t have been in such danger. But if I had said that I was going to kill a calf as a test of strength, the king would have been angry.


    Tida''s face fell at that, but Luna didn''t seem to get it.


    ''But I''ve had veal steak, veal soup, and veal many times before. Was that wrong too?


    I asked. Honestly, I think it''s hard to say that in an understandable way to a child.


    Even in a past life, I''d feel sorry for him if he ate a whale or a dolphin! And the people who say, "I can eat cows and pigs because I can increase my numbers! I couldn''t understand it when I heard him say things like


    There were some species of whales that were in decline, so I still understood what they were saying, but I didn''t think it had anything to do with taking the lives of cows and pigs.


    By contrast, in this world where the concept of protection to avoid extinction is so thin, much less cattle, which are thought to be in significant numbers.


    I don''t know if I could explain it well, but I decided to try to make it as easy as possible for him to understand, based on my own ideas.


    I''m going to tell you first of all that what I''m saying is not an absolute correct answer. You have to be able to say that the human beings live by eating other creatures and using them as their own power. Do you understand that?


    Yes.


    You see, the calves you ate are now your life. The calves that were killed this time were killed without regard to their being yours. So most of those calves'' lives were wasted. That''s why the parents were so angry. If only a few had been killed, the cows might have thought it was the natural order of things, that it was inevitable, and they would have run away to save the surviving calves. But all the calves were killed and all they could do was get angry and try to kill you guys... if your family was hurt, you might try to run away with them, but if they were killed, you''d hate the people you killed, wouldn''t you? That''s how the parent cows felt about it, too.


    In truth, there was no way I could understand how the pro-cows felt, and it was close to a trick to tell them, but I guess Luna is an honest child. She seemed to believe my words without questioning them, and she had tears in her eyes.


    So what we did was...


    I just bullied a calf to death for fun.


    When I calmly told her as it is, Luna seemed to understand the meaning of what she had done and tears raggedly spilled from her eyes.


    ''''I''m sorry~.......................Ushi-san Gomenaizai~''''


    As it was, Luna ran to the place where she burned the cows and began to apologize to them, crying.


    Seeing Luna like that, Tida looked at me with a serious expression on her face.


    ''What about the war then? In war, people kill a lot of people, regardless of what they eat?


    He asks me if I''ve ever been in a war, and I''ve only heard stories from my grandfathers. I''ve never experienced war, I''ve only heard stories from my grandfather in a past life, but since I''m the one who started it, I thought about it for a moment and decided to tell Tida my thoughts.


    ''I''ve never experienced anything like it, but I believe there are several types of wars,''


    Kind?


    There are many wars to live for, wars to protect, wars of pride, wars of desire, but they all have one thing in common: they all have a scene where you participate in, or are involved in, a killing spree, and if you hesitate to take the other person''s life, you or the people you care about may die. That''s what I mean. That''s why people kill people in wars. Not all of them, though ... most of all, though, there''s no such thing as a war, of course.


    So why do we have to have a war?


    That question may be the simplest, yet hardest thing to ask. I''ll take a breath and then.


    ''I think it''s because we''re human. I think because we''re human, we think a lot of different ideas, and we want to be happier, wealthier, better than other people, and those ideas get mixed up, and then others can''t understand them, and those ideas grow and clash, and I think that''s what makes war.... This is just my imagination, though.


    I don''t know if she was satisfied with such an answer, but Tida didn''t ask any more questions.


    She watched Luna sobbing for a while, but Tida comforted her and let her go.


    ''Miss Temma, give me a cow. Please.


    Then Tida ducks her head.


    ''Why?''


    ''I know it''s self-serving, but it''s to make a little bit of difference to our lives. Of course we will pay for it.


    He looked me straight in the eye and said so, so I pulled a cow out of my bag and


    Don''t pay for it. Instead, eat with this day in mind.


    He handed it to Tida.


    ''Thank you,''


    Tida thanked him and put the cow away in her bag. It was only then that I realized something.


    ''By the way, how are we going to get back to King''s Landing?''


    The carriage they would have ridden in was overturned, the wheels and other parts of the carriage were broken, and the horse they were tethered to seemed to have escaped, and there was no sign of it in the area.


    From here to the royal capital is about five to six hours if you drive your horse, or about half a day if you hurry the carriage. I was going to take another day to get to King''s Landing, but what about these two (plus the guards)? Just as I was thinking about this, Shiroumar suddenly turned in the direction of the royal capital and began to be on alert.


    I strengthened my eyesight with magic and looked in the direction Shiroumar was looking at, and there was some kind of dust cloud rising. Apparently, more than a dozen horses were running towards us.


    I made Shiroumaru wait near the carriage just in case, and Jeanne and the others instructed him to get on the carriage and be on the lookout.


    But my worries seemed to be unwarranted. Although I was not yet visible to those present here, my enhanced eyes caught sight of the armed knights.


    ''''Looks like the knights have come for you..............................That coat of arms seems to belong to the royal family.


    Tida and the others were half in disbelief at my words, but within the next ten minutes, they were surprised to see the knights in sight.


    ''There! Get away from that man!


    One of the knights at the head of the group shouted at me, and I moved away from Tida and closer to the carriage.


    The knights split into two groups, one to Tida and the others, and the other surrounded us.


    However, some of the surrounding knights had their hands on the swords at their waists, so I took the Adamantine sword out of my bag and held it at the ready.


    ''You! You''re rebelling!


    The knight from earlier shouted that, and I glared at him as well.


    ''You don''t seem to have much decorum for a knight of King''s Landing! Or is it the courtesy of a knight to suddenly surround himself with many and try to draw his sword against the prince''s life-giver!


    What?


    Apparently, this knight is vulnerable to provocation. I was about to continue with more words when Tida interrupted me and the knight.


    ''Refrain! Lord Temma saved my sister''s life and mine! I will not allow you to point your sword at Lord Temma!


    The knights were silent at those words. However, a man came out from behind the silent knights.


    ''''Your Highness. I understand the situation but please forgive me as I have my reasons for having to fight him...''''


    The man, who was wearing an air that was clearly different from the surrounding knights, drew his sword and slashed at me without saying a word.


    Tida was about to stop the man, but it seems that he was stopped by another man who appeared from behind.


    Tida only stopped moving for a few seconds, but in those few seconds the attack and defense between me and the man was unstoppable.


    I knew from the man''s mood that he was going to attack, so I put all my strength into my arm to counterattack, but the weight of the adamantine sword that I had intended to use against so many people at this time took its toll on me, and for a few moments I was too busy reacting and falling behind to prevent the attack.


    ''What''s the matter Tenma! You''re moving too slowly!


    The man seemed to know me, and for all his attacks, he was friendly to me.


    I''m going to be jittery at this point, so I thought, and I threw my sword at him with all my might.


    The sword was aimed at just the moment I stepped in, so the man slowed down slightly to handle the sword. I took a big step backwards while taking a big step backwards, taking out the korasuma from my bag and getting ready for battle.


    ''A fresh start.......let''s go!


    The man makes another lunge. However, he wasn''t going that fast, so I lightly ducked and counter thrusted him.......which should have been the case.


    ''''What!''''


    The man stopped abruptly and struck out my thrust, then moved again to match the speed of the sword as he hurriedly pulled it back and swung his sword.


    ''''Shh!''''


    The man''s slash attacked me, but I barely managed to duck the blow by falling backwards and then kicking at the base of the man''s sword.


    The recoil from the kick made me take a few steps backwards, pausing, and this time I attacked from me.


    I unleashed a thrust or two with my sword to the side. In the meantime, I prepared myself and unleashed a third shot with a lot of force, but this one was ducked without difficulty.


    The man sees his chance and tries to break my stance with a body strike.


    However, I was preparing for that attack... or rather, my attack wasn''t over yet.


    The thrust I made was the Hira-tsuki, which was also used by the Shinsengumi, and this thrust is characterized by a two-step attack, a sidenagi after the thrust.


    The man seemed to be taken aback by this attack, but surprisingly, he stepped in faster than a slash and survived the attack by catching the area around the base of the sword with his body.


    And then the man blew me away with a body blow and thrust his sword at my rolling throat.


    That''s where the game was decided ... probably the most complete defeat since my dad.


    ''I''m here,''


    I removed my hand from the sword I was still holding and lightly raised my hands as I lay down.


    When it was all over, it was a simple matter of time. My attacks were ducked at every turn, and any attack I thought I had made on the other side of the line was outweighed by the fact that it was all over.


    It was just a coincidence. If Tenma had wanted to, I would have been dead I was only that close.


    The man said, putting his sword away and taking my hand and pulling it up.


    ''You didn''t say hello yet. My name is Din Dee. Would it be easier to say I''m an old buddy of your father and mother?


    Name... din dee duran.


    Age...50.


    Race... human race.


    Titles: former first-rate adventurer, viscount, captain of the Kingsguard, and strongest in the Royal Army.


    HP... 25,000.


    MP... 15,000.


    Muscle strength...A+.


    Defensive Power...S+


    Speed...A


    Magic... A+.


    Mental capacity... S+.


    Growth Potential...C+


    Luck...B+.


    Skills....swordsmanship 10, spearmanship 10, martial arts 9, stick arts 8, throwing arts 8, patience 8, archery 7, axe arts 7, physical enhancement 7, fire magic 7, wind magic 7, sensory enhancement 7, earth magic 6, demolition 6, anomaly resistance 6, night eyes 6, life force enhancement 6, water magic 5, martial arts 100 general 5, destructive power enhancement 5, cooking 2.


    As expected of the strongest of the Kingdom Army. The high level of ability is one thing, but the technology is even more amazing.


    I think I thought I read the back of the book, but I think I was actually made to dance in the palm of my hand.


    ''''You could have used magic, you know.


    That''s what Din-san said, but I felt like it was a waste of time to use magic when I was fighting someone who was more skilled than me. At most, though, a half-hearted magic might not have worked.


    ''No, it''s a shame to use magic when you''re being matched up with someone of higher rank... Besides, I had a nostalgic feeling, like when my dad was training me, and I forgot to use magic until halfway through.


    I thought it might be rude to call him like my dad, but Mr. Dinh didn''t seem to dislike it.


    Rather, he seems kind of happy about it.


    ''I''ve always thought of Ricardo-san as an older brother, so he''s like an uncle to me in terms of mood. Not bad by any means.''''


    It was surprisingly high praise.


    As they were talking, the person who had held Tida back approached.


    ''I''m sorry to interrupt you, but where did you get that Adamantine sword you mentioned earlier?


    Despite his calm face, the person was wearing an air of nonchalance, and it was clear that he was no ordinary man.


    I picked up Adamantine''s sword that had fallen nearby, knelt down and placed it in front of me.


    ''''I got it from a stall in Gunjo City. My Grand Duke (...)''''


    My words startled not only Dinh and Tida, but everyone present, except the Grand Duke and Luna.


    Jeanne and Aura were surprised, but they got out of the carriage and knelt down, just as I did.


    By the way, Luna didn''t seem to understand why everyone was surprised.


    "Ho-ho, don''t be so frightened," she said. By the way, why do you think I''m the Grand Duke?


    At that moment, the air emanating from His Excellency the Grand Duke changed. Unlike earlier, he was emitting an intense qi that seemed to hold us back.


    In fact, Jeanne and Aura are being consumed by that air, and Tida and the others, except for Din-san and Luna, seem to be consumed by His Excellency the Grand Duke.


    ''My Grand Duke, that''s about as far as you''ll go with your antics. My slaves are frightened, my lord.


    The knights are looking at me with accusatory eyes as I say, "What are you playing miko," but the important thing is that the Grand Duke trembled and said


    No, I''m sorry, I''m sorry. I got a little carried away.


    I started laughing. Din-san shrugged his shoulders at the Grand Duke''s change of scenery, and the others, except me and Luna, looked dumbfounded.


    Even at a time like this, Luna had a strange look on her face.......after all, she didn''t seem to understand what was happening.......she might be the biggest of all of them.


    ''So how do you know I''m the Grand Duke?


    Ignoring the stunned faces, the Grand Duke asked again.


    ''''Yes, there are several reasons.


    I said, and from my magic bag, I pulled out the adamantine armor and cuirass that I bought at the same time and placed them on the floor.


    It''s a good thing that you''ve got them all.


    The sword doesn''t have it, but the armor and cuirass have a lion and dragon emblem on it.


    ''''Since you reacted to the sword, I wondered if it was. And.........


    What, are they still there?


    I took a breath, then glanced at Tida.


    There is only so much that can be done to stop a prince, and to make him feel the same way as His Majesty.


    I explained to him. Seemingly satisfied with these words, the Grand Duke began to laugh aloud.


    "Ho~he is exactly what His Majesty was talking about. It''s really interesting.... By the way, did you have any other weapons?


    Is this way?


    From his bag, he now took out Mithril''s small sword and Orihalcon''s knife and laid them out.


    ''''Oh, well how much should I buy these for?''''


    I was amused by the straightforward manner in which he said things, but I quickly thought about it and came up with an answer.


    ''I''ll give you the Adamantine ones, but I don''t think I''ll need to give you a small sword and a knife.


    The people around me (except for me, the Grand Duke, Mr. Dinh, and Luna) broke out in a cold sweat at those words.


    ''What''s the reason?''


    I was unabashedly honest with the Grand Duke, who almost gave me the illusion that the temperature in the area had dropped.


    The adamantine equipment is identified by its crest as belonging to the Grand Duke, but there is no ownership of the sword and knife. I believe, therefore, that ownership is with me.


    When I finished saying that, me and His Excellency the Grand Duke looked into each other''s eyes for a few dozen seconds.


    The people around us are quiet, consumed by the Grand Duke''s atmosphere. Behind me, Jeanne and Aura froze completely, and Shiroumaru began to be wary of the Grand Duke based on the atmosphere around him.


    It was His Excellency the Grand Duke who surprisingly gave up easily. At his words, the people around him, who had been nervous, let out a huge breath.


    By the way, how much do you want to give up for Adamantine''s equipment?


    ''Ummm ... Din, do you know how much the market will be?''


    Neither I nor the Grand Duke had any idea of the market price, so I had to ask Mr. Dinh for help, but Mr. Dinh didn''t seem to know much about it either.


    ''''I don''t know, but I don''t think it will be a single white gold coin.


    And that was that.


    Of course you will.


    So I was to have it until then.


    ''Then let''s go back to King''s Landing... Tida, Luna!


    Yes!


    What is it?


    The Grand Duke called them both by name.


    I''ll preach to you when I get back.


    So saying, he stopped just as he was about to get into the Grand Duke''s carriage, turned to me, and


    Temma, I''m sorry, but could you take the boys into Temma''s carriage? They won''t be able to get along with me at all.


    He said that he was going to do it. I didn''t have to object to it, so I agreed, but I asked him what he was going to do with the carriage these kids had ridden in.


    It''s all broken now. We''ll have to leave a few of our men here and bring back some artisans from King''s Landing.


    I heard that. Surely I couldn''t leave the carriage with the royal coat of arms on it, but there was still room in my magic bag.


    ''Oh, I''ll put it in my magic bag then.


    He approached the carriage and stowed it in his bag, which surprised both the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh.


    ''''Amazing........................How much did it cost?


    The Grand Duke asked me. I was fiddling with the mouth of my bag at the time, so I didn''t think twice about it.


    Oh, it''s my own work, so it didn''t take me more than a hundred g''s to do it.


    I accidentally spoke. The Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh froze at those words, and by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late.


    ''''Homemade........then........''''


    I shouldn''t have been too indifferent to its value, as it was something I always used casually.


    Usually magic bags are rarely unearthed in large dungeons, or top-notch artisans work with high-ranking wizards for days on end to make them, and it would normally be impossible for a 15-year-old kid to make one by himself.


    It''s a joke now, and it''s unlikely to be fooled by that, but if it continues like this, it could become a nasty mess.


    There was a strange air between the three of us.


    You know, I''m getting a little old for a while now, but I''m having trouble hearing.


    I couldn''t hear anything either.


    And then the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh suddenly said.


    So, you got the magic bag in the dungeon after all, didn''t you? I''m so lucky.


    And that was that. Fortunately, there were only the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh nearby, so the other knights didn''t hear about it.


    ''''Yes, it was a truly fortunate event.


    The way he blurted out "I''m sorry, I''m not going to be able to do this," he said, like he was doing a poorly done contraption, but let''s just say that it didn''t cause any trouble at the moment.


    When I walked away from them and headed over to Jeanne and the others, Tida and Luna were already waiting for me.


    ''Um, I''m Tida von Bluemail Krustin. It''s nice to meet you, Temma.


    ''I''m Luna von Bluemail Krustin. Nice to meet you.


    After the two of them introduced themselves, I introduced myself too, in case you were wondering, and told them that Jeanne and Aura were my slaves, and made them agree to ride in the carriage as well as Shiroumaru, and then I replaced it with the usual carriage in the bag and connected it to Tanikaze.


    Tida and Luna were surprised, but that was purely in response to the carriage coming out of the bag, while the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh turned away from the magic bag and pretended not to see it.


    ''Well, let''s go then,''


    I instructed Tanikaze to hurry up a bit and head for the royal capital.

 67-Chapter 4-3 Shocking Reunion

    I''m sorry... what?


    Sorry to disturb you but.........wow!


    Tida and Luna were amazed at the size of the interior as soon as they entered the carriage. Tida sounded as if she had seen something unbelievable and Luna sounded curious.


    ''Don''t stand at the entrance, just sit down for now.


    I was inside first, and I suggest a seat to the two people standing at the entrance who are stunned.


    ''''Ah, yes!''''


    Yes?


    When they took their seats, Aura quickly made a cup of tea and offered it to them along with some sweets.


    After finishing serving the tea, Aura is standing behind my seat with Jeanne.


    ''Jeanne, Aura, you two take a seat over there Tida and Luna don''t mind.


    Just because the two men in front of me were royalty didn''t mean I was going to respect them.


    It''s not because they''re younger, or because of what just happened, or anything else, it''s just that I''m not going to respect someone I can''t respect... although I would read the air a little bit if it was someone like the Grand Duke.


    The seat I assigned to Jeanne and Aura is next to me, and for Tida and Luna, it''s diagonally across from me.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you can''t, Temma-sama, it''s impossible. To share a seat with a royalty.......I''m a slave and a maid!


    ''Temma, I can''t either! This is disrespectful to the princes!


    They refused, but I''m not going to let them get away with it.


    This is not only important for Jeanne and the others, it''s also important for me, and it''s meant to show Tida and Luna where they stand with me.


    It''s also a precautionary measure for when Tida eventually decides to succeed to the throne, and in a sense, it''s an imprint.


    In other words, I''m going to include the threat of "I''m not going to bow to authority and I have that much power" and "If you try to force me to obey you, be prepared to do the right thing.


    Most of all, though, the latter seemed to have already been imprinted by the king.


    ''Never mind. You''re just a kid sharing my carriage now. Just relax like you always do.


    That''s why Jeanne and Aura were forced to take their seats.


    Jeanne and the others were quite nervous, but Tida and the others didn''t say anything and didn''t seem to be complaining.


    ''By the way, what kind of minister is the one who instigated you two?''


    At present, the country''s organizational structure consists of the King at the head, the Deputy King, the Prime Minister, the Ministers, the Deputy Ministers, and the various departments.


    The Assistant to the King is not above the Prime Minister, but also serves as the King''s deputy, so it is a higher position than the Prime Minister, but most of the positions are held by the next candidate for the King, so they are in that order.


    There are four ministerial positions: Minister of War (Minister of War), Minister of Finance (Minister of Finance), Minister of Foreign Affairs (Minister of Foreign Affairs), and Minister of the Interior (Minister of the Interior), with the relevant departments under each.


    ''The Minister of the Interior. I am the Duke of Kaisen von Dalam.


    It''s a fat, balding uncle!


    What I learned from my questions to the two of you is that


    The two men were instigated by the Minister of the Interior, Duke Kaizen von Dalam.


    Kaizen pointed out the two of them ... especially Tida''s lack of real-world experience and showed them where the calves were.


    The cows are numerous and need to be thinned out so it''s okay to kill the calves.


    He said.


    In addition, he''s fat and bald and often looks at women in a disgusting way, so he''s No. 1 in the castle for being unpopular with women (according to Luna)!


    Furthermore, they say he''s not on good terms with the other ministers ... especially the Minister of War and the Minister of Finance.


    ''I see... well, I don''t know what kind of guy he is on that basis, but it''s none of my business.


    While they were talking over snacks, Tida and Luna seemed to be getting used to it. Jeanne and Aura also seemed to relax somewhat.


    ''''Um, Temma-san, when you appeared earlier, was there something like a bird flying around?


    Tida asked, scurrying around inside. Luna caught on and scurried around as well.


    ''Oh, you mean Solomon. ''Come out, Solomon.''


    I didn''t mind showing it to him, but I called out to Solomon, who had been hiding in the bag.


    I guess Solomon didn''t want to make a scene at that moment, but he had hidden in the bag himself.


    ''Cui?''


    Huh?


    ''Oh, my God! Cute!


    Tida froze in surprise when she saw Solomon pop out of the bag and Luna cheered yellow.


    Solomon jumped out of the bag with a whimper and landed on my head. Luna saw him, and reached out to touch him, yelping, but Solomon deftly dodged on top of my head.


    When Tida saw this, she hurriedly stopped Luna by clasping her wings around her.


    ''Luna! What if the dragon gets mad? Calm down!


    Luna nodded reluctantly at Tida''s words and returned to her seat, but her eyes continued to stare at Solomon.


    ''If you don''t do something you don''t want to do, Solomon rarely gets mad at you. Solomon, say hello.


    As I held Solomon in my arms and turned to Luna, he looked at Tida and Luna.


    Cui!


    He sat down beside Luna, squealing.


    ''Kya~cute, brother, give me this baby!


    No.


    After answering Luna''s words as quickly as he could, Solomon also moved away from Luna and now to Jeanne.


    As Jeanne held Solomon in her arms, Shiroumaru quickly stood in front of Jeanne and checked Luna.


    ''Luna! You don''t have to do that! What if an angry Solomon eats you! I''m sorry, Temma. Please forgive me, I will remind Luna well.


    If it looks like this, there''s no need to slip it in... although I''m a little uncomfortable with it.


    ''Would Luna give it to you if someone else said, "Give me your father or your mother,"?


    At my question, Luna thought for a moment and shook her head.


    I''m sorry...


    I apologized. I patted Luna''s head at that, and Solomon seemed to realize that I had forgiven him and flew to Luna again.


    ''Look Luna, even if Solomon thinks you''re cute, you''re still an undeniable dragon. You don''t know what horrible things you''ll do to him if you do something he doesn''t like. It''s the same with any other creature. Of course, it''s the same for people. Just remember that.


    I glanced at Tida at the end of the ride and she seemed to be thinking about my words.


    We were relaxing in the carriage for a while when suddenly there was a lot of noise outside and a horse ran alongside the carriage.


    ''What''s going on?''


    The knight on the horse was Mr. Din, and Mr. Din looked a little troubled by my question.


    ''We''re in trouble. It looks like a bunch of wolves have spotted us ... probably smelled the blood of a cow.


    Hearing those words, I leaned out of the carriage to look for the wolf and saw a pack of five to sixty wolves running together about fifty meters away from our group.


    ''''A 1.5-2 meter black wolf.......a direwolf.......or a D-rated designated wolf.


    ''Yeah, if it''s just one wolf, it''s a D, but if it''s about ten, it''s a C, and if it''s twenty, it''s a B designated wolf.


    The direwolf, as Din said, is not difficult to defeat if you have one, but it is a troublesome wolf that increases in difficulty as the number of the pack increases because it is good at coordination... By the way, since it is not a demon, it is often attached with ''designation'' because it is not a demon, but other demons in the guild I''m treating it the same way.


    ''''Perhaps a few of the herds have joined up, but with these numbers, it''s probably the equivalent of an A-rank or higher request in terms of difficulty... Temma, I''m sorry, but I need your help.


    Mr. Dinh said and tried to get to the knights to get ready to attack, but


    ''If you''re dealing with wolves, I think Shiroumaru will be enough. Shiroumaru, go play a little.


    With that, he removed Shiroumaru''s collar and let him out.


    The collar was removed and Shiroumaru returned to his original size, running out to the direwolf pack, wagging his tail.


    ''That''s Shiroumaru... why is he a different size?''


    ''This collar is a magic item. I got it in a dungeon and had Shiroumaru equip it because it''s extremely useful.


    Not only Din-san, but everyone who was watching Shiroumaru... even Jeanne and Aura were surprised by Shiroumaru''s change, but he didn''t care about that, he was chasing around the direwolf pack.


    Even the direwolves didn''t seem to expect a wolf bigger and much higher in rank than them to come towards them, and they were running around like spider spiders.


    ''Oh, it looks like Shiroumaru''s got one of the leaders pinned down. I''m going to go for a moment.


    After watching Shiroumaru and the wolf chase each other for a while, Shiroumaru had managed to hold off one of the larger ones in the pack, and since it seemed to be one of the leaders, I decided to go check on it for a bit.


    When Din-san saw me heading to Shiroumaru with my flying magic, he seemed to want to say something, but I pretended not to notice and flew up to Shiroumaru''s side and said, "Good job.


    ''Good work, Shiroumaru. Keep it under control for a while.


    I stroked Shiroumaru''s head and then looked at the direwolf that was being held down and the wolf snarled at me menacingly, but I held the wolf''s mouth down with both hands and showered it with a slightly stronger killing blow.


    The moment he was hit by the killing air, he cried out in a frightened voice, a change from the one he had just heard, and he managed to show his belly and try to get into a surrender stance while Shiroumaru held him down.


    ''Shiroumaru, you can let go,''


    He told Shiroumaru to let the wolf go, but the key wolf refused to get up in a position that left his belly showing.


    ''Alright, alright, I''m not mad at you anymore, you can get up.


    The wolf is meekly in a prone position as it gets up and checks me out, after patting its belly and calling out to me.


    The other wolves seemed to be on alert, watching me and Shiroumaru from afar, and when they looked in that direction, they retreated slightly, ready to run away at any moment.


    ''Are you hungry? Then you should all eat this.


    I pulled three dead cows out of my bag, not yet bled, and placed them in front of the wolves so they could see them.


    The wolf lying down beside me looked at me curiously, but quickly stood up and began to smell the cattle.


    I made sure of that and turned to go back to the wagon.


    Shiroumaru, we''re going home! That''s for the wolves! Don''t worry, I''ve got something else for you.


    Shiroumaru joined the wolf and sniffed the cow''s scent as hard as he could.


    ''Ooooooooooooooooo, coooooo, gawang!


    Shiroumaru didn''t want to move away from the cow, so I had no choice but to put the collar on and force Shiroumaru to fly back in the air with his reduced size.


    That''s when I grabbed the collar and Shiroumaru let out a pained cry, but I didn''t care.


    ''I''m back, Din. I think the wolf is safe now, so let''s move on.


    Mr. Din had a surprised look on his face, but he ignored it and sighed lightly as he watched me walk back into the carriage and started to move forward back to the knights.


    The first thing I did when I got back into the carriage was to give Shiroumaru an ox horn. While doing so, he gave it to Solomon, who was chewing on it with tremendous glee, and at this rate, he might have to beg for more.


    ''Um ... Temma-san. Why did you give those wolves a cow?


    I was looking at the two animals and Tida asked me that curiously.


    ''Tida, those wolves are your victims in a way, too. The disappearance of the dozens of cattle in the herd meant that there was no more food for those guys. When you think about it, it''s nothing more than giving them a cow.


    Oh, really?


    Tida seemed to agree with me. But in truth, the majority of the reason was more that the wolf was cute, so I served the cow. What I told Tida was one of the reasons, so I''ll keep this to myself.


    After that, nothing much happened, and in less than half a day we were able to get close to the royal capital.


    ''''Shiroumaru, let''s do a little exercise before we enter the royal capital...............There you go!


    I opened the carriage door and let Shiroumaru out, thinking that I would let him run as fast as he could before he entered King''s Landing.


    One of the knights approached me as Shiroumar jumped out to see what was going on, but when I explained to him that once he entered the capital, he would have to exercise Shiroumar as he had to be quiet for a while, the knight agreed and went back.


    ''Siloumar, don''t get too far from the carriage! And if there are strangers in the vicinity, come back to the carriage at once!


    Won!


    Shilomar barked a single bark and ran off in good spirits.


    Solomon wanted to get out, too, but he hadn''t told the knights about the dragons, so he told them to be patient in the carriage so as not to cause any unnecessary commotion.


    ''Wow, early, early! You''re doing great, White!


    Shiroumaru is running around the carriage at quite a speed, sometimes passing the knights and playing with small animals such as rabbits, teasing them.


    Luna is watching the scene with glee and cheers.


    ''Oi, Shiroumaru! Where are you going!


    Suddenly Shiroumaru changed direction and ran off. Ahead of him, a carriage was running, and Shiroumaru seemed to be heading for that carriage.


    The carriage also seemed to be in a hurry to get to Shiroumaru, who was suddenly approaching, but for some reason it immediately started to move towards Shiroumaru.


    ''''Oh no! They may decide they''re the enemy and intend to fight!


    I hurried out of the carriage and flew toward Shiroumaru.


    Meanwhile, in that carriage.


    ''Master Merlin! There''s one wolf coming toward us! That''s a lot of speed!


    When I heard that report, I thought there were some stupid wolves. There was no way a single wolf could beat this many people, so what was he thinking?


    But maybe that wolf thought he could win even against this many people, and that''s why he''s coming. So I decided to take a look at that wolf, just in case.


    ''What the hell! He''s got a lot of magic in him! Men and women, stay alert! That''s a pretty good opponent!


    I knew at first glance that it was not just a wolf. I told the knights about it and took up a counterattack position.


    Hmm? Could he be ... of all of us! Abort the attack! That''s Shiroumaru!


    From the color of the fur and the memorable magic I could see as I got closer, that wolf was most likely Shiroumaru.


    ''''Heh? Shiroumaru ... is it true!


    Chris was surprised by the surprise in his voice and Edgar rolled his eyes too.


    ''Like that! Look! It''s coming at us, tail wagging! And I don''t feel any hostility towards it!


    I lost patience and flew for Shiroumaru, while Edgar and his friends chased after me, but I arrived at Shiroumaru''s place before they did.


    Edgar and his friends chased after me in a hurry, but I arrived at Shiroumaru''s place before they did.


    Shiroumaru, where''s Temma?


    The momentum of Shiroumaru''s crash sent me flying through the air, and I was sent flying through the air.


    Oh no! Shiroumaru has hit someone!


    I looked at the person who was sent flying after colliding with Shiroumaru and for a moment I thought that Shiroumaru had killed someone.


    ''Somehow, he''s going to live! A stranger!


    As I approached Shiroumaru, I saw that the person who had been blown away was apparently still alive.


    The person had been flung into the mud of the grass and was stuck upside down from his head like a gag cartoon.


    ''Shiroumaru! What have you done! Are you okay!


    When I tried to run up to someone stuck in the mud.


    Tenma.


    Temma-kun.


    I heard a voice call out to me. When I looked towards the direction of the voice, the carriage that Shiroumaru was aiming for earlier was approaching, and the knight on two horses running in front of that carriage was waving his hand while calling my name.


    ''''That was...er...uh...''''


    It looks familiar, but I can''t remember its name. Shiroumaru seems to remember it and waits with his tail wagging.


    As I try my best to remember, the two knights speed up to my side and dismount their horses.


    ''You''re really alive. Thank God!


    ''That was really good! Long time no see!


    I looked closely at the two men who were approaching me in a friendly manner, and their names finally came out.


    ''''As I recall, the King''s Kings Kingsguard, Edgar-san and...Chris-san?''''


    I called their names in a hazy way and they nodded and patted me on the head.


    ''That''s right! It''s Edgar! Thank goodness we met in one piece...


    Yes, really...


    They seemed to be very happy to see me and were slightly tearful.


    ''''By the way ... why are you two here?''''


    ''Oh, I was looking for Master Merlin and Temma, but where is this Master Merlin?


    He ran off first, but...


    It was then that I remembered the person Shiroumaru had just splashed.


    ''No way! Grandpa!


    I hurriedly pulled out the person stuck in the mud, and sure enough, it was Merlin the Wise, aka Grandpa.


    ''''Grandpa! Don''t die!


    I hurriedly layered my recovery magic on Grandpa and made him spit out the mud that was stuck in his mouth, and he managed to open his eyes safely.


    ''''Temma.......Temma! At last we meet........Temma.......


    The moment he opened his eyes and recognized me, Grandpa started crying and tried to hug me... but...


    Grandpa it stinks....


    The smell coming from my grandfather made me hold my nose and avoid it.


    ''Nah, what do you mean! It''s an emotional reunion....d*mn it!


    Grandpa smelled his own clothes as he complained to me, and instantly pinched his nose and took off his clothes.


    Apparently, there was some animal feces mixed in with the mud where Grandpa had been poking me.


    Grandpa hurriedly washed himself with the water ball that he had produced with the water magic method. I threw the soap into the water ball, making it lathered up, and washed my hands while doing so.


    ''Oi~ Temma~''


    As I''m washing my hands, I hear a familiar voice from the carriage that Edgar and Chris left behind earlier.


    ''Uncle Mark! My uncle was here too!


    Uncle stopped the carriage and ran over and hugged me.


    ''Thank God! You''re really alive!


    Uncle was in tears, repeating that he was glad... and then...


    Noooooooo! Mark, you''re going to have an emotional reunion with Tenma before I do!


    Grandpa''s voice echoed around the area as he finished washing up. Uncle Mark had a look on his face that said he didn''t understand what was going on, but from the way Grandpa was acting and the way Edgar was talking to him, he seemed to understand that the problem was that he was hugging me before Grandpa was, and he was apologizing to Grandpa again and again.


    He bowed his head several times and apologized to his grandfather. ...By the way, what did Tenma do after she defeated the dragon zombies?


    Grandpa complained to his uncle a lot and dried himself off, then, as if to start over, he hugged me and asked me what happened after that.


    After I defeated the dragon zombies, I passed out and collapsed, but Shiroumaru and Slarin carried me on their backs and escaped to a place where the zombies weren''t around. I didn''t seem to wake up for days after that, and I didn''t know where I was, so I walked along the river for a few days. When we got there, we heard about the village of Kukri, and we heard that more than half the villagers were dead... we didn''t have the courage to find out if everyone was alive or dead, so we just went on our way.


    I told Grandpa a somewhat adapted story, but it''s true that I thought he and the others died of dragon zombie breath and were afraid to check the bodies.


    ''After that, I lived in Gunjo City for nearly two years playing adventurer, and recently I''ve been trying out dungeons in Seigen. I thought I''d try out for the tournament once and head for King''s Landing, and that''s when I thought I''d meet the people from Kukri Village.


    ''So that''s how it is... but we''re here again, safe and sound! From now on you will be with your grandfather!


    ''Oh, but after the tournament is over, I''m going to go back to Seigen and try the dungeon again. And I have a room to rent.


    When I told my grandfather about this, he seemed to remember something.


    I remembered that Tenma had taken an apprentice in Seigen," he said. Well, I get it! When that happens, I''ll go with you!


    Mr. Edgar and Chris were chuckling behind Grandpa as he made such a declaration.


    ''''Oh well, Master Merlin. Let''s go to King''s Landing first.


    Mr. Edgar said, and opened the carriage door, but


    I''ll be riding in Temma''s chariot so let''s get going, Temma.


    And then he pulls my hand away and tries to fly with his flying magic to the carriage.


    ''Edgar, Chris, Mark, we''re going ahead! Shiroumaru, keep up with me!


    As it was, I left the knights I had with me behind, and Grandpa flew for my carriage.


    I was suspended in midair, but I had no choice but to use my magic to fly by myself. I looked behind me and saw Edgar and his friends chasing after me in a great hurry.


    Not long after, we arrived at the carriage and Grandpa quickly tried to get inside.


    At that moment, another carriage was alongside the carriage. It was the Grand Duke''s carriage.


    "Oh, my God, Merlin, you''re alive!


    That''s a hell of a way to put it, you pissant!


    I didn''t know what was going on in the tongue war that had started so suddenly.


    While I was stunned, the two of them were cursing at each other, and the cursing became more and more intense.


    ''''Gentlemen, that''s enough........''''


    Shut up, you idiot!


    Mr. Dinh tried to get between them to calm them down, but they pushed Mr. Dinh away and continued cursing at each other.


    Mr. Dinh pushed me away and signaled me with his eyes.


    ''Grandpa, calm down!''


    My Grand Duke, please calm down!


    Me and Mr. Dinh went behind each of them at the same time and pulled them apart with their wings.


    ''Te, don''t stop Temma?''


    Let go of me, Din!


    They resisted, but it was no match for me and Mr. Dinh''s strength, and we were dragged away from the cheating.


    ''Did you know the Grand Duke, Grandpa?''


    Grandpa gave me a pained look at my question.


    It''s just a relationship! And Temma, don''t call him a lord, piss off!


    ''''No ... even if you were the Grand Duke of this country, that''s not the way to go...''''


    I was slurring my words at my grandfather''s statement.


    Do not piss on me! You pervert!


    From a distance of ten meters away came the Grand Duke''s angry voice.


    ''''It''s true, isn''t it! You''ve forgotten what it was like to be in secondary school! Or blah blah blah!


    He just spilled water on his pants! You were the one who stormed into the girls'' bath naked!


    It was an accident! It wasn''t just a magical failure that blew me away and the place I fell into was the girls'' bath! And to prove it, it was after bathing hours then!


    The cursing between the two of them gradually became more and more revealing and the people around them were quite taken back.


    That didn''t change when Mr. Edgar and the others caught up with them, as the story started to get even worse.


    Hey, guys, let''s cool off a bit!


    I jumped back from behind Grandpa and used the water magic method to create a water ball above Grandpa and His Excellency the Grand Duke''s head and dropped it. Mr. Dinh was away from the Grand Duke Lord''s side the moment I jumped back and did not get drenched.


    ''''It''s cold!''''


    The water polo was kept cold as an added bonus, and the two men stopped arguing.


    ''What are you doing, Temma!


    I''m still a Grand Duke.


    ''The wise man and the grand duke, all humiliating each other! Even the knights are dumbfounded.


    At my words, Grandpa and the Grand Duke''s Lordship all looked around.


    Then the knights uniformly looked away and removed their gaze from them.


    ''''For now, please go inside the carriage.


    I opened the carriage door and Jeanne and the others, who had been peeking at the door, rushed back to their original seats.


    ''''Well let''s call a truce.


    Well let''s just go inside.


    The two of them said that, and then slipped quickly into the carriage.


    ''''Temma, even though he''s against that, he''s the Grand Duke, so be moderate.......''''


    Mr. Dinh tapped me lightly on the shoulder and assembled Mr. Edgar and the others into a group and placed them in their respective positions.


    Edgar-san and the others seem to be positioned around my carriage. I had a brief discussion with Din and his team, and gave instructions to Tanikaze to proceed.


    During the discussion, Chris was too absorbed in mocking Shiroumaru and was scolded by Din-san.

 68-Chapter 4-4 Reunion

    Temma, why do I have to share this thing with you?


    Grandpa has complained for the umpteenth time since we left.


    ''If you don''t like it, you can just get off, old man! Fortunately, you can fly.


    From there, it was the usual pattern (cursing).


    I created a small ice cube in the palm of my hand and threw it on their backs.


    ''''It''s cold!''''


    Come on, you two, that''s enough!


    At my words, they fell silent in agony.


    Tida is looking at those two people with a complicated look. Apparently, Tida has had an illusion about these two. That has fallen away and she seems to be lightly confused.


    With Tida by her side, Luna is munching on some sweets and asking for more tea.


    Jeanne and Aura are also confused about the rumored reality of the famous Grand Duke and the Wise Man and the fact that my grandfather was a wise man.


    That''s why it was decided that I would make Luna''s tea instead of the confused Aura.


    ''''Hmmm.......By the way Temma. It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.


    Grandpa seemed to have heard that I had gotten a slave in Seigen, and he looked at Jeanne and Aura.


    At the same time, the Grand Duke looked at Jeanne, too.


    ''Could it be that the white-haired girl is the daughter of ''Viscount Almeria''?


    Jeanne and Aura''s faces drew together in response to the name.


    From the look on their faces, the Grand Duke seemed convinced and turned to face me.


    Temma, will you give me these two men?


    He said it out of the blue, and I said.


    My Lord, the Grand Duke, you''re on your way back.


    Without asking why, he pointed to the door of the carriage and tried to kick him out.


    ''Here, get the hell out of here! Otherwise, I''ll kick you out by force!


    Grandpa agrees with me and hurries the Grand Duke up.


    ''Well, wait, Temma! Listen to me!


    At the Grand Duke''s words, Grandpa was quicker than I could react.


    You''re probably going to give the young mistress a.... or something. You dirty old bastard!


    At Grandpa''s words, Jeanne and Aura hid behind me, hiding themselves.


    ''''Great Uncle........''''


    Dirty.


    Tida has a sad look in her eyes and Luna has a disdainful look in her eyes. Surprisingly, Luna seemed to know what her mistress meant.


    The Grand Duke was impatient under such a gaze.


    "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You''re wrong! I''m only interested in your dead wife!


    What do you mean, then?


    The Grand Duke, looking uncomfortable with my hostile voice and the stares from the others, pouted a name.


    ''''It''s about the Quartermaster of Chloride.


    There was a guy with a name like that...


    Honestly, I''d forgotten about it half the time because it was a small thing. Jeanne and the others didn''t want to be reminded of it, and they both frowned at each other.


    ''''So, what''s up with this quasi-consort of Chloride?''''


    There are three main factions in the kingdom today: the Royalists, led by the royal family and their aristocrats; the Reformers, led by the Minister of the Interior and a few dukes; and the Neutrals, who do not belong to either side, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.


    His Excellency the Grand Duke told me a bit about the factions here.


    The Royalist Faction, as the name implies, is made up of those who believe that the rule of the royal family should be centered around the rule of the royal family and supported by other nobles on the side, many of whom have been around for a long time.


    The Reformers, many of whom are emerging aristocrats, are made up of those who agree with the idea that the royal family should exist as a symbol of the country and that most political affairs and decisions should be made by those elected to represent it.


    Many of the neutrals are neither of these, and many of them are on the opposite side of the spectrum, so to speak, but there are others, like the Prime Minister, who believe that those who hold public office should renounce their private desires, and others, like the Foreign Minister, who believe that we should not go to war with other countries.


    At present, there are five royalists, three reformers, one neutralist and one other, and although the royalists have the upper hand, they are said to be in a tricky situation.


    Incidentally, the Assistant to the King is the Crown Prince, and the Finance Minister and the War Minister are His Majesty''s second and third sons, so they are naturally royalists.


    The Associate Viscount Chloride in question is apparently a reformer and a prot��g�� of the duke at the center of the organization.


    ''''What about it?''''


    I''d like to have as many of them as possible in my possession that could help the reformers increase their strength. If it''s worthwhile, so much the better.


    After listening to the story in detail, it seems that Jeanne''s father, Viscount Almeria, was a person who was at the center of the connection between the lower nobles (under the Viscount) among the neutrals, and if his daughter was attached to the reformers, there is a possibility that some nobles will move from the neutrals to the reformers.


    Conversely, if the royalists acquire Jeanne, there is a possibility that some nobles will become royalists, so His Excellency the Grand Duke wants Jeanne to be given away.


    ''''So, how about it?''''


    That''s up to Jeanne and the others, but she doesn''t want to, so I''m afraid not.


    When I looked at Jeanne and the others in the middle of the conversation, I decided to refuse because they were all shaking their heads.


    ''''Mmmm.......then, Temma to the royalists.......''''


    ''''I''m an adventurer, so I don''t want any trouble. And I''m not a nobleman...


    At my last words, the Grand Duke grinned at me and


    Don''t worry about that. Temma has done enough to earn her place in the peerage!


    Heh....


    As if to ignore my astonishment, His Excellency the Grand Duke began to tell me why I was being nominated as a nobleman.


    ''Firstly, you saved His Majesty the King five years ago, which alone is a reason to be nominated for an honorary knighthood. Secondly, the fact that he almost single-handedly killed a dragon zombie, which was a national crisis if one thing went wrong, makes him eligible for an ordinary knighthood. Lastly, he saved Tida, the Grand Grandson of the Emperor, which is another reason for him to be nominated for an honorary title. Moreover, it''s a curious thing to give the title to Merlin''s grandson, who is famous for being a wise man, by mistake, although it''s a curious thing to do, because it would help the people gain popularity.


    Seeing that everyone including me (except grandpa and Luna) were surprised, His Excellency the Grand Duke continued to say more.


    After that, he''ll probably become a count in recognition of his appropriate achievements. If you''ve reached that level, the duke will offer you a wife in the future.


    No, no, no, not by any amount of money, not by any amount of money.......and there is no such thing as a wife from a duke.......


    Before I could say it, His Excellency, the Grand Duke said.


    "Miss Primera of the Dukes of Sangha.


    I muttered.


    Merlin responded to that.


    ''Come to think of it, Temma had a female acquaintance in Gunjo City... the three cat sisters, the deputy head of the guild, and the woman he rescued from the bandits, Primera...''


    As Grandpa casually folded his fingers and counted them, a strange sense of intimidation began to waft from behind me.


    ''''Hee, what the........''''


    Jeanne and Aura were standing behind their grandfather when they all noticed the intimidation.


    ''''Merlin-sama, I''m late to greet you. I am Tenma-sama''s slave and maid, Aura. Together with Jeanne over there, Master Tenma saved my life.


    ''I apologize for the delay in greeting you, Mr. Merlin, but my name is Jeanne. I look forward to working with you in the future.


    Jeanne and Aura began to greet their grandfather. Wondering why at this time, Aura continued.


    Actually, this Jeanne is a candidate for the wife of Master Tenma.


    I dropped the bomb.


    ''This story is something that Master Temma himself has agreed to, a sort of forgiveness, so to speak.


    Before I could challenge Aura''s fabrications.


    Well, congratulations! I''m looking forward to seeing my great-grandchildren!


    Grandpa started to splutter. I tried to deny it, and this time the Grand Duke, the


    That''s fine with me. In fact, it would be easier for the royalists if Viscount Almeria''s forgotten relatives were to join Temma.


    And the Grand Duke laughed. And furthermore, even Tida and Luna


    ''Congratulations, Temma! I see that''s what you meant when you made us sit with you earlier!


    Congratulations to my brother and sister!


    And one by one, they blocked the way of escape.


    It''s hard to say that I''ve never thought of Jeanne as a wife when I''ve come this far. Glancing at Aura with a sideways glance, Aura notices my gaze and smiles slightly.


    As I was feeling a headache at Aura''s black-heartedness, as I suddenly remembered, His Highness the Grand Duke said to Aura


    Speaking of which, your sister works for the Royal Castle.


    Aura''s face paled as she said.


    ''''Your sister.........?''''


    I muttered in a shaky voice. It was so strange that I asked Jeanne in a whisper about Aura''s sister, but she nodded her head.


    ''I don''t remember much about Aura''s sister,'' she said. Aura was the child of a maid who worked at my house when she was little, and I used to play with her on that connection, and before I knew it, she became my maid... but her sister was gone before I knew it.


    Even as we were talking about this, Aura''s shaking didn''t stop, and her face was even more pale and covered in cold sweat.


    As I was listening to such a situation, Aura suddenly turned towards me.


    ''''Te, Tenma-sama can I go back to the city of Seigen on my own, or rather, I''ll go back!


    Suddenly, Aura moved quickly to the door and was about to open it and jump out... but just before she jumped out, I pulled her inside as hard as I could.


    ''Ngh.''


    Because the place I grabbed her was the back collar, Aura went limp when she made such a sound and passed out while leaning back against me.


    ''''That''s dangerous Jeanne, I''ll put you on the bed, get ready.............Good.


    I instructed Jeanne to get the covers out on the bed and took Aura in my arms.


    Although she looked like a princess hugger, Aura, her face blue and limp, looked more like a drunken drunkard than a princess.


    ''''Well.''''


    He put Aura down on the bed, asked Jeanne to follow him and then returned to his seat and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.


    ''So, what is Aura''s sister like?''


    At my words, the Grand Duke thought for a moment and then said


    Aina is a good maid in many ways.


    The sister''s name is Aina, they say. I''m more interested in what the Grand Duke''s last blurbs meant in so many ways.


    I asked Tida and Luna about it, too.


    ''Oh, Aina was Aura''s sister.......in a word, an amazing maid.


    Aina is a beautiful girl. All the men in the castle love her. She''s also very strong!


    Per Luna''s last words, I think that''s what caused Aura to be the way she was.


    Anyway, we''ll see each other soon, so let''s look forward to that time.


    After that, we talked about what happened after we left my Kukri village until we got to King''s Landing, Luna slept in bed with a full stomach, I asked her about the tournament, and Tida urged me to talk about the dragons.


    I showed Solomon to Grandpa and the Grand Duke at that time, and the Grand Duke was quite surprised and shouted out, so the Dinhs who were around the carriage gathered around the carriage and made even more noise at the sight of Solomon, and they were all pissed off at Luna, who jumped up in surprise at the sound of his voice.


    Grandpa seemed to have heard about Solomon and wasn''t really surprised, but he started bragging about me to the Grand Duke, which led to a cursing match and Luna getting angry at him again.


    After that, Luna was in a better mood with Solomon in her arms, but Aura didn''t wake up despite the commotion, occasionally talking in her sleep and moaning, ''Oh, sister..............stop'' or ''Oh, please forgive me, sister''.


    We arrived at the royal capital just as it was beginning to get dark.


    It is said that the royal capital is surrounded by an outer wall about 10 meters high, and the city boasts a size of 100 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south, with a population of about 600,000 people, of which 70% are humans and 30% are sub-humans (beastmen, elves, dwarves, etc.), a surprisingly large number.


    There are walls in the city, built around the royal castle, at points of 5, 10, 20 and 30 kilometers.


    The walls are used during the war, but the original walls are the remnants of the city''s expansion as the royal capital grew, and the more you go inside the city, the older the walls become.


    Within 5km from the castle, the residences of the higher nobility line the streets, 5-10km from the castle are lined with wealthy lower class aristocrats and a few rich people, 10-20km from the castle are for the ordinary aristocrats, the wealthy and the high class inns, and from 20km the outer walls are for the general public, and so on.


    If there is money and land available, an ordinary person can build a house next to a nobleman''s house, but since the area within 5km is completely reserved for the nobility and the annual tax increases as you go further in, this division of living is made possible.


    Incidentally, some workshops are located inside, but the screening process is very strict for those that make loud noises, and the equipment to reduce the sound level is very expensive, which is why most of the works in the inner workshops are expensive.


    The more you go inside, the more ''high quality'' the people, shops and products are.


    The wall has one large gate at each of the north, south, east, west, and north-south sides, and these gates were built in order to make it easier for the troops to go out during the war, and they are triple-layered from the outside: a drawbridge, a sliding iron fence, and an open door.


    The width is about 30 meters and there are a lot of guards, but nowadays they are rarely used, only occasionally for military drills and state events... Mainly because it takes a lot of effort to open and close them once, and also because it requires a lot of money to pay for the various things that go with it. Yes.


    Other entrances and exits are built at 20-30 km intervals, and this one is about 5-15 m wide, with a double drawbridge and an open door.


    There are usually two or three guards, but in some cases the gates are completely closed and you may have to move to another open gate.


    To enter, you are briefly checked for identification, and then those who do not have a citizen''s card are taxed and charged 1000G. However, if you bring the wooden tag given at this time to the office, a temporary citizen''s card will be issued and half of the 500G will be returned.


    If you lose your citizen''s chart, you must immediately report to the office for a new one. In the worst case, it is possible to be executed.


    In the worst case scenario, the death penalty is not carried out unless there is some kind of intentional sale of citizen''s charts to an evil person, which leads to a violent crime.


    We were given top priority by the guards who saw the Grand Duke''s coat of arms and allowed us to pass through the gate.


    Well, since His Highness the Grand Duke, the prince, the princess, and the wise man are on board, the guards can''t (or don''t have the guts to) confirm their identities, right?


    ''''Din, continue on to the royal castle.


    The royal castle is located near the center of the royal city, about 40 kilometers from the gate, less than two hours away by carriage.


    The Grand Duke tells this to Ding, who is leading the way, but Grandpa looks like a bother.


    Then you, Tida and Luna had better change trains here. Well, that''s too much trouble. I''m going home with Temma and the others.


    "That''s not going to happen! Now that you''re back in King''s Landing, I don''t suppose we can''t just say hello to His Majesty!


    I started arguing with him again. Sure, Grandpa was right, it''s a pain in the ass to go to the king''s castle at this time of day to greet the king, but I remembered the king in Kukri village and


    ''Grandpa, it''s certainly a hassle, but if we don''t go here, it''s almost certain that the king will charge us in the middle of the night. It''s a real pain in the ass, but since we have no choice, let''s just show him our faces.


    Grandpa seemed to growl and give up on my troublesome comment, but there was a huge sense of disgust in the air.


    My comment was not that it was too much trouble to go to the castle at this time of day, but that it was too much trouble to keep the king company at this time of day.


    When I mentioned this to His Excellency the Grand Duke and Tida, who were surprised at my comment, they both laughed bitterly, as if they had some idea of what I was talking about.


    ''No, no, Temma! You''re going to get caught for disrespect!


    Jeanne takes my statement seriously and turns pale, but the Grand Duke sees it and laughs.


    The Grand Duke saw this and laughed, "Don''t worry about it. That''s not enough to make me angry. His Majesty considers Tenma to be a memento of his best friend, and he himself considers Tenma to be his nephew.


    Jeanne seemed reassured by these words.


    The only problem is, if we try to catch Tenma, we''ll have to be prepared for the castle to be completely destroyed, so it''s not worth it.


    He laughed.


    When I was thinking about that, my grandfather looked at me.


    Temma don''t ever do that but leave it to him in his room when you do.


    He was quite serious about it. And as it was, it was the usual pattern.


    By the time the two of them stopped arguing, the carriage was at the gate of the King''s Castle, and even Grandpa seemed to have given up completely.


    By the way, Uncle Mark got off the carriage a little before the wall at the 20km point.


    He told me to come and see him once when I had time to spare.


    ''The Grand Duke, Tida and Luna are back! Open the gates at once!


    At Mr. Din''s words, the thick gate opens.


    The gatekeepers tried to stop my carriage, but Mr. Din said that His Excellency the Grand Duke and others are riding inside, and the passengers are the wise men and their relations, and they see His Excellency the Grand Duke inside and salute him.


    We were to get out of the carriage in front of the entrance, about 500 meters away through the gate.


    We stowed the carriage and Tanikaze in the magic bag, while Slarin and the others waited in the dimension bag.


    Aura still hasn''t woken up.


    I had no choice but to carry Aura on my back and slip through the front door, where more than a dozen butlers and maids are all waiting with their heads down. At the head of the butlers is Cliffe.


    ''''Cliffe, where is His Majesty now?''''


    The Archduke asked Mr. Cliffe for the king''s place, and the rest of the people were dismissed.


    ''His Majesty would have been in his own room, but word has just gone out that he is going to the audience chamber.


    Mr. Cliffe looked at me after he said that.


    ''It''s been a long time, Mr. Cliffe,''


    It''s been a long time, Master Tenma. It''s a pleasure to see you safe and sound so soon after your arrival, but be prepared for what His Majesty has in mind.


    It''s a light greeting, but Mr. Cliffe tells me something ominous. Apparently, the king is no different.


    As Mr. Cliffe was about to lead us to the audience room, I noticed a maid waiting nearby.


    It''s not so much a maid as a model in a maid''s uniform, with shoulder-length blonde hair that is neatly groomed and shiny, with a well-proportioned style, and a height of about 170 centimeters, a little taller than I am, with a slightly tighter face, but that''s what makes it look like a cool beauty. There.


    Such a maid approached quietly and stopped in front of me.


    ''''Excuse me.''''


    Along with those words, the maid bowed neatly, and then the maid took a deco-pin to the forehead of Aura, who is still unconscious at my back.


    Unexpectedly, the blow (the deco-pin) made a loud sound and bounced Aura''s head back.


    ''''Yes! What''s going on? Enemy! Enemy attack!


    Aura looking around vigorously at my back two soft touches are dancing on my back as she moves her body close to my back.


    As I was distracted by the sensations, my eyes met with the maid in front of me.


    The maid smiled meaningfully, and she seemed to notice that I enjoyed the feel of her back.


    ''What is it?!'' What the hell is this? ....Huh? .... where am I?


    As Aura''s movements, which had begun to calm down, began to slow down.


    Long time no see, Aura.


    As such, when the maid called out to her, Aura heard the maid''s voice and stopped moving with a snap.


    Then, like a rusty toy, she slowly turned to the maid and checked her face before........


    Aina, big sister....


    He called the maid''s name in a frightened voice.

 69-Chapter 4-5 People of the Royal Family

    This is Aura''s sister!


    It''s true that their faces are vaguely similar, but their moods are completely different... No, if it was Aura when she was wearing a cat at the beginning of their encounter, her moods might be similar... That means Aina is the same inside as Aura. What the.....


    As I was thinking about this, Aina turned to me.


    ''''It''s nice to meet you, Temma-sama. I''m sorry that this foolish sister (Aura) is always causing you trouble. My name is Aina, my sister........By the way, do you have something strange on your mind?


    Aina''s good instincts and keen gaze made me think my heart stopped for a moment.


    ''''No, I just thought she was as beautiful as I''d heard about,''''


    The words came out of my mouth as quickly as they came out of mine, and Aina''s expression didn''t twitch.


    ''''I''m honored by your compliments,''''


    With that graceful and elegant courtesy, I took a glance at Aura on my back and sighed.


    Seeing me in such a state, Aura''s movements became intense again.


    ''''Hey, hey, Temma-sama! What''s that sigh!


    Aura hurriedly got off her back and stood in front of me, pointing at Aina.


    ''Temma-sama is being tricked by your sister! That thing on the inside is positively brutal! And on top of that, it''s too late!


    An excited Aura was pointing at Aina and talking badly about her in a big way.


    Such Aura hadn''t noticed. Aina smiled like a noh mask and that she was standing behind Aura.


    ''''Surely you''re fierce, wife getter, geez!


    Aina''s blow (chop), which seemed to be accompanied by a thud and a sound effect, was decided on Aura''s brain as she tried to continue with more bad language.


    ''''Aura, you always talk to your master in such a way.......................you should know your place!


    Aina took her rear as it was and tightened it up to entangle herself in Aura''s body.


    That technique was once, ''''How are you?! It was said to be synonymous with the people of........


    Cobra Twist!


    Not reacting at all to our surprise, Aina tightened up on Aura.


    Aura seemed to be unable to speak in too much pain and her face was red.


    ''Aina, what are you doing!


    While everyone was dumbfounded, the one who interrupted the one-sided sisterly quarrel was Cliffe.


    As a steward, I can''t help but stop this tragedy, can I?


    However, it was Mr. Clife-san (this guy) who went above and beyond my expectations.


    ''''If you''re applying the technique with such a beautiful posture, you''ll be removed eventually! Put more weight behind you!


    Taking that advice, Aina began to gradually put her weight back. At the same time, Aura''s breathing became smaller and smaller.


    I thought that Aura''s life was in danger any longer, so I tried to stop her, but Aina released Aura before I could stop her.


    ''''Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the disturbance. It''s been a long time since I''ve been able to play around with my sister, and I couldn''t help but get carried away.


    Aina bowed her head to everyone and lightly placed a hand on Aura''s shoulder as she barely stood on her own.


    ''''Aura, don''t mess around too much. And also you should know your place in the world or it will hurt more next time.


    Hearing those words, Aura began to rattle and tremble.


    Seeing Aura like that, Aina made a satisfied face, and now she turned to me and said


    Dear Tenma. Please let me know if it (Aura) gets carried away again. I''ll train her properly........no, I''ll educate her.


    The words were a little disconcerting, but Aina quickly restated them and smiled.


    ''''Well, that''s about as far as I''ll go in fooling around. Your Majesty is waiting for you.''


    It seems that Mr. Cliffe has decided to lead us to where the king is waiting.


    As we began to lead the way, Mr. Cliffe gave Aina some instructions to get her to step back.


    ''Hey, Jeanne,''


    What, Temma?


    ''Aina''s anger was definitely not Aura''s attitude towards me, right?


    Well, it''s definitely because of what Aura said about going backwards.


    I''ll be careful.


    ''Yeah...''


    While we were having this conversation, we arrived at the audience room on the fourth floor of the castle.


    ''We have brought you all here. Please open the door.


    Mr. Cleif approached the soldier who was standing in front of the door.


    The soldier took one look at us and then opened the door.


    ''''The Grand Duke''s party has arrived, sir.


    Mm, let me through.


    As I walked into the room with the Grand Duke leading the way, I saw the king sitting in a luxurious chair in front of me. He looks somewhat older than he did when he was there before, but I still feel a sense of supremacy emanating from his body.


    In the chair next to the king, there was a beautiful woman sitting. Perhaps it''s the queen. I''ve heard that she was about the same age as my mothers, so she must be the same age as the king, but the queen looks younger than her age.


    There are three men standing three steps down from the king''s chair.


    The first, unlike the other two, is dressed in ornate clothing, but is otherwise unremarkable.


    The second is a slender man with glasses, who looks at me as if he were valuing me rather than us...or rather us.


    The third one is a head and a half taller than the other two and has a body that is evident even from the top of his clothes that he has worked out a lot. This one is looking at me too, but his face is quite scornful and he looks like he''s up to something.


    ''Good work, gatekeeper. You may step back.


    At the king''s words, the soldiers who had been waiting inside all walked out.


    ''Well,''


    The king slowly got up from his seat and walked down the stairs to us.


    ''Long time no see, Temma. ''Have you been well?''


    Unlike the king I remember, he spoke to me with a voice full of dignity.


    There seems to be something going on, but I can''t neglect to say hello before the king calls me.


    ''''It''s been a long time, King. I''m sorry to have caused you so much concern...


    I was in the middle of greeting the king when an arrow flew from my side.


    I grabbed the flying arrow and ran in the direction it came from.


    I went around the shadow of the pillar where the person who shot the arrow was supposed to be, and there was one man in a flat position.


    ''''What is this?''''


    A little irritated, I tossed the arrow away and stared at the kings.


    The people who were surprised by the series of events were the Queen and the first and second men.


    On the contrary, it was the king and the third man who were laughing.


    ''''No - sorry, sorry. It''s just a little prank. Forgive me!''''


    The king laughed and apologized. The third man was also apologizing with a gesture.


    I was about to protest, thinking that it would be too much of a prank, but the queen approached the king before I did and swung her staff in her hand.


    ''Ugh!''


    With a thud, the queen-sama''s blow hit the king''s buttocks and he fell down, holding his buttocks down.


    ''What do you think you''re doing! Lyle, come over here for a minute!


    Lyle would be the name of the third man. The man called Lyle came fearfully with cold sweat on his forehead.


    ''What in the world do you think a grown man, even if it''s called ''Lord Warlord'', would think of shooting an arrow at a child to play with!


    ''No, mother. I didn''t mean to play...


    I won''t talk back!


    Yes!


    Apparently, the man called Lyle is a war lord a war minister.


    ''''I''m sorry.


    Saying that, the queen-sama grabbed my arm and turned to leave the room.


    Everyone else was dumbfounded, but the queen wasn''t particularly bothered.


    ''''What are you doing?'''' You''re welcome.


    He beckoned for Jeanne and the others to come over and call them over. Puzzled, Jeanne and the others followed, followed by Grandpa, the Grand Duke, Tida and Luna, Mr. Cliffe, the first man, and the second man.


    The Warlord was about to follow the second man all together, when the Queen turned around.


    ''''Lyle, if you want to join us, you should prepare some sweets and tea....................not half as much as you would like.


    The Warlord saluted and ran in the opposite direction to where we were heading.


    ''Come on, let''s go.''


    The queen was smiling and pulling me along, but when I asked her if it was okay for me to leave the king alone, she kept a straight face.


    ''You can leave that man alone. It''s too much of a joke to shoot arrows at a guest you''ve called, and that''s too much of a joke for a child. Never mind Temma.


    It was a good idea.


    It was true that the prank was past, but the cloth was wrapped around the arrowhead, so it must have really been a test of skill... that didn''t mean he was allowed to do it, though.


    For now, I decided to forget about the king as the queen said.


    The king, in fact, is still unable to stand up to the queen''s blow.


    We had a moment of eye contact earlier, and then the queen pushed me out of the room, hiding the king who was crawling on the floor and reaching for me.


    ''Here. Come on, come in.


    The queen brought me to a room at the end of one floor below the audience chamber.


    ''This is the visitor''s room, so there is no need to be in awe.


    And then the Queen said. She offered us a seat. The queen doesn''t seem to mind that Jeanne and the others are slaves, so she pulled the hands of Jeanne and Aura, who were hesitant, and forced them to sit next to me.


    ''''Doesn''t the queen care that Jeanne and the others are slaves?


    When I asked the queen, who was smiling at Jeanne and the others, a question arose in my mind, and she didn''t think for a minute.


    ''Because these girls are Temma''s family and the guests I''ve invited into this room. You don''t need to worry about them now.


    He laughed.


    Apparently, he knew he was a slave and invited her, so he doesn''t care about her now, but I''m worried that if the other nobles...especially the reformers find out about it, they will become an attacker.


    As if he read my thoughts, the first man opened his mouth on behalf of the queen.


    He said, "It''s not your concern. In fact, if the reformers have anything to say about it, it''s easy for us to undermine them.


    Unsure of what he meant, the man thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.


    ''Do you think you''d want to be friends with someone who made fun of those kids?''


    Oh, I see.


    When I agreed, the men laughed. But Jeanne and the others didn''t seem to understand what he meant, and the men began to explain to Jeanne and the others.


    ''Look, you''re just slaves now, but soon that reputation will be reversed. And that too, dramatically.


    In addition to Jeanne and the others who were tilting their heads, Tida didn''t seem to understand either.


    ''You two would be described as the hero''s followers of the dragon slayer. A former nobleman who fell into slavery and had his life saved by a hero, what a story people would love to hear....including the relationship between the two men and women.


    ''Did your grandmother and your father invite Jeanne and the others to join them in order to curry favor with Miss Temma?


    The man called father laughed at Tida''s toothless manner.


    ''I don''t really mean it, but I suppose it can be taken that way from the side. But that''s okay, this is a win-win situation.


    Tida''s father the crown prince said so, but the queen had a look on her face that said she was heartbroken.


    ''Oh, I''m not. Temma is my best friend''s child, and since I saw how Temma treated these girls, and it seemed to me that the treatment of them was not towards slaves, but towards family, I only invited them to be my best friend''s child''s family.


    He was a little angry. The Crown Prince laughed bitterly at this, but he seemed to think that he was not mistaken and had no excuse.


    Just as the air in the room was about to become delicate in this way, the door suddenly opened with great force.


    When everyone turned back to the door in surprise, the Warlord from the other side of the open door appeared from behind it.


    ''''Sorry I''m late! I''ve brought you tea and tea cakes!


    The Warlord has a basket under his arm that does not match his mood. Behind him, I can also see Aina following him with a set of tea utensils and a sandwich on a wagon.


    ''I just remembered there was a pastry that arrived in my room yesterday... here it is!


    Saying that, the Warlord pulled out of his basket a small cream puff, the so-called petit puff.


    ''''They''re popular in Gunjo City these days, and I asked the Duke of Sangha to order them for me at the behest of him!


    Only Tida and Luna were (...) pleased with the boastful warlord, but the rest of them were smiling bitterly, and even the queen-sama sighed.


    ''''Lyle ... disqualified!


    Why not?


    At the warlord''s shout, the queen sighed again and pointed to the petit choux.


    ''What (...) is this pastry called?''


    ''Well it''s a petit choux...''


    No, no, no... what brand (...) of candy is it?


    Huh, I don''t know, the Tenma Seal or something... oh!


    ''What are you going to do with your petite puffs, bringing them to the inventor of those petite puffs you should be more considerate.


    The Warlord did it! He had a face like that, and at the sight of his face, Grandpa and His Excellency the Grand Duke stifled their laughter, while the first and second men looked dumbfounded.


    I couldn''t help but laugh, as his appearance was so far removed from the military lord I had imagined him to be.


    ''''I''m sorry.......I myself haven''t tasted any of the sweets from the Manchuria Pavilion since I set out on my journey, so I''m looking forward to seeing how they turn out.


    Then he took one of the petite puffs in the basket and put it in his mouth.


    ''Yeah, yummy! I knew your dad was good at it! Thank you for your concern, Warlord.


    Hearing my words, the queen-sama also took one of the petit puffs and put it on her plate.


    ''''Well, as long as Temma is good, it won''t be a problem.......Lyle, just because you''re a military officer, you shouldn''t forget your concern as a nobleman.


    ''Yes I''ll keep that in mind...''


    Seeing that the queen took the petite puffs, Aina distributed the petite puffs to each of the plates and poured the tea.


    Aura just watched, so Aina didn''t make tea for herself and Aura only.


    After she finished handing out the tea, Aina called Aura over to her.


    Aura approached her with trepidation, wondering what was going on, but when Aina told her to make tea for both of them, she began to make tea with confidence... but...


    Shit!


    Not enough steam!


    Too much steam!


    ''I didn''t warm the cup!


    And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on.


    As I was thinking that I was being a little too strict, Aina turned to me.


    ''Temma-sama, please leave your sister''s breaks and free time to me. I won''t say she''s one of a kind, but I''ll train her to be a better maid than she is now.


    Suddenly he proposes such a thing. Hearing this, Aura is desperately pleading behind Aina''s back with a gesture to refuse.


    Seeing Aura like that, I responded immediately.


    ''''I look forward to working with you.


    Seeing me with my head bowed in pecking order, Aina looked surprised for a moment, but instantly tightened up and nodded in satisfaction.


    Behind her, Aura slumped to the floor with an expression of despair, as if she had witnessed the end of the world.


    Looking at Aura like that, a doo-doo replayed in my head, but I didn''t have any particular feelings about this.


    ''''That would be nice! Oh yeah, and while you''re at it, Jeanne can get Aina to teach you a thing or two!


    Whew!


    At the queen''s sudden suggestion, this time Jeanne froze.


    ''Look, Jeanne is a girl of her age and I think she needs that kind of experience! Think of it as bridal training.


    At the urging of the forceful queen-sama, Jeanne nodded, losing her momentum.


    ''''I''ll tell Your Majesty to allow Temma and the others to come and go at will in the royal castle! In the meantime, let''s start the first lecture around noon the day after tomorrow. That''s nice, Aina.


    Sorry, Mary.


    Jeanne just listened and nodded, unable to interrupt the schedule that was being set one by one.


    ''Oh well, Mother. More importantly, we haven''t even introduced ourselves. It would be rude to proceed with the conversation without introducing ourselves....


    The first man advised the queen.


    ''Oh my goodness, I''m excited beyond my years I''m sorry, I''m Maria von Bluemail Krustin. Your mother, Shelia, and I were great friends with your mother, Shelia, nice to meet you.


    The first man after the queen tried to open his mouth and I rushed to stand up, but the man stopped me from standing up with his hand.


    ''Stay where you are. I am Crown Prince Caesar von Bluemail Crastin. I see my son and daughter have caused you some trouble, I''m sorry.


    Saying that, Prince Caesar bowed his head. Although it was an unthinkable situation under normal circumstances, he didn''t seem surprised by the Queen and the other royals here.


    ''''I guess I''m next, the Minister of Finance, Zain von Blumeyl Krustin, who is also Her Majesty''s second son.


    This one was just a simple greeting. Somehow, he''s still wary of me.


    ''''I''m sorry about earlier. I was just wondering how the rumored Temma would react! I''m Lyle von Bluemail Crustin!


    He''s as bold as he looks, and he has an air of how he''s a military man.


    Out of the three of us, he feels most like a king.


    ''''I''m late to greet you. I am.........


    Wait a minute.


    The queen stopped me as I was about to greet her.


    ''Although we have never met before, we owe each other a debt of gratitude. On top of that, you are my best friend''s child, and I don''t need a formal greeting. Unless you''re in public, speak in your normal language.


    No, but...


    Use your normal language.


    Yes, I understand.


    Satisfied with my reply, the Queen was quick to continue her greetings.


    I looked at the Crown Prince to see if he was sure, but he smiled.


    The crown prince smiled. Besides, I heard you called His Majesty an old man. Then it''s a bit late for respectful language, isn''t it? Oh, and I don''t need the crown prince for me either.


    ''The Crown Prince the Master Caesar is laughing at me for bringing up my old days.


    ''Then you can call me Lyle, too. I''m not used to being called a minister by a kid!''


    Master Lyle came on to Master Caesar, too.


    ''Oh my! Then I''ll be Maria, too. You got it, Temma.


    The royalty in this country are apparently quite light on their nature. Most of all, though, it may have been in their own family.


    In such a situation, the finance minister was the only one who didn''t open his mouth... Normally, I feel that it would be right for the royalty to have this kind of attitude, but for the sake of this occasion, it''s strange that it looks strange.


    ''''I am Temma, the adventurer. It''s nice to meet you.


    Following me, Jeanne and Aura also greeted me, but the two of them read the air properly and used respectful language throughout.


    Well, it is natural to say that it is natural. An act that lacks decorum to the royalty would normally be punished by death without question.


    In such a situation, Aina''s eyes were quite stern as she watched Aura''s greeting.


    I didn''t understand it, but apparently there must have been some kind of mistake.


    Hmm, so everyone has allowed their names.......then I can call you by your name too. Go ahead, call me by my name.


    The Grand Duke said that and told me to call his name, but I couldn''t.


    My grandfather, seeing this, interrupted me from the side.


    ''My lord, did you tell Temma your name?''


    Yes, that''s right.


    From there, the two of them began to curse each other, as usual.


    As I was making such a fuss (only two people were making a fuss, but also the oldest person in the place), the door slowly opened.


    ''''Isn''t that awful.......you''re leaving me........''''


    The king was opening the door with his staff, but before he could say anything, Mary went to the door with a quick movement.


    ''I didn''t call for you,''


    When he interrupted the king''s words, he pushed the king, who looked inexplicably weak, out of the room, closed the door and even locked it.


    From outside the room, the sound of banging on the door and the king''s voice asking him to open it~ could be heard, but Maria-sama completely ignored him and sat down in her seat as if nothing had happened and gave Aina another cup of tea.


    A few times after that, the king was bothered by the king, but all of this was stopped by Maria, and finally the king was not allowed to enter the room.


    ''It''s late today, you should stay the night. Aina, get me three rooms.


    Yes, sir.


    At Maria''s command, Aina left the room.


    She caught a glimpse of the king when she opened the door, but one glare from Maria did not allow her to enter the room.


    ''Temma, do you have any plans for tomorrow?''


    Master Lyle asks me what my plans are, but when I tell him I don''t have any plans for this, he grins for some reason.


    ''Alright! Then come to the castle yard tomorrow! Just in time, there''s a joint training session between the Konoe and the First Order, so join it!


    Hey, Lyle. This is way too fast for you!


    Instead of me, Caesar-sama protested to Lyle-sama, but Lyle-sama didn''t bother to continue talking.


    ''''It''s just the right time to find out what Temma is capable of. Besides, if Tenma can show the knights his abilities, there will be fewer unnecessary misunderstandings!


    That may give you an unnecessary misunderstanding, but...


    I protested at one point, but it wouldn''t be very effective if I had the same personality as the king.


    ''Don''t worry! The Konoe and the First Order have a lot of merit first! Because there are more of us who show a certain amount of respect to those with a certain amount of power than the rest of the Order!


    Lyle-sama is laughing vigorously, but his appearance looks dubious with the king, so the only two words that came to my mind were ''anxiety''.


    Lady Caesar said apologetically.


    Both Lady Maria and the Lord Treasurer shook their heads as if to give up.


    ''Lady Maria. Your room is ready for you.''


    As Lyle-sama laughed vigorously, Aina announced that the room was ready.


    ''''Alright, thank you for your hard work. Temma and the others are probably tired, so let''s call it a day here. Aina, show Tenma and the others to their rooms.


    With those words from Maria-sama, we were dismissed for the day.


    As I followed Aina out the door, the king, who was hiding behind the door, grabbed me by the shoulder.


    ''''Temma~.......you could have convinced Maria.......''''


    The king, who was in a state of half-crying, stood slightly inward, as if Maria''s blow was still trailing off.


    As I was smiling affectionately, I heard Maria''s voice inside.


    ''I need to talk to you. Come into the room.


    The king was pale at Maria''s words, but the pain in his buttocks prevented him from escaping, and he slowly walked into the room, his shoulders slumping.


    Shortly thereafter, the door was closed when Master Caesar and the others inside also rushed out.


    Immediately after that, an angry voice was heard from inside the room... but because the door was closed, the details could not be heard. However, for some reason, only the king''s scream-like apology could be heard clearly.


    ''''Well, it''s always the same. There''s no point in worrying about it, we''re dismissed for today. Tida and Luna will be preaching in my room, though.


    At Caesar-sama''s words, Tida and Luna looked like they were about to cry, but instead of running away, they silently followed Caesar-sama.


    ''Temma-sama, this way. Temma-sama and Merlin-sama are in a private room. Jeanne and Aura are in the same room.


    As it was, Aina led me to a room at the end of the same floor, with Grandpa''s room across the hall and Jeanne''s room beside it.


    I''m going to wake you up in the morning. I will come to wake you up in the morning and you should have a good night''s sleep. If you need anything, there is an attendant in the waiting room over there, so please don''t hesitate to let me know.


    Saying that, Aina bowed and turned back the way she had just come.


    ''''I''m tired today, as expected........Temma, let me talk to you tomorrow. Good night.


    Good night, Temma. I''ll see you tomorrow.


    Good night, Lady Temma.


    Everyone walked into the room one by one.


    Aura seemed to be paying attention to her words, albeit slightly. That''s how afraid she is of Aina''s punishment.


    I hope she''ll continue to be a fine maid but I don''t want her to be like Aina. That was a bit scary.


    If I''m thinking too rudely, Aina is going to show up, so I decide to go into my room and go to bed.


    Just before I went to bed, I realized that I hadn''t prepared food for Shiroumaru and his friends, so I hurriedly gave them the food I''d made for them in my bag, and they ate it all up in a hurry.


    I didn''t know if I should let them out in the room, so I decided to let them stay in the bag for now, and this time I decided to hide under the covers to sleep.


    Hopefully tomorrow won''t be a problem...

 70-Chapter 4-5.5 Hidden conversation

    This is a certain room in a corner of the royal castle.


    Looking at the interior, it seemed to be a woman''s room, with furniture and furnishings that were decorated without being too flashy.


    In the center of the room, a woman was sitting on a chair next to the bed.


    Her name was Maria von Bluemail Krustin.


    She was the first wife of the king of this country and the woman who was known as the queen.


    Maria was sitting in a chair, sipping her wine and listening to the report of the maid by her side.


    ''Yes, there are several other women in Temma who are good friends.


    Yes, there were nine in all. I think we can exclude three of them.


    Why?


    ''Of the three, one of them is still a child, a sort of disciple of Master Tenma. The other two are members of a group of adventurers I know, and it seems more accurate to say that they are close peers rather than women.


    Their conversation seems to be about Temma''s female relationships, and the maid reporting on it is Aina.


    I don''t know where they got their research from, but it''s quite detailed.


    ''What about the other six?''


    ''''In order of how long they''ve known each other, they are the three adventurer sisters, the deputy head of Gunjo City''s guild, the woman who rescued them from the bandits, and the three daughters of the Sanga duke family. The first three sisters are of the beast race, and they''ve known each other since the time Master Temma started living in Gunjo City, so they''ve spent the most time together among the candidates. Next is the deputy chief of the guild, but because the amount of prey that Tenma-sama hunted was unnatural for a newcomer, he was first put in charge of it as a form of surveillance, and even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Tenma-sama often nominated him to be in charge of it.


    What do you mean by the Temma appointment?


    Since the person who knew most about Tenma-sama''s abilities was the deputy guild leader, I believe the purpose was to save him the trouble of explaining.


    The point is, it was a hassle... what''s next?


    The woman I rescued from Banza''s gang of bandits who were building a hideout near Gunjo City at the time.


    From the bandits?


    ''Yes, the Banza gang had taken over a village and then killed most of the villagers, replacing themselves as the inhabitants of the village. That''s how they were going to attack the travelers and adventurers who came to the village, and the first person to fall for the false request was Lady Tenma, he said. The woman was held in captivity with several other women for her use as a woman, but she was rescued after Lady Tenma and her team destroyed the Banza gang.


    It''s just an extraordinary thing to have Temma as your first prey... but why is this woman one of the candidates?


    According to my research, the woman had gone to greet Master Tenma before he left, and begged him to take her as his squire. Lady Tenma refused at that time, and she accepted, but from that, we decided that she should be considered a candidate.


    ''Oh yes and the last one is the third daughter of the Duke of Sangha, Primera.


    Yes, it seems that the encounter was an argument with one of her subordinates, but Lady Tenma seems to be on good terms with the Duke of Sangha, and she and herself do not seem to be on bad terms. In addition, she herself seems to respect Master Tenma.


    ''Well what does that conclude?''


    Taking all that into account, it would be a good idea for the royalists to have Primera first, Chris the Kingsguard second, and Luna third.


    ''If Primera is okay, why is Chris and Luna''s name in there?''


    Chris is a kinsman, so he is loyal to the royal family and knows the situation of the Temma-sama. Therefore, he''s easy to control. Luna is simply easier to understand in terms of his connection to the royal family.


    ''For the record Chris is your best friend, isn''t he?


    He''s my best friend.


    Maria fanned the remaining wine in her glass and poured a new one.


    ''So, how''s Jeanne, as it turns out?''


    Out of the question, sir.


    Maria''s eyes seemed to light up at those words.


    ''Go on,''


    ''''Ha, I personally would like to support her, but in spite of that, she''s too lenient with Tenma-sama right now. I think there''s a good chance that both of us will be unhappy if she stays in the flow.


    ''You''re thinking like me I don''t hate her by any means, but she''s not a good enough actor for the job now.


    ''Jeanne wasn''t like that in the old days, though.


    Aina''s face clouded over for a moment. And it wasn''t Maria who missed it.


    ''What was Jeanne like in the old days?''


    ''I didn''t spend as much time with her as I did with Aura, but my impression was that she was more of a tomboy than a quiet one. I remember that when I was little, Aura and I used to run around the garden together, and would often get into mischief, and Jeanne''s parents would get angry with her, and then she would get into mischief again. I used to scold them both, too.


    ''It was when I was really little, though,'' said Aina, who seemed to be reminiscing nostalgically about the past.


    ''''As I recall, Jeanne was the eldest daughter of the fallen Viscount Almeria... what caused her downfall?


    ''''Yes, from what I''ve been able to find out, after a skirmish between the nobles, there was a rebellion in the territory. It seems that this caused the family to fall, and the decisive factor was the abandonment of the Viscount Armeria by a branch of the family, Associate Viscount Podolo Il Chloride. Although nominally a form of independence, it appears to have been a secession, and at one time it was rumored that he had supported the rebellion in the Almerian territory from behind. Most importantly, we don''t hear much of the rumors now, due to lack of evidence...


    ''It''s difficult ... anyway. I understand that Jeanne may have a situation, but that''s not the same as this. If I don''t see any change in Jeanne, I will use any means at my disposal to get her away from Temma.


    ''Ha, I''ll do my best to make sure that doesn''t happen.


    With that declaration, Maria poured another glass of wine and handed it to Aina.


    ''By the way, didn''t you include Aura in that list?


    ''''Maria-sama that''s disrespectful to Temma-sama, no matter how much it means to you. Besides, if it wasn''t for that, I would have given Jeanne a little more credit.


    ''''Well you''re really amazing...''''


    ''Thank you but isn''t it necessary for Mary to go so far as she does with Lady Temma?''


    Aina took a sip of her wine and questioned Maria.


    ''Oh my God, she''s my dearest and best friend''s (Shelia and Ricardo) child. It''s not natural for me to look out for them instead of you two... and since it was done by her (His Majesty) subject during the time of Caesar and the others, it''s a little better.


    Hearing Maria''s voice that sounded like she was enjoying herself, Aina sighed.


    Aina''s voice contained a fair amount of sympathy for Tenma.


    In this way, Tenma''s first night in the royal capital was deepening.

 71-Chapter 4-6 The selfishness of the royal family, morning edition

    Knock, knock, knock.....


    ''Good morning, Lady Temma. Breakfast will be ready soon. Are you awake, Tenma-sama?


    I heard a knock on the door and Aina''s voice, and I knew that my eyes were brightening before me.


    But my physical body didn''t respond, and gradually my consciousness was being fished out, and I was about to sink into the darkness again.


    ''Temma-sama, are you ready to open up?''


    I could hear Aina''s voice, but I was on the verge of losing consciousness.


    ''Oh, sis! That''s my job, so I''ll wake you up!


    The moment I lost consciousness, I was awakened by the sound of Aura''s boisterous voice.


    ''''Even if you come over now, it won''t make up for the fact that you forgot to work and overslept... and before that, you''re going to go before Tenma-sama with your sleepy head? Go ahead and fix it!


    Okay.


    I heard the sound of Aura leaving with a thud. It seemed impossible to sleep twice, so I had no choice but to get out of bed and stretch lightly.


    ''Temma-sama, did you get up?''


    Yeah, I''m up now. I''ll be up in a minute.


    I took a change of clothes out of my magic bag and wiped my night sweat off with a cloth before quickly changing.


    ''Good morning Aina. I need to wash my face, where can I go?


    He opened the door and greeted Aina, who was waiting just outside.


    ''Good morning, Temma-sama. There''s a washroom right over there, let me show you around.''''


    Aina took me to the washroom where there was a grandpa who was trimming his beard.


    ''Oh, Temma, good morning,''


    Good morning, Grandpa.


    When I returned the greeting, Grandpa was shaking for some reason.


    ''''Grandpa?''''


    Oh, I''m sorry. It was like a dream... but I never thought I''d be able to talk to Temma again...


    Grandpa had a thin layer of tears in his eyes, but he began to wash his face with the water he had stored in the tub to cover them.


    I stood next to him and washed my face and brushed my teeth.


    ''Speaking of which, what happened to Shiroumaru and the others?


    ''If it''s Shiroumaru and the others, they''ll be sleeping in the bag. Even though they''re in the military, the strangers are going to make a big deal out of the demons walking around the castle without permission, so we decided not to let them out of the bag until we got the king''s permission.


    Did Shiroumaru call you when I said that? He looked out of the bag, but patted his head and put it back inside.


    ''Master Temma, you have a visitor here to see you. I understand you are at the gates of the guardhouse right now, how may I help you?


    Customer? Who is it?


    When I asked who it was this early in the morning, I heard that the customers were Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha.


    ''I''ll be right over ... the gate choke point is the one we drove by in the carriage yesterday, isn''t it?''


    Yes, sir.


    If I remember correctly, it was nearly a kilometer from the front door to the gate.


    ''''Well, I''ll just magically fly over for a bit.


    I''m coming with you.


    Grandpa had to go with me.


    I was able to get to the gate in about a few dozen seconds by flying magic from the front door.


    As I ducked through the door of the stuffy room, an old lady noticed me and hugged me.


    ''You''re really alive! Good....really good....


    My aunt was crying and hugging me, but after a while she stopped crying and let go of me.


    ''Oh, it''s like a dream! I''d heard about it, but until I saw it with my own eyes, I wasn''t sure...


    Ho-ho-ho, that''s what happened to me, too... until I saw Tenma in the morning, I wondered if yesterday was just a dream.


    Grandpa nodded at his aunt''s words.


    ''By the way, what''s up with you two so early in the morning?''


    At my question, the uncle, who had been looking at the aunt in silence, opened his mouth.


    Last night I went around to the people from the village of Kukri, who live in the capital, to inform them that Tenma was alive. Then some of them suggested that we should have a banquet tonight. So I was the representative of the group and asked for the availability of Tenma and Merlin''s grandfather.


    Grandpa and I looked at each other as he said, "We don''t have anything in particular to do.


    ''Thank God for that! We didn''t have a location in mind yet!


    ''It''s a complete idea...''


    My uncle laughed at my words, but this kind of thing was an everyday occurrence in Kukri village, so I kind of missed it.


    ''We''ll take care of the preparations, Temma and the rest of you should be here before nightfall!


    When I said that, my uncle and aunt left in a hurry.


    ''''Hohoho, I''ve missed the banquet.......let''s get some sake ready.


    ''But first you have to eat your breakfast Aina will be mad at you...''


    You can''t do that! Yes, we''re back!


    While saying that, we went back to the castle........I don''t know if it was wrong, but Aina, who was waiting near the castle''s entrance, was somewhat unhappy.


    ''''Um........is something wrong, Aina-san.......''''


    Why do you use honorific language...............no, I''m sorry. For some reason, I''m suddenly annoyed...


    It seems that Aina''s intuition is tremendously high performance.


    ''I''m sure you''re right. Well, I''ll show you around and we''ll have to question him later...


    Aina agreed to my words without a doubt and decided to question Aura.


    I''m sorry for Aura, but I''ll have her give up on her previous bad behavior.


    Aina brought me to the room where I spoke with Maria and the others last night.


    When we walked in, breakfast was already ready and all that was left was for us to take our seats.


    ''''We''re late.......By the way, why are the kings here?''''


    There was not only the King there, but also Maria and Caesar, the Treasurer and Lyle, and the Grand Duke, Tida and Luna.


    ''No, what, I couldn''t even talk to you yesterday so I thought I''d join you for breakfast instead!


    The king is laughing, but isn''t that what he deserves? And then Maria''s mood changed.


    ''You ... how about apologizing to Temma first? That wasn''t what a king would do...


    At Maria''s words, the king began to break out in a cold sweat and straighten his residence.


    ''Temma, I''m sorry about that section! Please forgive me, it''s just like this!


    The king put his hands on the table and bowed his head. Depending on how you look at it, it looks like he is on his knees.


    ''That''s the pose you always take when you apologize... what do you think, Temma? Can you forgive this man?


    He looked at the king again when Maria asked him, but the king didn''t move slightly.


    ''''Yes, I forgive you. I was annoyed at the time, but I didn''t mind it so much... and most importantly, I knew there was something to it, since it''s what the king does.


    True to my word, I wasn''t too worried about it. The arrow shot at me didn''t have an arrow butt on it, and most importantly, the king who was approaching me had a smirk on his face, and I knew something was up from that.


    The king looked up at my words and was clearly relieved.


    ''Well, you''ll forgive me! Thank God! Come on, let''s have some breakfast before it gets cold!


    I was dismayed at how fast the king was changing, but it was more important to eat the breakfast in front of me.


    In the middle of the meal, Lyle-sama suddenly called me over.


    ''Temma, when you''re done eating, join the joint training! Because in a few moments, we should start getting participants! Hurry up!


    He speaks as if it were a decision, such as.


    ''You mean in the morning!''


    To my surprise, Master Lyle laughed as he put a piece of bread in his mouth.


    ''In a real battle, the enemy won''t refrain from saying it''s morning and night! That''s what I tell my knights to do!


    ''I''m not a knight, but...''


    Completely ignoring my mutterings, Master Lyle swallowed his bread with milk and sat up.


    ''Here, I''d better get going!


    Lyle-sama was stunned by the fact that she seemed to be taking him away, even if it was by force, and Maria-sama was stunned as well.


    ''''Calm down for a moment. Temma is a guest!


    Mother, even if you say so, I''ve already told the soldiers and I wouldn''t want to take them away from you now.


    Lyle-sama explained that, but Maria-sama wasn''t convinced.


    ''I was going to take Temma with me to go shopping and now... what are you going to do about it!


    ........Maria-sama was generally selfish too. People around them were taken aback by Maria-sama''s words, but only Lyle-sama was different.


    ''''It''s all right then, Mother. Our training will be over before noon, so you can go shopping then.


    ''That''s okay then ... although it will take less time to shop ...''


    Maria seemed to agree in passing, but she didn''t take my consent. Before I could say a word, Aina interrupted me.


    ''If Temma-sama is going out, I would like to train both Jeanne and Aura.


    At Aina''s statement, this time Jeanne and Aura rolled their eyes. They both seemed to think that today was their last day off, and they were completely caught off guard.


    ''''Eh, hey, sis! You''re not ready for that all of a sudden, you''re not ready for anything. Let''s take it easy today!


    Aura voiced her disapproval, but Aina glanced at her.


    ''You don''t have to worry about that, when Maria-sama goes out shopping I''ll have some free time to teach you in that time and you''ll be fine.


    Aura is trying to duck Aina''s special training, Aina is ready to not let it go, and Jeanne is turning into air, the difference in power between the three of them is obvious, so no matter how you look at it, there will be no way to escape Aina''s training.


    Thinking that way, I also can''t seem to escape from Lyle-sama and Maria-sama.


    With me at their backs, the two of them are discussing my schedule.


    ''''Um~ I also have plans in the evening, so there are a lot of things I want to do, but.......''''


    They smiled at my words and smiled at me and...


    "Don''t worry, it''ll be over by then!


    I said in a voice.


    Then it was decided that the schedule handed down was that we would attend training immediately after this, finish before lunch, accompany Maria-sama to shop after lunch, and return to the royal castle by evening......... They''ve made up their minds!


    I wasn''t allowed to argue.............and I didn''t listen!


    I looked at the king because he was too forceful, but he didn''t care. Rather.........


    "Maybe I should go watch Temma train!


    He was all tensed up. Then, Master Caesar, I looked at the Lord Treasurer and they were both together....


    Give it up...


    "I''m sorry, but that won''t stop you two...


    He said.


    ''Then let''s get going! We can''t keep you waiting too long!


    Master Lyle walked out to pull me along he''s not going to let me get away with anything!


    Lyle-sama dragged me to an arena-type training area that was built in the opposite direction of the entrance.


    ''Whoa, you''re all here.......Din! I''ve got Temma!


    Master Lyle called out loudly for Mr. Din and brought me forward.


    I can hear voices from the First Order and the Kingsguard talking about who I am.


    ''''Temma you''ve been brought in........''''


    Yes.....


    Mr. Dinh seemed to have gotten the general idea of the situation.


    ''''Ding! The training will be in the form of a real battle as usual. At the end, we''ll pick a few people from the Konoe and the First Order for a group fight........Punish the one who fights in a hapless manner! That''s it from me!


    Lyle-sama''s words made those who had been looking at me tense.


    ''All of them, you heard it right! Each of you find a partner and start training!


    At Din-san''s words, the knights who had been posturing up started to move.


    Each of them seemed to be freely choosing an opponent, some calling out to those who were suitably nearby, some calling out to knights from different squads, some wishing for an opponent who seemed stronger than them, and conversely, some forcibly catching those who seemed weak.


    As for me, maybe it was because Mr. Din was right beside me, or maybe it was because they didn''t think it was worth it to deal with the kids, but no one came up to me.


    ''No one came by I can''t blame them. You''ll have to do it with me ... or you can go easy on me!


    As Din-san said that, he slammed down on me with his sword in its sheath in a surprise strike.


    I half ducked the blow and then took my back and delivered a kick.


    The kick seemed to be read and didn''t hit, but those around me seemed to be surprised that I was able to react to Din-san''s blow, and the knights who were watching nearby stopped moving.


    As Din-san said that, some of the knights looked away as he looked at the knights.


    ''''Before that, at least lend me your weapon.......unless you''re serious and allowed to do it......I don''t know if you get hurt....


    Mr. Dinh laughed at my flippant comment.


    ''Sorry about that. If you''ve got your own blade-puller, that''s fine, but if you don''t, you can use whatever you want from what we''ve got over there.


    Mr. Din pointed to the weapons on the edge of the arena.


    I pulled out a stick that looked like the handle of a spear from it. It was a little over a meter long and didn''t look very well used.


    ''Are you ready? Then let''s get started.


    Dinh said and came to the front of me. I also held my stick like a sword.


    We didn''t move slightly as we held each other at the ready, looking for an opening to strike even a little.


    The knights around me were also training themselves and looking at us from the side.


    ''''Ah!''''


    At that moment, one of the knights who was training nearby was struck and dropped his sword.


    Taking that as a sign, me and Mr. Dinh closed the distance between us.


    It was Din-san who took the lead. He was the first to thrust and then swing his sword.


    I fought off Mr. Ding''s attacks and waited for a certain attack.


    Mr. Dinh swung his sword twice, three times. I pretend to take a counter and deliver a thrust.


    The moment Mr. Dinh taunted my thrust, the attack I was waiting for came.


    It''s a swing down from the top step, and the moment Mr. Ding raises his sword....


    Boo-hoo.


    Water shot out of my mouth in a mist.


    As expected, Mr. Dinh didn''t read the attack, nor was he able to avoid it, and his aim was off.


    I took the opportunity to hit Din-san with my whole body in the manner of a kosai kari, sending him tumbling to the ground.


    And then.........


    Do I win?


    He held the stick to Mr. Dinh''s throat.


    At that moment, there were quite a few boos from the surroundings.


    Apparently, there were quite a few knights who were stealing the fight between me and Din-san.


    Some of them were cowardly! And don''t be silly! And shame on you! and other angry voices mixed in.


    For now, I let go of the stick from Din-san and waved my hand towards those voices.


    A few knights who saw this took my action as a provocation and tried to come towards me, but....


    Good job, Temma! Well done!


    The knights stopped moving at a loud voice. The owner of that voice was........


    "Hey, Your Majesty!


    It was the king. The knights were about to poke their knees and bow their heads, but the king made them stop.


    He said, "You don''t have to bow. Instead, listen to me.


    The king''s voice quieted the knights and they began to concentrate on not missing a word.


    ''If you are condemning Temma''s actions now, why aren''t you condemning Din''s actions before that? Din was the one who launched the surprise attack first. Tenma ducked it, and Din just couldn''t duck it on the contrary! In actual warfare, there are enemies who would use a more cowardly hand than that one. Will you then be cut off, saying that you are cowards? Actual warfare should be based on the expectation that such an attack is possible! Whether or not you use a cowardly hand or not, the consequences of knowing and not knowing can be very different! And on top of that, anyone who has a complaint can step forward!


    The knights were dumbfounded by the king''s words, but some of the knights who were yapping seemed to have a point in mind and were thinking about it.


    It''s a very good idea to make sure that the people who are not convinced of this are strong enough to rebound, no matter what they do to themselves! I expect such a one to emerge.


    With that, the king walked into the castle.


    ''''Your Majesty is right that was my fault for being so careless, no matter how you look at it.


    Din-san, who had stood up before I knew it, said that and put his hand on my shoulder.


    ''''Let''s go with normal actual battle practice (.........) without magic this time!


    As I said that, Mr. Dinh readied his sword. As soon as I held my stick up....


    SAY!


    I ran into it ... along with the sand ... I think I kicked the sand off the ground with my foot as I rushed forward.


    From there, it was all over the place.


    It was a mess of training, really spitting in a battle of courage, throwing weapons that had fallen nearby, throwing knights that were nearby.......etc.


    So much so that the knights around him were dumbfounded as Mr. Dinh was flabbergasted.


    And as Mr. Din moved around to involve the stunned knight, the knight naturally became Mr. Din''s weapon and flew at me.


    ''Hey, Din! It''s time for a change! You can''t train the rest of us if all you do is work with Temma!


    After continuing for about an hour, Lyle-sama called for a stop.


    ''''Ha! Understood. Temma, that was fun! See you later.


    With a look of relief on his face, Mr. Din moved away from me.


    ''Oi, next! Somebody go f*ck Temma!


    The next knight doesn''t come easily, so Master Lyle, whoever you are, go! I instructed him, but no one came to me.


    ''Are you so afraid of losing to Temma! Isn''t it a proud knight of the Kingdom of Krastin to face any opponent!


    At Lyle-sama''s reprimand, most of the knights tried to come to me, but two knights appeared in front of me a step ahead of me.


    ''You can have both of them at the same time! Temma!


    Please, Mr. Tenma.


    It was Mr. Jang and Mr. Edgar who showed up. I met Edgar-san yesterday, but it''s been a long time since I''ve seen Jean-san.


    ''''That''s fine, but.......what about being a knight?


    They weren''t trying to provoke him, they were worried that the two of them would be made fun of by the other knights later on, but they both seemed to not care about such things.


    ''''Nah, we don''t need to worry about what someone who hasn''t fought says about us!


    I don''t think two would be enough but it would still hold up better than one.


    With those words as a cue, the two drew their swords and held them at the ready.


    Jean-san held the large sword at a slouching position, while Edgar-san was equipped with a one-handed sword in his right hand and a shield in his left.


    ''''Then let''s go!


    I decided to change my weapon from a stick to two one-handed swords. I tried not to stand in front of Jean-san as much as possible, and at the same time, I was careful not to let Edgar-san take my back.


    Unlike the previous training with Din-san, this time we decided to train mainly on counters and focus on defense.


    Jean''s style is basically a big swing. However, he seems to be aiming to break my stance by aiming at my arms and legs and setting up a body strike when my sword stops.


    And Edgar-san seems to have a style of dealing with attacks with his shield and aiming to counter with his sword.


    Both of them are trying to strike behind me in turn, and it was difficult to deal with them at the same time.


    If you launched an attack on one of them, the rest would attack you from behind.


    Moreover, since they were two different types of people, with one attack heavy and one sharp, there were times when it was dangerous to feint at either of them.


    But when their attacks began to become monotonous, I decided to decide on a winner.


    First, I stepped forward when Jean-san swung his sword to attack.


    This caught Jean-san off guard and caused him to swing his sword a bit closer to the position he was planning to swing it down from in the first place.


    Faster than Jean-san''s sword could be swung down, this time I flew backwards as fast as I could.


    Then Edgar-san, who was trying to get behind me this time, suddenly braked and stopped moving for a moment behind me.


    I used the momentum to shoot Keri at Edgar-san''s abdomen.


    ''''Ugh!''''


    Edgar-san was kicked away with a groan and rolled backwards as he was.


    ''Ahhhh, Edgar''s gone... well, it can''t be helped... let''s go!


    As Jean-san said that, he closed the gap in a flash and swung his sword.


    Unlike earlier, his sword line was quick and sharp.


    In terms of power, it was lower than earlier, but this one was harder to do.


    Jean''s continuous attacks were hard to stop.


    I didn''t get attacked, but the sword I have is nearing its limit.


    I''m sure he was anticipating that with his continuous attacks, but I couldn''t just wait for the weapons to break like this.


    ''''It''s time to go!


    Earlier, I had stopped my feet and looked for an opening to counter, but now I decided to try a fighting strategy using my legs.


    I didn''t take Jean''s attack with my sword properly, but instead I ducked and ducked.


    As I did so, inevitably, Jan''s strikes would increase, and my sword muscles gradually grew dull with fatigue.


    When my swordsmanship had slowed down, I focused my attacks on my arms and legs.


    Jean-san, too, stopped attacking continuously and started attacking me while fortifying his defense, but the fatigue from earlier and the pain from my attacks finally made him let go of his sword.


    ''''How about this?''''


    I stopped one sword between Jean''s eyes and the other at his neck.


    ''Oops! I give up!


    Mr. Jean raised his hands, breathing on his shoulders.


    Behind him, Edgar-san was finally standing up.


    ''''Go-ho, go-ho.......I thought I was going to get a hole in my stomach......If I hadn''t been wearing my armor, I would have died.......''''


    Edgar-san staggered closer to him, and when he heard those words, Jean-san smiled bitterly.


    ''''Then I was much better, that''s why........


    ''Brilliant work on both sides! Who''s going to take on Temma next!


    Before I knew it, it looked like it was going to be against me.


    Lyle-sama was about to decide on his next opponent, so I waited.


    ''''Lyle-sama, please let me take a break from the quicksand. There''s no point in training if you get seriously injured from fatigue.


    Lyle-sama agreed with my words and allowed me to take a break, but the knights who had just stood up against me seemed to lightly exceed five to sixty people.


    I heard that a total of one hundred people, fifty each from the Kingsguard and the First Knights, are participating in this training, so it''s more than half.


    It''s a huge difference from the first time. It seems that the knights recognized me as a suitable training partner, not just a child.


    Incidentally, both the Kingsguard and the First Order have a hundred members, so half of them are participating this time. So Chris-san and Sigurd-san didn''t participate in the joint training this time.


    After taking a twenty-minute break, I trained with the other knights as well.


    After training, I found out that many of the knights of the Kingsguard are more skilled (...) than the knights of the First Order... not in the sense of strength.


    Basically, it''s like the Konoe Guard has a wider range of skills and better coordination.


    However, not to mention Din-san, there is no one in sight who is stronger or better than Jean-san and Edgar-san, and at this point in time, my strength is rated on par with Din-san''s.


    The training, which continued until before noon, came to an end when it was almost time for lunch.


    It seems that they have another training session in the afternoon, so now it''s the rest of the knights'' turn.


    I was invited by Din-san to attend the afternoon training, but I refused because I had a promise (compulsory) to Maria-sama.


    When I looked at Shiroumaru and the others in the dimension bag after taking a dip before lunch, Shiroumaru and Solomon were a bit unfaithful.


    Apparently, they weren''t happy that I wasn''t paying much attention to them... I don''t know about Slarin, but he seemed to be quiet.


    I decided to do something apologetic next time, and threw some beef meat and horns I''d carved up in my bag, and I think his mood improved because he was happy to see me.


    I''m afraid I don''t know what to do with my post-lunch shopping.


    It''s common in both my previous life and this one that women''s shopping takes a long time, but this time I''m going along with the queen of a country shopping, there''s no way to counteract that!


    Please don''t get into any trouble.


    With that in mind, I put my lunch in my stomach.

 72-Chapter 4-7 Selfishness of the Royal Family, Afternoon Edition

    Temma, we need to get going.


    We had just finished lunch and were drinking tea when Mary came in.


    We don''t have much time, so let''s start with the nearest one today.


    Maria walks away as she pulls me along.


    When I walked out the door, there was a carriage parked there.


    Cliffe was in the governor''s seat, and Edgar and Chris and two other female knights were in front of the door.


    ''Are they all here already?''


    Lady Isabella and her friends are still here... no, they''re here.


    Who is Isabella? Just as I was thinking this, I heard footsteps coming from the doorway.


    ''Sorry to keep you waiting, mother-in-law,''


    The one who called Maria-sama her mother-in-law was a woman who looked to be about the same age as Chris.


    Beside her, Luna is also there.


    ''''I''m sorry, grandmother. I was picking out clothes with your mother and it took me a while...''''


    I couldn''t believe my ears at Luna''s words. If I hadn''t misheard, Luna would have called this woman ''mother'' just now.


    At that moment, I reflexively looked at Chris-san....I looked at her. And then my eyes met with Chris-san''s.


    ''Temma-kun ... why did you just look at me?''


    ...I think I saw the demon behind Mr. Chris...................


    It''s nothing, okay?


    Chris looked at me with a jittery look on his face, but he seemed to give up when I didn''t change my expression.


    ''Master Temma, even though you look like that, Chris is eight years younger than you are.


    ''Oh, I see! It''s strange since we look about the same age... oh!


    I blurted out my true feelings at the whisper of the demon (Cliffe) from behind me.


    "Temma-kun I''m still 23~


    Chris approached me with a smile on his face. But that smile was scary.


    ''Chris, it''s about time for 23,''


    Mr. Chris is not Mr. Cliffe, and he''s crowding me.


    ''I''m still fine, right! It''s still possible, right?!


    Chris grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me, and behind him, Cliffe is laughing.


    ''Are there no good people in the Kingsguard? For example, Mr. Edgar or Mr. Sigurd...


    When I mentioned their names to get out of Chris''s shaking, he looked very uncomfortable when I mentioned their names to get out of Chris''s shaking.


    I slipped out in the nick of time, but Chris-san still looked disgusted.


    ''Do you two look so disgusted?''


    Chris answered my question without pause.


    ''Absolutely not!''


    Mr. Edgar, who was listening nearby, seemed hurt by the answer. He is a little depressed.


    I don''t know what''s going on, but it looks like it''s best not to ask anymore about this.


    ''Temma, may I have a word? ''This is Isabella, Caesar''s wife. It would be easier to say the Crown Princess.


    Maria-sama introduced me to her and I looked at her face to greet her, but she still looks young.


    He has a petite build and a slightly childish face, and his chest is...smaller than Chris''s, I guess? Chris, you''re not one of those people.


    ''Nice to meet you, my name is Temma. It''s nice to meet you.


    ''Yes, I hear you. I''m Isabella von Bluemail Crustin, and I''m fine with Isabella I''m sorry that my boys have caused you so much trouble.


    Isabella-sama didn''t seem too pompous for a nobleman.


    Wondering about that....


    ''That''s strange, Temma. Is it so unusual for a nobleman to apologize? Well, as for Isabella, when I was looking for a wife for Caesar, I chose her for her personality....................just in case my family was a duke.


    Normally, the queen would not educate them directly, but it seems that Maria didn''t think it was a good idea for her to do so.


    When I asked her why, she said....


    Because it''s her (Your Majesty''s) child! You never know what you''ll end up doing with a bad education! Then you''d feel safer if you raised (and watched) them yourself!


    The answer was enough for anyone who knew the king''s character. Indeed, if there were three heirs to the throne with a personality like that, the country would be in trouble.


    ''''I see you''re convinced. Then let''s get going. ''''It''s taking me a strange amount of time! Let''s hurry up!


    With that, Maria got into the carriage. The carriage was a good size for about six people, so there was no problem with the size of the carriage, but as it started to run, she became painfully aware of how comfortable her carriage was.


    Carriages vibrate quite a bit, even in the city, and it''s quite hard to do without cushions or other cushions in the seats.


    ''Let''s go and look at the clothes first. Clef, please.


    Awe, sir. Let''s start with the most popular places these days.


    After saying that, Mr. Cliffe drove the carriage. Chris-san and the other escort knights took up positions on the front and back of the carriage, one on each side.


    ''How does Temma always choose her clothes?''


    Maria was sitting next to me, and she turned her face to the side to talk to me.


    ''''I usually choose them based on ease of movement. The rest of the time, it''s just about how well made it is, or if it looks strange to the people around me...''''


    With the exception of my time in Kukuri Village, I had never worn clothes that were tailored for me.


    In the Kukri village, I wore clothes made by my mother, Aunt Martha and other neighbors, and I had never had a tailor in my previous life, so I never had the feeling that I had to pay for a tailor.


    It''s a good idea to have a few of them in your life. Of course I''ll pay for it.


    ''Oh, I''ll serve it up then, mother-in-law. And I have to apologize for the trouble the children have caused me.


    Isabella-sama joined in on Maria-sama''s statement and the conversation was going on without me.


    I refrained from doing so at one point, but Maria-sama is the king and Lyle-sama''s attack? As an apology for the incident, Lady Isabella was told to give it as a token of her personal (...) gratitude for saving the lives of Tida and Luna.


    Furthermore, if they didn''t give some kind of apology first, they wouldn''t be able to show the other nobles that they were arrogant enough to do nothing to their benefactors or victims if they didn''t give them something to apologize for it first, and if they weren''t, the royals were an arrogant family that would do nothing to their benefactors or victims! I was even told that I might give the antifa a pretext for attacking them.


    So this time, they wanted me to receive it without hesitation, so they asked Maria and the others to each tailor an outfit for me.


    ''''Then I''ll give you the everyday clothes and Isabella will give you Temma''s gift of formal wear.


    Maria and Isabella''s gifts would normally be reversed, but in this case Maria apologizes for the pranks of the kings, and Isabella thanks her sons for saving their lives, so Isabella''s gift should be more expensive.


    The most important thing to remember is that they are ordinary clothes in the sense of royalty, so if they''re not good enough, they''ll cost as much as an ordinary nobleman''s formal wear, Clef told me.


    ''''Maria-sama, we''ll be arriving at our destination shop shortly, so I''ll let you go ahead.


    Chris, who was running alongside the carriage, reported that two female knights were ahead of him.


    The female knights lightly drove their horses and one ran to the desired store while the other went to secure a place to park the carriage.


    Arriving at the desired shop''s parking space reserved for nobles, they dismounted from the carriage and found it to be a rather large clothing store, with a sentence indicating the royal warrant and the royal coat of arms displayed at the sign at the entrance.


    "Welcome, Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness. We cordially welcome you.


    When I went under the entrance of the store, a man who seemed to be the owner of the store and his employees were lined up to greet me.


    Yes, it''s been a long time. I''d like to show you some of our new products and what''s in fashion today.


    Upon hearing Maria''s words, several employees went to the back of the store and immediately brought several pieces of clothing and ornaments.


    The shopkeeper came over to greet Lady Isabella while the employees were explaining the items to Maria.


    ''It''s been a long time, Lady Isabella, Lady Luna. Now I have something that will suit you both, please wait a moment.


    Thank you. But first, I''d like to ask for a suit of formal wear.


    As I said that, Isabella-sama introduced me from behind.


    ''''Hah, is this person''s formal wear........''''


    The owner looked at me and gave me a strange look. Apparently he thought I was some kind of escort or something, and he didn''t expect to be asked to wear my formal wear.


    However, the owner quickly steeled himself and led us to the back of the store.


    ''''First, let me take your measurements,''''


    Then he took my measurements and brought some clothes that fit based on them.


    ''This is just a sample, but is there anything you like?''


    Isabella-sama applies the clothes the shopkeeper brought to me and chooses with Luna.


    ''Will this one look better on me... or this one?''


    This one looks better on my brother!


    The two of us are arguing about a lot of things, and they seem to be so preoccupied that they''ve forgotten to ask me for my opinion.


    ''Isabella, Luna. I''m leaving Temma alone.


    Then Maria-sama, who had been looking at things in the store earlier, joined them and warned them.


    ''Oh, I''m sorry. I just got carried away.


    I''m sorry.


    The two of them who were warned by Maria-sama finally realized that they weren''t listening to me.


    ''''No, I don''t really know what''s good or bad about clothes...I just don''t like things that are too flashy, so that''s fine if you take that into consideration.


    At my words, the owner returned some samples and added some more clothes, this time in more moderate colors.


    ''''Well what do you think of this one?''''


    The clothes that Isabella-sama had chosen were blue in color and were built to be easy to move in, so she decided to try them on.


    ''''Yes, it looks good,''''


    When they see me wearing it, it seems to be rather well received.


    Can you make an outfit like this for me?


    Lady Isabella gave the owner her order and then she took me straight to look around the restaurant.


    I looked around for about an hour after that and left the store.


    ''Now for your normal clothes. Clef, please head to the next store.


    The next shop we headed to was a bit smaller than the one we had just left, but the store had more clothes than the one we had just left.


    ''Come on, let''s pick one out, Temma!


    The taut Maria, Isabella-sama and Luna were also taut for some reason, and they had a lot of opinions.


    We tried on a few clothes in that store as well, and after all, we looked around the store''s merchandise for about an hour.


    ''''Now that we''ve picked out Temma''s clothes, now it''s our clothes!


    Maria-sama is tautly giving instructions to Mr. Cleife.


    So the third shop we headed to was a shop specializing in women''s clothing, and inside the shop were underwear and other items.


    I felt uncomfortable going inside, so I said I''d wait outside, but Maria-sama and Isabella-sama forced me into the store.


    I couldn''t force myself to shake off the stone and walked into the store, but surprisingly, there were a few other male customers in the store besides me.


    It seems that all but a few of the men were forced by their female companions to join them, and I could see the pity in their eyes as they looked at me, as well as a slight sense of relief at having more friends.


    In addition, some of the male guests seemed to be of the gender that would become angry if they were judged to be male... I''m almost certain that they were looking at the other male guests with a stain on their cheeks.


    ''Temma, does this look good on you?''


    Mr. Temma, what do you think of this combination?


    Isn''t it cute, brother?


    Temma, are you getting a little young in these clothes?


    ''That''s not true, mother-in-law. It suits you.


    Your grandmother is so cute!


    Miss Temma, is this a bit plain?


    ''Well I think a little more fancy would suit Isabella, don''t you think?


    It''s not quite right.


    How about this, big brother?


    Luna! It''s too soon for you!


    Well you''ll have to wait six more years.


    Don''t you want me? The three of them are picking out their clothes without paying attention to me as these thoughts come to mind. All three of them ask me, at least in part, but before I can answer, someone interrupts me.


    So I''m only able to say something like, yeah, or yes.


    Moreover, Luna still has little shame, and every time she tries to bring a pair of fancy underwear to me and ask my opinion, she''s stopped by the two of them.


    Well, I don''t think I can give a decent opinion even if they bring it to me, and I don''t want to think about it.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with a good friend.


    ''''Ma''am, young mistress, it''s time to go,''''


    The three of them were engrossed in shopping when Mr. Cliffe appeared out of nowhere.


    ''''Oh, is it that time already?''''


    At Maria''s words, Isabella-sama handed the clerk the clothes and other items of clothing that she had been keeping.


    Mr. Cliffe went straight to pay the bill, and the female knight followed him.


    We were led by Chris and headed for the carriage where Edgar-san was waiting for us.


    This is how the shopping with Maria and the others came to an end, but we were really tired.


    I''m more tired than the morning training........whereas Maria-sama and the others are in good spirits.


    Luna doesn''t show any signs of being tired either, and is excitedly talking with Isabella-sama about what happened in the store.


    ''We had a good time today! I''ll be back! Hey, brother!


    I couldn''t instantly nod at Luna''s words.


    The women were looking at me with a smile, and the only one who was looking at me in sympathy was Edgar-san.


    There was another man here, but he was clearly enjoying my reaction.


    We were halfway to the carriage and on our way to the King''s Castle when Maria-sama, who had been quiet until then, unexpectedly opened her mouth.


    ''Doesn''t Temma hate us?''


    I had no idea what he was talking about when I heard those words.


    ''I''m talking about the incident in Kukri village. The responsibility for that incident can be said to lie with the Haust Frontier Count who hired the soldiers who caused the tragedy, and even more so with His Majesty who ordered the Frontier Count. I will ask you again on that basis. Do you have no grudge against His Majesty ... us royalty?


    Maria-sama''s words quieted not only the inside of the carriage, but also the knights who were on guard outside, waiting for my words.


    I opened my mouth after sorting out the meaning of Maria-sama''s words in my mind.


    ''I don''t hold a grudge.''


    ''Why? Your parents are dead because of us!


    Lady Maria seemed unconvinced by my answer.


    ''''Then you are quite resentful. Would it make sense if I told you that I wanted to kill the entire family and all the members of the family as well?


    If that''s Temma''s true intentions...


    I said it half in jest, but Lady Maria nodded with a serious expression.


    ''It wouldn''t be strange if Temma thought that. I can''t just sit back and let him kill me, but I still don''t think I have a choice.''


    Lady Isabella nodded at Maria''s words.


    ''If Temma-san and I were on opposite sides, and Tida and Luna died because of Temma-san, I would have hated Temma-san, whoever she was, to the point of wanting to kill her.


    ''''Even so, it wasn''t the kings who killed my parents, but the soldiers hired by the Lord of the Howst Frontier, the dragon zombies. It''s a pity they couldn''t kill those soldiers with their own hands, but the dragon zombies killed them with their own hands, and even if they hated them, it was only the Count of the Howst Frontier who chose those soldiers.


    Sir.....


    Lady Maria was about to say something, but I cut her off.


    ''It is true that at one time I hated and even hated all the nobles, knights and soldiers. But I''ve had the opportunity to interact with several nobles along the way. I''ve learned from them that even though they claim to have noble blood, there are some rubbish and good people who can''t help themselves. It''s the same for the common people. So it''s no use hating the king. And of course you people...


    Maria and the others listened quietly to my words.


    ''''Besides, if they really hated the kings, they would have slashed them during that bow and arrow incident.


    Although I said it jokingly, this is the truth. Even if I cut off the king''s head at that time, it could be said that I reflexively killed him because I was about to be killed.......well, if I did that, I would be called a great sinner no matter what reason I had.


    Anyway, right now I (........) don''t have anything against royalty, and I don''t hate them just because they are nobles.


    I think I''ve grown up mentally, or maybe I''ve sorted out my feelings over time... I still get sad unexpectedly sometimes, but...


    Maria and Isabella-sama were pondering as they chewed on my words.


    ''Well I''m glad you don''t hate us I''m glad your best friend''s son doesn''t hate you. .....


    Maria held her eyes with a handkerchief as she said this.


    For a few moments, there was silence around the carriage, and all that could be heard was the sound of the horses'' footsteps and the sound of the wheels.


    Maria took the handkerchief away from her eyes and looked me straight in the eye.


    ''Temma, you will not be adopted by me. I''ll convince you, Your Majesty.


    Maria-sama''s sudden offer surprised Isabella-sama, who was sparse to me, and Chris and the others, who were quietly asking what was going on inside.


    ''''What are you saying all of a sudden!


    It''s not hasty, I''ve been thinking about it for some time. I can''t give you the right to inherit the throne, but I can promise you a life of nobility and freedom.


    Maria''s eyes were serious. I suppose there was some pity and sympathy in them, but more than that, I could sense that she wanted to protect me on behalf of her mother and the others.


    ''''Thank you ... but I''ll have to decline.''''


    My words were met with incredulous stares from those around me, but Maria-sama was the only one who remained calm.


    ''May I ask why?''


    ''I am very happy to hear from you, Maria, but I have decided that I am not going to be adopted by anyone else in the future. I am the son of Ricardo and Shelia of the village of Kukri, and I have no intention of being the son of anyone else.


    Maria-sama looked disappointed, relieved, and complicated at my words, but she seemed to change her mind quickly.


    ''All right but just remember that that''s how much I want to take care of you. And if you need help with anything, please talk to me about it. I''ll help you as much as I can.


    Thank you....


    From then on, the air inside the carriage became delicate, and that air did not return to normal until they returned to the royal castle.


    Even in such an atmosphere, only Luna was sleeping peacefully.


    We arrived at the royal castle just as the sun was setting in another hour.


    When Cleif stopped the carriage at the front door, Aina welcomed him.


    ''Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back,''


    Maria-sama and the others walked past in front of Aina to greet her with a bow, but when I was about to walk past, Aina suddenly raised her head.


    ''I have a question for you, Temma-sama, about Jeanne and the others!


    There was a strange intensity in Aina''s voice that made us stop in our tracks.

 73-Chapter 4-7.5 Womans Pride

    I want to ask you something about Jeanne and the others.


    Her powerful voice seemed to reach the ears of not only me, but also Maria and the others, and they turned back to see what was going on.


    ''Aina, what on earth is going on? There''s something wrong with you, dear....


    Aina bowed her head to Maria-sama who looked worried.


    ''I''m sorry for startling you but I want to ask Tenma-sama ... no! I have to ask you something!


    Me and Maria-sama and the others were puzzled by Aina, who was a little excited.


    ''Temma-sama, what on earth did you do to Jeanne and the others...no, what did you do to Aura!


    I backed away from Aina as she packed up even more.


    ''Well, you''re a foolish, dumb, dumb Aura and yet your hair and skin were horribly shiny! What in God''s name did you do with Aura''s hair? Lady Temma!


    The words that were released from that powerful atmosphere made me cringe.


    ''Nah, what the hell, that''s not how it works................I was so nervous I lost it.


    ''I don''t know what you mean by that! There''s no way that aura, that aura could take care of itself that well! Tell me, Master Temma!


    ''Do you have something rude in mind? No, what about it, Master Temma!


    In a rare outburst of Aina''s outburst, Lady Maria put her hand on Aina''s shoulder and pulled her away from me...


    I''d be interested in that too, Temma!


    I got on with the story.


    ''Sure, Jeanne and Aura''s hair and skin were beautiful... if you look closely, Temma is beautiful too. Did Temma teach you how to take care of them?


    Maria-sama''s words led to Isabella-sama, Chris-san, and the female knights approaching her.


    Aina''s chest heaved at my words... a chest that was nowhere near as voluminous...


    ''That''s obvious! Aside from Jeanne, there''s no way Aura could take care of her like that!


    That''s a lot of confidence! And it''s kind of oddly satisfying.


    I''m afraid of being crowded by the ladies too much, so I decided to teach everyone the method I taught Aura and the others.


    ''Speaking of peculiar.......Slarin, come on out!


    I called Slarin from the back and introduced him to everyone.


    ''This guy is my family member, his name is Slarin. Actually, this Slarin is special, I don''t know why, but it can only dissolve the small debris and dirt on my hair and skin!


    The women are half in doubt about my words. But they ignore it and continue to speak further.


    ''Furthermore, by blending a liquid with these properties into your washed hair, you can make it shiny and beautiful. This will work better if you keep it on for a few days! And this soap is gentle on the skin, creating moisture and firmness!


    It sounds like a mail-order show, but I can vouch for its effectiveness because it has actually been tested on Jeanne, Aura, and even Shiroumaru... although there is something in it that is a bit hard to say... ...


    At my words, the gloomy atmosphere from earlier disappeared, and instead, an indescribable atmosphere emanated from the ladies.


    ''''I see.............................as I thought, Aura wasn''t amazing! Naturally, by the way... by the way... would you mind sharing that with me?


    Aina''s words elicited a shout from the other women.


    ''It''s not fair, Aina! Temma, please share with me!


    Mr. Temma, I want one for me!


    Mr. Temma! I know you have one for me!


    If you''d like, we can have....


    All at once, the ladies pack up. As for me, I could give it to them, but unlike the soap, I haven''t made this liquid recently, so this is the only bottle left for me to have.


    I explained, and Aina snatched it out of my hand and put it in her pocket.


    Aina, give it to me!


    Lady Maria gave her orders, but Aina did not listen to them.


    ''Just in case it happens, the queen must not suddenly use it! It''s too late for something to happen, so I''ll make sure it''s safe with my own body first. The queen will only use it after she''s sure it''s safe!


    I know what Aina is trying to say I get it, but after what I just saw, the words aren''t very convincing!


    Sure enough, Maria and the others are not convinced.


    ''Then we wouldn''t have a problem with it, Aina!


    That''s what Chris-san and the female knights voiced.


    The three of them crowded Aina and surrounded her from three directions.


    ''''Hey, Aina. If you want to investigate the effects of the drug, we are more suitable for it because our hair and skin are easily damaged by the usual intense training, right? Give it to me when you understand it!


    They stared at each other as such surprising statements were made.


    The ducked female knights tried to get behind Aina again, but it wasn''t working.


    Maria-sama and Isabella-sama are looking for an opening to somehow take the bottle away.


    ''Yes!''


    In the midst of this tension, Luna, who somehow approached Aina without anyone noticing, succeeded in taking the bottle.


    ''Yes, brother. I got it back!''''


    Luna comes to me innocently and offers me a bottle.


    ''No problem. I''ll give that to you Luna there''s only a little left but I think you can use it a couple of times, so start using it today.


    If I were an adult, I''d probably only have enough for one or two sessions, but if I was a kid and had a small amount of hair, Luna would be able to use it enough to see the effects.


    But I decided to nail it down, just in case.


    ''You guys aren''t going to take it away from your kids, are you?


    They had no choice but to give up on my words, but it seems that Aina suddenly came up with something.


    ''''Temma-sama........could it be that you have given that bottle to Aura and the others as well?''''


    With those words, I''m giving it to them, but.......before I can say it, the women, except for Luna and the two female knights, started to act.


    I''m 120% sure it''s those two who are aiming for it.


    This is because Luna has liquid, and as for the two female knights, it seems to be because they don''t have the guts to compete with the queens inside the king''s castle, as is the case with the two female knights.


    As a matter of fact, even the soapy water with this soap dissolved in it can have a similar effect to a liquid.......after all, the most important ingredient is the same.


    When I told them about it, the female knights wanted it, so I gave one to each of them.


    I also gave it to Luna and Clef, and then to Edgar, and the soap was gone, leaving me with my use of it.


    It''s very rude to say this, but I suppose this kind of situation is called ''a beggar in a hurry is not given much''... although I think it''s really rude since there are two royals in the house. That''s how important hair and skin are to women, I guess.


    All of the guards (except one) thanked me and then went back to their places.


    Left behind, Luna and I had no choice but to hold hands and duck through the doorway, and Luna led us back to our rooms.


    After that, we met up with Maria and Isabella who were running around in the middle of the corridor and went to the room where we all spoke yesterday.


    Incidentally, I heard afterwards that Jeanne didn''t have the liquid and only Aura had it, but she dropped it on the floor while Aina and Chris were fighting over it, so she didn''t get it in the end.


    From what I heard further, she said that the female knights and Mr. Edgar never told her about the soap because they were afraid of Chris-san afterwards.

 74-Chapter 4-8 Kukri Village Banquet

    A little while after sunset, my grandfather and I went to join the feast that the people of Kukuri village had prepared for us.


    Because we were late, we got tangled up with a group of old men who had already made their way to the party, but the ladies helped us out.


    However, the ladies surrounded me, touching me and confirming something.


    And when they were done, all of them began to cry at once.


    As I was confused and unable to keep up with the sudden turn of events, Uncle Mark, who came from behind me, put his hand on my head.


    I''m sorry for the sudden goofiness, Temma. We all couldn''t believe you were alive.


    According to Uncle Mark, everyone was waiting in the garden for him to get ready, not believing what he was saying, but when they said they were ready to finish, there was a strange tension in the air.


    But when we were just waiting for them to finish getting ready, I heard that they started to feel a strange sense of tension in the air, and some of the old men couldn''t stand such an atmosphere anymore and started drinking to take their minds off things.


    The old ladies didn''t drink, but the fact that they saw and touched me in person probably broke their tension and made them cry.


    ''But I''m really glad. I''m glad Temma is alive.


    Aunt Martha said and let me hold a card in my hand.


    ''Here''s something I left with you from Shelia.......give it to Temma........''


    It was my mom''s guild card, a memento, so to speak.


    ''Thank you, Auntie...''


    I took my mom''s card and took out my dad''s card from my magic bag and put it away in the same place.


    ''Whatever it is, it''s a happy day! I''m going to make a scene like I used to!


    Uncle Mark''s music started the party.


    It was like a festival in Kukuri village, with everyone eating, drinking, singing and dancing.


    There are about 40 people here now. More than half of the village was killed in the attack, and the number of people who survived was around 90 at first.


    Since then, however, more than a dozen people have died due to infections and injuries caused by the zombies.


    With half of the villagers dead and their houses destroyed, it was impossible for them to live in Kukri as they used to, so all the survivors moved to the city of Russell for a while, but from there, they started to rely on their friends and relatives, so that only the people here chose to live in the capital, according to the uncle He told me.


    ''Living in King''s Landing, you can see how it didn''t cost a fortune to live in Kukri village.''


    But as luck would have it, most of the people here are former adventurers, and even those who aren''t had experience hunting in the forest in Kukri village, so they''re said to be able to earn enough money to make a living if they don''t have the luxury of it.


    While we were talking about such things, the conversation gradually turned to my story so far.


    The story of Slarin and his friends came up, so I pulled them out of the bag and joined the party with them.


    Everyone was quite surprised when they saw Solomon, but he was quiet, so by the end they were together and eating their food.


    After that, the feast lasted until midnight, but by the end we were all drunk and sleeping in the garden.


    I didn''t get drunk because I don''t often get drunk from alcohol to begin with, but I still fell asleep with Shiroumaru as my pillow, probably because I was so tired from all this.


    I was able to sleep soundly that day. Did the nostalgic atmosphere have something to do with it?


    Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep and someone had put the covers over me, and when I woke up in the morning, I was holding the covers in my arms.


    The sun was already up, and it was getting light. The cool morning hours were long gone, and it was a little hot.


    Almost at the same time I woke up, Shiroumaru got up vigorously.


    ''Won!''


    Shiroumaru seemed to be urging for food, barking loudly and wagging his tail.


    As if in response to his voice, groans could be heard from the surroundings.


    It sounded like the moans of a zombie, which made me brace myself for a moment, but when I looked closer, I realized it was the sound of uncles suffering from a hangover.


    ''What the hell kind of voice are you making, man!


    Such voices are raised here and there.


    Apparently, the aunts are scolding the uncles. However, each time they do, the groans increase.


    If this is the case, someone passing by might report it to the knights..............................There''s something wrong with that house! And then....


    I wanted to avoid that, so I handed out some of the pills I had in my bag that would help with the hangover.


    The moaning gradually diminished as I handed out the pills that were fast-acting.


    However, since it only helped to lighten the headache from the hangover and had no effect on the upset feeling in the chest, the uncles sipped water or soup and lay down... It''s a miracle they didn''t throw up.


    The uncles were very upset with them...it seems that the women have a higher status in Kukuri village than the men.


    While scolding them, the ladies were busy cleaning up the banquet, serving breakfast (or lunch?), and making sure that all the food was ready. They made and did their thing, laughing and chatting in between.


    ''Temma, good morning you don''t look like you have a hangover.


    Aunt Martha looks into my face to make sure I''m okay, and then she puts the breakfast on her plate.


    ''Yes, for Temma! Bread and soup and some leftovers from yesterday.


    As my aunt handed me my breakfast, Shiroumaru peeked out from behind me.


    It''s as if she could use the rest, so hurry up! Or so I''d say. Solomon is standing behind Shiroumaru.


    "Shiroumaru is still the same, but this boy eats well, too.


    The ladies are sorting the meat and vegetables from yesterday''s leftovers for Shiroumaru and his friends.


    At first, they seemed to be quite afraid of Solomon, along with a slight wariness at the sight of him, but now they don''t seem to care much about him.


    ''At first I was a bit... well, quite surprised and scared by the fact that it''s a dragon, but when you look closely at it, it''s pretty. More importantly, you''re more beautiful than that guy.


    That guy is probably a dragon zombie. I don''t want to have Solomon with that thing, but that''s not an option. I was rather surprised at how well everyone had adapted to the situation.


    ''''Speaking of which, will Tenma be living in King''s Landing now?''''


    ''''No, I''ll be in King''s Landing until the tournament, but after that I''ll return to Seigen to conquer the dungeons.


    When I answered over breakfast, the ladies looked surprised and complicated.


    ''Why don''t you do that while living in King''s Landing!


    ''Yes! I''ve been trying to get to know you...


    "We should all live in King''s Landing!


    The aunts started fussing about trying to talk me out of it.


    ''Enough is enough!''


    The fussing aunts were stopped by the uncles who stood up, holding their heads down.


    ''Temma isn''t a little kid anymore! It is promised that Tenma has the talent to follow a dragon and become an adventurer who will make history in the future. And since we won''t be seeing Tenma again, we should just smile and watch over her instead of them....


    Uncle Mark''s words quieted not only the aunts, but also the uncles who had tried to convince him with them.


    In the midst of this delicate atmosphere, the previously forgotten grandpa spoke up.


    ''''Mi, mizuu~''''


    ........Apparently, I''m still suffering from a hangover.


    But because of that, I feel that the air is somewhat more relaxed than it was earlier.


    It doesn''t mean that we can''t see each other again, so if we have the chance to do this in the future, let''s continue to drink, eat and make noise like this, just like in the past! Just like in the past!


    The aunts reluctantly agreed to my suggestion, and they agreed to support me for now.


    Later, after we finished breakfast, we broke up in threes, with me, Grandpa, Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha remaining there at the end.


    ''So, what are you going to do now, Temma?''


    "I''ll gain experience through training and requests for a while. And then I''ll participate in a martial arts tournament.


    There is about a month and a half left until the convention.


    However, it seems that preparations for the festival have begun everywhere in the city, and you can hear people talking about the festival in many places.


    ''''Well then, you''ll be in the royal capital at least until the end of the festival, right?''''


    The aunt said that and was thinking about something.


    Then they chatted a bit about small talk and so on, and then the uncles left as well.


    "Well then, let''s go back to the castle for a while.......grandpa?


    Apparently the medication wasn''t working well and the hangover hadn''t subsided.


    Since I couldn''t walk around with my grandpa in this situation, I decided to carry him into the room and let him sleep in a suitable room.


    Just to be sure, I asked Slarin to take care of him, and I also left some water and medicine for him, so there should be no problem.


    There is a little over 10km from my grandfather''s house to the king''s castle in a straight line, and if you want to go down the road, it seems to be about 12km.


    The fastest way is to fly to the castle, but it seems to be an unnecessary hassle to do that.


    So I ran to the castle of the king for training, as expected in the center of the country, there were a lot of people.


    The people were just the right obstacle, and I think the training was of good quality...but I got too absorbed in it. I found myself running in the opposite direction of the doorway to the castle wall closest to my grandfather''s house.


    Moreover, the gatekeeper at the doorway was suspicious of me, and it took me a long time to get there.


    The fact that I was a royal guest was saved by more than one knight of the First Order who happened to be passing by and was a witness, but even I would have suspected it if I was asked to enter from a child who was sweating and breathing heavily, but even I would have suspected it.


    The gatekeeper apologized, but I said I didn''t care and went under the gate.


    Later, I remembered that I had a coat of arms given to me by the Duke of Sangha and decided to use it next time.


    It was three hours after we left my grandfather''s house that we arrived at the royal castle due to such happenings.


    The gatekeeper of the castle knew me, so after a brief check, he let me in.


    When I went to the front door of the castle, Jeanne and Aura greeted me.


    ''''Welcome back, Tenma-sama.''''


    Welcome back.


    They both bow their heads together and greet each other.


    ''Lady Temma, Maria is waiting for you. We will show you around.


    With that, Aura leads me away.


    Her appearance is full of discomfort and I worry that she has eaten something strange. And behind her, Jeanne follows silently........honestly, it''s creepy.


    There''s also a hint of Aina nearby, as if she''s trying to hide.


    As it was, I was brought to Maria''s room on the upper floor of the audience room.


    This castle, apparently, is the room of the royalty from the upper floor of the audience room.


    ''Excuse me, my queen. I have shown Lady Temma to you.


    Aura is knocking on the door. I don''t know what she didn''t like about the nearby Aina, but I could sense a little irritation from her.


    ''You can come in,''


    From inside, Maria gave her permission to enter the room.


    It was then that Aina approached noiselessly from behind Jeanne.


    ''Excuse me, Maria-sama. Come in, Lady Temma.


    Aina opened the door herself and let me in.


    ''Lady Temma, I''ll take Aura and the others.


    When Aina said that, Jeanne and Aura turned pale, but they followed her without refuting or disobeying her.


    ''Come in, Temma, come in,''


    Excuse me.


    I walked into the room and found Lady Maria and Lady Isabella sitting in chairs.


    ''I''m sorry, Temma. We just wanted to ask you a few questions.


    Maria offered me a seat in front of her, and as soon as I took my seat, she broke off the conversation.


    ''What are you going to do now Temma?''


    Now? First, you have to train until the martial arts tournament...


    I counted my fingers and tried to tell her what I was going to do in the future, but it didn''t seem to be what Maria wanted to hear.


    ''No, Temma, it''s not about that. I''m not talking about that, I''m talking about what you''re going to do in the future. Specifically, like marriage.


    What? Marriage....I''m not thinking about it right now...but so what?


    At my words, Maria-sama and Isabella-sama looked as if they wanted to say, I knew it.


    ''''Temma-san you''ve been spotted by some nobles.


    You fought against a nobleman in Gunjo City you must have a bad reputation.


    They seemed to be taken aback by my words.


    ''''No nobleman would care about such a small thing. The ones that are being eyed are mainly nobles below the Viscount, where they have more than one daughter.''''


    There are some lowly noblemen who want to use my daughter for their own ends, Mr. Temma.


    I can''t hate to hear that much about it... or I can''t blurt it out.


    ''Mostly in relation to Solomon and the royals, I suppose.


    Since my abilities as an adventurer are probably not well known outside of the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samonth''s connections, it''s probably Solomon, the dragon, or someone who wants to take me in, or a reformer who wants connections with royalty.


    ''Yes, that''s right.


    Maria looks a little angry.


    ''So, Temma, will you marry me? Or you can get engaged!


    ''Mother-in-law the way you put it, it''s like your mother-in-law is asking you to marry Miss Temma.


    ''That''s not very nice! ........But, Temma. Are there any good women in the royalist or factionless faction?


    I was asked in such a miko-playing atmosphere, and for a moment I thought of a female acquaintance (single only) I''d had so far.


    ''''........none. I hadn''t thought of such a thing before, and........


    As I said this, I felt Maria and the others'' eyes seemed to light up for a moment as I turned to the front.


    ''''That''s true. It was all of a sudden....................But remember, Temma has stepped into a world like that. In some cases, those who won''t give up unless they adopt Temma to a royalist aristocrat or get her engaged to a royalist relation may come to mess with you.


    I wondered if I had misjudged the look in their eyes earlier, but Maria and the others advised me with a conciliatory laugh.


    After that, we spent some time chatting about trivial matters and left Maria-sama''s room after about an hour.


    ''Looks like Temma has gone...''


    ''Looks like it...''


    Maria and Isabella started to talk after Temma left the room, leaving just enough time to finish a cup of tea, just in case.


    ''You saw the look on Temma''s face when she talked about women!


    Yes, I was watching you! That was a look that reminded me of someone else!


    What Temma saw was apparently not a mistake.


    ''I don''t know who it is, but I know who the candidate is based on my preliminary research!


    ''If that storyline reminded you of that, then you must be doing me no small favor!


    Which means that if it''s the person you have in mind, Temma might be willing to marry... and possibly become...!


    Yes, I think the odds are better than looking for one from scratch!


    They are talking about Temma. It''s already like being a first-time girl....


    ''This is just my hunch but I think Temma likes the older ones better. See, in Kukri village, it seems like there were only older people there.


    But then again, you might want to adore someone younger than you!


    They show off their ideas in various ways.


    ''Well I think my first choice would be Primera, my second choice would be Chris and my third choice would be Leena.


    I''d say my first choice is the three cat sisters, my second choice is Primera, and my third choice is Jeanne....


    They each present their predictions.


    ''It doesn''t look like there won''t be a Leena, does it?''


    ''No, in her case, it''s more like Leena forced her to come on and just go with it..................one wrong move and she''d be a stalker. For that matter, isn''t it unfair to have three first choices?


    ''The three cat sisters are triplets, so if we''re going to get married, I think it''s going to be all three of us at the same time! It''s a harem all at once!


    They gradually escalated, saying that Temma would be able to handle at least three people at the same time, or that she would be spoiled when they were alone, and finally, they went past marriage to talking about children, saying that I will name Temma''s child after her, etc.


    If a stranger saw these two people now, he would probably not recognize them as the queen and the crown prince.


    That''s how strange the content and atmosphere of their talk was.


    Their conversation continued until Aina, who had come to check on them, noticed them.

 75-Chapter 4-9 Mountain Thief King

    After Maria and the others told me about the marriage, things were difficult.


    We went to pick up Jeanne and the others first, and she is quite tired.


    Aura was even more exhausted than Jeanne, and she seemed even more emotionally unstable.


    As soon as she saw me, she looked around and then cried to me. It seems that she was half traumatized.


    ''''Te, Tenma-sama.......please take me and run away.......''''


    Yeah, that''s absurd! Aina says the next training session is in two days. Ganba!


    I put my hand on Aura''s shoulder as she spoke nonsense and said it as briskly as I could.


    I can feel the atmosphere of being upset from Jeanne, but I don''t get any response from Aura.


    ''''........No response. Just a corpse........''''


    To such Aura, I muttered a famous line from my previous life, but I didn''t get a tsk from Aura.


    Aura, who is dexterously fainting in a mid-height posture, looks like a well-made sculpture.


    ''''Title, ''Despair''!


    Jeanne replied to my naming with a wry smile.


    From the next day on, our lives became more regular in a way.


    For me, the first and second days were spent attending to requests from the guild, the third day was a rest day, the fourth day was spent training with Din-san and his team, the fifth and sixth days were spent attending to requests from the guild, the seventh day was a rest day, the eighth and ninth days were spent training with Din-san and his team, the tenth day was a rest day, and so on.


    Jeanne and Aura spent the first day with me and the guild, the second day with Aina''s instruction, the third day as a rest day, the fourth day with Aina''s instruction, the fifth day with the guild''s request, the sixth day with Aina''s instruction, the seventh day as a rest day, the eighth and ninth days with Aina''s instruction, and the tenth day as a rest day, which is the basic way that Jeanne and Aura spent their time in the royal capital.


    In the beginning, Aina had planned to instruct Auna from the first to the sixth day, the seventh day was to be a rest day, and the eighth to tenth day was to be the instruction of Aina, but Aura cried out that this was too much, so we negotiated, and finally my plan was adopted, with me as the master.


    ''Temma-sama, you are very good! Temma-sama, who saved me from that demon (Aina), is truly a god!


    That''s Aura''s line. It must have been very hard for her. She was bursting with joy at having more time to be free from Aina.


    However, this joy was to be broken from the first day.


    When I went to the guild to receive a request, I found Aina there in a maid''s outfit and equipped with a halberd.


    ''''Since we''re going to be here, I''ll accompany you. That way, I can work on instructing Aura in my free time.


    I forced myself to register for the party and followed the request.


    Aura''s face was tinged with despair, but since I didn''t refuse, it was decided that Aina would join the party.


    Aina told me later that it was apparently Maria-sama''s order that she entered my party.


    Aina herself is recognized by other noblemen as a maid for Maria-sama (the queen), so she was sent to keep them from meddling in her affairs.


    He wanted Aura to keep quiet about it because it was interesting.


    The guild''s request went around with requests that I had never experienced before, as much as possible, from the ones that could be done in a day.


    In that case, I didn''t care about the reward money, so the guild and the client were quite pleased with me.


    Since the guild''s requests had travel time within the King''s City, I would take the requests the day before, complete them the next day, and then leave after receiving another request.


    Occasionally, I took requests for overnight stays, using the rest days, but at that time, Jeanne and the others were away from home and were under Aina''s tutelage, and sometimes they complained when they returned.


    The training with Din-san and the others was basically just mixed in with the training of the knights, but sometimes we were made to train in a real battle style.


    Sometimes it was me versus my knights in a handicap match, and other times it was me versus my knights, or my knights against my knights, so the castle workers were not surprised to see Shiroumaru, Slarin, and Solomon.


    In the rest days, I was accompanied by a stressed Jeanne and Aura for shopping, or by royalty, or by my grandfather.


    After a month of this, I asked the guild to register for the tournament, and I passed an oddly dressed person.


    The guy was about two meters tall, his entire body was covered in tiger fur, and his head was wearing a tiger-shaped armor, so it was impossible to determine his gender from his face or his body.


    From the looks of it, it was too suspicious.


    So I tried to use an appraisal to find out....


    The appraisal doesn''t work!


    For some reason, the status I saw in the appraisal was garbled and blacked out, and I couldn''t read it.


    I was quite wary of that first experience, but that guy just looked at me for a second and walked out.


    ''What the hell is that guy?''


    He was kind of a creepy guy, Temma.


    A few people, including us, were in the path of the tiger furry just now, and they were all surprised by the strange look of the man and gave way.


    ''Have you ever seen someone like that? Sis.


    No, I don''t but I''ve heard of it.


    At Aina''s words, we and the adventurers nearby quieted down and listened to Aina''s words.


    ''''I don''t know the name of the person in the tiger fur just now, but his features are similar to the person who was called the ''Bandit King''.


    ''The Bandit King? Are you a criminal?


    Jeanne listens with a tilt of her head, but it won''t happen.


    ''''It won''t happen. After all, the security and guilds in King''s Landing are not so lax as to allow criminals to invade so openly........''''


    This is what it means. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but it''s not as easy as you might think.


    ''''Then why are you called the Bandit King?''''


    ''That''s because of the way they look and the requests they receive. The Bandit King likes to receive requests in the mountains and forests. Moreover, while doing so, he will take down the bandits lurking in the mountains and forests. And he''ll crush a large number of bandits with a single blow...


    But that doesn''t make sense to the bandit(...) king. Many adventurers seemed to think so.


    "Hey nee-chan, doesn''t that make the bandits strange?


    One adventurer came to visit Aina, and the adventurers around her nodded at the question.


    ''''Yes, of course you''re right. At first, he thought that the guild was simply an adventurer with good skills, an adventurer with good instincts, but they caught too many bandits (...), so they decided to ask a question.


    What''s the question?


    Aina stopped speaking at my question. Those listening around me gulped and waited for her next words.


    ''Isn''t that the person leading a huge bandit organization? And.....


    The way Aina speaks becomes more and more like she is telling a ghost story.


    The number of adventurers listening around her is increasing, and eventually, all of the adventurers in the guild are paying attention to Aina.


    ''''That''s why, not to mention from the guild, a group of knights were sent to investigate from the land lords and this royal capital. However, since not a single trace of such an organization was found, nor did anyone claim to have actually been harmed by the tiger-furred person, the investigation was terminated, but rumors circulated by those who heard the rumors of the investigation that there was a king of bandits, or bandits hunting bandits, or someone claiming to be a king in the mountains, etc. At some point, they called him ''The Bandit King''.


    Aina exhaled loudly, as if to say that she was done talking all over. The tension that had been hovering around the area fizzled out as she caught it.


    ''So Aina, when did that happen?''


    I asked the question that had stuck with me halfway through.


    ''A hundred years was a long time ago, wasn''t it?''


    It was a no-brainer. After all, it''s strange that all the adventurers here don''t know such a story together.


    Then I thought it was most likely a story made up by Aina, or a story from when the adventurers were not born (........).


    ''''But the story about the Bandit King is true. Probably, there is some material left in this guild.''''


    At those words, some adventurers and guild staff ran to the archives.


    ''''Even if that story is true, is it unlikely that that guy from earlier is the same person?


    What is it, Master Tenma? Perhaps it could be a long-lived species like the elves?


    Aura''s question is most definitely asked, but....


    ''If you''re an elf, you don''t get that lumpy, and if you''re a dwarf, you''re shorter, and even if you''re half of those things, I still don''t think you''re going to be that big.''


    That''s right, elves are said to have a lifespan of about four to five hundred years, and dwarves are said to have a lifespan of about two hundred years, and even half of those halves are said to have half of that... but most elves are slender, probably due to their life in the forest, and dwarves are muscular but short. This is a characteristic of the person.


    Rarely, there are some people whose blood is thin enough to cause ancestral regression, but it is said that the person''s ancestral features are more pronounced at that time.


    ''''So, it''s not without the possibility that Aura mentioned, but the idea that another person is pretending to be a bandit king, or dressed the same way, is more likely.


    I see.


    Aura seemed to agree. The remaining adventurers around them also spontaneously disbanded after Aina''s story was over.


    ''''Well, at any rate, whether that ''bandit king'' is real or fake, there''s no doubt that we need to be careful...''''


    My mutterings disappeared without the other three people hearing me.


    I found out afterwards that the bandit king had come to register for the individual tournament, so he might be fighting me soon... Aura was talking about it for some reason in a great way.


    When I heard that the bandit king had registered, it was then that I learned that registration for the martial arts tournament had begun, and I decided to register for the individual and team competitions.


    The team members for the team competition could register under their representative''s name, and the other members could simply apply on the day of the first day of the competition.


    ''Temma, what about the team members? Are we leaving too?


    ''No, it''s going to be me, Slarin, Shiroumaru, and Solomon. It''ll leave an opening in the crew, but I think it''ll be a good match.


    I''ll try to say that with my mouth, but I actually believe that we have a pretty good chance of winning. Even in the state of holding back, we''re still winning even if we''re dealing with multiple knights and kinsmen. I don''t know if Ding-san''s class is on the other side, but there aren''t many people with that kind of strength, and Ding-san said he wouldn''t participate.


    The Bandit King was a concern, but it wouldn''t be difficult to compete in both individual and team battles, if only to participate in the main competition. We must not be too careful though...


    There were no requests for that day, such as defeating or collecting, and they didn''t find anything very good.


    According to the guild staff, due to the proximity of the tournament, many adventurers from other cities and villages are coming to the city, so requests for money are quickly disappearing.


    ''''I can''t help but accept requests to clean up the city and so on... from now on, let''s make the day of the guild''s request a day of self-discipline.


    Aina''s eyes lit up at my casual suggestion........I think.


    ''''Then I would like to make Jeanne and Aura''s free time a day of instruction for me. Temma-sama, is it alright?


    Aina asks me for permission in a manner (...), but I guess it''s actually a decision in Aina''s mind.


    Jeanne and Aura are signaling me to refuse from a position where Aina can''t see me, but I quickly ignore them.


    ''Fine. I was going to go to the castle on my free day anyway.''''


    Thank you. Now, let''s get started right away today.


    I nodded at Aina''s suggestion and left the guild.


    Jeanne and Aura both had slumped their shoulders, but I followed Aina without saying a word.


    They seemed to have been trained a lot over the past month.


    Our schedule changed from that day on. Jeanne and Aura unfortunately had more time to teach Aina, but I would take the opportunity to learn some new magic.


    In the castle''s storeroom, there might be some books that contain magic I don''t know about.


    It''s a good idea to ask grandpa to teach me, but it''s not efficient when you don''t even know what magic you want to learn from him.


    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to ask him to teach me a new magic, Grandpa, but he''ll probably say ''Okay! What magic do you want me to teach you? I don''t think I''ll be able to move on from that.


    For now, I''d better look into it myself and see if there''s any good magic to ask about.


    After seeing Jeanne and Aura being taken away by Aina, I decided to go and ask the king for permission to use the storeroom.


    It''s not a good idea to go to the king''s room as it is, so I decided to find Cliffe and ask him to take me to the king''s place first.


    However, only in this kind of situation, I couldn''t find the divine butler. As I continued to search the castle, I found something hiding in the shadows of the forward furnishings.


    That something doesn''t seem to have noticed me, so I approach it with my breath and gently........


    Wow!


    I surprised him.


    ''Kyah! I''m sorry! I''m sorry! ................Huh?


    After being surprised, for some reason, the one who was desperately apologizing was Luna, the grandson and princess of the master of this royal castle, who was also a princess.


    ''''Moo~! You scared the hell out of me! I thought your brother had found you~!


    I don''t know what happened, but I heard that Luna is currently running away from Tida.


    ''I''m sorry... so why is Luna running away from Tida?


    At my question, Luna looked bummed out.


    ''''Um ... you won''t be mad at me?''''


    Depends on what you''re saying but I can''t promise I won''t be angry as much as possible.


    Luna seemed to respond to my answer only to the part where I said I wouldn''t get angry, and she taught me to pay attention to my surroundings.


    ''''You know what? It''s a study day today but I ran away! That''s why your brother was chasing me!


    When I asked for details, apparently today''s study was a day to be taught by Tida, and Tida''s purpose was to review and learn how to teach Luna by teaching her, and Luna''s study was an added bonus.


    ''I didn''t know why I was getting involved in your brother''s study, so I ran away!


    Which is the right thing for me to do in these cases?


    There are two main things I can think of, one is to let Tida know and the other is to pretend I didn''t see it.


    I thought about it for a moment and tried to pretend I hadn''t seen it, but then I realized something here.


    ''Come to think of it, Luna was royalty too...''


    What''s the matter with you, bro?


    So I made one suggestion.


    ''Okay, Luna. Let me show you a good hiding place.


    Really!


    As I thought, Luna with a bite.


    ''Yeah, come with me to the storeroom. It shouldn''t be hard to find out in there but is it okay for me to go into the storeroom without permission?


    At my question, Luna craned her neck to think about it, but she quickly came up with something.


    ''It''s okay, brother! If I''m here, they shouldn''t complain... and I''m the only one who''s going to be pissed off when your brother finds out...


    Luna blurts out the last word. He probably thought he said it so that I wouldn''t hear him, but I heard him correctly.


    "What did you say, Luna?


    Hey, it''s nothing! Come on, let''s go.


    Luna pulls my hand and hurries ahead. She seems to have left the anti-Tida measures to me, and seems to be less wary than before.


    ''I''m here. Quick, quick!


    Opening the door to the stacks, Luna beckons from inside, half-heartedly.


    But then.....


    Oh, Temma! Have you seen Luna!


    Tida appeared from the front of me.


    Luna''s voice startled her, and she quickly stepped inside. Then she hid in the shadows of a nearby bookshelf, frantically holding up a finger to her mouth, pleading with me to keep quiet.


    ''Luna dude, it''s study day and he ran off somewhere... so have you seen Luna?


    Tida didn''t seem to notice Luna and came over to me and asked for information about Luna.


    I looked sideways for a moment to see where Luna was, and my eyes met with Luna''s, who was peeking at my face.


    At that moment, I smiled at her.


    ''Temma-san?'' How can I help you?


    ''Oh, I''m sorry, that was about Luna. I know, or rather, she must be close by.


    ''Really? Where are you?!


    Tida reacted loudly and Luna shrugged.


    ''Yeah, I asked Luna to bring me here and give me permission to use this place but she ran off in the opposite direction just before Tida arrived.


    Then he pointed in the opposite direction.


    ''Thank you!''


    Tida thanked him and hobbled off to find Luna.


    ''''Well it looks like that''s enough, Luna.


    I walked into the stacks and called out to Luna.


    Luna sat down on the floor as if she was deflated, then looked up at me and puffed out her cheeks.


    ''Moo~! Don''t freak me out!


    Luna yelled out from the recoil of her previous breathlessness... without even checking her surroundings.


    ''Shut up, Luna! This is the place to be quiet. If you make too much noise, I''ll call Tida!


    Hee!


    Luna was surprised by the sudden reprimand, shrugging her shoulders involuntarily.


    The owner of that voice was the Lord of Finance, who was piling up books like a mountain on a table in the middle of the library.

 76-Chapter 4-10 Yakushis disciple

    ''Luna, I''m not going to be picky about skipping my studies. That''s because it''s Luna and Tida''s problem. But if you get in my way, I''ll kick you out and then I''ll call Tida and preach to you and Tida together.


    The Lord Treasurer clearly stated that he would involve Tida.


    Luna, who was a stone''s throw away, covered her mouth with her hand and nodded.


    ''And Temma. From now on, you don''t need to ask for permission to use the storeroom for every single thing, I''ll talk to His Majesty about it. However, the forbidden books are stored in the basement, so don''t step in there.


    When he finished, he was flipping through the pages of his book and writing some notes, as if he didn''t care about us.


    We didn''t feel comfortable sitting next to him, so we took a seat away from him and looked for a book.


    ''So, what book are you looking for, brother?''


    Luna visited me as she placed some children''s books on the table.


    ''They''re magic-related books. Well, there are some books on medicine mixed in, too.''


    When I said, "Medicine," I thought the Lord Treasurer responded, but when I turned to him, he was flipping through a book just like before.


    ''Your brother can make medicine too?''


    ''Yeah, when I was in Kukri village, my mom drilled me in the basics. That''s why I''m learning how to prepare and use medicines.


    As Luna and I were talking about such things, the Finance Lord suddenly got up from his seat and came towards us.


    He said, "Temma, your mother is Lord Shelia, right? And that Lord Shelia taught you how to mix a potion.


    Yes, I know, but...


    I gave a half-hearted answer to the sudden question, but the Lord Treasurer didn''t seem to care about that, and he suddenly bowed his head.


    ''Please, Temma. Help me!


    His head was almost confused by the sudden attitude of the Lord Treasurer, but he took a deep breath and tried to remain calm, and spoke to the still bowing Lord Treasurer.


    ''Raise your head for now, please. It''s hard to talk to you as it is, and most importantly, if you don''t tell me why, I don''t know what I can help you with.


    I''m sorry for that all of a sudden.


    Raising his head, the Lord Treasurer took a series of deep breaths, and when he had calmed down, he sat down in his chair and began to explain the situation.


    ''What I need your help with is my wife. The truth is, my wife has always been very weak, and it''s not uncommon for her to fall asleep, but since about six months ago, she has been acting strangely.


    According to the Lord Treasurer, his wife has been in bed for about six months now, and at first he thought she was suffering from a mild cold, as usual. But a month or two passed, and there was no sign of any recovery in her condition.


    He said that sometimes the symptoms were mild, but he was unable to stand up by himself and it was all he could do to sit up.


    The movement of the limbs has become even slower lately, so he has taken them to the doctors in the capital and tried various medicines, but none of them are very effective.


    But I''m not really a doctor. I only learned a little bit of medicine from my mother, you know?


    I was wondering why you want me to help you.


    I''m sure you''ve been wondering why I''m asking for your help," he said, "Mother of Tenma......................Lord Shelia was also a famous medicine maker. Moreover, the medicines made from the best herbs from the village of Kukri were said to be among the hidden treasures of the royal capital, and were valued by the nobility.


    He has a reason to say that.


    ''I''ve never heard of that before but I don''t know if I can help you.


    ''That''s okay! Maybe Temma has been taught something by Lord Ciria that the doctors in King''s Landing don''t know! Now I''m willing to try what little potential there is!


    I don''t know if I can help with the Finance Lord''s desperation, but I decided to take a look at his wife once after preambleing that I didn''t know if I could help him.


    ''Thanks. Then I''ll go get ready right away and you can wait for me at the door!


    With that, the Lord Treasurer hurried out of the stacks.


    ''Can we leave the Lord Treasurer''s book as it is someone will fix it. Anyway, what about Luna?


    Luna thought for a moment and then hurriedly began to fix her book.


    ''I''ll follow you! It''s been a long time since I''ve seen your aunt!


    So Luna said, and as they left the stacks, they bumped into Tida as she opened the door.


    ''There you are! Mr. Temma, what does this mean!


    Luna quickly hid behind me when she saw Tida looking a little angry.


    The best way to do this is to have a look at the book. I''m sorry to say that I left her alone as she started to study,


    When I lied quietly, Tida didn''t seem to be convinced, but she was reluctantly convinced when I told her that the Lord Treasurer was there too... I didn''t lie because the Lord Treasurer was definitely there.


    ''And you know what, Tida? I''m on my way to see the Finance Lord''s wife, and I''m going to take Luna with me.


    To your aunt''s? Your aunt is sick, and if Luna goes, it would be a nuisance... and I have my studies to do...


    Luna seemed to snap at Tida''s words, but before Luna could make a scene, I opened my mouth.


    ''''You need a change of scenery every once in a while, so I''m sure you''ll be happy to take Luna with you. Besides, if it doesn''t work, the Treasurer will stop you and besides, you won''t learn to study in this situation, will you?


    I pointed at Luna, who was puffing out her cheeks grumpily behind me, and tried to persuade Tida to do something about it.


    ''''........well, I''m sure you''re right but to say that you won''t study just because you''re grumpy......''''


    ''Well, well, I''ve got an idea. Luna, you''re going to get it right the next time you study. If you do that, I''ll call Luna right when Shiroumaru and Solomon play, too.


    Shilomar and his friends have been a little under-exercised lately, so I was going to let them play to their heart''s content soon.


    There was no way Luna, who loves Solomon, could resist this temptation!


    Hearing my words, Luna, as expected, put on a big smile.


    ''Really! It''s true, it''s true! Then I''ll study hard!


    Tida was surprised by Luna''s change and looked complicated, but since Luna was so motivated, she went back only to promise her next study.


    ''Brother! Make sure you keep your word!


    Luna, in a good mood, took me by the hand and I headed for the front door.


    The Treasurer had not yet arrived at the front door, and there was only one carriage parked there. Incidentally, there was someone sitting on the groom''s seat whom I had never seen before.


    ''Sorry, have I kept you waiting?''


    Not long after we got to the door, the Lord Treasurer came in, breathless.


    ''No, we just arrived. Also, Luna would like to follow me, if you don''t mind.


    I looked at Luna as I said this, and she was already about to get into the carriage.


    Well, that''s fine. It doesn''t seem to be a contagious disease, and my wife will be happy to see Luna for the first time in a long time.


    Seeing Luna, who was asking about us in the carriage, the Finance Lord said with a sigh.


    ''''Get in for now. My mansion isn''t too far from the royal castle, but even so, it might be too late to get there now.''''


    The Lord Treasurer hurried me into the carriage and told the gentleman where to go.


    It took about twenty minutes for the carriage to arrive at the Lord Treasurer''s mansion after the carriage left the front door.


    When we got out of the carriage, the Lord Treasurer led us at a fast pace through the front door.


    We passed a few servants on the way and were surprised, but when we saw the Lord Treasurer go upstairs without a sideways glance, he went back to his work, as if he had been satisfied with what he was doing.


    ''It''s me, come in, Misery.


    As soon as he arrived at the corner room on the second floor, the Lord Treasurer opened the door without knocking.


    Through the open door, you see a woman lying on a bed looking at you and a maid who seems to be her caretaker.


    The maid looked at the treasurer, bowed, and left the room.


    ''What''s the matter, sir, in such a hurry?''


    I''m sorry to disturb you. Actually, I brought someone here to see to your illness.


    Then, as I stood at the door, the Lord Treasurer beckoned me over.


    ''I believe I have told you,'' he said, ''that this is Temma, who rescued your father in the village of Kukri. Temma, she is my wife, Misalia.


    Nice to meet you, I''m Temma.


    ''Oh! Let''s call your rumored Mr. Tenma. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Missalia. The people closest to me call me Misery. Oh, please, Miss Tenma, you can call me Miss Tenma too. Luna used to come here too.


    It''s been a long time, aunt.


    After a brief greeting, Mr. Misery asked the Lord Treasurer.


    ''So, were you in a hurry to introduce Miss Temma to us?


    The only problem is that Temma was learning about medicine from her mother, Lord Ciria, in the village of Kukri. That''s why I asked her to come to me to see if she knew anything about your illness.


    Well, it was.


    "Temma, can you take a look at this as soon as possible?


    Please, Miss Temma.


    I switched places with the Lord Treasurer and stood by Miss Misery''s side.


    ''I''ll do what I can but please don''t expect too much.


    Then I did as Mom had done and tried to get a pulse and did some light palpation.


    My pulse was about 80 per minute, so it should be normal if it was as I knew in my previous life.


    I called one of the female maids close to my age to measure it, and it was a little over 70 as well, so I figured there was no problem.


    And as for the palpation, this one was quite problematic.


    ''Miss Misery, can you see I''m touching this place?''


    No.


    And this one?


    No.


    I tried pushing a little harder from the thumb area of my toe, but it seemed to dull my reaction and pain perception considerably.


    On top of that, my skin was a bit hard and I could hardly feel any magic power.


    ''''Perhaps, but there''s a high possibility that Misery-san is suffering from a magic power disorder.


    The pathway of magic power is called "magic circuit" in this world.


    And when the circulation of the magic circuit is slow and magic power cannot pass through it, it is called "magic circuit disorder" or "magic circuit insufficiency".


    However, this disease is rare nowadays and many people don''t know about it.


    The reason for this is the development of magical medicine. In the olden days, treatment was usually done with a combination of medicine and magic, but nowadays, medicine was only used for simple injuries and illnesses, and a large percentage of the treatment was done with magic.


    The reason for this is that the number of users has increased due to the following advantages: magic treatment is painless and quicker to heal, the cost of treatment is cheaper considering the time it takes to fully recover, there are fewer complaints when a patient dies, and the number of wizards has increased compared to the past, making it easier to get treatment.


    In the case of death claims, in the case of conventional treatment, it depends entirely on the doctor''s ability to heal, but in the case of recovery magic, no matter how bad the magic is, as long as the magician is able to activate it, the injury is healed...........................However, how far he can recover is up to the wizard I have, but....


    So even if a patient dies, if they say "we used all the magic we could, but it was too late for the magic to work," or "the injury was healed, but the patient died from other factors," even if they try to complain, the surface injuries are often sealed up when the magic is cast, so the magic doesn''t work clearly. There are circumstances that make it difficult to judge that it wasn''t there.


    It''s not that there is no qualification for being a doctor in this world to begin with, it''s just a matter of saying "I can use my recovery magic, so I''ll become a doctor from today".


    However, there are some who call themselves doctors after properly studying under a doctor and gaining experience, but since there is no specialized school like in their previous lives, there is a natural gap between the skills of the doctors... and that is extreme.


    So, there are few doctors like ''internists'' who treat people with medicine and other treatments based on correct knowledge and experience.


    What''s more, in the case of a magic circuit disorder, most doctors these days don''t know how to treat it, since it requires the skills of a magic treatment and an internist.


    ''''So, Temma knows the cure!


    When I told him about the magical circuitry disorder, the Lord Treasurer grabbed both of me and asked me.


    ''I know of a cure for mild symptoms, but I don''t know of a cure for symptoms this severe.


    I told the treasurer what my mother had taught me.


    ''''A magic circuit disorder is when a part of the magic circuit circulating through the body doesn''t allow magic power to pass through. If it''s a mild symptom, you can simply channel magic power from the outside, but in Misery-san''s case, her condition is quite advanced, so if you use this method, you''ll damage the magic circuit, and if it''s done poorly, there''s a risk of her dying of shock.


    If you compare the circuit to a hose, in the case of mild symptoms, the hose itself is not damaged, and it is clogged with debris.


    However, in the case of severe symptoms, the hose itself is damaged and there is a lot of debris stuck inside. Therefore, if you do the same thing with mild symptoms, there is a very high possibility that the hose itself will not be able to withstand the water pressure and will rupture.


    And in this case, the magical power that would cause it to rupture would injure the body, so there is a high chance of death from it.


    When I explained that, the air around me began to feel heavy, but my story continued.


    ''I think Grandpa can fix it. And Mom said that Grandpa taught her how to heal him.


    ''Can Master Merlin cure Misery?


    As soon as the Treasurer heard my words, he ran out of the room in a state of excitement.


    I was stunned and dumbfounded by the suddenness of the event, but when the Treasurer came back, he grabbed my hand and ran me straight to the carriage.


    Luna waved at me as I left the room, and this time she didn''t seem to be interested in following me.


    ''''Lord Treasurer, if you''re just going to fetch Grandpa, I think it would be quicker if I flew over...''''


    I said that to the Lord Treasurer, who was poorly shaking his arms in the carriage, but the Lord Treasurer did not shake his head at my suggestion.


    ''It would certainly be the quickest way to do it, but we can''t do anything without courtesy when we''re in the position to ask for it. I''m sorry for Temma, but I''d like you to go with me in the carriage.


    I know it''s too late to drag me this far, but after all, the Financial Lord has that king''s blood in his veins.


    When I think about it, I can''t help but wonder if it''s inevitable this time.


    Then an unsettled atmosphere reigned in the carriage.


    The cause was the Lord Treasurer. He''s been fidgety and restless since a while ago, opening his mouth to talk to me from time to time, and then shutting his mouth with a look of not knowing what to say.


    I thought about talking to him, but he looked quite serious and seemed to be thinking, so I dared to ignore him.


    After such a few times, the carriage arrived in front of my grandfather''s mansion.


    In the yard of my grandfather''s mansion, a guard golem was positioned in the yard of my grandfather''s mansion, and two golems reacted to the carriage and came to the gate, but they seemed to sense my magic and opened the gate with two of them and led the carriage inside.


    The golem looked quite surprised, but when I instructed him to go inside with the carriage and told him that the golems wouldn''t do anything if he stayed quietly in the driver''s seat, he was relieved and nervously led the carriage to the front door.


    ''Come inside, Lord Treasurer,''


    Uh-huh...


    I ducked through the front door of the mansion with a somewhat nervous-looking Finance Minister in tow.


    I was going to show him to the reception room first, but before I could do so, Grandpa showed up.


    You''re early, Temma. It''s the Lord Treasurer. Is something wrong?


    ''I have a question for you grandpa. Grandpa, can you treat someone who is suffering from a magic circuit disorder?


    When I asked him point-blank, he tossed his head, but he must have guessed something from the finance lord''s appearance.


    "For now, let''s just hear the details.......come to my room.


    Hmmm, I get the gist of it. I''ll come to a conclusion. I have no cure.


    Soon after that, I moved to Grandpa''s room to explain what happened, and he replied that he did.


    The Lord Treasurer was clearly disheartened by his immediate answer.


    ''''But Mom said that Grandpa taught her the cure,''''


    It is true that I know the cure, Temma, but those who know the cure are not always able to cure. But those who know the cure are not always the ones who can treat it. If this were a mild case, I could have cured it myself.


    Grandpa said ruefully.


    ''''No, just finding out the symptoms was a harvest. Now I''ll try to find someone who can manage to treat it...''''


    The Treasurer said, and was about to leave his seat and head for the door when Grandpa stopped him.


    He said, "Well, wait and see. There''s a good chance you''ll be too late to look for him," he said. There''s a better chance of recovery.


    It''s true!


    The Treasurer turned on his heel and crowded in on Grandpa.


    He turned on his heel and walked over to Grandpa. The way to do that Temma, you will learn the cure.


    What? Me?


    Suddenly I froze, sounding dumb at the words.

 77-Chapter 4-11 Practitioner Tenma

    ''Yes. It''s the fastest way for Temma to learn, and most likely to help.


    Grandpa pulled out two books from the bookshelf and handed them to me.


    These are books written by Shelia. One is a book of notes written by Shelia when she examined a patient and the other is a book of cures that she wrote and compiled.


    I searched for a page from the book that had a cure for magical disorders for now.


    The cures were spelled out for each symptom with holes in the paper, so I was able to find them soon after.


    There, apart from the treatments I knew (how to cure by forcibly channeling magical power), it also said how to cure a patient whose symptoms were severe.


    ''How to treat a severely ill patient. Step 1: Warm the patient''s back and relax the muscles. Step 2: Find the stagnation of magic and use a needle or something else to restore the stagnation to normal. Step 3. When the stagnation of the magic power returns to normal, gradually release the practitioner''s magic power. Step 4. Thereafter, repeat the procedure several times until the patient''s stagnation becomes normal. The above has been proven to cure most patients....


    Before I could finish reading, the Lord Treasurer grabbed me by both shoulders and shook me.


    ''You will be cured! So Misery can be cured!


    I''m sorry for the excited Lord Treasurer, but I hadn''t finished reading the important part of the book yet.


    ''''Well, wait! However, it is not known whether the direct cause of death was rejection....


    Even though the cause and effect relationship is unknown, it can''t be called a safe treatment as long as there are actually deaths.


    ''''But there''s no other treatment.......If this continues, Misery''s life is in danger.......''''


    He was beginning to wonder what to do, when Grandpa spoke up.


    It''s true that it would be a good idea to find someone else who knows of a cure or has a proven track record. But I believe that Tenma has a better chance of saving her life than you do of saving yours.


    What is the basis for this...


    When Grandpa assured him of this, the Lord Treasurer asked him, "Perhaps there is no one in the capital who is more skilled in controlling magic than Temma.


    ''''Perhaps there is no one in the capital who is more adept at controlling magic than Temma.


    If that''s the reason, I''m sure Grandpa could cure you as well.


    As a finance lord, I think you''d feel more comfortable with grandpa treating you than with me. I glanced sideways at the Finance Lord''s face, but judging from the Finance Lord''s expression, I''m not wrong.


    It''s impossible. I was originally no match for Shelia in terms of delicate magic control, and Temma is even better than Shelia. Moreover, my age has made me less adept at the details these days.


    When he was told that it was because of his age, the finance minister seemed to have some understanding.


    I''ll be there to support Tenma and I''m not going to do it all at once," he said. I''ll have a meeting with Tenma right away to discuss a safer way to treat the disease.


    Grandpa said, and then decided to let the Lord Treasurer leave.


    ''''So, good luck then.''''


    The Treasurer bowed his head and then climbed into the carriage, but the slightest hint of anxiety could be seen on his face.


    ''''Well then, Temma. Let''s try a lot of things (...).


    Then my grandpa and I tried various methods, and after only three days, we found a satisfactory cure.


    However, during those three days, he was confined to his room except for toilets and meals, and occasionally heard him screaming from inside his room, and when he came out of his room, the kings were at the mansion for some reason, and they were very worried about him.


    As for His Excellency the Grand Duke, he had written the arrangements for his grandfather''s funeral on a piece of paper, and from there the usual flirtation developed.


    Incidentally, from the signature on the paper, His Excellency the Grand Duke''s name was "Ernest von Audrey".


    His Excellency the Grand Duke told me to call him by his name just as I learned his name, so I will try to call him ''Ernest-sama'' as much as possible from now on.


    ''''Ho-ho-ho........are you jealous! This is the result of my experiments with Temma!


    As soon as Grandpa answered that, the women (Aura, Aina, and Chris-san) stared at me.


    ''''Temma-sama, we have a young and spiffy experimental body here, please use it!


    Wait, Aura! You were trying to sneak away! Master Temma, I thought I would be a better test subject than that one!


    ''Temma-kun you can leave those two noisy people alone and use me as an experiment.


    While all three men were checking each other out, the king suddenly stood up.


    ''Temma. Will you try it with me?


    I thought he was playing miko as usual, but I was surprised to see the serious expression on the king''s face for the first time.


    I''m sorry to say, but I can''t do anything about it, even though my daughter-in-law (Musume) was suffering. I''m sorry to say it, but I want to see with my own body if it is really safe. Looking at the state of Merlin-dono, it looks like he''s succeeding.


    The king''s resolve did not waver, no matter who in this place could persuade him to do so.


    When it became clear that nothing I could say would change the king''s resolve, Master Ernest decided to impose a condition.


    I understand your resolve," he said, "but you have to try it with me first. I''m even older than you, so if there''s nothing wrong with me, you can try to find out for yourself.


    Okay, Uncle.


    When the king managed to convince him, he asked Ernest-sama and Mr. Cliffe to experience the treatment method.


    The purpose of this treatment method is to normalize the body''s magic circuitry, so there should be no problem if you do it on a healthy person... at least Grandpa is fine now that he''s fine... maybe.


    ''Then we''ll do it in this room.


    I took them to a room with a bed and decided to administer the treatment.


    By the way, since it was called a treatment, I made them not to enter the room except for the two patients and the grandfather who was the support person.


    ''Well, now that we''re ready, let''s get started. You may tingle, but try not to move too much.


    Let the treatment begin!


    It''s getting a lot harder...


    Oh.


    Whoa.


    Maybe this one too...


    There it is!


    Ugh.


    ..........


    Ew.


    Ugh.


    interchangeable


    interchangeable


    interchangeable


    30 minutes later.


    There''s nothing wrong with that!


    ''Yes. However, I think it''s a matter of being too pleasant in a way.


    The skin of the two of them talking about such things is getting shinier, and they seem to be getting younger at heart.


    The king judged that there was no problem, but perhaps it was his imagination, but he seemed more put off than before.


    Somehow, when I look at the women, they all have slightly red faces.


    ''''Then let''s go........''''


    Wow!


    There!


    Heeeee!


    Chestoe!


    Noooooooo.


    There it is!


    Oh....


    interchangeable


    interchangeable


    interchangeable


    interchangeable


    interchangeable


    30 minutes later.


    ...I could see a new world!


    There was a king standing there, full of supreme power.


    ''''........Temma. What was that call you made earlier?


    No, she seemed to be really tired, and I was going to give her a spirited treatment, but I got a little too worked up and got carried away.


    The treatment was a bit out of tune, but the treatment was successful and all three of them seemed to be rejuvenated at heart.


    For now, the king, who judged that there was no problem with the treatment, had instructed Mr. Cliffe to head to the treasurer''s residence, but Aina and Jeanne waited for him.


    ''''Your Majesty, I''m sorry to inform you, but there is a problem with Tenma-sama''s treatment!


    ''Aina is right.


    While the men nodded their heads, Aina said clearly.


    ''''If we mess up, some of us might suspect Missalia-sama and Temma-sama of adultery... that''s how much His Majesty and the others... that... that... panting... It was big.


    At Aina''s words, the kings coughed in unison.


    ''''Um... if you heard that voice without knowing what''s going on, I don''t think it''s any wonder you''d think we''re doing something shady with Temma inside...''''


    Jeanne''s words with a blush on her face stopped her from saying it, and the kings looked awkward.


    Because of this, an indescribably subtle air flowed in the room, giving the illusion that time had stopped.


    ''''Um~ I hate to say this, but I wouldn''t normally react like that.......''''


    I couldn''t stand this air and I couldn''t help but speak up about it.


    ''What do you mean, Temma?''


    In fact, originally, during the first massage, we apply a medicine to the skin to numb the sense of pain and sensation. Otherwise, some people may feel pain when expanding their magic circuits... I didn''t dare (...) use the medicine this time to make the effect easier to understand.


    The kings look kind of dumb as their mouths fall open at my spoiler.


    ''So I don''t normally feel that much (...).


    Sorry, I bowed my head and apologized in passing. Around the time I said I felt (...), Aura and Chris-san blew out slightly, and Aina''s mouth was trembling slightly, although she was also holding back. When it came to Jeanne, her face was even redder and embarrassed, and she didn''t seem to have time to laugh.


    After a while, the color of the kings'' faces returned to normal and they once again decided to head to the treasurer''s residence.


    Initially, Aina was going to remain in grandpa''s mansion for Jeanne and Aura''s training, but because of my mischief, she seemed to have created distrust in the treatment, and decided to follow me, saying, ''I don''t know what''s going to happen, so it''s no better to have many female hands''.


    As it was, the members in the mansion headed to the Lord Treasurer''s mansion, and the Lord Treasurer, who had already received the news, was waiting outside the gate.


    After the greetings, we were led to Misery-san''s place and began to prepare for the treatment.


    I explained the procedure and explained the procedure to Lord Treasurer and Ms. Misery first, and when I told her that she would need to be nearly nude, albeit on her face, Lord Treasurer was amused and upset.


    The important thing is that Missalee-san laughed and said, "Oh, that''s so embarrassing," which made Sir Treasurer''s attitude even more noticeable.


    In the end, the first procedure, the massage, was changed by Aina, and the men, except for me and the Finance Lord, were asked to leave.


    I explained to Aina roughly how the massage was to be performed and handed her the lotion to use during the massage.


    While Aina gave the massage, I received a bunch of Misery''s hair that I had asked for in advance, and cut it to the proper length, disinfected it, and soaked it in extracts of herbs and other herbs.


    This is not in the book and will be my original method completely, but in order to reduce the burden on the body as much as possible, I harden the hair thinner than a needle with strengthening magic and use it instead of a needle.


    I don''t know how far it works, but at least as long as you use your own hair, you shouldn''t have to worry about allergies and such.


    After about twenty minutes, Aina''s massage is over and it''s finally my turn.


    I take a deep breath and stare firmly at Misery-san.


    Gradually, I began to feel something uncomfortable from every part of Ms. Misery''s back.


    It''s not colored, but the image that comes to my mind is a blackish color, as if a river''s flow is stagnant there.


    I picked up a strand of Misery''s hair that was dipped in the chemical solution and cast a strengthening spell. Then I stab her to dissipate the stagnation.


    Misery-san doesn''t seem to feel any pain, and she hasn''t moved slightly since a while ago.


    She continues to focus on her back, waist and legs.


    After an hour, he finally finished beating his hair into all the stagnant areas and decided to take a look at it for a while.


    The total number of stagnation that Misery had was about 70 in total. This number shows how serious Misery-san''s symptoms were, as the kings who were treated in the experiment were said to have five to six locations, and the minor patients were said to have more than a dozen locations.


    ''''That''s it for now. All that''s left is to take out the hair that was stabbed and rest after a bit of time, and from tomorrow, if you gradually rehabilitate yourself, you should be able to recover.


    Misery, who has been quiet since earlier, apparently fell asleep soon after the needle (hair) was hit, and I spoke to the Lord Treasurer.


    The Lord Treasurer nodded and said, "We''ll stay here until Misery wakes up," so we moved to the room where the kings were waiting to leave us alone.


    ''Are you done already, Temma?''


    When I walked into the room, the king was the first to react and call out to me. Apparently it was a lot quicker than I thought it would be.


    ''Yes, the treatment itself was simple... although it was quite nerve-wracking.


    I feel more drained of my nerves than physically drained.


    While they were talking about such things, the king seemed to think of something and suddenly became quiet.


    After that, he told the treasurer that he would be free, and they were each dismissed.


    The Finance Lord and the King thanked us quite a bit, and we talked about what the reward would be, but we decided to put that on hold until Misery-san recovered, so we talked about it.


    ''Speaking of which, Temma. Are you ready for the tournament?


    Grandpa asks me as if I remembered, but I told him that training now would not be good for the opposite, so I''ll spend the time until the tournament focusing on adjusting my physical condition and techniques.


    To be honest, I think the only person I care about is the Bandit King, since Ding-san will not be at this tournament. In fact, when I went to register for the tournament, there were a number of people who seemed to be participants in the tournament, but none of them seemed to be particularly strong.


    Other than what I saw, I can''t say that there aren''t any strong people in Ding''s class, but even so, if you''re not careful and don''t let your guard down, you should be able to win without problems.


    The four of us went back to my grandfather''s mansion while talking about such things.


    Meanwhile, the king and the treasurer were sitting opposite each other in the treasurer''s mansion.


    At present, the king and the treasurer are the only two people in this room.


    I''m glad to hear that Misalia''s illness is going to be cured. I honestly thought that her life was even in danger from the progress of her condition, but thanks to Temma''s help, it looks like she''ll be able to manage.''''


    It might be taken as disrespectful by some listeners, but the Treasurer seemed to be accustomed to his father''s use of language like that and did not show it on his face. Rather, he seemed to agree with that.


    ''''Yes, I''ve just said that I''m relieved too. Misery is still sleeping, but when I saw her earlier, she was much more pale, so I don''t think she will get any worse.


    The Lord Treasurer tightened his expression of relief and straightened his residence.


    ''Your Majesty, I have a proposition.''


    I''m listening.


    The mood of the previous moment changed drastically as the Finance Lord suddenly changed his tone, exuding a dignity worthy of the very king.


    ''''This case has made me and others keenly aware of how much people today rely on magic. From what I''ve heard, the cure for magical disorders is not that difficult to find. However, because there is no one who knows how to cure it, the disease may become so severe that some of them may have lost their lives, just like Misalia.


    ''I suppose you''re right,''


    Therefore, I propose the establishment of a ''National School for the Training of Doctors.''


    The king turned his gaze sharply to the treasurer''s proposal.


    ''''To make that suggestion now, you may be accused by those around you of ''suggesting it for your own wife.''


    At such words, the Lord Treasurer did not change his expression in the slightest.


    ''''No matter. At least if it wasn''t for what happened to Misalia, I wouldn''t have made this proposal. However, I think we should do more than that to establish a training school.


    And why is that?


    First of all, the development of medicine and the art of medicine has a direct bearing on the lives of people in this country. It will be an advantage for this country to have a certain level of doctors readily available when the need arises. And, moreover, it will help us to keep other factions in check.


    Oh...


    The King leans forward to listen to the Treasurer''s words.


    ''The school will be established by a royal subject. Then we will have the graduates of the school work for a few years only in a clinic attached to the school, for example. It will make them sign a contract when they enter the school, and in return we will give them a waiver of some of their tuition fees, etc. The cost of treatment and other services will be set as low as possible so that the people can easily use the clinic.


    So?


    If this plan were to be made the central policy of Prince Tida or Princess Luna, it would gain the support of the people, and it would be a check on the reformers. If they oppose this plan, we can spread the word to the public and naturally reduce their power.


    "For the reformers, if they agree with us, it will give our royalists more power, and if they disagree with us, it will reduce their own power... Interesting! You have until tomorrow to put that story together and present it at the meeting the day after tomorrow!


    Ha!


    As a side note, the plan would come to fruition in later years, and its initiator, Zain von Blumail Krustin, would go down in history.


    While the royalist faction was trying to gain a foothold in such a way, the other factions began to make moves.


    The reason for this was that Temma began to show a move towards the royalist faction, and the royalist faction also began to see a gradual movement to take Temma in. Most importantly, Temma has no intention of joining any faction at the moment, but since he has known the king since his parent''s generation, the other factions seem to think that sooner or later, Temma will become a royalist.


    In this regard, some of the neutrals have begun to want to somehow relate to Tenma and bring him into the same relationship as before... a relationship that is neither hostile nor a clear ally to the royal faction.


    But there are those who are not amused by the royalists'' inclusion of the Temma. That is the reformers.


    They initially thought of Tenma as just a child, a little more than an adventurer who was friendly with the royals, but when they saw Tenma training with the Kingsguard and the Knights, they began to get impatient. A few more have recently heard rumors that Tenma is the one who accomplished the Dragon Slayer, and that he is also the Dragon Master who will go down in history as one of the most famous, and they are beginning to fear for his influence.


    If this is not done, the reformers, who have begun to gain enough power to compete with the royalists, will be ruined by a single child named Tenma.


    The best case is to bring Temma to their side, but that''s nearly impossible given their closeness to the royalists.


    The next best case would be to keep Tenma from becoming a royalist, but that would still be just as difficult as the first case.


    In that case, the simple thing that comes to mind is to get rid of Tenma, but this is a tough one to deal with against the dragon slayer Tenma. In that case, the worst case scenario would be the possibility of the reformers being crushed.


    I don''t think Temma alone can crush the Reformers, but if he is teamed up with the Royalists or another faction that doesn''t think well of the Reformers and can even get the people on his side, it''s not impossible.


    That was how much Temma''s career was bound to become popular for sure when the people knew about it.


    If this was just a ''dragon slayer'' or ''dragon wielder'', there was something to be done, but Tenma had both.


    Moreover, when he was only ten years old, he accomplished the dragon slaying for the purpose of saving his friends who were abandoned by the nobility, and to avenge his parents who were killed at that time, he almost single-handedly defeated the historical Ancient Dragon Ancient Dragon and as a result saved the kingdom, and to put it badly. In addition, he allows the king, who is the master of one half of the scourge of Kukri village, to have a taste of a mid-range dragon, which was previously thought to be impossible.


    In addition, he has tamed a dragon of intermediate level, which was previously thought to be impossible.


    It''s like a fairy tale, and no one would actually turn against Temma after hearing this story except for those who are directly concerned with his interests or fools in the truest sense of the word....


    But the Reformers are a group of people who have a direct stake in it, and many of them are fools in the truest sense of the word.


    After all, it is a faction of people who are in a sense trying to defy the Lord to whom they are supposed to be loyal. There can''t be no fools among such people.


    It is only natural that those idiots will eventually take the lead in causing a commotion...but no one could foresee at this time just how big the commotion would become.

 78-Chapter 5-1 Uproar on the day before the fighting tournament

    Today is the eve of the festival, so the real festival should start tomorrow, but there are stalls all over the place that target the hurriedly-minded, and they are creating more than enough sparks to create a lively atmosphere.


    In the midst of all this, we are heading to the venue to rest and prepare for the "War Victory Prayer Gomae Martial Arts Festival", commonly known as the "Martial Arts Tournament", which starts tomorrow.........


    ''Temma, let''s go over there!


    Temma, I want some of that!


    ''Temma, I''m thirsty!


    Right now, I''m walking with my three cat girls, who I haven''t seen in a long time, pulling me along.


    And behind us were Primera with a bitter smile on her face, Jeanne and Aura with a dissatisfied expression, and Aina and Chris who were looking at us with an amused look.


    ''How did this happen........''


    It all started this morning when I was getting ready to go check out the venue on my own.


    "Temma, you have a visitor.


    I was almost done getting ready when my grandpa came into my room.


    ''I have a guest? Who is it?


    In this royal capital, the number of people who are likely to visit me is limited. Moreover, most of them........especially those related to the royal family often come into the mansion without permission, so I have no choice but to order the golems guarding the mansion to pass through with a face pass.


    So the only thing I can think of is someone I don''t know.......mainly a cunning nobleman coming to recruit me.


    Even so, no one has ever come to solicit me inside the mansion...or rather, my grandfather wouldn''t allow it.


    ''Anyway, come down. I''ll let you through to the guest room.


    I followed my grandfather, who had a slight grin on his face, and opened the door to the guest room.


    There he was........


    "''Temma! Wow! Temma~


    Three sisters, Lily, Nellie and Millie, jump on me.


    ''It''s been a while. Miss Temma.


    And it was a primera in armor.


    ''It''s been a while for all four of us but why are you here?''


    My question was answered by Primera with a bitter smile.


    ''''Actually, it''s to participate in the tournament.......Most of all, while doing so, the Commander told me to go study a bit in the royal capital, and the entire Fourth Order was sent to the royal capital.......''''


    When I asked for details, it seems that the reason for this is that a request from the royal capital came to Duke Sanga''s place, and the simple explanation of the content of the request was ''lend me a hand because I don''t have enough people''.


    It seems like a no-questions-asked order when you hear that it''s a request from the royal capital, but in reality, other influential nobles (mainly the royalists) have been approached as well, and although it doesn''t pay much, the dispatched knights are given some money and days off, so it''s like an invitation to a temporary part-time job, to say the least.


    It''s not a bad idea to have a few people in your unit.


    ''That''s all well and good, but why are Lily and the others here?''


    I pulled away from the lillies who swarmed me and sat down in a chair and asked the lillies their next question.


    ''We happened to meet in front of the Fullness Pavilion a few days before Primera left town, and that''s when she told us that Temma had gone to King''s Landing, so we followed her!


    Lily answered that on behalf of the three of us. Apparently, Primera found out about my whereabouts via the Duke and told Lily and the others about it.


    ''''While we were at it, I thought I''d join the team competition at the tournament, and Temma came to invite me too.


    Lily said that she arrived in Wangdue late last night and was able to register for the tournament just in time.


    In order to avoid showing the opponent''s hand in team competitions, there was no need to write the names of all the team members when registering, only the representative''s name, so that the members could be registered before the first game of the team competition.


    By the way, when I asked Lily who the members were, she said she was going to form a team with ''Wildcat Princess'', ''Me (Temma) and Shiroumaru or Slarin'', and ''Primera (...)''.


    ''''Wait a minute! Why is Primera in the head count (members)!


    Earlier, Primera''s explanation should have said that the Fourth Order (.........) came at the request (...........................) of the royal capital.


    If that''s the case, wouldn''t they be unable to participate in the tournament? , when I confirmed this to Primera, Primera blurted out while looking away.


    ''''........The Warlord has given me permission.......''''


    Why is the Warlord there? I also thought, but at the same time, I understood that the Warlord must have gotten a bad ride with that word.


    ''''It''s something, there was a pompous man coming to greet the Fourth Order, so I asked, ''Can I go to a team fight with Primera? I asked, ''Oh! Great! That''s what he told me.


    ''I thought you were of the same rank as Primera since you were coming to pick me up, so I was surprised to hear later that you were royalty~''


    It didn''t feel that way~


    You''re not getting off on the wrong foot, Warlord... but Lily and her friends should be penalized for that...


    When I was thinking about that, Primera added a supplement.


    ''Apparently, he came to check on me because I''m the Duke of Sangha''s daughter and at the same time, I think he came to see how I was doing because he knew Temma-san. It was like she knew Lily and the others as well.


    And then, as usual, I got into a bad mood and ... maybe I''ll call Maria next time ... for real.


    "By the way, Temma,


    Who''s that?


    The maid here?


    When Lily and the others looked in the direction they were pointing at, they saw Jeanne and Aura peeking at us from the shadow of the door like some housekeeper.


    ''''Temma-sama...................Are you cheating on me by leaving Jeanne and me alone?


    Aura muttered in a whisper as she stared at me. Aura''s voice was so small that an ordinary person might not be able to hear it, but the only people here had excellent hearing, except for Primera, so I could hear her voice.


    ''Temma! What do you mean, cheating?!


    What''s going on with them?


    What is this about?


    Aura pushed Jeanne in front of herself as the three of them asked me quickly.


    ''''That''s enough! You thieving cat! This Jeanne is Master Tenma''s wife! And I am a concubine! ... well, it''s planned, but...


    Aura added the last line in a whisper with a blur.


    Lily and the others were so stunned that they didn''t seem to notice Aura''s last line.


    ''Temma, you''re lying!''


    ''You''re not planning on getting married! Hey!


    ''''There''s no way that''s Temma''s concubine!


    The three of them returned to me and questioned me, shaking me violently.


    I tried to say something in response to them, but before I could, Aura started laughing hard.


    ''''O~hohohoho! It''s unseemly! Next to Master Temma is already our designated place! If you understand, then stay away from Master Tenma, you thieving cat, Hebu!


    Aura, who had been playing the trifecta like a villainous daughter, suddenly blew up in front of her.


    ''''You''re not going to be doing anything random! You crappy maid!


    The one who kicked Aura from behind was Aina, who had come early in the morning for some reason.


    ''I am very sorry. I am, regrettably, this idiot''s sister, my name is Aina.


    Aina approached, apologizing to Lily and the others. In her hand she held a tray with sweets on it, and there was also a golem pushing a wagon with a tea set on it at the entrance.


    ''''Geez!''''


    Aina stomped on Aura as she lay on the floor before placing the pastries on the table and not forgetting to step on her as she went to get the tea set.


    ''Geez!


    After saying something unnecessary, Aura stopped moving, this time when her head was stomped on. Aina, who stomped on Aura''s head, immediately turned her eyes towards me, but I ignored her with an attitude of not listening.


    ''''So........that means Temma is free! Then I''ll be your wife!


    Me too!


    Me too!


    Now that Aura had gone quiet, this time Lily and the others started to make a scene. But this time the commotion didn''t last long.


    ''Stop! Lady Temma''s marriage partner must be approved by a certain One!


    Suddenly Aina came back and said that.............................and when she came back, she stepped firmly on Aura.


    ''Aina, that''s new to me too but why do you need my permission? To my marriage.


    As of now, I don''t have the slightest interest in getting married, but I''m a little pissed off when he suddenly says that the person I''m going to marry needs to be recognized by someone other than me, etc.


    ''''That person wouldn''t be my grandfather... well, the king... we''ll have to have a little talk about it...''''


    Of all the people who would say such a thing, I''m not sure if the first person who comes to mind is the king (top) of this country, but that guy (the king) would say it.


    So I sat up to ask him to explain a bit, and I sat up to head to the castle.......but Aina was shaking her head.


    ''Temma-sama, if this is what His Majesty said, I don''t think Maria-sama would be silent. This time, it was Maria-sama''s words. To be precise, it''s ''Mary-sama, the deputy (...) of Shelia-sama''.


    What does that mean?


    My mom''s name came out of Aina''s mouth, so I decided to sit back in the chair for now and listen to what she had to say.


    After waiting for me to sit down in the chair, Aina opened her mouth.... standing over Aura.


    ''To put it simply, Shelia-sama wrote a letter to Maria-sama saying, ''Please take care of Temma.''


    Huh?


    When I was confused by my oversimplified content, Aina bowed her head.


    ''''I''m sorry, but I can''t tell you in detail. However, this letter was written just before that incident (...), and Maria-sama seems to have taken it as a will (...) of Shelia-sama, and therefore is sticking to it.


    Aina finished her story as if she could only say so much, but the air in the room remained delicate due to me not being convinced and Aina saying she couldn''t talk any more.


    In such an atmosphere, a few minutes passed with me and Aina''s eyes locked on each other, when I heard a voice from Aina''s feet.


    ''You''re heavy - you''re gaining weight, sister (weight) - you''re going too far, Hebu!


    Aura, who seemed to have come up for air, fell asleep for another (forced) extra word.


    But that eased the air in the room... a rare Aura fine play... really, really rare.


    ''All right. I''ll ask Maria directly next time. Aina, tell Lady Maria that I''m eager to see her about it. I won''t be able to see you at the convention for a while, but...


    Okay. I''ll make sure to tell him.


    Before I returned to the unpleasant atmosphere, I calmed myself down by saying that I would cut the story short and ask them directly next time.


    When me and Aina were done talking, I noticed for the first time that Grandpa and Chris were in the room.


    ''Oh, were they both there?''


    Whoa!


    Hi-Duck!


    Since I asked them straight away, they were both a little hurt.


    Putting those two aside, I decided to go to the arena where the tournament would take place, as we had planned, to check it out.


    Naturally, Lily and the others who came to see me said they would follow me, and since Primera was not busy, she decided to go with me, along with Jeanne, who for some reason was becoming a bit of a rivalry fighter, a revived Aura, and Aina, who was Chris''s chaperone (and Aura''s chaperone), decided to come along as well. Grandpa wasn''t sure what to do with them, but he asked them to stay behind because he had so many women with him, and it would be a big problem if a wise man got mixed in with them.


    We went out to check it out with a dejected grandfather, but the situation described above came about because Lily and the other three girls got carried away by the heat of the town.


    "You three, stop frolicking and let''s get to the venue!


    At this rate, we were unlikely to reach the venue before nightfall, so we decided to shake off the three of them a little too forcefully and proceed.


    However, the royal capital was already quite crowded with people and it was difficult to walk as much as I wanted.


    ''''It can''t be helped. Shall we go by carriage?''''


    Due to the size of the city, carriage transportation exists in King''s City, and its number is increasing for the festivities that will begin tomorrow.


    There are also pathways for carriages in the royal capital, which are quite convenient in some places.


    ''''If it were up to today, it wouldn''t be that crowded, so let''s take a carriage for a ride.


    There are two types of carriages on the road, like buses and taxis in a previous life, here we call them horse-drawn carriages and street carriages.


    At a nearby carriage stop, we were able to get in line at the front of the carriage, which seemed to be after it left. However, since the carriage''s capacity is about 12 people, we decided to meet at the venue at that time, as we might have to split up into several groups.


    The carriage came about ten minutes later, and many of the guests got off at the stop where we were waiting, so we were all able to get in safely.


    About 30 minutes later, the carriage arrived at a stop near the venue.


    The distance from the stop to the venue was about two or three minutes, and as soon as we got out of the carriage, we could see the arena where the event was to take place.


    ''''There are quite a few participants who think the same way I do...''''


    In the vicinity of the venue, some people who were apparently participants of the tournament had come to check it out.


    Most of them seemed to be checking out the route to the venue or just wanting to have a look at the venue, but some of them seemed to be soliciting for a team competition or threatening other participants.


    ''''Oh! They''re already in line at the entrance!


    It seems that there are those in this world who stand in line early and try to get a ticket for as good a seat as possible.


    As we were walking around the venue, looking at such a scene similar to our previous life, we suddenly felt multiple eyes from behind us.


    When I turned around, I saw about a dozen men approaching us.


    I suddenly stopped and turned around, and they all looked in the same direction, catching on to that.


    ''''Tch!''''


    As soon as I turned my eyes to them, Aina clicked her tongue with an expression that revealed her disgust that she normally wouldn''t show.


    And Jeanne and Aura immediately went behind me to hide.


    ''This is an odd place to be, Aina. And Jeanne and Aura I was worried about you.


    From the center of the men who came near us, a man came forward in a theatrical manner.


    ''''Yes, it''s an oddity, Quartermaster Chloride. We have some business to attend to, so we''ll take our leave. Well, good day to you.


    From Aina''s words, I knew that this man was the quasi-consort of Podolo Il Chloride as an example. From the looks of it, it looks like a small thing, and Aina didn''t even try to hide her disgusted face as she spoke quickly and turned away.


    ''''You''re being rude to the Quasi-Vice Viscount-sama!


    One of her cronies became enraged by Aina''s attitude and reached out to grab Aina''s shoulder, but....


    Don''t try to touch it with your dirty hands!


    Aina reversed and quickly grabbed the other man''s hand and slammed him to the ground, pulling him forward. The man struck his face so hard that he seemed to pass out. Aina removed the gloves she had been wearing at some point and slammed them into the back of the man''s head.


    Aina, who had put her new gloves back on as if nothing had happened, took one look at Podolo with a filthy look in her eyes and walked straight to me.


    ''Come on, Temma-sama, let''s hurry on. We''re going to be busy tomorrow, so there''s no need to waste your precious rest time against flies.


    After understanding the meaning of Aina''s words, Podolo''s face turned red, a change from his big-name appearance earlier.


    ''''Don''t get carried away! You little b*tc*! You don''t know who I am! This is a nobleman! He''s a quasi-consort!


    Mad, Podolo is shouting loudly without paying attention to the area.


    However, Aina didn''t show any signs of concern.


    Oh, I''m not a fool, you know?


    Aina''s words elicited laughter from those who had been watching the situation nearby.


    Podolo was silenced by glaring at those laughing around him while his face turned red.


    The people around them were also glared at by Podolo, a nobleman, so they shut up, but Podolo, feeling somewhat better about it, pointed at me.


    ''Oh well ... more importantly, you little bastard!


    ...What...?


    Honestly, I''d like to ignore this guy because I don''t want to deal with him, but Podolo is pointing at me, so I have no choice but to deal with him... even though he''s probably going to say something I don''t understand anyway... ...


    ''I am Jeanne''s relative! So let''s have you give me Jeanne!


    I''m afraid not.


    It was exactly what I had imagined, so I decided to say no to it immediately.


    Podolo froze, not expecting to be turned down like that because of my immediate response.


    ''''Well then, let''s all go.''''


    The moment we turned our backs on him, Podolo came back to himself and started screaming at the top of his lungs.


    ''You little brat! I''m a nobleman! You have no right to say no to me!


    To such a podolo, I sighed and decided to deal with him.


    When you abandoned Jeanne''s house in the first place, you are no relation to Jeanne or anything else. Moreover, there are even rumors that you actively tried to destroy Jeanne''s house and so on.......And as for Jeanne''s ownership, I''m more recognized than the royal family. So even though you are a nobleman, there is no reason to say that I have to hand over my own slaves.


    My furious words made Podolo break out in a cold sweat.


    ''''Oh, proper things with royalty and others...''''


    If you think it''s a lie, ask the Grand Duke, Prince Tida, or Princess Luna.


    Before, in the carriage, His Excellency the Grand Duke told me to give Jeanne away (.......). That''s probably because he admitted that the ownership of Jeanne is mine, and the kings have never said anything to me about enslaving former nobles.


    In this world, nobles losing themselves to slavery is not a frequent occurrence, but it''s not so uncommon. It''s a different story when it comes to someone of the royal or duke class, but Jeanne is a former viscountess, and there''s no end to the amount of time you''d have to wait for a nobleman of that rank to give you a helping hand every time. Moreover, there are former noble slaves who can be used in various capacities, so it''s not uncommon for such former nobles to have a high price for a slave.


    So those who buy them rarely let go of them, and even if they do sell them, many of them are said to charge more than when they bought them, which is another reason why it''s difficult to reach out to them financially.


    ''If you understand, then I''ll go now.


    This time he was about to turn his back on Podolo and walk away, but Podolo didn''t seem to have given up on him yet.


    ''Don''t think I''m just a quasi-baron! I am the Lord Privy Seal, messenger of the ''Duke of Daraam''!


    Podolo is dignified by mentioning the Duke''s name, but to me, it''s more of an "oh yeah" or "so what?". I''d rather say, "Thank you for telling me who''s behind this.


    Podolo seems to have misunderstood my silence and thought I was being scared, and unlike a moment ago, he is beaming with a smug look on his face.


    When I stopped Aina from trying to talk back to her, someone interrupted her from near us.


    ''''Hou, does the Home Secretary try to blackmail the people''s property?


    What the f*ck?


    Podolo was surprised by the words suddenly thrown at him, but he shouted in the direction of the voice.


    ''Didn''t you hear it? I asked if the Minister of the Interior would try to threaten the good people of the country to take away slaves that are recognized by the state as property....


    The person spoke to Podolo in a deliberately loud voice so that the people around us who were watching us could hear. He especially emphasized the ''Minister of the Interior'' and the ''take away'' part, not so much to Podolo as to ask the people around him.


    At first Podolo''s face was red and angry, but as he realized who this person was and heard more accusations of Podolo and the Minister of the Interior coming from around him, his face now turned blue.


    Podolo seemed to understand that he had been dealt a blow that not only shattered his confidence, but also his own progress.


    By contrast, the man seemed satisfied that he had arrived at the best possible time.

 79-Chapter 5-2 Special skill of Tenma?

    The smug-faced figure took his gaze off Podolo and walked towards us.


    ''''Long time no see, Marquis de Samons (......)''''


    The ''Marquis-sama'' part was deliberately made loud so that those around me could hear it too.


    The Marquis de Samoens spoke to Podolo in a much more broken manner than when he was dealing with him.


    The people around him saw that and asked, "Is he the son of some great aristocrat? He was not sure what to do.


    The Marquis of Samos completely consumed by the Marquis''s words and power, and he didn''t seem to know what to do.


    And not letting such an opening go unnoticed, the Marquis turned to face Podolo again to push him further.


    ''So, how did you respond to me earlier? If you''re right about the Home Secretary making a statement that deprives Lord Temma of the property of the people, then this is a vicious matter! We must immediately inform His Majesty the King and have him remonstrate with the Duke of Daraam!


    The Marquis de Samons made an exaggerated gesture so that everyone around him could hear him.


    Podolo, who had been watching the scene, was more pale and dazed than before, and opened his mouth while being supported by the men who had been dragging him along.


    ''Yi, I just misspoke.......this matter is my sole discretion.......no, there is. The Duke had nothing to do with..........


    Podolo says that with a regretful look on his face while turning pale.


    Hearing this, the Marquis of Samonth made a grim expression, unlike the one he had just made.


    ''''Then you spoke the name of Duke Daraam and tried to seize a slave that was the property of an adventurer! I will formally report this to His Majesty in the name of the Marquess of Samons! Quasi-Consultant Podro il Chloride gave the name of the Duke of Dallam and tried to steal the adventurer''s slaves from him, and! You''ll be quiet until further notice! If you try to leave King''s Landing before a case is made, be prepared to commit treason at worst!


    The Marquis raised his voice as if to declare it to those around him.


    Upon hearing of treason, Podolo''s expression was astonished and then changed to one of indignation, but he did not refute, and left the place, borrowing the shoulders of the men.


    ''It has been a long time since I last saw you, Marquis de Samons. And thank you.''''


    After making sure that Podolo was out of sight and that he didn''t seem to be hiding further, I greeted the Marquis again.


    ''''No, no, I don''t invite you to thank me. Rather, I just want to thank you for being able to keep the reformers in check.


    The Marquis is waving his hands in front of his face and saying such things.


    ''''That''s right. And it looks like he was hiding nearby, trying to find the right moment to come out this way.''''


    The Marquis seemed a little awkward at my words, and he looked away from me and looked up at an angle.


    ''''Ahhh........did you notice......sorry. It was a good time that rarely happens, so I thought there was no way I could not take advantage of it.......


    The Marquis is a little impatient to make an excuse, but I didn''t mind at all. If I was in the opposite position, I''m confident that I would do the same thing.


    ''''No, I don''t care about it at all. From a royalist''s point of view, it''s only natural. Thanks to the Marquis-sama, the reformers will be less likely to chalk it up to Jeanne in the future.


    Whatever it is, it''s certainly one less thing for the Marquis de Samons to do to get in trouble for what he did. Perhaps this time, Podolo''s trust within the reformers (I don''t know if there is any) has certainly fallen to the ground, and hopefully Podolo might lose his power as an aristocrat. But I can smell the same smell from that guy as Regil...............................quite a small thing.


    I''m thinking of such a stupid thing, but Podolo actually seems to have more (...) wisdom than Regil (...), so I''ll be careful in case, and I''ll tell everyone to be careful later.


    The Marquis seems to have thought the same thing, muttering something like, ''''Half-hearted little things are of poor quality.


    ''''Anyway, let me report to His Majesty the King........By the way, Temma-dono is going to participate in the tournament, right?''''


    ''Yes, I''ll be in the individual and team games but so what?''


    Hearing my words, the Marquis slumped his shoulders.


    ....really.


    It doesn''t look good in terms of physical appearance for the Knights of the Marquis to be defeated prematurely. Why do you want to join them? When I asked the Marquis what he had said, he came back with words I hadn''t expected to hear.


    ''''No, I want to brag about Gulliver. Gulliver at home is not some ''brain ogre'' at all! Tone.


    The Marquis of Sammons also seems to be (...) quite a ''pro-idiot'', participating not for the sake of honor, but for the sake of bragging about his own family members.


    But I believe that when a tamer participates in a tournament, to a greater or lesser extent, he has a desire to show off his family members. In fact, if you asked me if I didn''t have that side of me, I wouldn''t say I didn''t either.


    ''''Ah~ Gulliver is smart, you know. If someone who knows Ogre''s personality (brainiacs) saw that kind of cleverness, they would think it was unusual for an Ogre to be so clever. And I''m surprised too.


    The Ogre, a demon, has been identified as one of the three major brainiacs in my mind. The first is a goblin, the second is an orc, and the third is an ogre. But if you look at them individually, there are individuals who say they are not that smart, but if you look at them as a species on average, I think most adventurers would agree.


    That''s how brainy ogres are.


    ''''But I''m sorry, Marquis-sama. The topic of this tournament will be taken by Solomon of the house.''''


    No matter how Gulliver is a rare ''intelligent ogre'', he won''t be able to compare to Solomon, the dragon.


    He looked like he couldn''t argue, and started praying to the sky.


    ''''Speaking of which, Marquis-sama. I recently read a book written by the marquis in the royal castle''s archives and I learned the ''summoning technique''.


    ''What! It''s true! That was an introductory book on summoning magic, but my sons couldn''t learn it... I managed to get my oldest son to learn it one-on-one, but he learned it from that book alone. You''re the first person to say you were the first!


    The Marquis'' way of saying that book sounds like a defective product, but that is wrong. Rather, it was an easy to understand book as an introductory book.... the only problem is that many of them have no aptitude for summoning magic...


    When I told him about it, the Marquis rolled his eyes, not realizing that he hadn''t noticed.


    The summoning magic has few users. I''ve been told that there aren''t ten users in the current kingdom, and I''m the only user who doesn''t have the blood of the Samoens family flowing through his veins at the moment. I''ve been told that there are only about five confirmed users who are not related to the Samoan family.


    The book says that the summoning magic was developed by the ancestor of the Marquis de Samoens, and that the Samoens family received the rank of nobility in recognition of their achievements.


    There are, as a matter of fact, only two types of magic in summoning magic.


    The first is summoning (Samon). This is a magic that summons things, and it summons objects with their own original and recognizable landmarks, and you can''t summon a summoned beast like in games or novels (with the exception of inanimate objects like golems).


    The second is remote instantaneous movement (apports). This one can send objects to a specific location or retrieve a marked object.


    There are many similarities between the two, but the difference is that Sammon can summon to a location he can recognize, and Aports can be summoned to a location near his hand, while Sammon can only summon, but Aports can also send back.


    If that''s all, it feels like Samon is inferior to Apports, but Samon has no limit on the size of the objects he can summon as long as his magic allows, but Apports can''t summon or send too big... as a rule of thumb, he can''t summon or send back the same size as himself. It''s about as big as it gets.


    If I had a daughter, I''d apply to Lord Tenma for a marriage proposal, but...


    Even if there were, I''m not sure I''d be comfortable with Gary being my brother-in-law...


    Not only will there be resistance, but it will be adamantly opposed... mainly by the other side (Gary)....


    Hearing my words, the Marquis smiled bitterly, but he didn''t have any particular objection.


    ''''Well then, I''d better be off. Thank you for interrupting me this time.''''


    ''''No, no, it''s me too... I just thought of something... if you follow Lord Temma, you''ll catch another stupid nobleman...''''


    I''m not sure if it''s a joke, but for me, I can''t say that it''s not such a thing, based on my experience.


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.


    As we all went around the stalls, buying, eating and chilling out, we noticed that we were near my recent favorite restaurant.


    I''m sorry, but I''m going to go see him for a while.


    I was going to go alone to say no to everyone, but everyone seemed to be willing to follow me, so I decided to head with them.


    The shop I went to with everyone is a shop that seems to keep the good old traditions while introducing the latest trends, and it is also my favorite shop in the capital.


    Hello~ I was just in the neighborhood and I stopped by.


    As usual, we walked through the door of that store and the one who greeted us inside was.....


    ''Oh! That''s Temma! Welcome!


    Aina and Chris-san seemed to know about the store and didn''t act surprised, but Jeanne, Aura and the three girls had only heard that Primera was my favorite store, so they were quite surprised when they saw the inside... Most of all, they weren''t surprised by the store''s merchandise Not to the person handling the store''s merchandise (.........).


    ''What?'' Are you ladies unusual in that I, a woman (...), am making this kind of (...)?


    Saying that, the woman lifted the shield with one hand, a large shield that would weigh 30 kg, even if estimated lightly.


    The shield is so large that Jeanne would be completely hidden, but the woman is humming as she lifts the shield while making various minor adjustments.


    She is actually a dwarf. However, she is taller than a normal female dwarf (a little over 160cm, which is one of the tallest for a female dwarf), and at a glance she looks like a normal human race woman.


    Even for a male dwarf, it''s not so easy to adjust a large 30kg shield while lightly lifting it with one hand, so Jeanne and the others are understandably surprised.


    The woman called to the back of the room, and two female dwarves came from the back and collected the shield.


    The woman called out to the back of the room and two female dwarves came from the back to collect the shield. What''s wrong with you, Temma, with all these women? And you''ve even got Aina and Chris.................Did you mess with a younger man in a man''s day?


    The woman comes in front of me, wiping sweat off her face, and is teasing Aina and Chris just for the sake of being present.


    Judging from their appearance, they seem to be on good terms with the women.


    I introduced Jeanne and her friends, and the women began to introduce themselves to her and her friends.


    It''s nice to meet you, I''m Kelly. It may be hard to understand, but I''m still a pure dwarf!


    When we''d finished introducing ourselves, Kelly beckoned me over.


    ''But Temma is in a good place. One of the things you asked for was just finished a while ago.


    Then he led me to the workshop at the back of the building.


    Jeanne and the others followed without permission, but Kelly didn''t seem to mind and didn''t say anything.


    ''Here, here''s what you asked for. I finished it super-express, but of course I didn''t cut any corners!


    What was there was a two-swing sword... no, I called it a sword, but it was too large for a sword, and it lacked the hilt that should be present in a normal sword, with a round, spherical object attached to it instead.


    ''''This is one of the largest swords I know of. To be honest, no sane person would order or build a sword like this.......that''s how out of the ordinary it is.


    Kelly smiles very contentedly.


    The sword was two meters long and about 50 cm wide, with the thickest part of the sword being about 15 cm long.


    In appearance, the sword was almost the same width from the base to the tip of the sword, and the tip of the sword was not pointed and the blade was built so that the blade arced.


    Since the width of the sword is almost the same from base to tip, the tip of the sword is slightly thicker to facilitate centrifugal force.


    Of course, this sword is not something that I myself would use in my hand. It is also one of my trump cards, a sword to equip the "Guardian Gigantor", which is a guardian of giants.


    I''ve never used this gigantor in a dungeon, but I had been looking for a way to equip it with a weapon, but I couldn''t make one due to its size.


    I''ve been visiting weapon shops and blacksmiths every spare moment since I arrived in the capital, looking for a craftsman who could make it for me, but no one would listen to me, no one would listen to me, and no one would give me any detailed information.


    I was beginning to think that I''d rather do something on my own than ask such a craftsman for help, when I happened to learn about Kelly and asked her for advice.


    "I can build it, but I''m not building a weapon you can''t use yourself!


    So I asked him to see the gigantines in person, and he understood that he could use the item I was requesting, and he accepted the order.


    I''ve been coming back every so often since then to check on him.


    I ordered a total of four things from Kelly. Two of them are gigantine swords, and the rest are halberds with a shortened version of the handle of a large body spear.


    The normal Daimoku spear is called a spear with a tip about twice the size of a normal spear, and is the same type of weapon as the three famous spears of the previous life. The tip of the spear is 150cm and the handle is 100cm, a distorted balance for a large body spear. It''s a sword modeled after the large-body spear, if you will.


    In this world, there are, in fact, quite a few people who handle weapons with such a distorted balance. It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one, because unlike the previous life, there is magic in this world.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons to be interested in this.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with them. This is because the materials used for the weapon were more special than the shape of the weapon.


    "But I didn''t expect to be able to make a weapon using ''Hibikane'' and ''Mithril'' and ''Orihalcon'' with my own hands.


    That''s right, the weapons we ordered this time, with the exception of the Gigant''s sword, are actually too extravagant to be made of the ''top three hardest materials in the fantasy world (according to Tenma''s research)''! (As for the materials used to make the swords of Gigant, they are all made of magical iron.)


    The mithril was used from what I had and what Kelly had saved for her business, and as for the baboon kane and orichalcon, they were given to me by the royal family as a reward.


    Incidentally, baboon kane is a metal that is ''somewhat inferior to orichalcone in terms of hardness, but superior to orichalcone as a catalyst for magic power'' and is a rare metal that is superior to mithril in terms of hardness and catalyst.


    The reason why I even used mithril as a material is because there wasn''t enough quantity of baboon shells and orichalcone alone to make two weapons, so I used it to increase the bulk. Kelly blew out the liquor in her mouth like a poisonous fog (...) when I said, "Increase the ratio of the metal," she said.


    The ratio of the metal is three mithril, four baboon kane, and three orichalcone, but since it''s impossible to mix all three, we''ll use mithril and baboon kane, which can be mixed together, to make an alloy, with the orichalcone as the core of the weapon, and use the other alloys to.


    ''''The other two are just material, and by all accounts, they''re not going to make it in time for the convention... sorry...''''


    Kelly bowed her head and apologized, but I told her that I hadn''t originally intended to use these weapons in the tournament, so I told her that and asked her to make sure it was finished to Kelly''s satisfaction.


    ''''And by the way Tenma-san are you going to use that big sword in the team competition?''''


    Primera asks me fearfully. Perhaps she is imagining what would happen if her opponent were to take that sword strike, and her face is slightly pale.


    You''re not going to be able to use that one........to begin with, I have no plans to use the Gigant itself in the tournament. That was only for the purpose of ''strengthening the Gigant (my trump card)''.


    I haven''t been able to fully control the gigantos myself yet, so I''ve decided to equip the hands of the gigantos with swords because I think they''d be more effective in their current state.


    Of course, it can be used in opponents'' battles, but I believe that the Gigant is most effective in group battles, and even more so in dense battles, so I don''t think it will be able to show even half of its true value in team battles...................most of all, even half of that is against an average opponent It would be overkill, though.


    ''I forgot! Temma, let''s team up!


    Lily mentioned it as she remembered, but unfortunately, my team was already set and I couldn''t team up with Lily and the others since they already registered me as their leader.


    When I told them that, Lily and the others looked disappointed.


    ''''In that case, what should we do about the rest of the team?''''


    Lilly and the others groaned at Primera''s words. Because the rest of the team was counting on me to be me, there was an opening in the team. Lilly and the others seemed to understand that they weren''t good enough to win with not enough members, and they were seriously considering it.


    ''''If it''s okay with you on a conditional basis, I''ll be allowed to leave, though?''''


    It was Chris-san who extended a helping hand to Lily and the others.


    ''''When a member of the Order participates in a tournament, there are cases where the work of the Order is exempted (...). It''s an urgent matter, so I can''t guarantee that you''ll be able to participate but you can count on the members if you''re okay with that.


    Primera was more pleased than Lily and the others with the words.


    ''It would be very reassuring if Chris-sama would be willing to join us!


    When I asked Primera why she was so happy, she told me that apparently Chris-san was quite a celebrity among the female knights and was considered a target by many female knights.


    ''''Chris-sama, who was appointed as a kinsman guard as soon as she became a knight, and yet she was chosen as His Majesty''s guard, is the admiration and goal of female knights!


    Chris looks at the excited Primera and looks at me (me) with a smug look on his face.


    ''But I''m not popular with men, though.


    Aina said an unnecessary word to Chris-san.


    ''''Nah! It''s not the same with Aina!


    I''m often approached by Noblemen.


    ''You''ve never met a bastard of a nobleman who''s ever approached you!


    Still, it''s nice to hear from you.


    They were both getting more and more heated. I thought they were both the same, but I didn''t talk about it and tried to stay out of it.


    But here was someone who couldn''t read the atmosphere.


    ''I guess it''s either that I''m not popular or that I can only be approached by weird...''


    It was Aura who muttered to herself. And only at such times were their senses sharpened, and they were able to pick up Aura''s small voice properly.


    ''''Aura, what does that mean?''''


    Can I talk to you outside for a minute?


    ''Eh, eh, wait a minute!


    They had been arguing until then, but with a very breathtaking combination, they cornered Aura and took her out, clasping one of her hands under each of their sides as if to pinch them together in a friendly way.


    ''Aina, Chris!''


    Lady Temma, help me...


    I''ll be home ahead of you, so take your time!


    ''Well then, let''s go home. Kelly, I''ll be back.


    Oh, I''ll see you later, Temma! I''ll have the goods made up by the end of the competition!


    We said goodbye to Kelly and we decided to head back to the mansion.


    On the way there, we passed by the marketplace in the square and found a shop that was strangely busy with something.


    ''That place was supposed to be a fishmonger... but what''s with that crowd?''


    There was some kind of metal slamming sound coming from the crowd, with cheers and screams coming from every sound.


    ''Excuse me. What kind of event is this?''


    I approached a man nearby and he replied, sounding somewhat excited.


    ''We''re trying to break up a rare fish, man! Moreover, the fish is quite big and the scales are terribly hard, and I''ve been failing a while ago. The owner of the store is asking for challenges. And he''s even holding a betting session.


    We walked up to the center of the crowd to catch a glimpse of this "big fish" and...


    ''Namitaro.......that''s hard.......''


    The "big fish" lying on the table for a cutting board is, in a way, my hometown fish (Namitaro).

 80-Chapter 5-3 Namitaros Turn

    He seemed to hear me muttering, and Namitaro suddenly went wild.


    ''The fishes are going wild!


    Avoid! You''re going to get hurt!


    I knew it was a demon!


    The spectators around them fled en masse as Namitaro began to rampage.


    However, the adventurers in the crowd and those with arms at their disposal were the only ones who approached and attacked Namitaro with weapons at the ready.


    ''''Ora!''''


    f*ck off!


    f*ck you, you monster!


    The three adventurers were the first to set upon Namitarou. The weapons were, in order, a two-handed sword, a spear and an axe, each of which seemed to be well used. Moreover, the coordination of the adventurers is also perfect.


    However.....


    Move!


    Namitaro spits in a language (Japanese) that the people around him can''t understand. With a wave of his tail as he called out, the adventurers'' weapons flew in the air.


    "Say, say, say, say!


    It was followed by three more strikes of Namitaro''s tail. Each of them catches the adventurer, and this time the adventurer flies through the air.


    ''''Ba, it''s a monster!''''


    You''re gonna get us killed! Everyone run!


    Even the adventurers who tried to exterminate him began to be confused by Namitaro''s strength.


    In the midst of all this, Namitaro, who had been certified as a monster, approached me with a swift movement as if he were sliding on the ground.


    ''''Boy! Run!


    Someone shouts and a scream goes up from the edge.


    Jeanne froze in surprise at Namitaro''s approach, Primera moved to rush in to spear Namitaro, and the three sisters held their weapons at the ready to attack after Primera, but....


    "Accelerate your position.


    Shouting something like some cyborg warrior, Namitaro instantly picked up speed and took control of the Primera''s pointy end.


    This caused Primera to be off-timed and second-guessed, and because of that, the three sisters couldn''t jump out of the way either.


    Namitaro didn''t slow down as he approached me, so I had to find the right moment when Namitaro couldn''t avoid him...


    Yeah!


    I opened the mouth of the dimension bag containing Shiroumaru and the others and stored Namitarou (...).


    ''''Ba~i ba~i ki~!''''


    Echoing words that only I could understand the meaning of, Namitaro was sucked into the bag.


    ''Looks surprisingly useful, this...''


    I closed the mouth of the bag, satisfied with the new way to utilize it... I thought I heard a sound like stones colliding and Shiroumaru''s shout right after Namitaro was sucked in, but I don''t care.


    Just as I decided to do so, the bag was opened from the inside and Shiroumaru, who had a bump on his head, popped out from inside.


    ''''Gasp! Gawd, gawd!


    Apparently, Shiroumaru is quite upset.


    After soothing Shiroumaru, treating his bumps and promising to serve him a chunk of meat for dinner to keep him in a good mood, Shiroumaru''s mood seemed to improve a bit, so he tried to walk away from the scene quickly, but....


    Hey, kid you can leave the fish behind.


    The owner of the fishmonger, who remembered Namitaro, grabbed me by the shoulders.


    After the negotiations, the ownership of the Namitaro became mine. By the way, the price of the Nami Taro was about 100,000 yen per gold coin.


    First of all, we made a makeshift pond in the garden and filled it with water, and then we dragged the Namitaro out of the bag and threw it into the pond.


    The Namitaro was floating upside down in the water and wouldn''t budge, so the three girls poked at it with brooms and other objects that were nearby.


    ''Temma, how do we eat these?''


    ''The scales look pretty solid, and we''ll have to pull the mud out of them.


    You look like you''re dead, and you can''t get the mud off... what do you do?


    I felt Namitaro move a bit at the three of them saying that.


    ''Well, I''d like to have them muddle through, but if they''re dead, I can''t help it! After filleting it, I''m thinking that if I let it sit in water or use thicker flavors and herbs, I could manage it!


    I answer just loud enough for Namitaro to hear. Then he moved a little louder this time than before.


    ''But what about the scales?''


    Jeanne''s question was answered not by me, but by the Primera, who seemed to have an idea for something.


    ''Why don''t you try it with Gigant''s new equipment? And even though the scales are hard, it''s hard to believe that they would be able to withstand a Gigant''s blow, as expected.


    So, I immediately summoned the Gigant (...). I changed only the right hand of the gigant to a sword, leaving the left hand intact.


    ''Let''s get started then!''


    I grabbed the base of Namitarou''s tail with Gigant''s left hand and placed it on a table made of stones that had been set up in the garden, hanging it upside down.


    Gigant''s left hand held Namitarou firmly in place, while I swung my right hand over...


    Patience! Bear with me, Temma!


    Namitaro finally surrendered. As expected, he didn''t think he would be able to stay safe after receiving a blow from Gigant.


    ''''Nyah! I''m talking!


    I''m a monster!


    ''Temma! Crush it quickly!


    The three girls were startled by Namitaro who suddenly spoke human language and hurriedly hid behind me. The moment the three of them were startled, Nekomimi and her tail pinged up and jumped up a bit on the spot, I thought to myself that even though they were beastmen, they were still cats.


    Primera and Jeanne didn''t scream, but they both seemed quite startled and stopped moving for a moment. However, Primera quickly regained her composure and stepped forward to protect Jeanne, drawing her sword to warn Namitarou, while Jeanne was ready to release her magic at any time.


    Well, I don''t know if anyone other than me can do decent damage against Namitaro, but there''s no need to sit back and let my acquaintances fight with each other.


    ''''Ahhhhh everyone is fine, this guy is my acquaintance.


    When I introduced Namitaro to him by hanging him upside down, he twisted and landed on the ground (falling) and began to greet me by moving one of his pectoral fins.


    "Oss, Ora, Namitaro. Nice to meet you!


    Namitaro greets you in a cheerful voice, but the women look like a ''talking fish = a monster'', and they don''t seem to know how to deal with him because he''s an acquaintance of mine.


    You don''t have to be so nervous.


    He dexterously wiggled his body to approach everyone, saying things like


    ''''Nyaa! Get away from me!


    I''m a monster!


    Gross!


    The three girls, who couldn''t withstand Namitaro''s approach, screamed again and ran away.


    Seeing this, Namitaro locked his target on the three girls and began to chase after them.


    ''Tenma-san, are you really acquainted with that (...)?''


    Temma, what''s that?


    While pointing at Namitaro, who was chasing the three girls around, Primera and Jeanne asked him.


    The first time I met Namitaro was when I left Kukuri village. And I don''t know the details, but I''m sure he''s a fish in the classification... I''m not sure.


    While we were talking about this, the three girls ran off in the direction we were in.


    ''''Heehee~! Come on, girls, give up!


    Namitaro is saying such things, but he seems to be taking it a bit easy, and he''s chasing after the three of them, keeping a certain distance from them.


    However, as expected, he''s getting too carried away, so I decided to give him a moxie at this point.


    I opened my bag at the right moment as Namitaro approached.


    ''''Sweet!''''


    Namitaro jumped just before and tried to jump over me, but....


    You will!


    He used his magic to create a thick wall of earth at Namitarou''s landing spot.


    ''''Huh!''''


    Distracted by the bag, Namitarou finally stopped moving as he hit the wall head on, unable to avoid it.


    The three girls beat up the octopus with brooms and wooden sticks that were nearby against Namitaro, who was stuck against the wall, but they didn''t seem to take much damage, so I let them do it until I felt better... and Namitaro had it coming.


    ''And well, he''s a good-natured and suspicious guy, but if you don''t antagonize him, he''s harmless....


    Good luck!


    After introducing Namitaro to everyone, who had been able to withstand being beaten up by the three girls with his natural defense (scales), Namitaro greeted them again.


    ''''By the way Namitaro your tone is getting weirder than before, isn''t it?''''


    This time, the mixture of various dialects (from the previous life) is even more suspicious than the previous suspicious dialect.


    ''People, if you live long enough, things happen to you.


    It''s kind of an enlightened answer, but perhaps he''s forgotten the original dialect. Also, you''re a carp! Never human!


    I had something to say to Namitaro, who answered with a sober face.


    I''m going to have to ask you to work for me," he said, "Namitaro, your current position is my property (...). You''ll be working for me.


    I bought him from a fish store, so I am the current owner of Namitaro. When I explained this to him, he answered, "Yes.


    I''ll work for you," he said. I''ll work for Tenma!


    If you look at my team''s current strength...


    Solomon ... equivalent to a B grade


    Id.


    I''m sure Nami Taro will only show his abilities in the water, but seeing the way he flails about in the fish shop, I''m sure he''s able to handle land to some extent as well.


    At any rate, there aren''t many places where the average rank of their subordinates exceeds A, like my team does.


    While I was thinking about this, the three girls, Primera and even Jeanne were whispering about it.


    ''Who is Temma, really?


    ''Slarin, Shiroumaru, and now Namitaro are in your family.......all strong demons.......''


    ''Namitaro is a creep and...''


    ''''On top of that, your swords, magic, and even your body arts are top-notch... it''s a level that would normally be beyond amazing...''''


    ''And I know a lot about medicine and cooking and everything else...''


    It''s like the five of us are stuck together, talking about me. All five of them are talking in a whisper so that I can''t hear them, but with a little reinforcement of their physical abilities, I can hear them all.


    I turn around to make room for Namitaro until the five of us finish our discussion, and for some reason, Namitaro is waving his pectoral fins toward the second floor of the mansion.


    I followed Namitaro''s gaze and found my grandfather standing there.


    As soon as his eyes met mine, Grandpa moved out of the way and came over to us.


    ''''What is it, Temma, another new subordinate?''''


    The grandpa asked me a question. Nami Taro greeted such a grandpa.


    ''Oss! Ila, Nami. Nice to meet you!


    ....and change your character for some reason.


    Oh, he can talk. How unusual. I''m Merlin, Temma''s grandfather. It''s a pleasure to meet you.


    And Grandpa didn''t care I think it''s great in many ways.


    For some reason, feeling a little lonely, I decided to make a pond for Namitaro all by myself.


    I made it 10x20m wide and about 1 to 1.5m deep. The edge of the pond was hardened with earth magic until it looked like a rock, so it won''t break down so easily, and I think it will be less turbid. The water was also filled with magic, but when I was wondering what to do about the oxygen in the water, I decided to leave it to Nami Taro, who said he would take care of it himself.


    By the time the pond was completed, the five of us had finished discussing it, and it was time to prepare for dinner.


    But even now, Aura and the others haven''t come back.......it seems Aina and Chris'' OHANASHI is lingering.


    So this time it was my turn to cook. Recently, we''ve been eating out and Aina has been making a lot of dishes for me, so I decided to cook for the first time in a while.


    I''m going to try my hand at cooking curry this time.


    In fact, the other day, I discovered a dish using spices at a food stall and learned how to make it.


    It was a spit-roasted dish, so my knowledge of it, plus my knowledge of how to make it, makes it feel like an experiment, but I didn''t have a choice. I''m going to try my best not to waste any ingredients.


    I asked the guy at the stall who was serving the spit-roast to teach me how to mix the spices (and he was more than happy to teach me, because I bought more than 50 servings of spit-roast), and I bought all the spices at the shop where he told me to get them.


    First, I fry a lot of onions until they are candy-colored and throw them into the skewer, then cut potatoes, carrots, beef, etc. into bite-sized pieces and throw them into the skewer as well.


    Pour water into the vessel with the ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer for a while to remove the scum that comes out.


    In the meantime, I continued to fry the flour in the frying pan until it turned a fox color, being careful not to burn it.


    I mixed half of the fried flour and half of the spices together and threw them into the skillet, gradually dissolving them in the cooking water.


    The only thing left to do was to add more spices to the mixture, checking the taste and making sure it was to my liking.


    After about an hour from the start of cooking, the curry-like dish was ready. This time I didn''t make it too spicy, but instead used honey and other ingredients to keep it between sweet and medium spicy. However, I added some spices that I had left over for my own consumption to increase the spiciness.


    The completed curry was taken to the room where everyone was present.


    Since we left the rice to Jeanne, it was cooked a little softly, but there was no particular problem. In addition, Aina and the others had returned in the middle of cooking the curry, and they apologized for not helping with the cooking (only Aina).


    The room was filled with the smell of curry spices when I opened the lids of the earthenware pots and pots that had been used to cooking rice and curry.


    ''Well then, I''ll take it.''


    I clasped my hands together, then spooned the curry and brought it to my mouth.


    ''Oh..............It tastes just right.


    The first impression I had was not "delicious" but "nostalgic"... after all, it''s been almost 15 years since I''ve had curry. I was engrossed in shoveling the curry into my mouth.


    After seeing my reaction, everyone started to work on their curry.


    What were the reactions of each of them.....


    It''s an unusual taste. It''s a little tangy, but it''s good.


    ''It''s a new way of using spices. I''ve had spiced soups before, but I''ve never heard of something thickened with flour and served over rice.


    Not bad. If it''s any hotter, it might be hotter, but it''s addictive.


    ''Yes. But maybe it''s the spices, but I''m starting to warm up and sweat earlier.


    It was well received by Grandpa, Aina, Chris and Primera.


    In contrast.........


    Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.


    My tongue is tingling.


    Too much spice!


    ''Temma I''m not good at this...''


    And the three girls and Jeanne disapproved of it.


    Temma, another drink. And your sister hasn''t moved a moment ago.


    Namitaro, who is eating his curry in style. And Aura, aka ''your sister over there'', doesn''t have the same light in her eyes as when she came back to the mansion (she was brought in).


    And this one for Aura.


    I gave Namitarou another, and then spooned Aura a spoonful of the curry I was eating, with more spices added to it, and shoved it into her mouth.


    ''.....Ho...''


    "Huh?


    ''Really? ! What the hell~!


    Aside from the fact that it''s a good voice for a girl of her age to make, Aura was brought back to this world by the power of Curry.......oh, the great power of Curry....


    Lady Temma! That''s not what I''m talking about! Water! Water, please!


    Aura, who was in a great hurry, took the cup I offered her as if she were taking it from me and guzzled it down.


    And Aina was pissed at me for that action.


    I think my first curry in that vein was a good success... By the way, my final impression was ''Sure, it''s a curry, but it''s not what I wanted to eat in any way''.


    After dinner, Aina and Chris-san went to the castle, Primera went to her fellow knights, and the three girls pulled up to their own inn.


    Namitaro went up to the mansion without permission, and after having dinner with his grandfather, he went back to the garden pond.


    On the way there, I decided to ask him something that had been bothering me.


    Hey, Nami Taro," he said, "did you get caught again? "Hey, Nami Taro, did you get caught again?


    Then Namitaro looked serious? And....


    Tenma..... you''d be mistaken if you thought you could catch me again and again just because I''m a fish.


    I''m sorry...


    I was just swimming around in my sleep and I got caught in a net!


    For some reason, Namitaro (Fishes) says that with pride I''m sorry and it''s lost! Really!


    ''You should have run away on the way out...''


    I thought so, but there was a lot of shellfish on the table as well. I ate so much that I fell asleep... for about ten days... and when I came to, I was on the cutting board! It''s just like a ''chopping board''!


    And so the night before the tournament went on....

 81-Chapter 5-4 The start of the conference

    "I now pronounce the Royal Family-hosted ''Victory in Front of the Warriors'' Martial Arts Festival'' to begin!


    Master Caesar''s words echoed through the arena as he announced the opening of the event.


    A little later, cheers that seemed to shake the arena erupted from the audience and the participants lined up in the arena.


    The cheers continued for a while, but they slowly died down as the King, replaced by Caesar, stood up and lightly raised his hand.


    ''I can understand why everyone can''t wait. Since a record number of people will be participating in this tournament, I''m sure there will be a lot of exciting matches to watch. I''m looking forward to it. And participants! Unleash the strength you''ve cultivated so far! Grab the glory in your hands!


    When the king concluded that, there was another great cheer.


    After that, a brief explanation was given, and then the participants were dismissed for once.


    It was currently around 10:00 a.m., and the individual qualifying round was scheduled to take place around 11:00 a.m. after this, and all but the individual participants left the arena or went up to the bleachers.


    I was told that there were more than 650 participants in total, including me, and that there were nearly 200 more than last year.


    They can''t all go into the waiting room, so they have to wait outside the arena for the qualifiers to be collected by group to make sure they are all fair.


    A maximum of 32 contestants can advance to the finals, with the 4 who made it to the semifinals in the last tournament being given the right to be seeded (exempt from qualifying).


    However, since one of the prizewinners was injured this year, up to 29 contestants will be able to advance to the finals.


    However, a maximum of 2 contestants per group could advance to the finals. This made it difficult to adjust the number of contestants during the preliminary rounds, so from this year''s tournament, it has been decided to limit the number of contestants to three for each qualifying pair.


    In the past, if someone withdrew from the preliminary round, or if two of the contestants couldn''t make it to the finals, they would be seeded in the finals and the number of entrants would be adjusted.


    Whether I was lucky or not, I was assigned to one of the groups that was able to advance to the finals.


    Jin and Garratt from my acquaintance were participating in the individual competition of this tournament, but none of the three of us were in the same group for the finals. The Bandit King also doesn''t have any conflicts with us, and will appear in front of my team.


    There are 14 teams in total for the preliminary round. The qualifying rounds were divided into two groups, with my group appearing last. By the way, Jin was in the first group and Garratt was in the same group as me.


    The number of people assigned to my group was 45 for all but me and 65 for my group alone.


    There is always an attendant near each team to check the rules and answer questions.


    The rules of the qualifying round are.....


    If a fighter fails to arrive at the designated place before the start of the match, he or she will be disqualified.


    If a fighter intentionally attacks another fighter in the same group, he or she will be disqualified.


    A fighter is disqualified if he or she falls out of the venue.


    4. A fighter is disqualified when the referee decides that it is impossible to continue the match.


    5. If a fighter intentionally attacks a disqualified fighter, he will be disqualified.


    6. If the fighter dies (...), he will be disqualified.


    7. Disqualified if the referee''s order or disobeys the referee''s order.


    8. Items other than weapons and armor cannot be used. However, bags and other items may be used.


    These are the basic rules, but exceptions will be made only if a fighter is found to have failed to follow the rules for a legitimate reason.


    There seems to be other detailed rules, but for now, this is the only thing you need to pay attention to.


    ''Oops! There she is. Hey, Temma~!


    I was taking a break at my group''s meeting point when I was approached by Garratt, who was in a nearby group.


    ''Long time no see, Temma!


    Garratt called me out loud, and the same group of guys were paying attention to me... and when I say attention, they were looking at me like one of the kids was just joining in on the commemoration... but they weren''t directly involved. So let''s ignore it.


    Garratt seemed to notice the eyes of those around him, and he gave a sympathetic look... to those around him.


    ''What can I say ... it''s a clich�� of those who see Temma for the first time. Until you make a fool of yourself and it hurts... most of all, it''s the real idiots or less than second-rate people who get hurt.


    Garratt is muttering in a voice that only I can hear.......well, it seems that my group doesn''t have anyone with any real ability. It can''t be helped, so let''s try to get things to turn out the way Garratt wants them to.


    ''So, how''s it going with Garratt?''


    Hmm? Yeah, there''s only a few strong guys here and there... the problem is we have a runner-up from the year before, so it''s going to be key to see how that guy works.


    Even though he was the runner-up the year before last, he''s someone who lost in the first round of the main tournament last time, and there''s not that much of a difference in strength between him and Garratt.


    ''''Even so, he''s got a track record...............First some people will rush in. I think that''s going to be the catalyst for a wild fight.''''


    Garratt''s plan is to get through the first melee with as little damage as possible, and the rest is just a matter of getting out! This is a poor strategy, but in a way it is the right way to fight in a battle royal.


    While we were talking about this, an attendant came to inform us that the first contestant for the main contest has been decided.


    ''''Whoa! Looks like that djinn guy made it through!


    The attendant said that Djinn had participated in the main competition, and Garratt seemed somewhat happy to hear that.


    ''It seems there weren''t many wizards in Jin''s group. If there were any, they were either intensively beaten in the first melee.


    Garratt is looking at me sideways while saying that.


    In the meantime, the attendant is reading out the names of the finalists.


    Judging from the reactions of those around me, it seems that all four of the finalists, including Jin, had advanced to the finals in the last tournament, so to speak, they won in that order.


    ''I can''t lose either! Let''s work on each other!


    Garratt, who was a little excited, said that to me and went back to his group.


    So we passed the time going around the nearby stalls and watching the match, and finally, when the sun was setting, my group was called out to me.


    The last group of participants, please gather at the side of the hall.


    When the attendant called me to the aisle, I was lined up on the spot to be checked by name and led into the hall. Of course, there was no one who was late.


    Then please wait here.


    We were led to an anteroom where we could look into the arena, and the fight of the previous group had just begun.


    One of the groups started out as a lookout and was quiet, but the other group was in a brawl as soon as it started, with some participants being blown away as if they were flying through the air... The person blowing the participants away was the ''Bandit King''.


    The Bandit King was kicking the enemies away as he smashed his large axe into the opponents, showing his overwhelming strength.


    This naturally created a space around the Bandit King, and no one wanted to challenge the Bandit King to a fight.


    As soon as the Bandit King stepped forward, the participants around him took two or three steps back, creating a kind of rigidity that eventually led to boos from the audience.


    The bandit king, annoyed by the participants who showed no sign of coming towards him, crowded his opponents in front of him with unimaginable speed and delivered an axe blow that sent several of them flying out of the hall.


    This created an atmosphere of reluctance, but eventually the participants began to feel that they were going to be beaten down by being crowded in between them, and although there was no signal, all of the remaining participants took on the Bandit King at the same time.


    It seems that the participants are trying to defeat the bandit king with violence in numbers, but they are not enemies of the bandit king after all, such as a crowd of crowds driven by fear and unable to coordinate properly.


    With a swing of the Bandit King''s axe, the Orcs were reduced in numbers by a few, and in the end, they were all (...) blown out of the field.


    The scene was just like that of the corpses of the dead, but from the Bandit King standing alone on the fighting table, there was an atmosphere that could be described as the very style of a king, and it attracted the audience.


    ''''That''s it!''''


    The referees were also a little late in giving the signal for the end, perhaps due to the power of the Bandit King.


    After hearing the referee''s signal, the Bandit King leisurely stepped off the fighting table alone and went to the waiting room in the arena.


    Shortly after that, the referee reported that only the King of Bandits would be allowed to participate in the finals, and it was decided that the capacity of the finals was reduced.


    The audience applauded the King of Bandits, but the team that was fighting at the same time was still fighting, and the match was not as good as the one of the King of Bandits, so the atmosphere of "hurry up and get it over with" began to waft from the audience, and the participants of that team seemed to have a hard time doing so.


    In the end, the winners of that pairing were a first-time participant in the tournament and a young man who was competing in the main competition for the first time.


    When the previous group had been settled, my group was finally called up to the arena.


    As I went up to the arena, I glanced at the seats where the kings were seated, and there were all the royals there, and next to the Lord Treasurer was Misery, who was sitting in a wheelchair.


    I continued to move my gaze to look at the nobleman''s seat, and for some reason, I also saw my grandfathers there.


    It wasn''t just Grandpa, Jeanne, and Aura there, but also the three daughters to Primera.....................Perhaps they used the connections of the ''Sangha Dukes'' that Primera has.


    There was no more time to observe the audience. The participants were randomly placed on the fighting table........


    Final qualifying round, the game begins!


    The referees'' voices rang out.


    My first opponent was a large man in full body armor who was right behind me.


    The man seemed to have decided that I was the easiest opponent to take down, and without a plan, he just rushed into me.


    ''''Doriya! What.........


    Against the man who was just coming at me, I paid off the other man''s stepping foot with a low kick before it reached the ground.


    As a result, the man fell easily and was lightly disoriented.


    Before the man came to his senses, I swung the other man''s legs aside and swung them around with force before he came to his senses.


    ''Buh! Whoa! Oh........


    I set the man up with a "giant swing" as I gradually moved into the center of the area that was becoming a war zone. Occasionally, participants were blown away by the swing, but the man''s armor, which has become my weapon, seemed to be a work of art, with a few dents and dents, but no major distortions or broken parts.


    As expected, the participants in the center of the room noticed me while doing the giant swing, so I decided to take a chance and throw the weapon (the man) away... towards the center of the room.


    The man in full-body armor, unleashed from me, flew like a cannonball and sent the participants in the center of the building, who had failed to escape, flying away like bowling pins.


    I jumped into the center of the building while I was there. The center of the room was potted because everyone had escaped from the man in full-body armor, and the participants around me looked at me with dumbfounded faces as I jumped into the space, but suddenly they started to glare at me and attacked me all at once... but...


    Freeze!


    When I froze the surface of the fighting table like a skating rink, the participants who tried to pounce on me slipped and fell on their asses on the spot.


    ''''Downburst!''''


    Next, I created a downburst of air around me. As expected, if I just let it happen, I''d be damaged as well, so I adjusted the magic power in my place to prevent any damage.


    With the effect of the downburst and freezing the fighting table, the bodies of the participants gradually began to move in the direction outside the field.


    The participants were desperately trying to stop stepping on the ice, but they couldn''t step on the ice very well and all of them slipped off the arena (........).


    The referees are stunned by the audience, who are stunned by the outcome of the fight. However, it was the participants who didn''t understand (or didn''t want to) what had happened the most. Although all of them had fallen off the fighting table and retired, most of them had no serious injuries and were healthy enough to fight again from now on.


    I''m still standing alone on the fighting table. I still can''t get off the table because the referee hasn''t given me the signal to end the fight.


    I wanted to give the signal, so I looked not at the judges, but at the kings.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to get out of it.


    Referee! The game is over!


    He told the umpire.


    The referee came to himself at the king''s words and hurriedly gave the signal for the end.


    As I was about to get off the fighting table, three participants began to complain to the referee.


    ''You''ve got to be kidding me! I can still fight!


    The most pompous of the complainers, equipped with luxurious armor and a great sword, began to shout.


    ''''I can''t accept a result like that!


    ''''There''s no way a kid like that would be able to use that much magic unless he was cheating in some way! It''s invalid! A match like this!


    I started screaming at the man''s side, another two men equipped with gorgeous armor.


    But I ignored them and got off the fighting table. As I got off, I heard the men cursing from behind me, but I didn''t care and walked straight to the waiting room.


    ''Oi! The kid''s getting away! Get him!


    The man who started complaining first shouted that to the participants around him, but the other participants just gave him a cold look and didn''t move. On the contrary.....


    Guards! Get those three! He is a sinner who has defiled the Gomae Martial Arts Festival!


    Before long, the three participants were immediately taken into custody by the guards brought in by the Warlord Lyle von Bluemail Krustin, who had descended below the seat of royalty .............


    The three who had put up considerable resistance to the guards at that time were attacked when they were seized by the guards and were knocked unconscious when they were tied up.


    ''''Some of those who lost this match will be unconvincing, if not like them.... However, including that, you are inexperienced, and that guy is just one step ahead of you. This will be a lesson to you, and you will do your best to be on your guard at the next opportunity.


    Lyle called out to the participants of the earlier match on his way back. The participants seemed to understand that this kind of match (battle royal) could end like this, and they were kneeling on the spot with their heads hanging down.


    The crowd applauded Lyle''s swift action, and in turn, applauded the participants who were leaving the arena in defeat... but the other match was still going on.


    While the crowd was focusing on Tenma''s actions, the three idiots'' ruckus, and Lyle''s deftness, the participants in the other pair were down to less than a third of the participants, and it looked like it was going to be settled in a few moments.


    In the end, it was Garratt and the veteran adventurer who won this pairing...


    "Hmmm........thank God I have Temma''s protection (resistance)!


    Garratt, who came into the waiting room much later than I did, started to say such a thing at the opening.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in your group, but the confusion that some of the participants felt when they saw the magic I had released spread to the other participants, and as a result, it all came down to an all-out brawl. It is said that most of the participants were unable to demonstrate even half of their abilities in the chaotic brawl and were defeated.


    How does that lead to my backup? I asked him....


    What? Because if you''re a Temma, there''s nothing funny about what you''ve done... if you suddenly have two big magic shots in a row on the other side, most people would be surprised and confused. I knew the source of the outbreak better than anyone else in there. I was able to show my strength without confusion.


    I''m not sure if it''s the right thing to do, since Garratt was originally one of the most influential members of that group, so if people around him hadn''t been able to show their abilities, it would have been an easy win for him, but... I don''t see why not.


    A staff member came over to us and started talking about the future.


    Simply put, congratulations on your participation in the finals, the pairings will be announced in the morning of the day.


    After hearing that, me, Garratt and the other finalist tried to leave the waiting room quickly, but...


    ''Ah! Only Temma will be waiting for a moment.


    He stopped me by name.


    With me at his side, Garratt left, telling me not to leave first as the djinn and the others were waiting for me, and the other one left without saying a word.


    ''What can I do for you, sir? I''m not cheating when it comes to the game, though.


    The attendant is shaking his head tremendously in denial at my question.


    ''Yeesh! I don''t suspect a single word of fraud, sir! However, some noblemen who saw the fight just now have asked to meet with Temma and we have been informed by our superiors that we will take measures to do so, so we would like to ask you to wait a little while.


    I said that I didn''t know what to do. I said I didn''t have the courage to shake off the aristocrats, but the attendant was in tears, so I decided to wait in the waiting room for a while.


    It would take about 10 minutes to wait. The countermeasure came to the waiting room where I was waiting.


    I headed for the exit with those two men.


    In the vicinity of the exit at that time....


    That little boy Temma is a very slow learner...


    ''''Baroness, it hasn''t been too long since the game ended. Perhaps you have used some big magic and are taking a short break.


    I think he''s after that Temma or something like that and he''s trying to get to me before I can get to him, even though he''s a baron.


    Calm down, sir. You will be more than happy to follow me.


    and so on, the lower nobles were talking to their followers. The nobles there must have recently arrived in the royal capital. Otherwise, they would have heard at least a rumor about Tenma from their fellow nobles of their own faction.


    Temma appeared in front of these nobles from the exit.


    It seems that it is difficult to see the person next to Temma from where the nobles are, and besides, it''s a pity that they only paid attention to Temma in an attempt to outdo the other nobles here.


    The aristocrats rushed to Temma''s side and...


    You rude little bastards!


    I was blackmailed by the person next to Temma.

 82-Chapter 5-5 Importance of Information...

    The man who had blackmailed the noblemen who had rushed to Temma''s door was....


    ""The Duke of Sangha!"


    He was a high-ranking nobleman and one of the country''s leading great aristocrats, the ''Duke of Sangha''.


    As expected, the aristocrats who rushed over to me did not seem to have any idea that the Duke was walking with me, and all of them had pulled faces.


    That is completely wrong, but in the circumstances, it can''t be taken that way.


    ''''If I was here on a public matter, then your actions earlier are something that could have been cut off without question!


    The Duke of Sanga raises his voice even more. But since I had heard that this was a ''play by the Duke'' and that this was the ''countermeasure'' that the attendant was talking about, I was not surprised, but rather looked at the nobles who were being scolded by the Duke with cold eyes.


    ''''Gosh, it''s a misunderstanding, Duke. I am your........''''


    The duke, who felt that no matter what he said, he wouldn''t listen, turned his gaze to the nobles with a low voice that sounded even colder and heavier.


    The nobles, seeing the Duke''s attitude, were kneeling on the ground begging for forgiveness as if begging for their lives.


    ''''Father, isn''t that enough already.......We all make mistakes.


    The aristocrats have expressions of relief that their lives have been saved.


    Duke Sanga gave me a look and walked out of the place, ignoring the weakening nobles.


    ''''Even though I''m the cause.......Duke Sanga-sama is a bad person too.


    ''No wonder people are so bad. I''m a nobleman, after all. And it must have been a good lesson to those guys about how important it is to gather information... by the way...


    The duke shifted his gaze once to Primera. Primera seemed nervous for some reason and didn''t notice the Duke''s gaze.


    I nodded lightly to the duke and moved in front of Primera to greet her.


    ''''It''s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, my lady. I am Temma the Adventurer, who has been good to the Duke of Sanga for a long time. Henceforth, please be familiar with me....


    I knelt down in front of the Primera, a little uncomfortable, and took her hand and greeted her... although I didn''t kiss her hand, as expected...


    The primera''s eyes are black and white at my actions. When I take her hand, she says, "Hiya! He made a strange noise, but he didn''t make any pretense of shoving it in there.


    ''Te, Temma-san! What a joke! Please don''t be embarrassed!


    Turning red in the face and waving her hand away, Primera took a couple of steps backwards. Apparently her nerves were relieved, but instead she seemed a little angry.


    I''ve seen Primera many times before, but until now Primera was always wearing armor, so I had the impression that she was a ''Knight''s Primera'', but this time she was wearing a dress I''ve never seen before, and her appearance as the ''Primera Lady of the Duke''s House'' was extremely rare, and it ignited my mischievous mind a bit. ...with the Duke''s encouragement!


    The duke, such an accomplice, laughed aloud from his position where he could not see the primera.


    ''''Though this kind of dress certainly doesn''t suit me.......there''s no need to tease me.......''''


    Primera seems to be under the mistaken impression that the dress was teased because it didn''t suit her, when in fact it suited her quite well.


    Originally, as the daughter of a duke family, Primera received a very good quality education among the nobility, and she was born with a well-rounded face. In addition, because she is a member of a knightly order, her body is toned through training, and because Primera takes care of her health, her skin and hair are in very good condition.


    Therefore, if I were to rate Primera, I''d say she''s definitely a "beautiful woman" ... However, that doesn''t include her personality.


    As an aside, according to what Primera''s friend Leena told me, some of the girls were quite jealous of the fact that people around them told them they were beautiful even if they weren''t paying attention to them (which Primera herself thought was flattering).


    When I tried to clear up Primera''s misunderstanding, the Duke came in between us.


    ''Primera. Temma, you are in no way teasing me! I can see that. After all, your behavior earlier, Temma, is almost exactly the same as the one I just described when I hit on your mother! Of course, Temma, you didn''t hit on him, but a man is a creature that can act like one when he sees a beautiful woman!


    And then the Duke began to talk about his own experience, and with a sideways glance, he asked me for my consent.


    It''s a good thing that you can''t say, ''I had no intention to do that, I was just teasing you,'' as expected, so I nodded vaguely.


    "Is that so........


    Primera muttered and her cheeks were stained with a different feeling than before.


    I couldn''t bear to stay in the weird air like this, so I asked the duke what was bothering him.


    ''''It was the king''s idea for the dukes to come for me, wasn''t it?


    Yeah, well you know exactly what I mean.


    The Duke readily admits it. However, that raises a new question. That is.........


    ''But then, wouldn''t the King or Lyle or the Grand Duke or someone else want to come?


    Because of the nature of those three people, there is no way they would miss something like that (for the three of them) that would be interesting. When I asked him that, the Duke gave a bitter smile.


    ''''You say it as if you''ve seen it all.......you''re right. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. ...Your Majesty, Master Lyle, and Grand Duke looked like all three of them were chastised by the Queen.


    The Duke and Primera, who were called in at short notice, seemed to take a bit of time, mainly to change Primera''s clothes.


    ''''Well, consider this a thank you from me,''''


    Are you thanking me?


    The Duke said that he had apparently placed a bet on my game and it paid out quite a bit.


    My odds of winning the main tournament were initially about 30 times my odds. I was the lowest favorite in my group, but the odds dropped to 3 times soon afterwards, and I was eventually the most popular in the group.


    The reason for this is the Duke of Sangha, the Marquis of Samoens, my friends, and myself.


    I heard that it is an unspoken rule in this tournament that royalty does not take part in bets, so they were only multiplied by this factor.


    Later I heard that the Duke, Marquis and I had bet one million g, and my grandfather had bet 500,000 g. By the way, it is permitted for players to participate in the betting against themselves, but if they are involved in the betting, they are basically (...) slave-degraded.


    After that, there was no trouble and we were able to return to the mansion safely.


    The next day, today is also the qualifying round for pairs in the arena, but since I''m not particularly interested in it and there are no acquaintances in the arena, today is just a light confirmation of the cooperation for tomorrow''s team match, setting up a boundary in the courtyard.


    The confirmation of coordination was to see how it would be with the addition of Nami Talou, but in conclusion, it wasn''t much of a task.


    At any rate, Nami Taro would get into a bad mood, Shiroumaru would get caught and joke around, Solomon would join in and frolic, Slarin would get angry, and so on and so forth, and then it was all looped up, and finally the plan was decided to be called ''fighting on the fly''.


    So I decided to cut it off early and relax in the mansion.


    The inside of the mansion today is very quiet and it was just right to relax.


    At any rate, the three girls, Primera and Chris'' team didn''t come to the mansion to check on the coordination, so while we were there to see how they were doing.


    Jeanne and Aura had been taken and squeezed by Aina, and Grandpa hadn''t returned even now after being called by Ernest-sama to go out in disgust.


    It might be nice to take a leisurely stroll on a day like this, but the royal capital is too busy in the middle of a festival, and certain people (........) have been passing by the mansion deliberately since a while ago.


    There are three main types of people passing by.


    The first is the ordinary people who are casually peeking into the mansion with a favorable interest in me after seeing the battle yesterday.


    The second is a person who wants to make my acquaintance. This includes nobles and their messengers.


    And the third group of people who are hostile to me is the problem. Among them were those who seemed to be messengers of the nobility, adventurers, and even those who seemed to be backstabbing ordinary people.


    Probably, but most of the adventurers and ordinary people are just guys who lost money on a bet, who know where I live and stare at me in passing, but the nobleman''s messengers and backstabbing guys are probably connected to the reformers... or that''s all I can think of.


    I''ll do an appraisal and make a note of some of the people, and I''ll discuss it with Grandpa later.


    I don''t think they''ll be able to get to this mansion so easily since they have security mechanisms everywhere, but I''ll put more golems in place just in case.


    Placement was concentrated outside near the windows and doors and behind the mansion, while inside the mansion, more placement was made in Jeanne and Aura''s rooms and guest rooms.


    To be honest, it feels like overkill. At any rate, the increased golems alone are about 100, and if the previous ones are included, the total number of golems will be about 150. With the addition of security equipment for magic and magic tools, even if a thousand knights attacked, they wouldn''t be able to drop them so easily.


    After the security was reinforced, I went straight to sleep. And when he returned, his grandfather found out about the security reinforcement as fast as he could and was taken aback by it.


    ''''Temma I wonder what you''re going to fight against? This isn''t a mansion, it''s a fortress disguised as a mansion...


    I feel like I''ve gone too far, but I''m not remorseful about this one!


    Incidentally, the kings who came to visit later said exactly the same thing as Grandpa''s impressions.


    Incidentally, Jeanne and Aura hadn''t noticed the fortification of the mansion at all.


    Furthermore, the next day, the tournament would be held for the preliminary round of team competition.


    There were 136 teams participating in this tournament, the third largest number of teams ever. The qualifying round was divided into 16 teams.


    However, it is not possible to hold all of the preliminary rounds in the arena, so the teams are gathered in the arena in the morning, and then they are divided into groups to fight at the temporary qualifying sites set up throughout the capital.


    In this team competition, the participants of my acquaintances were the three girls and the temporary team of Primera "Gunjo''s Flower", the "Sword of Dawn" led by Jinn, the "Demon Soldiers" with Gulliver, the Marquis of Samonsu''s subordinate, the "Seigenteamers A", "Seigenteamers B" and "Seigenteamers B" created by the Teimers Guild of Seigen. The "Seigenteamers C", that is.


    And as if the teams I know were all opportunistic, they were all split up, which was good, but unfortunately, me and "Seigenteimers B", "Gunjo''s Flower" and "Oniheiheiheiheiheihei", "Sword of Dawn" and "Tamer''s Guild C" were all in the same group! This was the case.


    The Tamer''s Guild was A with three grappler ape of Agri and his family, B with two hardlinks of Light and his family, and Ted and his family, Thunderbird, and C with the Sakarat brothers and his family, Flame Tiger and Mountain Turtle.


    When this pairing was decided, Light and Ted were quite depressed.


    ''''It''s over........''''


    That''s what the two of us were talking about, Aguri told me after the preliminary round.


    My team consisted of eight teams, and the venue was an empty lot outside the royal capital. I rode in the shuttle carriage with Ted and Wright.


    "We''re unlucky to have Tenma in the same group, aren''t we, Light?


    ''''Well yes but it can''t be helped. Our real goal is to raise the profile of the Tamers Guild!


    ''That''s true too. I''d rather have Temma around so I can lose without a care in the world!


    It''s pathetic, but...


    As we listened to their backward remarks, the carriage we were riding in headed towards the venue.


    The temporary venue wasn''t very large, but there were quite a few spectators in it.


    As I was wondering about this, one of the attendants spoke to me coyly.


    ''You seem to be wondering why, but it''s the Tenma player.


    When I nodded my head at the words, he told me more about it. According to the attendant, I''m regarded as one of the "hottest players", and many of the customers came to see me because they were curious to know what kind of guys I''d be partnering with when they heard I''d be participating in a team competition as well.


    When the attendant told me that, he went back to work.


    There are three different types of tents in the venue, one for each participating team.


    Around the tents, the teams that have already arrived are doing their preparatory exercises.


    Spectators are watching them and trying to decide which team to bet on. Simply put, they are acting as a paddock for horse racing.


    However, there are some teams that are just trying to show off their own performance.


    Anyway, since the eyes of the audience have been on me for a while now, I decided to introduce some (...) of my members.


    ''Slarin, Shiroumaru. You can come out now.


    I''ve been waiting for you to hear what I have to say! Shiroumaru jumped out of the bag.


    Shiroumaru''s collar had been removed beforehand, so he was about three meters long.


    As soon as Shiroumaru jumped out of the bag, there were loud cheers and screams from the audience.


    The cheers came from people who knew I was a tamer, and this was on the pamphlet because I had written it down when I registered the team.


    The screams came from people who hadn''t read the pamphlet and seemed to panic at the sight of the demon that suddenly appeared.


    However, the screams soon stopped and were soon replaced by cheers of praise for Shiroumaru.


    But in the next moment, the loud cheers stopped in a flash. The cause was Slarin.


    After all, in general terms (........) slime is one of the weakest demons.


    Such a slime came out after Fenrir (Shiroumaru), who is said to be the highest-ranked species of wolf-type demon, so the appearance of Shiroumaru caused a sudden increase in tension in the audience, and the audience wondered what was going to come next! The weakest demon (slime) came out in a way that betrayed our expectations, and the tension in the crowd dropped dramatically.


    And the appearance of Slarin was not only stopped by the crowd, but also by our first round opponent.


    All five of our opposing teams were visibly "brainy", with muscles that looked like they had been torn to shreds, and each was equipped with a large sword, hammer, axe, club and shield.


    And when their opponents came to themselves, they pointed at Slarin and started laughing. It seems that it''s even stranger to have a slime participate in the tournament.


    I was annoyed with my opponent''s attitude, but the one who was more annoyed than me was Shiroumaru.


    When I was surprised, Shiroumaru started snarling and threatening his opponent.


    Just as he was wondering if this was a bad idea, Slarin stood in front of Shiroumaru, shaking his body a few times to tell him something.


    Shiroumar saw this and gave his opponents a quick glance at Guillory and then pulled back.


    Apparently, Slarin saw that Shiroumaru was about to jump on him and convinced him... although it''s unclear how he convinced him...


    Then Slarin went back to the tent prepared for us, with Shiroumaru in tow, as if nothing had happened.


    ''Hey Temma is Slarin really a slime?''


    Ted, who had been asking about the situation, asked me what I was wondering too.


    Ted and Wright looked the same as usual, but our opponents and most of the crowd seemed to be frightened by Shiroumaru''s roar and the way he was seriously threatening them, so they didn''t shout and kept quiet.


    ''''Oh, poor Tenma''s opponent too... it''s going to be a disastrous fight since he''s incurred Shiroumaru''s wrath...''''


    Light was clasping his hands together in sympathy for our opponents.


    While Wright was clasping his hands together, an attendant informed us that it was getting close to the time for the preliminaries to start, and we all rushed back to our tents to get ready.


    The first match of the first round was between Ted and Light''s team and a team of fledgling adventurers.


    The battle was played at Ted and his team''s pace from start to finish. First, Wright and Ted''s subordinates, Hard Lynx and Thunderbird, held the adventurers behind and above them, while Wright stood in front of them.


    Ted prepared his magic from behind Light, providing support.


    As the adventurers tried to attack the light, the Hard Lynx behind them moved around to keep the light from facing them.


    When the adventurers try to deal with the Hard Lynx behind them, Light and Ted will try to exploit the gap.


    In the beginning, the adventurers had been working together, but then one of the adventurers became numb and jumped out and headed for the Hard Lynx.


    But this was the worst move of all. As the adventurer swung his sword at the Hard Lynx, the adventurer was suddenly taken into the air.


    It was the work of the Thunderbird. From earlier, this Thunderbird had been standing still, not giving the adventurers a good check on them.


    It was probably waiting for the adventurers to jump out, just as they were doing now. The adventurers who flew out were grabbed by the Thunderbird''s thick, sharp claws and flew through the air.


    The grabbed adventurers managed to attack the Thunderbird, but the one being grabbed was the right hand that was holding the weapon and couldn''t move the sword in a fragile manner.


    The adventurers were also concerned about their friends who had been taken into the sky, but were unable to move to help as Light and Ted were coming towards them.


    Just as Light slashed at the adventurers, one of his friends fell from above the adventurers'' heads (........).


    The adventurers weren''t dropped from so high, so it wasn''t too disastrous, but the fellow companion who fell on the man in armor ended up taking quite a bit of damage.


    The moment the companion fell, Ted''s wind magic, Light''s slash, and Hard Lynx and the others'' body blows attacked him, and the shape of his body tilted at once.


    It took some time, but the result shows that "Seigenteimers B" won the match. It took some time, but looking at the result alone, it was an overwhelming victory for "Seigenteimers B". After all, the opposing adventurers couldn''t attack properly, so the lights didn''t suffer a single injury.


    The audience was excited by this result and praised the lights.


    The other adventurers also got up and went back to their tents without any other serious injuries, except for the man who had been dropped with a broken leg.


    As the crowd was getting excited, we were immediately called out.


    Me, Shiroumaru and Surarin were the only ones from my team that would be participating in this match, while Solomon and Namitaro were off.


    I feel like it''s a bit of a waste to put Solomon in the qualifying round, and since the festival is still going on, if I put him in now, he won''t be in a place to enjoy the festival. As for Namitaro....


    You''re overpowered if you let me out too.


    So he decided not to participate in the first round.


    As far as my opponent''s adventurers were concerned, I felt that Nami Taro''s statement was correct.


    It''s not a matter of detail, but when it comes to major injuries, it''s too dangerous to trust your own life with them, but your opponents don''t seem to be aware of this.


    My opponents don''t seem to be aware of this and are focusing on appealing to the audience. They seem to be aiming for a gold star.


    They know my strength from the individual qualifying rounds, but they think that if they can push me with their numbers, they can get by, and the problem is Shiroumaru.


    I''ve been glancing at Shiroumaru from earlier... Slarin is completely ignoring him and doesn''t even give him a glance.


    In the midst of all this, the referees are standing between us and explaining the rules in a simple manner.


    The rules are like those of an individual match minus the out-of-field losses, so it''s not something I''d care about now.


    ''Then let the match begin!


    With a declaration, the referees get far enough away. At the same time, all of my opponents were closing in on my Shiroumar opponent at the same time.


    As me and Shiroumaru readied ourselves to intercept, Slarin stood in front of us.


    ''''Are you going to do this alone, Slarin?''''


    Slarin nodded at my words? Me and Shiroumaru flew wide back. It was to keep out of Slarin''s way.


    However, the spectators and opponents were surprised by the strong attack at the start and seemed to have used the slime as bait to keep their distance.


    The opponents were smiling and trying to attack Slurin with a wry smile.


    The moment the opponents raised their weapons, a surprising change occurred in Slarin''s body.


    The change was so surprising to the audience that not only my opponents, but me as well.

 83-Chapter 5-6 Surarin Musou

    The change in the slarin, it was the giant size of the slarin.


    Until then, Slarin was roughly 60 to 80 centimeters in diameter, but the Slarin in front of me was, by my reckoning, over 4 meters in diameter, and perhaps even closer to 5 meters.


    This surprised not only my opponents and spectators, but also me, who was supposed to be the master of the game.


    I hurriedly checked Slarin''s status...


    Name... slarin''.


    Age...9


    Race... emperor (...) slime.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    And so on.


    I had heard that slime changes its race name depending on its size, but right before it changed, Slarin should have been a normal (...) slime, the same as usual.


    Even if the race had met the requirements to evolve at some point in time, there''s no way it would suddenly become bigger, since it''s not a game... but something that shouldn''t be happening in reality is happening right in front of me.


    While I''m confused, Slarin is moving as if nothing has happened.


    First, Slarin stretches his growing body to surround his opponents.


    At this point, the opponents realized the situation and began to take a defensive stance.


    However, that defensive stance seemed to be a bit slow.


    Slarin began to slam a number of tentacles at his opponents.


    I''m not sure if the fact that I''m hitting them from the top of my armor is a factor.


    In the beginning, my opponents also attacked the tentacles and succeeded in cutting off some of them, but even so, it was still insignificant. The tentacles they cut off were crawling toward the body as if they had a mind of their own, and they were captured.


    And before long, it was on the defensive, abandoning its attacks and curling up to defend itself against Slarin''s attacks.


    Even so, Slarin''s attacks will not stop. Rather, they are gaining momentum as if it were an opportunity.


    Apparently, Slarin is angry at being made a fool of. It''s rare for the usually mild-mannered Slarin to be this angry. I don''t know which words offended Slarin, but Slarin''s attack was very egregious.


    If you were in the mood, you could sink an opponent of that caliber with a single blow, but today Slarin surrounds his opponent so that he cannot escape, and then deliberately launches hundreds and thousands of attacks of reduced power, tormenting him with attacks that do not leave him dead or unconscious.


    If these were real top-notch opponents, it would be possible to escape without any difficulty, but with apparent opponents, such a trick would be impossible, and the will to fight would be lost one by one.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say about this.


    Slarin sensed the movement and returned to his original size before the ref could call out to me and Shiroumaru.


    ''Winner, Slarin!''


    The referee unexpectedly shouted the name of my team, not my team''s name, but Slarin''s.


    By the way, our team name is ''Oration''. When I was thinking about the team name, I happened to see Tanikaze outside, and I remembered that there was a novel in which a horse with such a name played an active role, so I decided to name the team. By the way, the meaning in Spanish is ''prayer''.


    When I saw that Slarin had returned to his original size while coming back to us, I found out what the giant size was all about.


    ''Slarin. You''re building a new dimension bag inside your body and storing (...) your body in the bag.


    Maybe it''s the influence of my magical power, or maybe it''s because Slarin can use spatial magic, so he makes a dimension bag and hides it inside his own body.


    And this time, he''s probably creating a new bag that I don''t know about and separating the unused portion of his body into it and storing it.


    The gigantic growth I just witnessed was the result of fusing the body out of the bag. Moreover, since the bag is inside Slarin''s body, it must have looked like it had suddenly swelled up a lot because he opened the bag inside his body and took out the body that he had separated and stored inside his body.


    Slarin affirmed my point by shaking his body vertically. Incidentally, Shiroumaru seemed to know and did not seem surprised. By the looks of it, it''s possible that Solomon knew too, and it''s likely that I was the only one who didn''t know.


    We walked back to the tent, with the crowd too surprised to be quiet.


    When we were gone, the crowd finally came to their senses and cheered loudly.


    ''So Slarin. Since when did you evolve into the Emperor (Emperor)?


    I questioned Slarin in the tent. When I checked the current Slarin''s status, I saw that his race was now a normal ''slime'', just like before.


    Slarin used his entire body to apologize for not telling me.


    What I found out from Slarin''s gesture afterwards was that Slarin became an Emperor when he was (...) conquering Seigen''s dungeon by himself (...) and had been sneaking out of the dungeon''s lair while I was training and researching, preying (...) on the same slime and going around.


    The reason why he didn''t tell me was because I had taken in a slime once before, and he hadn''t told me because I was looking at it, and he looked uncomfortable.


    ''''Well, that''s fine but how many slimes did you take in on earth?''''


    Slarin thought for a moment at my question and shook his body to the side.


    ''Predatory to the point of not understanding...''


    Slarin affirmed his answer by shaking his body lengthwise. However, it is certain that Slarin''s strength has increased as a result of him becoming an emperor.


    Generally speaking, slime is said to evolve from ordinary slime to big slime and king slime.


    An emperor slime is considered to be an evolution over a king.


    A common way to identify a slime is "Slime" if it is up to 60cm in size, "Big Slime" if it is about 1m in length, and "King Slime" if it is over 2m in length. However, it''s difficult to judge a slime''s size because its body contains a lot of water and its size depends on the situation.


    While we are talking about such things, it looks like all of the first round will be over soon.


    As soon as that happens, our second round will begin.


    Our opponent will be the team of Ted and Wright. This time it''s not just Slarin, but me and Shiroumaru will be joining in as well.


    As we waited, the attendant came to call us.


    The attendant led us up to the arena, and we were greeted with loud cheers from the crowd.


    Shortly thereafter, Ted and his team came in, but they looked uncomfortable as most of the cheering was directed at us.


    The referees looked at the status of both teams and then declared the game to begin. The two teams'' formation was almost side-by-side with my team centered on me, with Slarin on my right and Shiroumaru on my left, both animals about four meters away from me.


    Light and Ted, on the other hand, are about 10 meters away from us, and the two of them are side by side, about 5 meters away from each other, with their mutual dependents. Ted is on my right front and Light is on my left.


    The first to move was Light''s Hard Lynxes. The Hard Lynxes are running toward Shiroumaru, and they''re checking up on him on both sides.


    In response, Slarin tries to head for cover, but Ted''s Thunderbird uses wind magic to keep him from getting closer.


    In the meantime, Light and Ted are coming at me.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons for this. Ted is keeping a bow and arrow from behind Wright.


    I took out a practice stick from my bag and launched a thrust at Light.


    Light didn''t seem to expect that the weapon I took out was a stick, and he stopped moving with one of my thrusts. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of this opportunity, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it.


    The arrows pierced exactly where I was and where I dodged and dropped back, opening up a lot of distance between me and Light.


    Shiroumaru is almost at the mercy of the two Hard Lynx attacks, but since there is a difference in their original abilities, it would be safe to leave them alone.


    And Slarin''s side was surprisingly struggling. Slarin is not emperorized like in the previous game, but even if you subtract that, there are not many ways to attack a flying enemy, and on the contrary, the opponent''s magic is hitting Slarin one way or the other. However, it seems that Slarin isn''t just getting hit either. Little by little, Slarin is getting closer to Shiroumaru so as not to be noticed by Thunderbird.


    In the first five minutes or so of the match, Slarin has moved a little over a meter away, but Shiroumar seems to have noticed Slarin''s intentions, and he''s getting closer to Slarin, even while pretending to be at his mercy.


    Light and Ted are so focused on me that they don''t seem to be paying attention to the movements of Slarin and the others.


    As the standoff between the two of us and me continues, Slarin and Shiroumaru finally make their move.


    When the distance between the two animals was about four meters, Shiroumar suddenly took a sideways leap and stomped on Slarin. Slarin bounced like a trampoline the moment he was stomped on, and Shiroumar was joined to Ted''s Thunderbird.


    Slarin reacted a moment later to Shiroumar''s side-stepping by slamming his body into the Hard Lynxes, entangling the Hard Lynxes with his body. As he did so, Slarin pulled himself out of the bag and emperorized himself.


    Ted and Light stopped moving when they saw their own subordinates hit in just a few seconds.


    In the meantime, I packed up on Light, brushed off his legs and rolled him over, and held him by the neck with a stick. I stuck out my left hand against Ted, ready to release my magic at any moment.


    ''''I surrender,''''


    They both surrendered at the same time, with Ted dumping his bow and arrow on the floor and holding his hands up. Wright also let go of his weapon from being held down.


    Seeing this, the referee declared us the winners.


    ''''Winner, Team ''Oration''!


    Hearing those words, Slarin and Shiroumar immediately released their subordinates who had been holding them down.


    Slarin returned to his original size when they released him.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a great deal of fun with it.


    The battle was short, but the spectators seemed to be satisfied with the sight of their subordinates fighting each other, and we received a big round of applause.


    ''''I knew we lost...''''


    ''You can''t even beat a single Temma... and that''s what happens when you have Slarin and the others...''


    Ted and Wright muttered to themselves as they shook my hand and walked back to the tent.


    I thought about watching the rest of the matches, but the crowd was cheering so much more than I expected that I decided to stay in the tent and stay quiet.


    The fight to decide the final opponent was taking longer than expected, and there were a lot of Shiroumaru in the tent and some strange dancing? There''s a slarin''.


    Slarin''s moves might be a stretch, but to the casual observer it looks like an MP-sucking dance.


    In the midst of all this, Solomon peeks out of the bag, but I asked him to hold off on going outside, as I plan to have Solomon debut in the first round of the main fight.


    Instead, Namitaro jumped out of the bag.


    I''ll fight next~" he said. Good for you, Tenma!


    He was too uptight to give permission, and Namitaro was very pleased when I gave him permission.


    ''Yes! I''ll f*ck you.


    Namitaro stands up with just his tail and flaps his pectoral fins.


    He''s saying "shush, shush, shush," with his mouth as he moves his pectoral fins, so maybe he''s trying to shadowbox.


    About 10 minutes later, an attendant came to our tent.


    Namitaro jumped out of the tent and rushed into the arena without listening to the attendant''s words.


    The crowd went silent in surprise as a huge fish jumped out of the tent, but once they realized that Namitaro was my family, they cheered.


    The crowd responded by cheering as Namitaro frolicked in the arena.


    I didn''t follow him right away, but instead had a quick chat with an attendant and went up to the arena.


    When he saw us approaching the center of the arena, Namitaro lined up beside us. And.....


    Due to an abstention by the opposing team, the winner, Team ''Oration''!


    The voice of the referee echoed in the hall.


    ''Why~! My success is just beginning~!


    Following the referee''s voice, Namitaro''s voice echoed in the hall. And most of the people in the audience who heard his voice voiced their surprise.


    "''The fish spoke!''


    Humming, people freezing, some of them sitting back in amazement.


    The referee is one of the people who are freezing up. Normally there would be a lot of things to do after the victory declaration, but the ref was the closest to hear Namitaro''s voice, and he wasn''t too surprised to sit up.


    Namitaro was amused by the audience''s reaction and went to the audience to perform.


    Whenever Namitaro came close, people would run away from the area, and Namitaro would be amused and get into the mood.


    But it''s not good to keep this up, so...


    ''Namitaro! House!


    I opened the mouth of my bag and called Namitaro.


    ''No, Temma, I''m not a dog. I''m not a dog, but...


    ''Namitaro! House!


    You''re going to have to...


    House!


    I''m a dog...


    House!


    ..........


    Ha-u-su!


    Yes.


    I called out patiently, and Namitaro reluctantly went into his bag.


    The ref finally reactivated when he saw that and gave me a warning.


    After the caution, I was told about the next round and we were dismissed... The caution, by the way, was that if Namitaro had remained in that state of mind, he could have been disqualified for disobeying the referee''s instructions in the worst case scenario! ...


    Fortunately, I stopped Namitaro right away, so I only had to be careful... I decided to have a talk with him about it later.


    I left the venue quickly after saying hello to Ted and the others. I didn''t have any plans for today.


    So I left the venue at full speed before any trouble arose today.


    When we left the venue after eliminating all signs, sure enough, there was a crowd of people near the doorway.


    It''s not a given that they''re waiting for us, but I think my decision wasn''t wrong, as I was able to confirm some people who seemed to be related to the nobility.


    On our way to the mansion, we passed by several makeshift game venues, all of which seemed to have matches still going on, with the occasional loud cheers.


    I didn''t stop by the venue I passed by because I didn''t see anyone I know fighting, but there were a lot of people in all the venues, so there must have been a couple of high-profile teams fighting.


    As I arrived at the mansion with that in mind, I immediately set up a ward across the yard and dragged Namitaro out of the house.


    ''''Namitarou you understand, right?''''


    I''m sorry!


    When Namitaro heard my voice, he immediately got down on his knees (according to him) and begged me for forgiveness.


    Later, as I was preaching to Namitaro, the gates opened just as I was finishing my sermon.


    The gate of the house is designed to be opened only by designated people, so it was probably the grandfathers.


    ''''Isn''t it awful that you''re leaving us here!


    ''I was going to get something to eat to celebrate...''


    It''s Grandpa and Aina who are complaining through the gate. Jeanne and Aura are out of breath behind them.


    ''''Bwahahahahahahaha... yo, my side...''''


    ''Hah hah hah hah hah hah........''


    Apparently she had run as fast as she could, Aura was struggling to hold the side of her stomach and Jeanne didn''t seem to have time to speak.


    ''You''re sloppy, totally. I can''t believe I just ran from the venue and this is it...''''


    Aina was barely breathing hard, and even Grandpa didn''t look tired.


    Besides, it must be more than 10km from the venue to this mansion...............................Normally, just being able to run would be enough.


    ''Oh, sis....gonzo gonzo (you''re only okay with it because you''re a monster)...''


    Aura hasn''t learned her lesson even though she says she''s been hurt badly before. It''s not hard to say that she''s grown up enough to say it in as little as possible, but she underestimates Aina''s physical abilities too much.


    As expected, Aina heard it, and Aura was taken away, grabbed by the back collar and taken away.


    ''''Ta, help........''''


    Aura tried to ask me for help, but Aina bit her gag and she couldn''t speak.


    As I saw Aura and the others off, I explained to my grandfather why I left them there.


    I didn''t know such a thing happened.......................


    Apparently, Grandpa had experienced this before when he was younger and immediately grasped the situation.


    When I spoke to my grandfather while looking at Jeanne, who was still slumped on the ground, breathing uncontrollably, he looked awkward.


    ''At first I was going to return Jeanne and Aura with the carriage, but Aina said, "It''s good for training, so please cast a strengthening spell on them," so I cast a spell and let them run together...'' ...I honestly feel bad about that.


    Apparently, she got a little confused by being left behind by me and went straight to Aina''s suggestion.


    As it was, while I was relaxing in the garden in a way that allowed Jeanne to rest, the gate became a bit noisy.


    ''''Temma~''''


    I lost~


    There''s something wrong with that ogre~


    The three girls are talking about the strangeness of the ogre, Gulliver, who was their opponent.


    ''''That ogre made me do it........''''


    Primera''s shoulders are slumped, too. Chris-san looks unconcerned, but Aina points out that she''s quite frustrated.


    After listening to the story, it seems that everyone thought Gulliver was just an ogre and was caught off guard.


    The formation of the "Demon Soldiers" was an orthodox one, with Gulliver at the center and two knights on each side, which was not a good match for the three girls.


    The style of "Gunjo''s Flower" was that Primera and Chris played the role of the wall and the three girls killed their opponents while toying with them, but Gulliver was able to hold back the two girls, so the three girls had to deal with four knights.


    As a result, they were able to defeat up to two of the opposing knights, but because they were superior in numbers and strength, the three girls were killed first, and it was three to two, and the two wall players were also pushed aside.


    ''If it had been just an ogre, it would have been a matter of me and Primera and I could have handled it...''


    Chris muttered. It seems that the two of them were planning to provoke Gulliver to send Primera to the three girls when his attack became a chore, but Gulliver''s attack didn''t become a chore, and on the contrary, he fought a tenacious battle and couldn''t go to the three girls for support.


    I''ve heard further that the sixth member of the "demon army" is the Marquis de Samoens. Chris said that sometimes the Marquis would give orders to Gulliver, and each time his attacks changed, the audience was surprised.


    The three girls were depressed about their loss for a while, but they seemed to think that they had made it to the final of the preliminary round, so they did well, and on the surface things were back to normal.


    When I looked at the contestants in the letter distributed by the tournament headquarters in the evening, I found that "Sword of the Dawn," "Oniheiheihei," and "Seigenteimers A" had passed the preliminary round.


    That means my acquaintances alone make up a quarter of the contestants in the finals.


    I don''t know the names of the other teams competing, but there are still teams with proven records, such as the last time''s winner and runner-up in the brief introductions, and the runner-up from the two previous rounds, so I''ll have to brace myself for a battle.


    I''m confident that my team is the best in terms of strength, but I have to be careful not to lose to them due to a mediocre mistake, because I think they are overwhelmingly outmatched in terms of experience... For now, I''m going to tighten my watch on Namitaro.


    Tomorrow we have the individual finals, so I''m going to focus on getting to the finals first... If I can, I''d prefer to meet the Bandit King in the finals or the first round... but it''s no use praying to God... I know, so let''s not do that and go to bed early.


    I didn''t realize it at the time, but apparently it was the first time a 15-year-old had participated in the individual and team competitions at the same time... This would have been fun to compete in a pair with either Shiroumaru or Slarin and set an unheard of record! ........and when I said that in front of my grandpa and the others, dry laughter was to echo through the mansion.

 84-Chapter 5-7 Power of the Bandit King

    Today is the first day of the main competition, the day of the individual matches.


    Today''s individual matches will be played until the semi-finals.


    I woke up early this morning and had a leisurely morning of light exercise with Shiroumaru and the others in the garden, sweating and eating a proper breakfast, but I was quite excited on the inside.


    I''ve experienced a fair amount of opponents, but none of them were training or killing each other, and none of them were a test of my strength and skill.


    So I''m starting to feel like this tournament''s main competition is my debut... although I really don''t think it''s too late to do that now...


    I was thinking about such a strange thing, and before I knew it, my heart was beating faster.


    The excitement I had just experienced had turned into tension.


    I took a few deep breaths to ease my nerves and get some oxygen around my body.


    Okay, let''s go!


    I got a little fired up and headed to the venue.


    It''s still early for the start of the matches, but the finalists are told to come to the venue early as the prize money will be explained to them.


    The flow of today''s event is to confirm the prize money and rules, show the finalists to the audience, draw for the individual matches, and start the individual matches.


    There will be a maximum of four matches today. That means the first round, the second round, the third round and the semifinals.


    If they win today, they''ll be in the finals on the last day of the tournament. No one has ever won at the age of 15 before. The record for the youngest player in the tournament is 19 years old, according to Dinh.


    Dinh has won this tournament ten times in the past, at most five times in a row. At best, he has won the event five times in a row, but he has only lost twice in the individual competitions. He lost in the second round at the age of 17 in his first tournament, and in the semifinals at the age of 18, both to opponents who were considered to be the leading contenders at the time.


    Most importantly, that opponent also ran out of steam in his fight with Mr. Dinh, and he lost both in his next match.


    So he was the dangling favorite to win the first championship.


    The reason why 5 consecutive championships are the best is because of the king''s (then the crown prince''s) escort and other reasons that he was not allowed to compete.


    I''m considered by those around me to be a disciple of such a person.


    As we got closer to the venue, I could hear people whispering to each other as they waited in line to purchase seats.


    Although I hadn''t heard this before, it was true that Mr. Dinh had taught me many things, so I guess he was his disciple.


    When I entered the waiting room, several people were already there, and when they saw my face, they looked uncomfortable.


    They must have heard the gossip that was going on outside a while ago. Some of them look relieved, but they seem to be a pair of participants.


    The Bandit King was among the people who were there earlier, and the Bandit King was also standing against the wall, but he didn''t respond, perhaps asleep.


    As he sat in the corner of the room to avoid eye contact, soon afterwards, a series of familiar faces arrived.


    ''Oops! I''ve heard that you''re a disciple of the Black Lion, Temma. I heard you''re a disciple of the Black Lion!


    "It''s not fair........the Black Lion is our dream.


    Jin was the first to call out to me, and Garratt was next. Behind them are Menace and Leena.


    The "Black Lion" is another name for Mr. Dinh. I''ve heard that when he was young, he wore black armor and was equipped with a black sword and a black shield, so he''s still called that even now that his equipment has changed.


    As I was talking to them, Aguri came next. Beside him is also an unfamiliar young man.


    ''Good morning Temma. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you. Good morning Tenma, it''s been a long time. And while you''re at it, let me introduce you to my grandson. This is my grandson, Ricky.


    ''And incidentally that''s okay. Ricky Monakert. I''ve heard a lot about Temma. It''s a pleasure to meet you.


    Ricky is a good-natured young man who seems to be a good-natured older brother and is 20 years old, and he''s a solo adventurer as a swordsman, not a tamer.


    As I was shaking hands with Ricky, the Marquis de Samoens appeared.


    ''''Hello, Lord Temma. Congratulations on your new record.


    He shakes my hand as well as congratulates me on breaking the record for being the youngest.


    The buzz in the room grows as the Marquis de Samoens appears.


    When I think about it, this place I''m in is filled with people of note for this tournament.


    First of all, I, the youngest person to qualify for the individual and team competitions, and I''m getting a lot of attention for being Din-san''s disciple.


    Secondly, the Sword of the Dawn, Jin has not yet placed in the top ranks, but he''s been competing in the finals for several years now and is considered to be a strong contender. The team also participated in the finals last year and this year, and one of their members, Garratt, also participated in the individual finals.


    Aguri is the oldest player in the tournament and has participated in this tournament in the past and has achieved some excellent results.


    Finally, the Marquis de Samoens, who is the biggest reason for this. He is a marquis (...). It''s not unusual for a nobleman to compete, but it''s rare for the marquis class to compete. And, of course, he''s the most important person in the room. Normally, there is no opportunity to see a marquis up close and personal.


    When I casually ask the Marquess about that....


    ''Well, royalty has competed in the past... when the current king was young...''


    And that was that. By the way, it was a team competition, and the king''s members were his father, mother, father Dinh, and mother Klef, and they won the championship.


    However, the king feels that he wasn''t very useful to them, and to this day, he still says that he was included in the team that was capable of winning, and that all he did was drag his team down.


    But it seems that only the king feels that way, since he has beaten one of the opposing team in the final.


    Well, even if we put aside such special exceptions, it''s rare for a family of high ranking nobles to compete like Primera, so the fact that the Marquis himself participated in the tournament is more than enough to raise the profile of the place I''m in.


    And it seems that there are naturally people who are seething with hatred for our being too conspicuous.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. However, since the Marquis himself isn''t too concerned about it, his guards and member knights are also only increasing their vigilance.


    After that, the preparations seemed to be ready, and they were called by the attendants to move to the arena.


    There, just like on the first day, they were told the king''s grateful story, and then the draw began, leaving only the individual contestants to participate in the individual competition.


    However, since there were only three spots left for three players this time, the opponents of the undrawn cards would be seeded.


    The order of the draw is in the order of arrival at the venue, and I was the 10th.


    The Bandit King was the first, and he had drawn 23 cards.


    As the lottery proceeded smoothly, there was a loud cheer for the player one spot ahead of me. It seemed to be the winner of the last round.


    The last time''s winner drew a 10, and it was my turn to draw.


    When it''s my turn to draw a card, the number is 1, which means that if things go according to plan, I will face the previous winner in the semi-finals, and I won''t face the King of Bandits until the final.


    Next to me was Jin. Jin''s hand was 32.


    Next to him was Garratt, but he looked very unhappy when he drew it.


    In Garratt''s hand, he had 24 cards in his hand. In other words, his opponent in the first round is the King of Bandits.


    The order went on, and when the last 29 players finished drawing, the seeding rights were decided.


    The bills that weren''t drawn were 9, 21, and 31, meaning that Jin, the previous winner, and one other person were seeded.


    When the names of all the individual participants were written on the tournament table, a fact was revealed.


    ''''That''s a hell of a bias...''''


    ''Yeah, most of the guys who played in the last tournament drew young numbers...''


    Including Jin, there are 12 finalists who made it to the finals in the last tournament and are competing in this one as well, and 11 of them, excluding Jin, are in my group.


    Excluding me and the 9 slots, there are 14 of us, 11 of whom were contestants in the last round, with the remaining 3 having participated in the finals before.


    Naturally, there will be a winner, a runner-up, and a third-place finisher among the previous contestants, so I will be the runner-up in the first round, the third-place finisher in the third round, and the winner in the semifinals.


    In contrast, on the other side, most of them are first-time entrants. The only ones who had been attracting attention before the tournament were Jin and the Bandit King. And those two won''t meet until the semifinals.


    ''''There''s no one much of a guy if they don''t make it to the semifinals.


    Jin gave a small gut-punch when he said that. Garratt, on the contrary, slumped his shoulders and sighed.


    ''''The first round is that guy (Bandit King) of all people.......one of the two people I least want to hit in this tournament.......''''


    The other person that Garratt says he doesn''t want to hit is me.


    Garratt says, ''I don''t want to deal with unknown and unknowable monsters.


    Anyway, I decided to punish Garratt, who called me a monster, with a headlock. It was before the match, so I took it easy on him, but Garratt was in pain with tears in his eyes.


    While I was playing like that, the attendant called me out to tell me that my match was about to start.


    I forgot to mention that my draw was a ''1''. That meant that I had to play the first game.


    The match was to be played in two simultaneous matches; the 32 slots were divided into groups of 16 each, A and B, and the match was to be played from the youngest of the number of cards in each group.


    In the meantime, you take the "Kogarasuma" out of your bag and go up to the arena.


    There was already a man waiting for his opponent.


    The man''s name is Ash Borgman. He was the runner-up in the last tournament and was seeded for the main tournament.


    He is 24 years old and has never won a tournament, but he has advanced to the finals four times and finished third in the last two tournaments.


    He was runner-up last time, so he''s determined to make the most of it this year.


    The way he fights, he said, "It''s not flashy, but there aren''t really any holes. However, all of them are organized at a high level,'' he says, and he is a popular fighter equipped with a sword in his right hand and a small shield in his left... mainly from women.


    As you can imagine from the fact that he is popular among women, he is a handsome man.


    He has short silver hair and blue eyes, is about 5''8" tall, and has a good personality.


    Yellow cheers were coming from all over the place from the audience as such a person showed up.


    I''m glad I didn''t get any abuse from his female fans against me, but to be honest, it''s hard to do.


    The ref doesn''t seem to want to quiet the cheering, and he''s checking the rules with me and Ash.


    ''That was Temma, nice to meet you. I''m not going to insult you just because you''re a kid. I''m going to go all out right from the start.


    Ash declared that and held out his right hand.


    ''''Yes, we''ll do our best to get there too.


    I replied and shook Ash''s hand.


    The ref waited for us to let go of his hand, then instructed us to take a moment between each other, and then he raised his right hand...


    First match of this first round, Temma vs. Ash Borgman. Match begins!


    I swung down and gave the signal to start.


    I took the first move. Faster than Ash could advance, I closed the gap between us while pulling Kogarasumaru out of his scabbard and slashed at him in an iaigiri fashion.


    Ash was slightly slower to react, but just in time, he blocked with his left hand shield and was about to attack with his sword, but my strike was stronger than he thought, and his stance collapsed slightly, and it was a blow wielded only by the force of his arm.


    In response to the blow, I blocked it with my scabbard and kept my distance for a moment.


    The time between them was only less than five seconds. The audience couldn''t keep up with the fact that the two sides had struck each other in such a short amount of time, and the hall was silent.


    When Ash and I paused and stopped moving, the crowd finally caught up with us and the venue became a crucible of excitement.


    As the crowd cheered, we started to move and closed the gap between us.


    Just as the crowd was about to start cutting again, Ash thrust his left hand out in front of us.


    ''Light!''


    The magic released by Ash occurs in my eyes. The magic itself is a light magic ''light'' that is in the simplest category.


    It''s the easiest magic to light up, but it''s also the easiest, so instead of having no attack power, the time it takes to activate is very short and the amount of magic power it consumes is low.


    Ash has turned ''Light'' into a blindfold and now swings a hip blow at me.


    However, I''m not at the end of the sword swing, and the moment I swung the sword off, Ash''s body was blown to the side.


    While rolling, Ash managed to regain his position, but he didn''t seem to understand what had happened.


    Out of Ash''s gaze, there is me standing in a half-body position, hunched over.


    Ash hurriedly tried to stand up, but as he did so, he seemed to feel a considerable pain in his left side and fell to his knees with a frown on his face. And just like that....


    I give up...


    I raised my right hand and declared it to the referees. The hall went quiet as Ash declared his surrender and the ref came between me and Ash and pointed at me.


    ''Winner, Temma!''


    The crowd began to praise me with loud cheers and applause as the referee''s voice echoed through the hall.


    Some of the crowd seemed to see what I did, and some of them were excitedly reenacting my moves with others.


    Ash shook hands with me as the first-aid team helped him on his shoulders, and then he was taken to the first aid room.


    ''Oh, Temma. Congratulations.


    On my way back to the waiting room from the arena, Jin and Garratt greeted me.


    ''Thanks.... or rather, that''s a pretty appropriate way to put it.


    When I said this, Jin looked at Garratt and laughed.


    ''I knew we were going to win, so this is how it should be.''


    I knew they were strong too, but I knew Temma was better than me.


    It was a matter of time.


    ''By the way, what attack did you blow that guy up with?


    From the position of the djinn and the others, it was hard to see my movements, so he asked with a tilt of his head.


    ''I merely ducked under Ash''s left arm. The arm made it hard for Ash to see me, and I guess the light''s magical effect made it hard for him to see me for a moment. I just dodged and then took an elbow iron to Ash''s side... probably a couple of broken ribs. And by the way, I might have damaged my lungs and heart as well.


    At my words, Jin and the others knew that more damage had been done to Ash than they thought, and they felt sorry for him.


    ''Egregious....''


    ''Well, well, Ash was getting serious about Temma too, so maybe that''s all it took...''


    The matches are going on as we speak. My match is over early, so Group A is moving on to the next match, while Group B still has its first match going on.


    The finalists are free to stay in their respective waiting rooms and watch the matches of the players they are watching until their own matches.


    I separated from Jin and the others and went back to my waiting room, but Jin and the others followed me.


    ''Go back to your own waiting room,''


    When I say that.


    ''We''ve got a Garratt game coming up soon, so let''s get together and cheer them on!


    Jin said.


    You''re just looking for the Bandit King...


    Garratt muttered.


    The djinn ended up staying in my waiting room, telling the attendant that they were in my waiting room and to come here to let me know when it was their turn.


    Apparently, it was not against the rules to go to each other''s waiting room when two acquaintances proceeded to the main contest, and the attendant agreed to it.


    While they were killing time exchanging opinions and so on, they were informed that Garratt''s match was about to start soon.


    Garratt began to move his body and prepare his weapons with a nervous look on his face.


    About 15 minutes after the news came, Garratt was called, and we decided to follow him until the last minute.


    When Garratt came up to the arena, Jin spoke to him.


    ''''Hey, who do you think has the advantage?''''


    "Bandit King at 8-2.


    Jin laughed lightly at my words...


    ''That''s a tough one I''m 6-4, bandit king.


    ''''Jin also thinks the Bandit King has the advantage...''''


    At the sound of my dismay, Jin continued to say more.


    ''That''s if you do it right. Perhaps, but I think the Bandit King is a young guy. I''ve seen him around town a few times, but his behavior was a bit childish. So, if Garratt can take it to his own pace, the difference in experience might be reversed and Garratt might have a 6-4 advantage... most of all, there are substandard guys like you, even if they''re young like you...'''' ...


    Jin said and looked at Garratt with serious eyes.


    As for Garratt, he was facing the Bandit King without any particular qualms.


    The Bandit King''s expression is unreadable due to the tiger fur covering his face, but he never shows any pretense of being careless.


    ''''The tenth game, Amur versus Garratt. Let the match begin!


    The referee gave the signal for the match and stepped back.


    It was only then that I learned that the Bandit King''s name was Amur. Most likely, it could be a fake name...


    The Bandit King''s weapon is a large axe called a bardiche, a weapon that seems to be nearly two meters long when the length of the handle and the blade are combined.


    Garratt, on the other hand, is a two-handed sword. He usually used something a little smaller, but this time he used something a little bigger.


    Against the Bandit King, who is jitterily closing the gap, Garratt takes nimble steps and steps backwards for the distance closed in by the Bandit King.


    The Bandit King occasionally attempts to close the distance between him and Garratt with a feint, but Garratt deals with all of this calmly.


    As the distance between Garratt and the edge of the arena gradually disappears, Garratt now begins to move to the side.


    The bandit king was closing the distance at an incredible speed here and there.


    However, Garratt suddenly ran towards the Bandit King from the side movement and the Bandit King hurriedly tried to intercept Garratt by waving his weapon.


    However, Garratt avoided the blow with a deft move and came around behind the Bandit King.


    The Bandit King is fast in straight lines, but he is not good at small turns, and he was hit in the back by Garratt''s repeated blows.


    It''s a good thing that you have a good idea of what you''re looking for, because you can''t afford to lose it, and you can''t afford to lose it.


    The bandit king, despite his inadequate stance, blocked Gulat''s attacks with his axe, but he was hit by several shots with his body.


    Garratt''s attacks continued. The Bandit King is driven to the edge of the arena by his momentum.


    ''Hey, hey, hey! Garratt''s a piece of work! I''m completely holding that bandit king guy down!


    Jin is quite excited to see Garratt on the offensive. The crowd seems to be just as excited as Jin is, and they can be heard cheering Garratt from earlier.


    When Garratt swung his sword at the Bandit King as if to respond to their cheers, the Bandit King''s strike struck Garratt.


    ''''Guoh!''''


    Barely, Garratt prevented the Bandit King''s blow by crossing his sword, but Garratt''s body was flung backwards nearly 20 meters.


    Garratt managed to land safely, but one of his swords was broken and the other was also missing its blade.


    ''''d*mn! You stupid power!


    Garratt swears at the Bandit King while the Bandit King rushes at Garratt.


    Just as the Bandit King swings his axe, Garratt throws his bent sword at the Bandit King''s face.


    It''s a good move, I think. ...


    Sure enough, the Bandit King didn''t apply to a normal person, and slammed the axe down on Garratt while eating the sword thrown at him on his head.


    Garratt thought that the Bandit King would show some kind of opening, but his guess was off, and it was in the form of an opening in the opposite direction.


    ''''Guhuhu.''''


    He was able to mitigate the damage somewhat as he quickly blocked the axe that was struck with his remaining sword as soon as he could, but the momentum of the axe couldn''t kill him and he was blown away and slammed straight into the ground.


    Garratt''s body rolled nearly 20 meters while bouncing several times, and finally stopped moving.


    When the Bandit King saw this, he looked back at the referees and asked them to end the match.


    The referee was also about to raise one hand to end the match, but he looked at Garratt and stopped his arm in the middle of the fight and brought it down.


    The Bandit King dubiously followed the referee''s gaze and saw Garratt standing up in a wobbly fashion.


    Garratt was almost in a state of unconsciousness, but he walked to the Bandit King with his broken sword at the ready and a dazed gait.


    Seeing Garratt, the Bandit King approached Garratt as soon as the referee called out for the fight to continue, and knocked Garratt down to the side with the back of his axe.


    Garratt rolled again. The spectators, the referees, and even the Bandit King who were watching felt that it was over, but contrary to that, Garratt got up again.


    This time the time between standing up was shorter than before, so the referees didn''t call out to him.


    When the bandit king noticed this, he approached Garratt and was about to unleash a thrust with the tip of his axe blade.


    Garratt does not react well to the Bandit King''s move. The crowd screams and covers and deflects their eyes as they think of the carnage that will follow.


    Jin also jumped out and tried to stop the bandit king, but it doesn''t look like he''s going to be able to stop him in time.


    I did jump out with Jin, but the place where Garratt was standing was a little far away from where we were, so even if I said I was quicker than Jin, I was still a few seconds short.


    ''Shit! We won''t make it in time!


    The Bandit King''s blow reached Garratt faster than we could stop it, and the Bandit King lifted Garratt''s body with the tip of his axe to stab it.

 85-Chapter 5-8 The strong

    Djinn almost collapses at the scene in front of him.


    Seeing the approaching Bandit King, Jin stands up, trembling in anger, and releases the killing intent from his body.


    However, at this time, the approaching Bandit King seemed a little strange to me.


    ''''You bastard! Now that''s a bit much, by all accounts!


    Hearing Jin''s voice that seemed to strike a killing blow, it was obvious that the Bandit King''s footsteps had slowed down.


    I stopped Jin, who was about to jump on the bandit king right now, with my wings, and the bandit king seemed a little relieved and started walking again.


    ''''Let go, don''t stop, Temma!


    ''Wait, Jin. You''re acting a little strange! And if you look closely, no blood is flowing from Garratt''s body (..............)!


    Jin stares at Garratt after hearing my words.


    If the Bandit King had stabbed Garratt''s body, it would be strange if a significant amount of blood hadn''t spurted out.


    Seeing that the djinn had gone quiet, the Bandit King slowly lowered Garratt, who was hooked to the end of the axe (........), out of the field.


    The Bandit King then turned to the referee. The ref was also surprised by the Bandit King''s actions, but he hurriedly approached Garratt and saw that Garratt was still alive.


    ''Winner, Amur!''


    The Bandit King returned to the waiting room after hearing the judges'' declaration.


    Many spectators were stunned by the sight, but the referee turned to the audience and stated his opinion that the Bandit King''s final blow was not an attempt on Garratt''s life, but rather an act to carry him out of the field and defeat him safely.


    The audience agreed with the referee''s explanation and applauded the bandit king as he walked away and applauded Garratt for fighting until he was torn to pieces.


    Jin was relieved that Garratt''s heart was beating, but he remembered that Garratt was badly injured, if not dead, and was about to carry him on his back and rush to the infirmary.


    ''Wait, Jin. Let''s just give him first aid right here.


    Hearing my words, Jinn took Garratt off his back and laid him down on his side.


    "''The Cure'' ... ''Aquaheel'' ...


    I used two rounds of magic in a row to heal Garratt.


    The wounds on Garratt''s body have mostly healed, but he may have hit his head when the bandit king rolled him over, and he still hasn''t regained consciousness.


    When I finished using my magic, an attendant brought in a thangka, so Jin and I had Garratt carried to the infirmary on the thangka.


    According to the diagnosis of the doctor who was waiting in the infirmary, ''''Garratt is in good condition for his life. The doctor who was waiting for us in the infirmary said, ''Garratt is not in a life-threatening condition, but he has hit his head, so we have to keep him in bed in the infirmary just in case.


    ''I''m glad Garratt survived... but that bandit king guy...''


    ''Jin, don''t hate the bandit king for Garratt it was just a game. There''s no point in saying that it happened within the rules...


    Menace soothed Jin, tapping him on the shoulder. Leena was out of the room for the procedure of Garratt''s treatment and so on.


    ''I know, but hey...''


    No, you don''t understand. In fact, if Tenma hadn''t stopped you, you would have jumped on the bandit king, wouldn''t you? That would have disqualified you and embarrassed Garratt.


    Jin looks awkward at Menace''s words.


    ''''Well, be that as it may, thank you Temma.


    ''I know ... I''m really sorry, Temma. I appreciate it.


    Jin is thanking me as Menace holds his head down.


    ''Well, that''s all well and good, but come on ... are you okay with the team fight?


    Jin and the others have also advanced to the final round of the team competition, and the Sword of Dawn originally entered the tournament with a limited number of participants.


    Therefore, the lack of even one person is a significant disadvantage.


    You can''t blame them.


    Normally, a party that participates in individual and team competitions would prepare for such a situation with a maximum of six players, but rarely do teams fall into such a situation.


    Even in such cases, adding or changing members is not allowed, so the Sword of Dawn will have a tough fight on its hands.


    The fact is that this is not a place for Tenma to worry about.......Tenma doesn''t fight until he is in this situation by mistake. If it were us, even if we were missing one member, we could still participate in the tournament. But in Temma''s team, which is made up of the Military, Temma''s retirement would be an immediate retirement from team competition.


    What Menace is saying is that since the tournament is a people''s tournament, only members of the military are not allowed to participate in it, and since I am the only person registered in my team, the team itself would not be eligible to participate if I was not allowed to participate.


    ''Yeah, I''ll keep that in mind,''


    As we were talking, it seemed that all the first rounds were coming to an end, and an attendant came looking for me.


    ''It will be Temma''s turn shortly. Please return to the waiting room.


    I nodded and got up from my chair, pulling some potions and other things out of my bag and handing them to Menace before returning to the waiting room.


    ''If Garratt wakes up, give him a drink.


    Sorry, Temma.


    Menace took it in stride and fixed it in his bag.


    Jin won''t be on until the last game of the second round, so he''ll be here until then.


    As I went back to the waiting room to relieve myself a bit, an attendant came to call out that my turn had come.


    My opponent in the second round is a large axe man, and he also advanced to the final round of the last tournament, which is good for a virtual bandit king in terms of size, but his opponent was defeated by Ash in the last tournament, so their abilities are too different to be of any use to me.


    When I went up to the arena, my opponent hadn''t appeared yet, and an attendant had gone to call him for help.


    He didn''t come right away after the attendant went to call him to the waiting room, and even when he did show up in the arena, he took his time to get to me.


    I looked at my opponent, wondering what he was doing, but it seemed that he was trying to irritate me.


    He''s been smirking and laughing at me for a while now.


    As they say in my previous life, ''You''re late! Musashi! I suppose they want to do something like this, but I don''t think it''s likely to be effective in a match with rules that make you wait too long and the referee decides you''re going to lose.


    Moreover, he seems to have irritated the crowd before he irritated me, and there were loud boos earlier, making it feel like an away match for Oggo.


    The ref seemed to know that Oggo was deliberately taking his time and seemed slightly annoyed.


    ''Second round of the main contest, first match, Tenma vs. Oggo. Let the match begin!


    Taking another look at the man called Oggo, he is a little over two meters tall and probably weighs more than 100 kilograms. He looked like he was boasting of his strength, holding his axe wide open without a second thought.


    Without drawing my sword, I ducked into the bosom of my opponent to check him out and unleashed a left body blow... and it went right into Oggo''s pigeon tail area. As a result, Oggo collapsed in agony, foaming at the mouth.


    As it was, Oggo couldn''t get up and was declared defeated by the referee.......Huh?


    Oggo was unable to get up after being declared defeated, and eventually left with an attendant holding him by his sides... seriously? That''s it?


    I stood there dumbfounded and watched Oggo leave on the spot for a while.


    By the way, when Oggo was leaving, there were loud booing from the spectators that made the hall feel like it was shaking, and the officials were struggling to calm the audience.


    I went back to the waiting room with my back to the referees, but even after I got back, I couldn''t think straight, so I went to see Garratt for a change of pace, but Jin and Menace were astonished that it was all over already, and when I told them what happened, they laughed at me. ...They were laughing uproariously and the doctor and the nurse got pissed off at me, and for some reason I got caught up in it too.


    The first game of the second round was a blink-and-you''ll-miss-it happening? but the games after that were even more exciting than the previous year.


    My third round opponent was also decided, and as expected, it was the third place finisher from the last round.


    The Bandit King match ended easily. My opponent had survived a few attacks, but was unable to attack and lost.


    The next winner of the match was the winner of the previous round, who continued to taunt his opponent throughout the match, and the crowd did not react well to his performance. However, his opponent had advanced to the finals in the last round as well, and he was able to beat his opponent without suffering any damage, so he must have some ability to do so.


    Eventually, the time for the final match of the second round came, and a very fired up Jin appeared.


    Unfortunately, Jin''s opponent was someone who had made it to the finals for the first time in the tournament, a young man who would normally be considered the next generation''s hope, but he didn''t have the strength to deal with Jin, who was bent on ''Defeating the Bandit King'' to take on Garratt''s opponent.


    The match was one-sided from the start, and it was settled about five minutes into the match.


    The young man was depressed that he was only able to take Jin''s attacks from start to finish, but to me, he said, ''I''m impressed that you were able to withstand Jin''s attacks for five minutes in that condition,'' and several of the people watching the match seemed to agree with him.


    With Jin''s match, all of the second round was over, and when the rest of the match was halfway through, the match took an hour break.


    The spectators used this time to buy lunch and other things, but as a player, you can''t get much to eat... usually...


    "Another Temma.


    For some reason, Jin had come to my waiting room and was gathering my lunch.


    My lunch is Zosui. It''s a Zosui-style soup made with leftover Chinese cabbage and chicken from the mansion, and white rice that had been previously cooked and stored in the house, with a beaten egg in it. , maybe.


    Of the participating players, the ones who had won were not allowed to leave the bleachers or the venue, so they were supposed to tell the attendants to bring food and drinks to them.


    However, there wasn''t much I wanted to eat on the menu given to me by the attendant, so I was in the middle of getting permission to go to the waiting room to make it, when Jin, who had been kicked out of the infirmary, came over and made the current situation.


    ''''Jin.... no matter how good it is for digestion, it won''t do you any good if you eat a lot of it...''''


    I''m fine! My match is the last one, so I''ll have plenty of time to digest it!


    Jin scraped up the porridge without paying any attention to my sarcasm. Although I made more because of Jin''s appearance, I decided to eat it too, because if I didn''t, there would be no more for me.


    When Jin finished eating the porridge, he lay down and talked to me.


    ''How does Temma see the Bandit King?''


    ''Like Jin said, he looks a lot younger than we thought. Besides, from the way you fought Garratt, you didn''t seem to be used to being taken by surprise or at the mercy of others.


    Jin nodded after hearing my words.


    ''''You generally feel the same way I do... but my fighting style is more like that of a bandit king... so it''s going to be a frontal slugfest...''''


    That''s what Jin says, but he was probably planning to do a frontal slugfest from the beginning. If I wanted to, I could surprise or play around with them, but even if I did, I wouldn''t be able to fight like Garratt.


    If that''s the case, then the methods of battle would be obvious.


    It''s more likely to win by hitting each other head on than by forcing yourself to imitate Garratt.


    I''m going to go back to Garratt''s place. Temma, feast your eyes.


    Jin stood up vigorously and walked out of my waiting room with one hand raised... leaving my waiting room a mess...


    I threw the washing up and other things into my bag and laid down on the couch to get some sleep, even if it was only for a short time.


    I had quite a bit of time to spare physically, but I was more mentally exhausted than I thought I would be, and soon I was out of it.


    After a while, I felt someone approaching the waiting room, and I came fully awake from my half-asleep state.


    ''Temma''s turn is coming up, please get ready.


    It seemed it was an attendant who had approached, and he knocked on the door of the waiting room before coming over to tell me what he wanted.


    ''I understand,''


    Then I''ll call you back in about ten minutes, so you should be ready to go by then.


    When it comes to preparation, there''s nothing to do but relax your body, since you''ll soon finish equipping your beloved leather armor and the like.


    My opponent for the third round was the third place finisher from the last round. I checked out his match, and that made me wonder a little bit about it, but it''s not something I''m thinking about now.


    He''s a 35 year old tiger beastman, and his name is Blanca. His fighting style is contrary to his appearance, he is the type of fighter who prefers to overwhelm his opponents with skill rather than forceful push.


    His specialty is the spear, but he fought the first and second rounds with the tip of his spear made of wood, and he has been able to win the battles with less force.


    I had a momentary urge to fight Blanca with a spear, but I was at a disadvantage in a spear to spear battle, so I decided to hold back this time.


    As I was checking out the feel of Kogarasuma, before I knew it, it was time for the attendant to come for me... Normally, the attendant would only call out to me, but it was decided that he would come for me because it would be a disaster if the audience started to make noise like in Oggo. That''s right.


    Almost at the same time as I went up to the arena, Blanca came from the other side as well.


    As soon as Blanka saw me, he suddenly looked fierce. Did he get angry for a moment? But he doesn''t look like he''s in an angry mood, rather he looks like he''s enjoying himself. Probably when he is excited, he has that look on his face.


    As soon as he got up to the arena, he stopped, a small smile on his mouth, and Blanca ripped off the cloth that was wrapped around the tip of his spear. I''m sure you''ll find a white metal tip inserted underneath the cloth, and although it''s a little hard to tell from a distance, it looks like it''s probably made of orichalcone.


    It seems that Blanca has recognized me as a powerful enemy, which probably means that this is the first time in this tournament that she''s gotten serious.


    As me and Blanca came to the center of the arena, the referee looked at us and then tried to raise his right hand, but Blanca waited.


    ''Hey, that was Temma. Are you sure you want to use such a tiny weapon? You''re going to get skewered before you even get close enough to me?


    Blanca says as she looks at my weapon, but she doesn''t sound too foolish.


    ''On the contrary, I ask you, are you sure you want to use that kind of weapon? You wouldn''t want me to get in your way if you got in my pocket, would you?


    Blanca laughs at my reply, peeking her fangs at me.


    ''You''re a cocky bastard don''t regret having a big mouth!


    The referee raises his right hand.


    ''Try to make me regret it!


    At the same time as I said it, the referee was shouting something as he swung his right hand down.


    Me and Blanca ran at the same time as the referee''s words.


    The tip of Blanca''s spear was focused on my body as she ran.


    In contrast, I''m focused on dodging Blanca''s first attack without pulling out the korasuma at my waist.


    The moment I get in between the spears, Blanca''s sharp blow is released.


    However, Blanca didn''t allow that to happen, and the moment I evaded, she switched her spear to a sideways cleave.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world.


    But there wasn''t much space between the spear and my body, so it didn''t do much damage.


    The moment I ducked the previous blow I thought it was Blanca''s all-out blow, but seeing that it suddenly changed into a sideways cleave, the speed of the spear still seems to increase.


    I decided to land firmly, but I created a distance with Blanca and it was a form of partition.


    This time, he drew his sword beforehand and ran towards Blanca again.


    Blanca bent down and set up his spear and fired a series of thrusts against me as I came rushing in.


    The speed is slower than before, but the uninterrupted thrusts that are unleashed are not going to be able to be followed by ordinary dynamic vision.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to get close to it, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work for you.


    I thought that Blanca''s thrusts would eventually stop, but they didn''t seem to be slowing down at all, and it looked to me from the audience as if I was on the offensive.


    As I moved out of range, Branca moved out of range.


    And as I started to move, Blanca moved in and unleashed a series of spear strikes.


    The difference in reach between the sword and the spear prevents my attacks from reaching Blanca, but so far they haven''t been properly hit by Blanca''s attacks, so the content is even.


    ''''Temma, it''s time to get serious.''''


    Blanca said this as she unleashed a barrage of spears.


    ''''Anytime. I''ll get serious too.''''


    I tried to say it lightly, but inwardly I was a little surprised that it wasn''t serious.


    Right after Blanca said she was serious, a change occurred in the previous series of attacks.


    The previous series of attacks were simple thrusts, but after the change, a rotation was added to the thrusts.


    When I tried to pay off the rotation-added thrust with my sword, the sword was flung wide.


    He didn''t just let go of the sword, but instead lost his stance and nearly took a blow from Blanca, but was able to avoid it in the nick of time.


    However, Blanca''s strike seems to have been snatched by the leather armor, and a portion of the leather armor has been shaved off, rendering it useless.


    ''d*mn, this is no longer useful.......I liked it a lot!


    I complained as I removed the leather armor I''d loved so far, but my eyes were the only thing I didn''t remove from Blanca.


    For some reason, Blanca also waited disciplinedly until I finished removing the armor.


    ''''Ha, you''re lucky you only needed the leather armor. I was actually going to decide on that now!


    Seeing that I finished removing the leather armor, Blanca readied her spear again.


    As expected, it would be bad if I took a similar blow next time, so I decided to fight using my legs(...) this time.


    Blanka''s spinning strike was indeed a threat, but not without weakness.


    Since the rotation seems to be applied by twisting the arm, the movement stops for a moment if the arm is fully extended. So Blanca has shortened the range of the first thrust so that her arms are not fully extended, which eliminates the disadvantage of timing slightly.


    So, I was able to get close to him, albeit about two to thirty centimeters closer than at the beginning, and I was almost ready to strike a blow.


    Just as I was about to set up a counter at the right moment, Blanca''s blow suddenly extended.


    The reason for this was simple: the thrust had lost its rotation. Blanca noticed that I was timing it, so he timed his thrust to the contrary and extended it.


    Blanca laughed wryly as she countered my counter, but that was the blow I was waiting for.


    I knew there was no way a master as good as Blanca wouldn''t notice my counter, so I stepped in with a finely tuned movement, and sure enough, the rotation disappeared from the thrust and extended my range.


    I took a step forward and grabbed the base of the tip of the earpiece with a blow that lost its rotation and became just a fast thrust.


    Blanca was surprised by the suddenness of the situation and tried to pull the spear in a hurry, but in the next moment she seemed to realize that it was a bad move and switched to slam the spear into the ground, but it was too late.


    ''''Guguee........''''


    I let go of my sword the moment Blanca''s thrust changed and pulled the scabbard from my waist and attacked with a kick to push the scabbard in.


    As a result, the scabbard, with the power of my kick and the force of Blanca''s spear pull added to the scabbard, pierced the area around Blanca''s chest.


    However, Blanca seemed to use her magic to increase her defense at the point where the scabbard hit her on the spur of the moment, and she was unable to sink Blanca with that blow.


    Blanca swung her spear and popped me off, forcing me to keep my distance.


    Blanca''s face was distorted, though slightly, when she swung her spear, so it looks like she wasn''t damaged at all.


    I called the sword and scabbard that had left my hand to myself (...........).


    I reinserted the scabbard I had called up into my waist and held the sword in the middle position to face Blanca.


    I could hear cheers of surprise from the audience at the sudden appearance of the sword and scabbard in my hand, but I didn''t have the time to pay much attention to it now.


    The reason for this is because Blanca started killing me a while ago. It was also quite thick........


    It''s not that I''ve never faced a person with a killing intent before, but this is the first time I''ve ever had this much killing intent directed at me (................................) from a human.


    "Tenmaaaa........don''t hate me even if I die.......


    At the same time as those words, Blanca''s figure disappeared... well, it looked like she disappeared, to be exact, but that doesn''t change the fact that I lost sight of her for a moment.


    Immediately after losing sight of Blanca, a killing spirit rapidly swelled up from behind my left and was about to swallow me.

 86-Chapter 5-9 Blankas Nature

    I tried to duck by jumping to the right to escape from the killing air, but the killing air ate into my left hand faster than I could react.


    ''''Gah, gah!''''


    With a crunching sound, I felt a sharp pain in my left elbow area. It looks like the bones in my left elbow or the area above it were crushed.


    When I was halfway through the scene, I took the distance while being flung away from the spot and assessed the situation, I found Blanca in a right-handed swinging stance at the spot I had just been in.


    Blanca didn''t have a spear, and the spear was stuck in the floor with its hilt bent around three meters behind the left side of the position I was in.


    ''''You sacrificed my beloved spear, yet you only managed to get one left arm...''''


    I thought Blanca''s figure was blurred as she muttered that, but now she was coming right in front of me.


    I managed to evade the intense pain in my arm, and Blanca passed by me for about five meters before stopping.


    When I looked closely at Blanca''s feet, I saw two marks that looked like they had been lightly gouged on the fighting table, and those marks led to Blanca''s feet.


    ''''High speed movement due to enhanced magic........''''


    Blanca laughs admiringly at my mutterings.


    ''Hoho, I see you''ve noticed. It''s true that I do use enhancement magic. However, none of the opponents who have used it so far have died without noticing it!


    Saying that, Blanca activated her enhancement magic again to close the gap between the two.


    I felt that it was impossible to stop that momentum in its current state, so I concentrated on avoiding it until the opportunity to counterattack arose.


    After avoiding it a few times, I wonder if my eyes have become accustomed to it. Gradually, though, my eyes are able to follow Blanca''s figure, which I couldn''t see until a while ago.


    I found out when I became able to see him, but this Blanca''s technique was actually a simple one.


    To explain it simply, he used an enhanced magic to temporarily increase his physical abilities and then rushed in at high speed.


    However, right before he performs the technique, he feints slightly, so that when the opponent''s consciousness is momentarily distracted, he bends down and lunges at them.


    I suppose he''s trying to make it look like he''s disappeared by moving himself out of the range of his opponent''s consciousness by ducking down and lunging at them the moment they are momentarily disoriented.


    This move seems to be more effective against opponents like me who have numerous cards in their hands.


    The guy who has several attack methods has many opportunities to lose consciousness because he is subconsciously following the opponent''s (Blanca''s) movements with his eyes, trying to change his attack method to match his opponent''s (Blanca''s) movements, down to the smallest movements. Moreover, although it''s not that accurate, Blanca seems to be using magic that has the effect of inhibiting recognition in combination with it, and that may be a factor.


    Whatever it is, it''s not so difficult to deal with it once the species is known. Besides, I could see the weaknesses.


    This technique of Blanca''s is extremely fast and powerful, but it seems to only move in a straight line, and when she was first hit, she just used her own spear to force a change of direction.


    In return, his beloved spear was no longer usable in this match. As for Blanca, she probably wanted to decide on that one strike. The proof of this is that he keeps dodging the straight-line techniques that he is currently performing, and he''s becoming a bit impatient.


    However, my injuries are not minor, so I don''t have the luxury of time. If possible, I''d like to take care of this as soon as possible, so it''s time to get to work.


    The timing is easier to match than at the beginning, since Blanca''s movements have slowed down slightly.


    I figured out the moment when Blanca would unleash her technique and jumped forward.


    Blanca didn''t seem to expect me to counter my technique, and the sharpness of my technique has clearly slowed down.


    Still, Blanca swung her right hand at me to attack me.


    I bent down to scratch it (my right hand) while wearing magic power in my left hand and struck the place where I had just damaged Blanca as hard as I could.


    The moment you hit him, he releases the magic power clothed in his left hand. The released magic power instantly becomes a wave of impact, running through Blanca''s entire body, amplifying the damage many times over.


    It''s a good idea to have a counter to the fast-approaching Blanca, and it''s usually impossible for my fist to become so powerful that my fist has been dug into Blanca''s body.


    Fortunately, the fist didn''t penetrate through the body like in the cartoon, but still, from the feel of the fist, it seems to have shattered most of Blanca''s right side ribs and crushed her lungs as well.


    Blanca spat out a lot of blood from his mouth with my fist wedged in, and he went limp.


    As soon as the referee saw this, he called for a medical team to bring Blanca in, without declaring me the winner.


    ''Winner, Temma!''


    As Blanca was being carried off in a tanka, the ref finally declared me the winner.


    But I wasn''t there, and I was writhing in intense pain. After all, I had struck him with my left arm, which was shattered bone, and rightfully so.


    No matter how much magic you wore and fixed it, you couldn''t kill it to that impact. In addition, it was a counter, so the burden on my arm was also large.


    I endured the intense pain and waddled toward the waiting room, healing my arm with magic. Naturally, I couldn''t respond to the crowd''s cheers, but they seemed to understand that it had been a fierce battle, and they cheered louder and louder.


    Before entering the aisle and returning to the waiting room, one of the attendants noticed me and took me to the treatment room.


    When I entered the treatment room, the place was as hectic as a field hospital. It was caused by Blanca and, more importantly, by me.


    Blanca''s wounds were worse than I had thought, and the doctor was screaming that she was somehow not dead right now, and that her condition could deteriorate at any moment.


    ''If it''s not life-threatening, you''ll have to be patient!


    The doctor shouted this as soon as he saw me at the side of the room. I was taken to a chair in the corner of the room and told to sit down and wait, where he began to treat my arm.


    As a result of the magical examination of my arm, I found that the bones were shattered, as expected, and under normal circumstances I would never be able to move my arm again, but fortunately I had just been injured and I have experience helping to heal such injuries myself, so I should be able to heal it somehow.


    First of all, I used magic to dull the pain, and then I used magic to roughly fix the bones in place. At this point, pieces of bone inevitably remain in the muscle, but I dare to ignore them.


    The next step is to apply a recovery spell to the bones that have been fixed to some extent and harden them in earnest. At this point, the metabolism is accelerated and adhesion may occur, so the process of recovering with some magic, moving the arm to remove the adhesion, and then applying the magic again to remove the adhesion is repeated.


    When the bones were mostly hardened and the pain was reduced, I decided to help Blanca heal this time.


    When I first offered to help, the doctor told me that I shouldn''t be an amateur, but when I mentioned my arm injury and my mother''s (Shelia''s) name, the doctor knew my mother (Shelia) and allowed me to help after checking my arm injury.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.


    I''m sure you''ll be pleased with the results.


    I''m sure you''ll be pleased to hear that he was working as a doctor in the dungeon cities and other locations, but a few days ago he was recruited by the royal family to come to the capital.


    He still hasn''t decided if he''s going to open a practice in the royal capital, but he has time to work in the martial arts treatment room.


    ''''You managed to make it in time.......If it were an ordinary person, they would have died a long time ago, but as expected of a beastman,'''' he said, ''''the life force is strong. His life force is strong.


    The doctor, who had finished his treatment in less than twenty minutes after I came in to help, was taking a breath, admiring Blanca''s vitality.


    ''Now it''s your turn. I see you''re doing the bare minimum, but I''ll make sure you''re properly treated.


    Then the doctor grabbed my arm and started rubbing it. It was quite painful at first, but the pain gradually faded as he seemed to be using a combination of recovery magic and other techniques.


    ''Well, it''s just like that. The pain should be completely gone. I''ve fitted large pieces of bone into the places where they were missing, and the smaller pieces will eventually be absorbed by the body............If the pain persists, though, I''ll have to have it removed.


    The treatment took about five minutes. Just to be sure, I moved my arm around in various ways and didn''t feel any discomfort.


    ''It doesn''t hurt at all. Thank you!


    As I was thanking the doctor, another patient was brought in.


    As I recall, this guy was supposed to be the other quarterfinalist on the same block as me, and he was facing the winner of the last round, and the underdogs had said that he had a low chance of winning.


    From the looks of it, he wasn''t as bad as Blanca, but he had cuts all over his body and seemed to have lost a lot of blood.


    The doctor muttered to himself and quickly gave instructions to the nurse. This time she didn''t seem to need my help and didn''t say anything to me.


    I looked at the patient from behind the doctor and saw that there were several shallow cuts on his body, and the wounds were mangled, as if he had cut the same spot over and over again.


    ''''After being subjected to this much, it''s impossible to completely erase the wounds on a stone.......''''


    As he said this, the doctors administered the treatment. Finally, his whole body was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy man, and he finished the treatment by giving him blood-boosting and recovery medicine.


    ''''Your opponent''s man seems to be as good as his reputation...''''


    I agreed in my mind as I mumbled a few words. The reputation of the last winner is that he is quite a sadist and an a**h*le who loves to torture opponents weaker than him. Honestly, it''s even said that if he wasn''t the winner in this, he''d be imprisoned for some crime.


    By the way, last time, Ash had lost in the final and Blanca had lost in the semi-finals.


    ''''Yo, did the little fish from earlier die?''''


    While I was thinking for a bit, the door to the treatment room was suddenly kicked open and a man walked in.


    This guy was the guy who had just torture the man, the previous winner, Keos My Sails.......I think.


    "Oh, well, well, two deadbeats here we''re one step away from the grave, aren''t we?


    Keio points to the person he had tortured and to Blanca, who is asleep after her treatment, and laughs.


    The doctor stood in front of Keos, who looked like that.


    This is a place to heal the wounded. Unfortunately, we don''t treat head ailments..........get out!


    It''s a good thing that you''re not a doctor, because you''re not going to be able to get rid of Keos, but Keos is twitching at the temples and won''t move.


    "You''re just a doctor and you want to challenge me?


    Cayos moved his hand to grab the doctor by the neck, but he managed to restrain his arm in the nick of time.


    ''A mere doctor, they say, but this man is here at the request of the royal family. If you weren''t an idiot, you''d know what that means.


    Keios, who had been glaring at me as I grabbed his arm, withdrew his hand with an abhorrent look when he heard that it was the royal family.


    ''''Keh! You''re a kid who can''t do anything without taking out the royal family... no, you''re the one who failed to kill Blanca earlier... just fine, at best, hope your life is spared in the next game!


    Kayos walks out of the treatment room, spitting a discarded line.


    ''What''s he doing here, he''s...''


    The doctor heard my mutterings and knew the answer.


    ''I guess he likes to watch the guy he''s torture, because he''s been here after the second round is over, just like that.


    The doctor''s spitting words made sense to me, but there was still something I didn''t understand.


    ''But that guy definitely looks weaker than Blanca........and he looks weaker than Ash.......''


    My biggest question is that I can''t believe he beat Blanca in the last tournament because I don''t feel he''s as strong as Blanca.


    ''It didn''t look like it would be fun to fight a guy like that until he got serious... he fell out of the field at the right place.


    The one who answered my question was Blanca, who was lying in bed.


    As he said this, the doctor checked on Blanca.


    ''I just woke up with an unpleasant feeling. I can barely lie still and talk.


    After telling the doctor about his condition, Blanca looked at me.


    ''If that guy (Keio) was at least half as interesting as you, I would have won the last competition...''


    As Blanca blurted that out, I asked her one more thing that was bothering me.


    ''Why did Ash lose last time? There''s almost no difference between the two in my eyes... or rather, Ash looked slightly stronger.


    ''That''s simply because Keio was stronger last time. There was a clear difference in strength between him and Ash. But this time, he''s beaten me, albeit slightly, and at this rate, I''m sure the gap between me and Ash will widen next year. I would have liked to have fought him for real this time if it was Ash...


    Blanca says as she spits. The bottom line is that Kayos didn''t train, and Ash didn''t lack for training. And for Blanca, ''fighting the powerful'' is his favorite, and moreover, ''interesting (to Blanca) battles with the powerful'' is his favorite. However, there is a condition: ''except for the fools''. Kayos is stuck on that condition and he doesn''t want to get serious about it.


    The fight with you on that point was a lot of fun. After all, it was the first time in years that I went to kill you for real, and instead of finishing you off, I got beaten back.


    Blanca laughed, sounding very happy and very ferocious as she said this....


    When Blanca realized that me and the doctor had pulled away, she hurriedly turned her face back to normal.


    ''Well, I was kidding about him going to kill you or something, but it was fun.


    The joke may be a lie, but it seems to be true that it was interesting. And from the atmosphere, he doesn''t seem to be holding a grudge, especially about wandering the border between life and death.


    At that moment, there was a loud cheer from the arena. It seemed that the Bandit King''s match had begun.


    ''''I''ll be back then.


    I had to check out the Bandit King''s game, so I headed to the door of the treatment room.


    ''''Oh! Come on!


    I answered Blanca''s voice from behind me, raising my hand lightly as I ran out the door and ran straight to where I could see the game.


    I was in quite a hurry, but the match was almost over. The Bandit King''s opponent was one of the few pure wizards in this tournament (the only one in the main competition), and he was said to be a reasonably famous adventurer.


    However, the Bandit King seemed to have attacked before he was able to eat the magic, and his opponent had wounds all over his body.


    ''''Gehoho!''''


    In the meantime, the Bandit King''s stone-thrusting thrust hit his opponent in the abdomen and sent him flying out of the arena.


    Feeling like a winner, the Bandit King turned his back on his opponent and walked out to the center of the fighting table.


    However, the match was not completely decided. The victory or defeat had been decided, but the opponent''s magic attack had been unleashed.


    The opposing wizard seemed to be injured and was about to unleash his magic, which was completed when he was sent out of the field by the Bandit King.


    The magic itself was a more powerful version of the fireball, but the careless bandit king was caught off guard by the attack, which grazed his back.


    The Bandit King fell a little exaggeratedly. Fortunately, the tiger fur that the Bandit King is equipped with seemed to have magic resistance, and the fur didn''t catch fire, but the Bandit King went back to the waiting room, looking a little embarrassed.


    Afterwards, the referees gathered and conferred, but it was decided that the current magic attack was considered to have been triggered by the supposed attack and did not constitute a punitive action.


    Next up was Jin''s match, and since his opponent seemed to be much lower in rank than Jin and seemed happy to have come this far, he decided to go back to the waiting room, thinking that Jin would win anyway. As expected, Jin won the match in a landslide.


    On the way back to the waiting room, I met a smiling Keos. It seems he was waiting for me.


    ''''Hey, you little bastard. You''re going to have to drop out of the next fight. Your arm still hurts anyway, right?


    Kayos started to say something joking, so I ignored him and tried to walk past him, but he came around to the front.


    ''Don''t ignore me, man. I''m just saying it out of kindness, you know. After all, if you kill a stone or something, you''ll regret it for at least a day, no matter how much I am!


    Kayos is getting excited and laughing a lot by himself on his own. I was about to walk past Keios, thinking, "Here we go again........


    ''You still haven''t heard my answer!


    Kayos suddenly shouted and tried to grab me, so I shifted halfway out of his grasp.


    When I moved out of the distance to face him while Kayos was swinging blankly, Kayos, who didn''t like my attitude, seemed to manage to restrain himself from jumping on me, even though he had a blue streak on his forehead.


    ''You little bastard lickin'' bastard you''ll remember that when this tournament is over! When this tournament is over, I''m going to be a nobleman! Then your ... well, as I recall, your cronies were full of women ... then I''ll f*ck them right in front of you! You''re looking forward to it!


    Kayos let out a laugh and was enjoying himself. Honestly, I was confident that if I cut Cayos off here, I could take care of him without leaving any evidence that I killed him. In fact, I would have acted if I hadn''t heard the crowd cheering and kept my cool. That''s how angry I was at this man''s (Keos) words.


    Kayos didn''t notice my killing intent and was still sneering.


    Just then, Jin, who had just finished his match, walked by and immediately noticed my murderous intent.


    ''''Hey, hey, hey! Tenma, calm down! I don''t know what happened ... but just calm down!


    On his way to stop me, Jin saw Keios and guessed that Keios had done (or said) something stupid, so he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the waiting room.


    I followed Jin without any resistance, and Keos laughed again, as if he thought I had gotten help and escaped from this place.


    ''''It''s a good thing you''re here to pick me up~! But they can''t help you in the game!


    My anger cooled a bit at that sickening language. In the meantime, Jin had sped up his speed to pull me towards the waiting room.

 87-Chapter 5-10 VS Winners of the Conference

    ''Yes! Temma, I''m going to go beat up that guy (Keos) now!


    Jin told me that after he had finished listening to me back in the waiting room and heard what happened from me.


    I shouldn''t have spilled the beans when I spilled the beans that Menace and Leena seemed to be included in the people Keos said he was going to rape.


    I don''t know when Keos saw my cronies (Jeanne and the three girls), but if he found them during the match, Menace and Leena were also chutzpah in the place (the noble seat arranged by the Primera), so it''s very likely that they were included.


    ''''Wait, if we do that, we''ll probably become slave-corrupted, but.....................at least think of a plan to avoid being found out first.


    Jin hears my words and sits back in his chair to think about his strategy. Fortunately, there is a break before the semifinals, so we have about half an hour to spare.


    I asked Jin, who was thinking about his strategy, what was on his mind.


    ''''I knew Jin''s eyes would change color when it comes to his own party members.


    ''Don''t be a fool, Temma! It''s only natural! Even if it''s a violent guy like Menace, who can''t be considered a woman, or a guy like Leena, who disrupts the scene by saying natural, incomprehensible things and causing trouble by screwing up, he''s still an important friend! ...Well, as far as Menace is concerned, I''m sure the idiots in Keos wouldn''t like to deal with him!


    I decided to argue with Jin, who was starting to get a little carried away, while I looked behind me.


    ''No, I think Menace is beautiful enough. And you could say that Leena is cute in her naturalness too...''''


    ''Temma - you don''t have to be bothered in front of me, do you? You''re surrounded by quite a few beautiful women, and I have to admit, I''ve always been insanely jealous of you... those two are the only women around me.


    From talking about going to beat up Cayos to talking about boys talk for some reason? Jin developed into a......... Behind the .........


    I''m sorry. I''m sorry for being violent and incapable of being conscious of women...


    Menace, whose mouth is smiling but not his eyes, and Menace, who releases such tremendous pressure that he could kill a man with his gaze alone, and


    I''m sorry... I''m a natural screw-up and I''ve caused you so much trouble...


    There was Leena, with her elegant smile, typical of a noblewoman, and her dark aura wafting around her.


    ''''Why are you here........the anteroom is supposed to be off-limits to players only.......''''


    Jin''s question was answered by the nurse woman who was accompanying him.


    ''Well Mr. Garratt woke up and the doctor instructed me to call Jin, but then he said he was going to call Menas and the others with him........... .....


    "I''m a team player too, you know.......I talked to the attendant.......and I said, ''Jin''s an idiot and he''ll do whatever he''s going to do if we don''t go.......''


    I did use my parents'' power a bit, though.


    That''s why he was allowed to pass around the antechamber, with the condition that he was allowed to pass around the antechamber.


    ''Well then, let''s go! Temma, let''s get going!


    Jin hurriedly got up and tried to head out of the room, but Menace and Leena held his shoulders back.


    ''Well then, I''d better go warm up now!


    I left Jin and the others there, and as I was leaving the waiting room, pushing the nurse back....


    ''Temma! Wait a minute!


    I was stopped by Menace, who started to chastise the djinn.


    I didn''t think I was saying anything bad about Menace and the others, but the fact that he suddenly called out to me caused my heart to jump for a moment.


    ''Yes! What is it?!


    Unconsciously, Menace opened his mouth to me, who was in a respectful, upright and immobile posture.


    ''''I''m sure you know that but you have to hurt that rotten gaijin (Keos) enough not to kill him or else he''ll really mess with your companion.


    Yes, sir!


    At Menace''s grateful words, I closed the door to the waiting room with a salute.


    I think I heard Jin scream right after I closed the door, but I''m going to believe that Menas and the others won''t chastise him so much that he can''t attend the match.


    On the way there, I stop by the infirmary to check on Garratt, and I find Garratt in better spirits than I expected, and he looks a little sad when I tell him that Jin is in chastisement and the three of us are going to be late because he''s in chastisement.


    I told Jin and the others that we were going to go warm up, but since there wasn''t actually a special place reserved for such a thing, we decided to move our bodies in the corridor near the game field.


    Just as my body relaxed just right, the attendant told me that it was almost time to start, and after lightly dressing up, I went up to the arena table.


    I''ve been waiting for a little while for Keos to arrive at the arena, but it seems that this is just a time delay due to the difference in location.


    Evidence of this is that within a couple of minutes, Cayos appeared at the other side of the entryway. He doesn''t seem to be imitating Oggo, as expected.


    But what I was curious about was the crowd''s reaction. When I stepped onto the ring, there was only loud cheering and applause, but when Keios appeared, there was a lot of booing mixed in with the cheers.


    When it came to the booing, Queiroz was deliberately making the crowd boo louder, as if he was enjoying it.


    ''You must be jealous. This is how the crowd will remember me. As time goes by, they may forget you, but no one will forget me as I win the championship in the face of adversity. I will go down in history! Unlike a guy like you who just got lucky!


    I can see why Blanca didn''t want to fight. This guy, Keios, is a complete idiot. And it''s almost like he''s going to go down in history in a way....


    I''m sure he had to use a lot of brainpower to think and remember his lines now, but I''d say you should at least find out what your opponent is capable of before you do that.


    At the very least, I don''t think it''s an exaggeration to say that Blanca''s move that I just fought was the fastest and most destructive in this tournament. If he had been fighting that way from the beginning, he would have caught me off guard and I would have lost.


    This man (Keio) seems to think that I was able to win because I had luck on my side, with Branca showing such a move.


    I don''t intend to deny all of that. Luck is always a part of the game, and in fact, it may have been lucky that I only needed one arm after eating Blanca''s trump card.


    However, since I am here after defeating such a blanka in a crooked manner, it would be natural for me to be wary of confronting him if I were normal.


    This guy (Keio) who doesn''t do that is really a historical idiot.


    If this was an act disguised as a daylight act, that''s a big deal, but you can tell by the atmosphere that it''s not.


    Because even though the referee is trying to signal the start of the match, Keos is completely ignoring me, because he''s been worrying about dealing with the audience for a while now.


    ''Semifinals, the match begins!''


    Even the referees were annoyed with the joke Keos was making, and his voice seemed to be slightly irritated.


    But even so, Keio''s awareness was still focused on the audience.


    So.........


    One....


    Just like Branca''s move earlier, I used my enhanced magic to jump into Keos'' bosom and thrust my sword into his neck.


    Keos was late to notice me and hurriedly flew backwards, but just before he flew, I lightly pressed the sword against his neck and cut through a single thin layer of skin.


    While Keos landed backwards, he landed behind Keos for a moment, and this time he came around behind Keos and thrust his sword into his neck just like before.


    ''''Two........''''


    Again, I pressed the sword lightly against my neck and cut through a thin layer of skin.


    As expected, Keos was wary this time and didn''t pay attention to the wound when I moved away, but I closed the distance the same way.


    As I closed the distance, Kayos quickly made a move to protect his neck, but this time he lightly poked the left side, which was empty, with the cutting edge.


    ''''Three........''''


    It''s not just a matter of how much armor, but also how much mithril is used to cover the entire body with mithril without any gaps, and the joints such as the armpits and joints are made of tough demon skin (in the case of Keos, the material of a low grade dragon).


    However, no matter how much it''s made of low-grade dragon material, it can''t match the sharpness of a sword made of my ancient dragon material, and the cutting edge easily stabbed into the side of Kayos.


    ''''Four........''''


    Next, I''m going to stab him in the upper vein area of his right wrist.


    Five.....


    This time behind the right knee.


    ''Six ... seven ... seven ... eight ... nine ... nine ...''


    He made a light cut in his left ear, lightly stroked his right Achilles'' tendon with his sword, inserted the tip of the cut into the gap in his abdominal armor, and made a cut on his right cheek.


    ''''Ten........''''


    At the end, he thrust the tip of the cut about 5mm into the space between his eyebrows.


    The time it took to count from one to ten was about 30 seconds. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.


    The moment I thrust my sword between his eyes, he fell on his ass and was stunned.


    The moment he hit his buttocks, he didn''t seem to feel anything, but as time went on, he seemed to notice the pain of the stabbed and cut parts, and his face changed to a bright blue color.


    However, even such a keio seemed to have some fighting spirit and willpower left in him, and he stood up, using his own sword as a staff.


    ''''d*mn ... d*mn ... d*mn ... d*mn ... d*mn ... d*mn ... d*mn ... d*mn ...! You little shit! Don''t f*ck with me!


    Kayos dropped the fuel of ''anger'' on the little remaining will to fight, and barked as if he was forcing himself up.


    ''''Don''t bark like a goblin, get on with it, last time''s winner (.........).


    I not only verbally challenged Keos, who barked and then jumped backwards to keep his distance, but also sheathed my sword and lightly held my arm out in front of me, beckoning him forward so that the audience could see me.


    This provocation snapped Keos out of it, and he invoked his magic.


    ''Die, die, die, die, die! Die, you little shit!


    The magic released by Keos was a series of five fireball shots. It was only the winner of the previous championship in a crooked way, and it was fast and powerful enough to exceed the average wizard.


    However.........


    No big deal....


    I didn''t move an inch from the spot and deflected the fireball''s trajectory with my magic-clad hand.


    The deflected fireball landed behind me and extinguished the fire, leaving a slight burn mark on the surface of the fighting table.


    ''Huh! Ugh!


    The moment Keos was startled, the magic I released hit his shoulder and he stumbled backwards a few steps with the impact.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.


    However, it didn''t seem to be able to kill him until the impact of the airblit.


    Keos is stunned as he regains his stance. I silently stretched out my left hand to such a keen Keos and challenged him to ''come at me'' by bending his fingers a little bit.


    My face turned red at my challenge, and he fired fireballs in rapid succession, just as before.


    This time, the fireball was also five in a row, but there was a slight difference from the previous time. That is, without a pause after releasing five consecutive shots, he released another five consecutive fireballs.


    The first five streaks were able to deflect the trajectory just like before, but the next five streaks were done by hitting him with a fireblit.


    Seeing the way they were offset by fire bullets smaller than a fireball (...), Keos'' expression changed.


    Until a while ago, he had been hiding his fright with anger, but gradually he couldn''t hide his fright anymore, and he turned into a semi-mad look.


    ''''Ku, don''t come!


    Kayos unleashes a fireball at me as I slowly approach, unprovoked.


    I counterbalance all of them with fire blitzes.


    At first, the magic that was canceled in the middle of me and the Chaos, was gradually canceled close to the Chaos, and finally the magic disappeared right in front of the Chaos.


    The distance between me and Chaos is about fifteen meters, and that''s when Chaos took out a knife from somewhere and threw it at me.


    The knife fell about a meter in front of me, as if it was just a knife.


    I didn''t really care when Kayos held it in his hand, as it looked like just a knife, but just before the knife fell, I got a bad feeling and quickly flew backwards as quickly as I could.


    My instincts seemed to be correct, and the moment the knife fell down and stabbed me, it caused an explosion.


    I didn''t take a direct hit from the explosion, but I didn''t duck or duck the aftermath of the explosion and received minor burns to my face and arms.


    The knife was about 30cm long, but the blast was about 4-5m in diameter, and if he had been hit, he would have sustained significant injuries.


    The referees tried to move, but Keios, who had regained some of his composure, took out another object similar to the knife he had just used and held it above his head, shouting to the referees.


    ''This is a knife! The rules shouldn''t prohibit the use of knives!


    Seeing that the ref stopped for a moment, Keos threw the knife in his hand at me.


    This time it flew straight at me, but to be honest, it was easier than the fireball I''d had earlier because I just needed to be good.


    As soon as I ducked the knife, I ran towards Keos and drew the sword I had lowered to my waist.


    It''s not a technique that can be proudly called iaikiri, but I stepped in at high speed and the sword, drawn from its scabbard at a reasonable speed, cut cleanly off Keos'' arm.


    The moment he drew his sword, Keos had just taken out his knife, the knife was held tightly in the cut off arm, and the knife exploded as it fell behind Keos.


    ''''Oh my goodness, it''s hard to regenerate your arm if it''s like that (exploded). ''''I''m sorry.''''


    After being cut off and caught in the explosion, Keio''s arm was scattered in pieces, making it impossible to heal it, saying that he would use his recovery magic to attach it back together and put it back together.


    When it comes to this point, they would have to create an arm or regenerate it with magic. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the future.


    If you search all over this world, you may find a few people, but at least they are not in this country.


    ''''Oh, gaaaaaaaahhhh! My arms aaaaaaahhhh!


    Seeing that his arms were flying apart, Keos started to scream out in pain that he had recognized and noticed because of his recognition.


    ''''Sorry about the pain but the match isn''t over yet!


    I held the missing arm and kneeled down, and while Keos looked up slightly in response to my words, I vigorously unleashed a knee kick at his face.


    My knee struck Keos in the nose area and sent his body rolling backwards vigorously.


    Kayos'' consciousness seemed to have flown away the moment he was hit by the knee kick, but before the referee realized this, I caught up to Kayos and crushed Kayos'' right knee as hard as I could.


    The right knee let out a crunching sound, and the pain brought Keios back to consciousness.


    Keos, who had regained consciousness, was screaming from the pain, but at this state of affairs, even the slightest bit of pain afterwards was going to make him die of insanity, so I dulled his pain senses with the application of my recovery magic.


    He felt the judges start to move the moment he shattered Kayos'' leg, so he decided to hurry up and finish up.


    ''''I have to castrate him so he won''t think of doing something bad again, nah!


    He moved the sword up and down in a large motion so that Kayos could see him properly, and then he stabbed it into the area just below Kayos'' crotch.


    With a zang, I pulled out the sword that was stuck in the fighting table and sheathed it, and after checking on Keos, I saw that he was foaming at the mouth and passed out, and liquid was flowing out of the area between his legs.


    I moved away from Kayos and waited for the referees to declare victory, but they didn''t declare it right away, but instead gathered the other referees together for a discussion.


    During the discussion, Cayos was treated on the spot and carried away on a stretcher by an attendant as he was being treated.


    I almost laughed when I saw that the attendant in charge of treating the lower half of Kayos'' body looked very uncomfortable.


    The discussion between the referees continued for a while, and when the crowd began to boo, the referees finally broke up and declared me the winner.


    ''Winner, Temma!''


    Hearing those words, I quickly walked out to go back, but behind me, the referees were explaining their deliberations to the audience.


    From what I heard while returning, there were suspicions that both Keos and I had committed foul play in this match, so the judges decided that there was no foul play in my case.


    As I was going back to the waiting room, I was stopped by an official and taken to the waiting room of the judges, wondering which of my actions almost constituted a foul play.


    What was called in was the details of my earlier deliberations, an apology, and an interview.


    The details of the deliberations were that there was a suspicion that my actions were in disregard of the referee''s instructions, but one of the referees, who was on the outside, saw that I ignored the referee''s attempt to stop me when I gave Keos a knee strike, and that''s why they deliberated, but the referees at the fighting table and other referees The allegations were cleared up because the "Exploding Knife" used by Keios was officially deemed a disposable item.


    The foul by Keios was the ''banning of weapons, armor, and items other than bags'', and because the ''exploding knife'' he used was considered a disposable item, Keios was disqualified and disqualified from placing in the tournament, according to the judges.


    In terms of an apology, the judges said that when Keios used the knife, the fight should have been stopped and the judges should have deliberated on the matter.


    At the interview, why did he attack the fighter to the point of being excessive? He asked me why, and I told him that the reason was because of Kayos'' despicable actions (using an exploding knife) and the threats he made to harm people he knew.


    I exaggerated a bit when I told them the details of the threats, especially when I told them that my acquaintances that Kayos said included the duchess (Primera) and the baroness (Lina), and then the faces of the judges suddenly turned serious, and the guards and those who can use deliberative magic were hastily called in, and my words were lied to. After making sure it wasn''t there, I ran to Keio''s place.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out whether or not the person you''re casting the spell on is lying or not, so it''s not very useful.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.


    However, the guards who dragged Cayos (actually, they tied him to a stretcher and carried him away) were quite enthusiastic, saying that Cayos would still generate more dust if he was beaten, so the charges are likely to increase in the future.


    I heard that I was going to be given a warning for ''excessive attacks on Keos'', but in a turn of events, I was to be thanked by the judges for preventing criminal acts against the nobles.


    Just as I was leaving the judges'' waiting room, I ran into a djinn who was heading to the arena. Apparently, he was worried that I hadn''t come back after the fight, so he came by to check on me.


    ''Yo!


    Yeah, no kidding. On the contrary, the referees thanked me for beating up Keos.


    What''s that?


    To Jin, who seemed to have no idea why, I briefly explained what happened in the waiting room earlier.


    ''''So that means the loser of me and the Bandit King will be the third place.......''''


    Yeah. But Jin, you don''t mind if we fall together, do you? As far as I''m concerned, it''s easier that way!


    ''Don''t be an a**h*le! If that happens, the audience will turn into a mob! Anyway, you''ll wait for me to wash your head!


    Saying that, Jin turned his back to me and walked towards the arena.


    However, at that time, I hadn''t expected those words to be the last words that Jin and I would ever say to each other.

 88-Chapter 5-11 Jin VS The Thief King

    Stop! Such an ominous narration!


    Hearing the words I muttered, Jin packed up.


    Since plays and the like exist in this world as well, there are words that are very similar to lines that were used in previous lives.


    Incidentally, since there are plays that seem to be based on Shakespeare''s works and operas from previous lives, as well as works that seem to be based on stories from anime, manga, and novels, there is more than a 10 out of 10 chance that a reincarnated person is involved.


    ''Didn''t that relieve your nerves?''


    ''Don''t answer me with a question! And I''m not nervous!


    With that, Jin this time headed for the arena.


    Since it was a good time, he decided to follow Jin and watch the fight near the entrance of the arena.


    When Jin appeared in the arena, the crowd cheered loudly, reminding him that he was one of the featured fighters.


    When the cheers for Jin had diminished a bit, the crowd cheered loudly again from the other side of Jin. It was the appearance of the Bandit King. In the midst of the loud cheers, the Bandit King was a dignified man walking proudly.


    The crowd was more excited than any other match of the day, as it was a battle between two high-profile fighters before the tournament started, and the crowd''s voltage was still rising from earlier.


    However, when the two fighters faced each other in the middle of the arena, the crowd went silent, as if the cheers from before were a lie.


    In the meantime, the referee stepped in between the two men and said something to them.


    The two of them nodded lightly at the referee''s words, and then........


    Semifinal, Amur vs. Jin. Let the match begin!


    The game began. The referee immediately stepped back at the signal to start, and the two men ran out at the same time.


    Jin''s weapon is a large sword with a blade length of about 1.5 meters, and it is the first weapon he will use in this match. From the looks of it, the width of the sword is about 20cm or more and less than 30cm, and it seems to be quite heavy, but from the color of the blade, it probably looks like a weapon made of mithril, so it should be much lighter than it looks.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the next few weeks.


    The moment the weapons wielded by the two clashed, a loud gakking sound resounded in the hall. And.........


    DORAHHHHH!


    The djinn was overcome.


    Slightly defeated, the Bandit King took a few steps backwards and promptly tried to adjust his stance, but before the Bandit King could adjust his stance, Jin attacked him.


    ''''Sayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!


    He struck down from the upper level with all the strength he could muster. At this, as expected of the Bandit King, he didn''t strike each other, but jumped backwards in the nick of time and ducked.


    The ducked djinn''s blow shattered the stone pavement of the fighting table as it was, creating a small crater in the place where the Bandit King had been.


    ''''d*mn! I want it off!


    Jin muttered in frustration as he ducked an attack that would have been a one-hit kill if it had hit him.


    The moment the bandit king ducked Jin''s attack, he was about to take a step forward with his weapon at the ready to counterattack, but Jin had stopped the bandit king''s movement with just a glint in his eye.


    The bandit king missed the timing of his counterattack due to the djinn''s eye light, and the djinn ducked and exposed an opening in his attack.


    The two stopped moving against each other, and a natural flow of partitioning ensued, and the two of them readjusted their weapons again.


    This time the rise was different from the previous one in that it was slower, but the air between them was tense because of it, and the spectators were watching breathlessly as they caught on to it.


    Jin held his greatsword on his shoulder and moved slowly on his padded feet as if to the left against the King of the Bandits, while the King of the Bandits held his axe at his hip and waited for Jin.


    The hall is so quiet that you can almost hear the sound of the djinn''s shuffling feet with a thud, thud, thud.


    The djinn continued to grind for a while, as if to check on the bandit king, and then suddenly moved on to attack.


    Against Jin''s attack, the waiting Bandit King was not defeated, but prevented Jin''s momentum-boosting blow and turned to counterattack.


    The jin also caught the Bandit King''s counterattack and began to strike at each other, stopping each other in their tracks.


    Presumably, every time their weapons clashed with each other, the nerves and strength of both sides would be honed down. The evidence of this is that the sound of weapons clashing is a little less than it was in the beginning.


    However, with those two in the background, the crowd was in a state of excitement. The two men''s fighting style is easy to understand from the outside.


    Normally, if they hit each other, if they miss even a little, they would lose the fight, but they haven''t even scratched each other''s body since a while ago.


    If the two men were doing this on purpose to liven up the fight, the crowd would be booing so loudly that it would be deafening. However, many of the spectators in this venue are discerning when it comes to fighting.


    Most of them line up from morning to midnight to watch the annual tournament. Some of them have been able to enter the event as a memorial or through connections, but that''s only a little over 10% of the total. A little over 10% of them are either royalty or aristocrats, or are lucky enough to have connections with the aristocrats, or are contestants in the finals.


    It doesn''t matter how much of a nobleman''s title you have, it doesn''t mean that you can compete in this tournament.


    Most of all, there are people every year who cannot understand this, and it bothers some of the higher-ups.


    Putting the outside world aside, the two men''s discussion came to an abrupt end.


    It was at the tens of stations where the two men had just begun to exchange blows.


    ''''Oraaah!''''


    The blow fired with the jinn''s spirit destroyed the Bandit King''s axe. It''s not surprising, after all, the djinn''s weapon is made of mithril and the Bandit King''s weapon is probably made of iron, or at best, magical iron. I''m sure you''ll find that you''re not the only one who can do this.


    This was not a djinn who would relax his hand, thinking that this was the case.


    The moment the Bandit King''s weapon shattered, Jin raised his great sword and swung it at the Bandit King as if he were chopping wood.


    At the moment when Jin''s strike seemed to have cut the Bandit King''s brain from the sky, there was a loud scream from the audience and the referees came rushing over...


    It''s not working! Why, haha!


    Jin was kicked away by the slashed bandit king. Apparently, the bandit king evaded the bandit king on the verge. However, the fur had cut through the area under his chin to his right thigh.


    After kicking Jin away, the Bandit King leans forward as if to fall down.


    However, instead of a pool of blood forming underneath the Bandit King''s feet, not a single drop of blood seemed to be flowing.


    The gazes of spectators and judges gathered on the Bandit King, and........


    ''Gawd! ........oh?


    A girl emerged from the fur (equipment) that the Bandit King was wearing, with her hands raised in the air.


    Time stopped in the hall due to the sudden situation. The girl herself doesn''t seem to know what to do, and is frozen in place with her hands held up.


    ''Oh, who are you?''


    A kicked-off djinn stood up and asked the girl the question that everyone in this hall must be thinking.


    ''Amour! Or the Bandit King!


    The girl declared that with her chest.


    Then, she took out a new axe from the bag at her waist and held it up to Jin.


    ''''Haaaaah!''''


    ''''This match is called off for now! Both players must stay on the spot!


    Amur brakes suddenly and stops a few meters before the djinn. His face looks quite dissatisfied.


    Most of all, Jin had also sensed that Amur was about to pounce on him, and he was trying to match the counter with his big sword, so maybe Jin was more dissatisfied than he was.


    The referee saw that they had stopped moving and called the other referees to order.


    The bandit king''s fur, which Amur had been wearing, had fallen on the spot where the referees were gathered, apparently discussing whether the fur was an item that violated the rules.


    The discussion is not quite over and it''s almost ten minutes away.


    The djinn are sitting on top of each other''s fighting table and resting their bodies... but there are no serious injuries to each other, and there is nothing that can be called damage to the djinn that was kicked, so both of them are just sitting still and recovering their strength.


    At that moment, one of the referees slipped out of the discussion circle and ran into the building.


    The referee who ran was apparently going to ask for instructions from the kings, and the area around the kings was getting a bit hectic.


    Then, before the judges could return, an old man stepped out of the bleachers to join them.


    The crowd began to buzz as none of the security guards stopped him as he walked to the referees.


    The old man arrived at the judges and after examining the furs for a bit, he said something and turned back.


    The referees then discussed something, and when the old man walked into the building, the referees broke up.


    ''Thank you all for your patience. As a result of the discussion among the referees, we will continue the match. The reason for the discussion was that the fur armor that Amur was wearing might be a violation of the rules, but since we were unable to determine that, we hastily asked Mr. Merlin, a highly respected wise man, to appraise it, and he told us that although the fur armor was a magic item, it was not. Therefore, I will not disqualify you.


    After the referee''s explanation, the match was finally going to resume.


    However, since the fur that the djinn had torn through was in a state where it could not be equipped without repair, Amur was not in his bandit-king form, but rather resuming from his furry state.


    Amur''s equipment now is a newly taken out axe in leather armor that seems to be thin in defense, and the size of the axe completely exceeds Amur''s height.


    The way a small girl wields a weapon that exceeds her height, everyone can''t hide their bewilderment, except for Temma, who is used to it in her previous life''s nerd culture.


    In fact, even Jin, who is actually facing Amur, seems skeptical that Amur can wield an axe properly.


    However, such doubts were unnecessary.


    Carrying the axe, Amur swiftly approached the djinn and delivered a sharp axe blow.


    Jinn, who had been struck by the void, ducked the blow by flying to the side just before he was about to do so.


    Amur''s strike from the upper level created a bigger crater than the same upper level strike that Jin had just delivered, and not only did Jin, but the crowd was taken aback.


    ''''What ridiculous power!''''


    The moment Jin''s attention was on the crater for a moment, the axe blade that had been buried in the fighting table came at Jin, gouging at the table.


    ''''Don''t run away!


    At the same time as Amur''s voice, the axe tried to catch Jin''s body, but Jin''s great sword just barely blocked the axe. However, the axe''s momentum didn''t stop, and just like that, it popped Jin several meters away.


    ''''Look out!''''


    The crowd was very excited to see Jin land on his feet despite being sent flying.


    In just a short time after revealing himself, Amur seemed to have captured the hearts of the audience, and from a quick glance, it seems that there were more voices cheering for Amur than for Jin.


    After all, on one hand, he''s an ugly guy, even though he''s a strong candidate, and on the other hand, he''s a big guy, but he''s really a girl.


    He is just as muscular as he looks, and his fighting style is as unimaginable as the way he wields a disproportionately large axe with ease.


    As a result, it''s not surprising that the number of spectators cheering for Amur has increased.


    ''''Ugh, it''s hard to do.......it''s almost turned into an away game.......''''


    Jin is saying such things, but I guess he still has enough room to say it.


    Amur seems to have noticed that Jin is still showing a look of composure and is hesitant to pause unnecessarily.


    However, that hesitation was an opening, and it was the beginning of Jin''s counterattack.


    ''''Your power is great, but you''re still a kid!


    Amur panicked at Jin''s approach and took an interception stance, but Jin was faster.


    ''''Seiya!''''


    The thrust released as Jin''s body was stretched out, struck a moment before Amur''s stance was adjusted.


    ''''Hn!''''


    Amur managed to deflect the tip of his sword with the axe handle just in time, but that was only to say that he avoided a direct hit, and the deflected djinn''s sword tip gouged Amur''s left shoulder.


    ''''Ugh!''''


    The wound was fortunately shallow, but it still didn''t spare her from bleeding, exposing a further gap.


    ''''Ha, ha, hah, c''est la vie!''''


    Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Jin''s continuous attacks begin.


    In the beginning, Amur managed to defend against them, but gradually his defense became insufficient, and now he could see bleeding from several parts of his body.


    Even so, Amur was still looking for an opportunity to counterattack, avoiding only fatal blows. Just then, Jin''s thrust attacked Amur.


    ''''There!''''


    With all his strength, Amur flicked Jin''s great sword........


    That''s what I''ve been waiting for!


    Jin, who had intended to make Amur pop his thrust from the beginning, closed his stance and delivered a straight left hand with his weight on Amur''s face without breaking his stance.


    Amur, who had been hit by a thrust, was completely unable to respond to Jin''s fist, and was hit by a fist to his right cheek, and was blown backwards and rolled around in a heap.


    Amur finally stopped about a few meters behind him and managed to get up, although he was dizzy, but his eyes were unfocused and he seemed to be half-conscious.


    However, Jin didn''t seem to care about that, and started to run to finish the still wobbling Amur.


    Some of the spectators (fans) who were watching the scene booed Jin, but he didn''t seem to hear them.


    Jin used his momentum to launch a body slam, but Amur rolled diagonally in front of him like a mockery to escape.


    Jin, who didn''t expect to be able to avoid it, almost ran out of the field with all his momentum, but he managed to hold on and avoid falling, found Amur wobbling his way to his axe and started running again.


    ''Enough!''


    Jin swung his sword at Amur a few times, but strangely enough, it didn''t hit him.


    One of the reasons may be that Jin is trying to finish him off with the side of his sword or swinging large enough to prevent him from killing him, but even if you subtract that, it''s strange that he doesn''t hit a single shot.


    The moment Jin had a bad feeling about something, Amour grabbed the axe again.


    ''''Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


    Amur turned around and slammed the axe down, screaming so loudly that the hall seemed to be trembling.


    The axe slammed into the fighting table with tremendous force, and the axe made a crack in the table about several meters long.


    Fortunately, it didn''t hit Jin, but Jin was momentarily stiffened by Amur''s yell, and if the axe had struck him directly, he would have been dead.


    ''''Hey, what was that blow?!


    Djinn distances himself from Amur in surprise. Amur, in fact, was slowly pulling out an axe from the stand.


    The axe he pulled out was carried on his shoulder, but even now Amur seemed to wobble, almost falling under the weight of the axe on his shoulder.


    ''''Hah, hah, hah........''''


    The current Amur was, for all intents and purposes, fully wounded. Normally, he should have folded at this point, but the previous blow forced Jin to be cautious.


    Perhaps Amur''s condition was an act.


    Most of Jin''s thoughts denied it, but after thinking that even a little bit, and even more so after seeing the cracks created in the platform, he couldn''t even deny it completely. It''s too dangerous to do.


    At any rate, if you had taken that blow, not only would you likely lose the match, but you might lose your life itself.


    From an objective point of view, I am still in a better situation. As long as you think so, it is a poor idea to make a move at this point, and it is essential to proceed with caution.


    Jin concluded that from his experience as an adventurer.


    After all, from the current Amur, it looked exactly like the demon he had tried to defeat when he was just starting out.


    It was a tiger-shaped demon, with a rank of about C to B.


    It was a bit of a heavy opponent for the djinn at the time, but he was still able to carry everything well and was able to hunt it down to the point where he could almost defeat it.


    However, the inexperienced Jin at the time was caught off guard at the last minute and fell victim to a counterattack.


    Luckily, an experienced adventurer came to his aid and saved him, but he was almost dead.


    ''''A wounded beast is terrifying, huh...''''


    Remembering the old days, Jin regained his composure and tightened his grip on his weapon.


    (But there''s no point in sitting on my hands.......I''ll decide on this one!


    With that in mind, Jin lightly feinted as he closed the gap between himself and Amur.


    Even now, Amur doesn''t seem to be in a state where he can move his body satisfactorily, so he hasn''t been able to react to Jin''s lunge.


    ''''Dorya!''''


    It looked as if Jin''s powerful side-nap had hit Amur''s body, but only slightly, Amur''s defense seemed to have been able to get there in time.


    However, Amur was unable to stand his ground and was blown away like a rubber ball.


    In addition, the hilt of the axe used for defense is bent in a character (...) that can be seen even from a distance.


    Despite being blown away by the djinn''s blow, his weapon bent, and scrapes all over his body, Amour stayed near the outside of the field and stood up again.


    ''d*mn it! That''s seriously stubborn!


    Complaining to cover up the fact that he had strained, Jin started to run, holding his greatsword at the ready, in order to blow Amur away once more.


    There were only a few seconds left before Jin made contact with Amur.


    Most of the crowd was prepared to praise Amur for a good fight, expecting that Jin would win the fight, and were prepared to praise him for a good fight.


    However, the reality was different.


    Something happened that went beyond the audience''s expectations and threw Jin''s plans out of whack.


    ''''Nnnn!''''


    Jinn shouts in surprise at the event.


    As it should be, Amur unexpectedly threw the axe, which is the best defense he currently has equipped, and caught Jin''s fullest blow between his bare hands.


    However, he wasn''t able to stop it completely, and the blade bit into his shoulder.


    But it was a minor detail.


    Jin stopped moving, unprotected by the fact that his own blow had been stopped.


    When Jin realized this, it was just before Amur''s fist hit his own jaw.


    ''''Uggaaaaahhh!''''


    Almost as soon as Amur''s voice echoed in the hall, Jin''s head jumped up.


    Jin must have been hit in the jaw from underneath, and his hand, which was holding the great sword, lost its strength.


    Amur didn''t miss it and brushed it away with his hand, sending Jin''s great sword flying out of the field.


    This made it impossible for Jin to use his greatsword in this match.


    After Amur dispelled the great sword, he folded up and delivered a series of blows.


    He punched Jin in the face, punched him in the abdomen, grabbed him by the shoulders and head-butted him in the nose.


    It feels like a reversal of fortune, but Jin didn''t just eat the attack so easily.


    The moment Amur made the head-butt, he grabbed both of Amur''s arms while taking damage and slammed them down like a back-breaking move.


    If Jin had been in a normal state, he would have won the battle with the current blow.


    However, he moved so quickly after taking the damage to his head that he almost flew into consciousness, even if only for a moment.


    Jin''s throwing technique was incomplete because of the amount of power it took, so Amur was able to forcefully twist his body to mitigate the damage the moment he was struck.


    Both of them were in a state where they could be said to be completely evenly matched, both taking heavy damage, both having no weapons, and both of them probably falling over if they pushed lightly.


    The two of them began to strike each other with movements that were incomparable to the first.


    There is no power or accuracy in their attacks, and it''s almost as if they can shoot ten shots and catch two or three... or less.


    Moreover, they have wounds all over their bodies, almost falling over every time they miss a less powerful shot.


    However, the end of this battle is coming.


    The number of times Amur''s attacks hit the ground has been increasing. However, this was not because Amur''s attacks were getting sharper, but because Jin''s movements were getting slower.


    This could only mean that Jin was out of luck.


    If they had the same offensive strength and the same defensive strength, as well as the same speed and accuracy, the difference between the two would be due to their physiques.


    If they were in a normal state, they would be able to hide in your bosom or not, but unfortunately, both of them are now unable to move much.


    The difference in size that appeared between the two of them is the difference in power needed to stop their own bodies when they missed an attack.


    To stop an object of similar speed, the one with more weight requires more force to stop it.


    So even if Jin was moving in a similar manner, he was still consuming more energy than Amur.


    However, Jin, who had used up all his strength and could barely stand, collapsed as his body was hit by Amur''s final forceful blow, collapsing down. And then.........


    Winner, Amur!


    The referee''s mouth announced that Amur had won.

 89-Chapter 5-12 Linas scheme

    The crowd was applauding Amur for winning the fight, but when the referee pronounced him the winner, he didn''t move a bit.


    The worried referee approached Amur and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground.


    The panicked referee instructed the attendant who had gone to get a stretcher for Jin to bring another one.


    As a result, from the top of the fighting table, not only the loser, but even the winner was sent straight to the infirmary, and there was an air of uncertainty in the air, with the spectators not knowing how to react since both of the athletes to be honored were now gone.


    In the midst of this atmosphere, the referee announced to the audience that today''s match was over and we were to disperse.


    I thought about going to visit Jin, but I didn''t go directly to the infirmary because I thought I might run into Amur, but instead I grabbed one of the attendants and asked Menas or Leena, who should have gone to the infirmary, to give them directions.


    As I was relaxing in my anteroom after asking the attendant to give them a word, Leena came in.


    ''Thank God! He''s still here!


    I asked the attendants to stay in the waiting room for a while so as not to delay the time of going home with the audience, and to show up later if possible.


    I was taking a rest in the waiting room because I didn''t want to leave right away and attract the attention of the audience.


    What''s going on?


    From Leena''s condition, it doesn''t seem like Jin''s condition has worsened or anything, so it must be like he has regained consciousness or something.


    ''''Yes, Jin-san has regained consciousness! And a couple of things I''d like to ask...


    After talking to him, it seems that he wants to share some of the recovery medicine with you.


    The medicine I made was more effective than the over-the-counter medicine, so he wants to use it on Jin, and he wants you to help him bring Jin and Garratt back.


    ''That''s fine but are Jin and the others so bad that they can''t walk on their own?


    If it''s not a hassle to carry the djinn and the others or something, but if it''s so bad, will the team fight be okay? I thought.


    ''No, I''ve treated most of the major injuries, but the doctor said I''ve suffered quite a bit of head damage, so he told me to rest for today and tomorrow. And just to be sure, I wasn''t strong enough to lend him a shoulder to walk on, but I wasn''t strong enough to do it...


    I understood why, but there was a little thing that stuck with me.


    Couldn''t that be done by arranging a carriage or something without bowing to me? That''s what it means.


    Even if it''s true, Leena is from a nobleman''s family, so it''s hard to imagine her refusing, and I don''t think the Sword of Dawn is so short of money that she can''t arrange a carriage.


    I''m sure she has an idea, but I don''t feel like she''s trying to trick me, and I''m not so new to the djinn that I''d refuse, so I told Leena I''d take it on and started preparing to leave.


    When I headed to the infirmary with Leena, I found Jin there, with only his upper body up in bed, looking dazed and quiet.


    Amur was not in this room. Apparently they thought it would be bad to put the winner and the loser in the same room, so they put them in separate rooms.


    ''Yo! I''m here!


    When I called out to him in a deliberately cheerful manner, Jin slowly responded.


    ''Ah, Temma... sorry to bother you...''


    He seemed to be depressed to the extent that it was hard to imagine from his usual djinn, and Menas and Garratt who were by his side also looked gloomy as if they had been caught.


    ''You''re not feeling well... yeah, yeah, Leena asked me for some medicine! Um ... here it is! That''s it!


    I pulled a vial of pills out of my bag and handed it to Jin.


    ''It''s one of the most effective pills I''ve ever made! Come on, go for it!


    Jin opens the lid with a slow movement as I rush him and gulps it into his mouth. But.........


    Whoa! Ew!


    The djinn sprayed out a good mist of green liquid. And in the direction where Menace and Garratt were........


    What happened? Bitter!


    "Meh, meh! Yikes!


    Menas has just gotten some of Jin''s blown pills in his mouth, but Garratt seems to have gotten them in his eyes and trachea and is coughing and almost throwing up.


    Leena hands Jin and Garratt a towel, Menace goes to wash his face, and I''m pissed off at the doctor who was in the infirmary.


    After being angered for a while, the doctor licks the medicine that was left in the bottle.


    I''m sure you''ve got some pretty good herbs in there.......if you still have some of this medicine left, could you give me another one? Of course I''ll pay for it.


    Jin, not me, responded to those words.


    ''Hey!'' You''re not going to use it on the Bandit King, are you!


    What''s the matter with you?


    Silently the doctor admitted that he would use the drug on Amur. This angered Jin.


    ''A great deal! You know that Tenma''s opponent in the final was the Bandit King! Why would Temma go to the trouble of saving the enemy!


    ''That''s none of my business. I have a good medicine in front of me, and I just want to use it on my patients. Besides, you''re getting medicine from Temma, aren''t you? As I recall, you''ve made it to the finals in the team competition as well. Then you should be an enemy of Temma''s, right?


    Ugh.


    Jin can no longer argue with the doctor''s words. Garratt and Leena also looked awkward as they remembered that they could hit me in a team fight.


    ''''Isn''t that a bit different?''''


    Menace interjected when he came back to it.


    It''s true that our team could clash with Temma in the tournament. But our relationship with Tenma is not so shallow that we need to distinguish ourselves as enemies or allies just because we might become opponents in a tournament.


    At Menace''s words, the djinn regain their momentum and try to cover Menace.


    The doctor, in contrast, frowned.


    It''s not something that can be destroyed by such a thing.


    I ministered to Menace''s words.


    Then, while I was ministering, I took the pills out of the bag and handed them to the doctor.


    ''Yes, here are the pills. Just make sure it''s harmless for you before you use it.


    Good. And I''m sorry about that. I''m sorry for talking to you like that.


    The doctor apologized to me, Jin and the others as he took the pills and tried to pay for them.


    You don''t have to pay. You''ll get the prize money anyway so tell Amur that I''m sharing it with you.


    He didn''t accept payment from the doctor for such a slight.


    The doctor smiled bitterly and walked out of the room.


    ''Hey, was that good? That pill should make the Bandit King recover a lot better. Probably, he should be fully recovered by the final.


    Jin, who is experiencing the effects of the drug firsthand, speaks to me.


    It''ll be okay. Even if Amur is in perfect condition, I''ll still win!


    It''s kind of complicated for me to say that, but...


    Jin got an indescribable look on his face when he heard my words.


    ''No, I''m not saying that Jin is weak. It''s just that Jin and Amur weren''t a good match for each other... and if Amur had taken off that fur from the start, I believe Jin would have won by taking countermeasures.


    To be honest, it''s troublesome.


    As I was thinking about what to do with the seriously ill djinn, Menace tapped me on the shoulder. He hasn''t said it out loud, but it seems that he wants me to leave it to him.


    I was curious to see how Menace, who had known Jin for a long time, would encourage him, so I gave Menace the side of the bed, and suddenly Menace slapped Jin on the cheek.


    Phew!


    Listen, Ging, listen to me!


    The power of Menace''s power pushed Jin to straighten his posture.


    ''Temma wouldn''t tell such a silly lie, would she? After all, it''s Temma. He''s a tenma who loves to beat the crap out of his opponents, mercilessly. Really, if Jin is so much inferior to the Bandit King, Temma would not only be honest, but he''d exaggerate it a lot and make you look like an idiot that you can''t get over! And the Bandit King is Tenma''s opponent in the final. There''s no way Tenma could misread the strength of an opponent like that! You got it!


    I thought he was going to encourage Jin, but no matter how I hear it, Menace is talking bad about me. However, Menace''s words seemed to have an effect, and Jin seemed to have regained his composure a bit.


    You''ll be able to find out what you want to say and feel refreshed, and I held out a glass of liquid from the side to Menas, who felt refreshed after saying all that she wanted to say.


    ''''Yeah, thanks.''''


    Menace puffs the contents of the cup in one go without checking the contents (stirring). But in the next moment, the contents blew out cleanly............................towards the gin.


    Boo!


    ''Geez! My eyes, my eyes!


    The contents of the cup are really a mixture of vinegar with chili peppers soaked in the medicine given to the gin.


    I don''t want to imagine what it tastes like, but it would definitely not be the way the medicine was used.


    ''That''s right Gin. I''m a guy who loves this sort of thing so if Jin was really weak, I''d be tinkering with it in a more interesting way!


    Rather than Jin, he tried to tell Menace, but they were having none of it.


    Menace ran out of the room once more, while Jin wiped his face on a towel with the water in the jug.


    We were fussing around like that, and sure enough, the doctor came back and we were pissed off.


    The doctor examined Jin and Garratt, who had taken off their clothes just for the sake of it, and told them to go home, telling them to stay in bed for the rest of the day tomorrow.


    As a doctor, I didn''t think that was appropriate, but it seems that the closing time of the hall is approaching and I can''t keep them in bed forever.


    We had no choice, so I took Jin on my back, Menace helped Garratt with his shoulder, and Leena led us to the entrance of the venue.


    Although we didn''t pass anyone other than the attendants until near the entrance of the venue, there was one person acting suspiciously at the entrance.


    When Leena found the person, she became more cautious for some reason and took out her staff from her bag.


    I was feeling uncomfortable with Leena''s behavior, but before I could point it out, I called out to the man in front of us who was acting suspiciously.


    ''What are you doing in a place like that? Ash?


    The suspicious man was Ash Borgman, my first round opponent.


    Ash was startled by my voice and stopped moving for a moment, but he looked relieved when he realized that his opponent was me.


    ''Oh, it was Temma don''t surprise me.


    Ash said and wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    ''No, I''m the one who''s surprised... after all, there''s a guy acting like how suspicious he is... if it was a guy I didn''t know, I''d report him to the officer without talking to him. I was just there. What the hell have you been doing?


    Hearing my words, Ash reassesses his actions.


    And when he understood that what I was saying was correct, his face turned red and he scratched his cheek.


    Leena seemed to let her guard down somewhat when she saw me and Ash talking, and she tucked her wand into her bag.


    ''So what was Ash really up to?''


    Ash looked annoyed by my question, but he seemed to see that I wasn''t going to drop the question, so he reluctantly told me.


    ''Temma, do you see that woman standing over there?''


    As I quietly peeked my face from where Ash was acting suspiciously, I saw a woman standing outside the hall with a squire in tow. Although I don''t know the details, the woman, who clearly looks much older than Ash, is probably an aristocrat, judging from her well-tailored clothes and the way she''s leading her attendants.


    When I used ''Appraisal'' to try it out........


    His name is Midia Aurio.


    Age... 36.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Third daughter of Viscount Aurio.


    As I was twisting my head around at the results of my appraisal, Jin, who was at my back, and Leena, who was peeking out from behind me, seemed to know about Midia.


    ''''Ahhhh.......you''re being eyed for being troublesome.......''''


    It''s true... of all things, I wouldn''t want to be that wayward old lady...


    It seems to be just a simple matter of being late. In a previous life, it would not be unusual to be unmarried even at the age of 36, but in this world, and in addition to being a nobleman, this is the first time I think I''ve seen a 36-year-old unmarried.


    Well, from the looks of it, it''s understandable that Midea is said to be unmarried.


    After all, she is not a pretty woman by any means, and she also wears heavy makeup and has a bad look in her eyes. And she has been shouting and kicking at her attendant who has been waiting for her for some time now. It''s no wonder he''s unmarried.


    If this was a family of more than an earl or something umami, minus the marriage with Midea, there might have been a partner, but it might be a difficult order for the Viscount family.


    ''''So, why is Ash hiding from such an aunt?''''


    I could imagine most of what Jin and Leena said, but I decided to ask Ash what was going on to confirm it, but before Ash could answer my question, Leena opened her mouth.


    ''Be your own mistress anyway! .... or something like that.


    Ash nods silently at Leena''s speculation. It seems that she is a victim of stalking.


    If this is just a normal person, there would be no problem if Ash himself solved the problem by force, but the other party is a nobleman, so he seems to be confused about taking a hard-line approach.


    ''''Why don''t you just go home through the other doorway?


    Ash shook his head at Menace''s words. Apparently, that old lady has set up guards at all the entrances and exits.


    I feel bad for Ash, who is in trouble, but since it looks like a hassle, for me, I feel like leaving quickly.


    But for some reason, Leena is trying to think of a solution with a serious face. When I whispered to her to go home quickly, she didn''t even notice.


    Could it be that Leena has fallen in love with Ash, so she''s thinking seriously about it? Just as I was thinking, Leena suddenly turned to me.


    ''Can''t you do something about it, Temma-san?''


    Leena was looking too serious, so I decided that if she was in love with Ash, I would at least help her out a bit as a friend, so I decided to come up with an idea.


    ''I guess we need to get out of here first. This one is easy, let me handle it. But the biggest problem is getting that old lady to give up on Ash. The quickest thing to do is for Ash to get a nobleman''s girlfriend (.........). Preferably a baronial(s).........


    I suppose it''s for the best. ''Leena, your family was a baronial family, wasn''t it? Do you have any idea who you are?


    Menace, who understood what I was saying, gave Leena a straightforward pass.


    But Leena.........


    None.....I haven''t been much of a social butterfly myself, so...


    He struck out beautifully. And.....


    ''Let''s get out of here first! Tell us your strategy!


    Leena calls Menace''s nice pass such a thing and seems to have no teeth in it.


    Me and Menace look at each other and nod our heads, but Leena doesn''t notice as she glares at the direction where Midea would be.


    ''''Oh, oh okay ... wait a minute, I think I''m almost ... here.''''


    At just the right moment, something that looked like liquid came pouring out of the drain.


    "What''s the slime here!


    Startled, Ash tried to draw his sword, but Jin and Garratt, who were next to him, stopped him by holding his shoulder.


    ''Don''t panic, that''s Temma''s family.


    With Jin''s explanation, Ash seemed to remember that Slarin was a member of my team''s battle team, and he apologized incessantly.


    ''''So, how could Slarin be in the mission... no way!


    Ash had a strange look on his face, but the faces of the Sword of Dawn seemed to have an idea of the plan we''re about to carry out and looked very (...) uncomfortable.


    ''''It''s the plan for the invasion and escape. Slarin........Go!


    At my signal, Slarin spreads his body and makes a gesture like he''s opening his mouth.


    The part that looks like a mouth looks like a dim curtain or door, which makes the djinn and the others even more anxious.


    ''You''re serious?''


    Seriously. This is the hardest to spot.


    I answered Jin''s question in all seriousness. In fact, it was less risky and easier than trying to force my way through, and as an added bonus, it had a proven track record. I was convinced that this method was quite practical the last time I used it, so I had practiced it a few times with Slarin since then.


    ''Now that you''ve got it figured out, let''s get into it.


    I carried Jin on my back and walked into Slarin''s.


    ''Wait a minute! You can at least prepare yourself...


    Jin is making a lot of noise behind my back, but I decide not to worry about it.


    With me and Jin in, the rest of the crew are afraid to enter as well. After confirming that everyone has finished entering, Slarin goes into the drainage ditch with the same small body as he came in and heads back the way he came.


    ''''Temma-oh this isn''t quite the slime we''re used to.


    Jin, who was sitting on Solomon''s favorite sofa, which was set up in Slarin''s bag, muttered something like he couldn''t believe it.


    That didn''t seem to be Jin''s only opinion, and everyone else nodded after hearing Jin''s words.


    ''''Is that so? But if it''s a place you''re going to spend your time, even if it''s only temporary, then it''s only fair to make it easier to spend it, right?


    Jin was dismayed by my words. However, those words seemed to be able to gain the sympathy of the ladies, and Menace and Leena nodded their heads in agreement.


    By the way, Ash seemed to think that Slarin was just a strong slime, and was half in love with Slarin''s series of substandard parts.


    ''By the way, Leena. Are you hiding something from me?


    At my words, I decided to ask Leena, who had let her guard down as soon as she entered Slarin''s room, if she had the audacity to ask her directly.


    ''''Hey, what do you mean by that...?''''


    Leena is trying to deceive by turning away, but it was clear to everyone that she was trying to deceive.


    Menace, who was suspicious of Leena''s situation, pulled Leena and me to the corner.


    ''''Leena, what are you hiding from me? Don''t hide anything from Temma, who has taken the trouble to help you,


    Questioned by Menace, who had a slightly stronger tone, Leena indeed gave up and began to tell me the real reason why she had called me.


    ''''I might be looking at it wrong, but I saw someone who looks like a member of ''Shadow Crimson''...''''


    Menace frowned at the words, but I didn''t recognize the name.


    ''What''s that?''


    They seemed a little surprised by my words, but they seemed to agree on something of their own accord and told me in a small voice.


    ''It''s the name of a party of outcasts. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    Most of them were either executed or dropped into criminal slavery but three members of the group have not been caught and are still wanted.


    That''s why Jin and Garratt, as well as the people involved, Menas and Reena, may have been targeted.


    ''Didn''t Menas and Leena join in?


    When I asked about it, it seems that the request was made by a makeshift party consisting of just Jin and Garratt, as well as some male adventurers they knew. The reason why Menas and the others were left out of the party was because the djinn thought that it would almost certainly lead to a killing contest, so they called for a party of men only.


    ''I heard that they didn''t have that much strength for being involved in violent crimes, but the three who escaped were cunning, and because of that, it was hard for those guys'' misdeeds to be discovered.


    So I used Mr. Tenma to ensure my safety. I''m sorry.


    I apologize to you but Leena, you have to tell your friends about such an important matter!


    Menace apologized to me and then dropped his fist to Leena, who was bowing next to him.


    Leena was squirming in pain, but she started to tell me why she was silent as she held her head down.


    ''But I didn''t think it would be a good idea to worry about Jin-san and Garratt-san, who were badly injured, just to say that there was something like that... I simply forgot about Menace-san, but...'' ...Ouch!


    Leena, who added the last bit of extraneous information, had been dropped for the second time today, a fist shot.


    ''''It would be more dangerous if I didn''t tell you!


    Watching the two of them interact with each other, I didn''t care about being used.


    ''''Well, I''ll forgive Menace''s fist-bone for using me. As for the survival of those outcasts, I''ll have them report back to you through my acquaintances in the royal city, and I''ll try to keep an eye out for them as well.


    He concluded that for now, and the three of them walked back to Jin and the others.


    ''Hey. What were the three of you talking about, just the three of you?


    He asked with a bit of anger at the fact that Jin was left out of the group. Garratt doesn''t seem to be as angry as Jin, but he still seemed to be a little concerned that Menace had taken me instead of them.


    ''''Well, well, you know...''''


    ''Well....''


    They turned to the two who seemed to have trouble saying it, and I decided to explain it to Jin and the others.


    ''''Actually, Jin........''''


    Oh, yeah.


    I suddenly made a serious face and started talking, so Jin and Garratt naturally turned serious as well.


    When Menace heard about it, he was mad at Leena earlier.


    I said such a joke with a serious look on my face, so Jin and Garratt couldn''t seem to get their heads around what was said for a moment. But the moment they understood what I had done, Garratt laughed out loud and Jin hurriedly started sniffing his body.


    ''''Hahahahaha... ta, you sure do smell like sweat now Jin!


    Jin was depressed when Garratt even told him. Leena was about to say something, but couldn''t speak as Menace blocked her mouth from behind, so she couldn''t say anything.


    ''''Well I''m sorry I''ll have to hurry up and wash up when I get home...''''


    In my mind, I apologized to Jin, but I decided not to tell him the truth for now.


    ''Oh, and by the way, Jin and the others can stop at my place for today.


    When I told them that, the djinn looked at me and looked like they wanted to say something.


    Just as Jin was about to open his mouth, Slarin''s mouth opened first, revealing a doorway that was connected to the outside.


    Just to be sure, I went out first, and found that it was in an alleyway far away from the venue.


    After making sure there was no one around, I brought out the djinn from inside the slarin''.


    ''Is Ash okay around here?''


    Hearing my words, Ash, who had been quiet until then, checked his surroundings and nodded.


    ''Yeah, it''s okay. My inn is close from here. I got a pretty good inn, so once you''re inside, no matter how noble you are, you can''t mess with it. Thank you Temma, thank you for your help.


    With that, he shook hands with me and Ash walked out of the alley.


    ''Well, we''ll be on our way then,''


    With that said, I got Tanikaze and the carriage out of my bag, tied it up, and decided to pick everyone up and head home.

 90-Chapter 5-13 Sudden announcement

    After about an hour and a half of driving the Tanikaze, we were able to reach the mansion.


    The djinn seem to be nervous about meeting their grandfather, but my guess is that they''re glaring at someone who''s going to be more nervous soon.


    There were still a lot of people in front of the mansion, but as I approached the carriage, they gladly cleared the way for me, so it seems that there are no recriminations or other poor quality people today (...).


    ''Open the gate!''


    I give the order at the gate, and two golems grow out from by the gate, opening the gate and guiding me to the carriage.


    I continue to lead the carriage to the front door, and I find a familiar, modest carriage that does not belong to the house at the carriage yard. It looks like my prediction was correct.


    ''I''m home.''


    I stood in front of the front door, and it opened in time for me to do so.


    ''Welcome home, Temma-sama,''


    When that sister (Aina) raised her head, I saw her sister (Aura) coming over here in a hurry.


    ''''Oh, welcome home, Tenma-sama!


    I''m home. And Aina. I''ve brought four guests with me today, so I need you to prepare food and lodging for them.


    Yes, sir. Aura, please escort our guest to the parlor. And Master Temma, our guest is waiting for you and Merlin.


    Aura''s presence fades as Aina responds to her. Lately, I''ve been doing things like being the head maid of this mansion at one hand, so I''ve gotten into the habit of asking Aina to do things unintentionally.


    ''''I get it. Is the place your grandfather''s room?


    Aina nodded at my question.


    There are two people I can quickly think of who would come to my house at this time of year and wait in my grandfather''s room.


    Yo!


    The muscular man was there. And as expected, it was his son.


    ''I knew it was my son.''


    The Military Service Lord (Lyle-sama) nodded his head at my words. My grandfather seemed to have figured out everything by my words alone, and he laughed and told Lyle-sama.


    The three of us laughed for a moment, and then I remembered that I had something to discuss with Lyle-sama.


    ''''Does Lyle-sama know about Shadow Crimson?''''


    Lyle-sama and Grandpa''s eyes sharpened at my words, and they came to stare at me.


    ''''Temma what happened?''''


    You''re not exactly curious if you''re putting that name out there in front of me. Did you get any information?


    I was a little surprised by their reactions, but I told them that Leena had seen someone who looked like that.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on, but I can''t just move the knights around without a second hand account of someone who seems to be," he said. I''m sorry, but please call this Lina or something like that.


    Hearing those words, I went to the parlor to call Leena and found the members of the Sword of Dawn there, quite relaxed. Slarin and the others were there as well, begging for a snack (but only the two wolves and dragons).


    ''''Leena, I''m sorry, but can you come over?''''


    Me? I understand.


    He seemed a little doubtful that he was the only one called, but Leena followed me without asking any questions.


    ''I''ve brought her in,''


    He seemed to feel uncomfortable with the words I used, but I ignored Leena, who was looking at me curiously, and let her pass into the room.


    ''''I asked you to do something.......Lyle-sama! I beg your pardon!


    Distracted by her grandfather, Leena was slow to notice Master Lyle, and as soon as she noticed, she immediately fell to her knees and bowed her head.


    ''This is not an official occasion, make yourself comfortable. More importantly, I heard from Tenma that you saw what appears to be the remnants of the Shadow Crimson... am I right?


    ''Yes, sir! There was a bit of distance between us, but I saw someone who looked like the features I''d heard about, and as soon as the other one made eye contact with me, he walked unnaturally into a narrow alleyway... only I can''t say for sure that he was a member of Shadow Crimson. .....


    Leena is still nervous after she finishes speaking, still kneeling down and bowing her head.


    Lyle-sama is still crossing his arms and making a difficult face after he finished listening to Leena''s story. She seems to be thinking about something.


    ''''Lyle-sama, is there something wrong?''''


    After hearing my words, Master Lyle finally opened his mouth.


    ''''No, it''s not. I want to keep this between us, but the truth is that in the past month, we have received several reports that we have seen those people in towns and villages close to the royal capital. I think we should do a proper search for this one.


    So, while Lyle-sama was speaking with a serious face, I saw a luxurious carriage stop in front of the gate of the house from the window.


    That carriage is coming through the gate without being stopped by the gate keeper''s golem, and is coming towards the front door of the house.


    ''''It appears that Master Lyle has a guest.


    I could imagine what kind of person was coming, and I told Master Lyle that.


    ''Huh? I have a visitor? .... no way!


    Lyle-sama hurriedly runs to the front door. When we, who were left in the room, also went after Lyle-sama, Aina, who was waiting at the entrance, was just about to open the door.


    Just before Aina opened the door, Lyle-sama quickly cleaned up his appearance and became upright and immobile, looking rather awkward.


    When we arrived next to Lyle-sama, a carriage stopped in front of the open doorway and a woman got out.


    ''I knew you were here, Lyle.


    Hearing a smiling but sharp pressure-laden voice, not only Lyle-sama, but all the people present broke out in a cold sweat.


    ''''No, Mother. There''s a reason for this...''''


    What is it? Is that more important than the work of royalty?


    Lyle-sama, whose voice was getting sharper and sharper, and who was finally becoming dangerous, unexpectedly put me in front of Maria-sama''s eyes.


    ''''In fact, I just heard from Temma that we cannot overlook it in terms of security, and I was trying to take measures!


    Well, yes, Tenma but no, that''s not the point, congratulations on making it to the final.


    Maria hugs me while saying that. After hugging me for a moment, I noticed Leena who was behind me.


    "As I recall, that''s Viscount Trinit........


    ''Yes, sir! My name is Leena. But I''m far from the Trinit family, so I don''t have a name at the moment.


    Yeah ... so what''s your relationship with Temma?


    At the growing sharpness of her gaze, Leena said once and for all...


    A friend!


    I said so. Maria-sama smiled at those words, and the pressure that was being directed at Leena went weak.


    ''''Come to think of it, you also registered for the team competition. Good luck........Lyle, I''m going! Also, I''ll ask you in detail in front of His Majesty about using Temma as an excuse. Aina, you don''t have to come back today.


    Yes, sir.


    Saying that, Maria-sama goes to collect Lyle-sama. Lyle-sama understood that the excuse for using me was known and followed Maria-sama meekly with a pale face.


    ''''Then let''s have dinner.''''


    Aina closed the door and headed into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.


    When I took Grandpa and Leena to the parlor, I found the three of them there, quiet as if they were killing their breath, Jeanne and Aura giggling beside them.


    ''What are you doing, all three of you?''


    No, because... you know... you hear ''Lyle'' and ''Maria'' and then all of a sudden you feel a lot of pressure... you know, you''re supposed to be quiet and see what happens.


    Menace and Garratt nodded at Jin''s words. By the way, Jeanne and Aura are smiling bitterly because they are used to things like that, so they felt how out of tune their senses are after seeing the three of them react.


    From then on, there were no major happenings. It had been a long time since we''d had a noisy meal. At the beginning of the meal, the four of us who had been nervous about "Merlin the Wise" lightly drank (including my grandfather), and then Nami Taro''s intrusion seemed to lift our tensions, and we were having a great time talking about me and the tournament.


    Jin and Garratt went to bed early, as expected, but Menas and Leena stayed up late chatting with the women of the house.


    The next morning, they felt a presence and went out into the garden to find Jin and Garratt there.


    ''Yo!''


    Morning practice?


    While returning the greetings to the two people who called out to me, I took a look at their condition and confirmed that they were recovering a lot.


    ''''If it looks like this, we should be able to recover to a fighting condition by tomorrow.


    They nodded at my words. They will never fully recover, and if they''re not good enough, they might just get beaten one way or the other, but it looks like we can still avoid the worst-case scenario of abstaining or putting the burden solely on the women''s team.


    To be honest, I don''t even know if we''ll make it through the first round, but at least we''ll be on the stage.


    ''Yeah, Jin''s right. You won''t get the prize money for this competition, either, if you don''t compete.


    The prize money that Garratt refers to is a kind of participation prize that is given to the finalists. The amount of money is 10,000G, but considering the cost of accommodation and living expenses in the royal capital, I''d like to take what I can get.


    Furthermore, if he was able to win, he would get a prize on top of that.


    Even though the Sword of Dawn had the third place prize money in Jin''s individual competition, he didn''t make that much money because of the injuries and damage to his weapons.


    Besides, maybe there might be some bargains to be had at the auction that will be held after the tournament, so he wants to be able to afford as much as possible.


    ''''Well, if the worst comes to the worst, we can just do some adventurer activities near the King''s Capital!


    As a party, Garratt would be in the main competition, and individually, with Garratt in the main competition and Jin in third place, the reputation of the Sword of Dawn would have increased considerably. With that in mind, it was almost certain that they would be able to turn in work that was better than the market rate.


    ''''But don''t take it too far.......as expected, it''s hard to wake up from sleep when two people die.''''


    ''Don''t say anything unlucky!''


    They both shouted in unison and were breathing on their shoulders, a little tired.


    ''Are you okay? Don''t take it easy.


    Whose fault is that, exactly?


    You can''t tell me that, Jin. Tenma''s enjoying himself.


    As Garratt said, having enjoyed the whole thing, I swapped places with the two people sitting nearby and started the morning training.


    First, we unwinded our bodies, ran lightly around the yard, did some bare-bones swinging, self-styled kata, magic control exercises, and finally organizational exercises.........


    In the middle of the day, Jin and Garratt, who had recovered, as well as Menace and Leena, who had woken up, joined them, making it a lively morning practice.


    When the morning practice was over, Aina with Jeanne and Aura brought towels and water bottles for us, so we took a short break before breakfast.


    ''Speaking of which, isn''t anyone going to watch the game today?''


    Everyone shook their heads at my simple question.


    Apparently, no one is interested in a match where no one they know is playing.


    ''Generally speaking, it''s been said that pair matches are full of inferior players compared to individuals and teams.


    Menace added to Jin''s words.


    ''''Most people who make it as an adventurer work individually or form a party, right? That''s why most of the guys who play alone tend to be brothers, girlfriends or couples. And because the games are scheduled in the middle of the day, the guys who play individually or on a team tend to stay away. As a result, there are fewer famous guys competing.


    ''Well, some of them only go to pairs of competitions, and some of them are very good at it.


    Leena followed up with a follow-up, but it is true that they are somewhat less exciting than the individuals and teams.


    ''There are people every year who think that that''s why they''re the target... but those people usually get beaten up by the pairs'' regulars.


    I heard that most of the pairs that participate in the tournament every year advance to the final round, and this tournament was also the first time none of the pairs participated in the final round.


    ''''Then I guess that means everyone is staying quiet for today... anyway, Jin and the others should stay over today too.


    ''I appreciate that, but I''d have to at least show up at the inn.


    When Jin asked for the name of the inn, Grandpa responded to the name.


    When he heard the name of the inn, the old man responded. Oh, in that case I''ll talk to the owner of the inn, he''s from our hometown.


    To my surprise, it was owned by an innkeeper in the village of Kukri.


    That''s why Grandpa decided to take Menas and Leena to the inn after dinner.


    The reason why Menas and Leena are accompanying him is because he can''t take Jin and Garratt, who are still not completely healed, with him, and also because he can''t enter the girls'' room that they are renting, so he decided to go with them.


    ''''At any rate, the two of you should take your medicine and rest after you finish eating.


    Then I handed them both the pills.


    As an added bonus, I handed Jeanne the refill of the pills and she told me that she wanted to talk to me for a bit, so I had to go to my room.


    ''So what''s going on?''


    When I entered Jeanne''s room, Aura and Aina were there, and I was surrounded by them, like they wouldn''t let me escape.


    ''It''s actually about my usual medication...''


    Jeanne began to speak as she held out the vial of medicine I had given her.


    ''This potion ... what is it? Since I started taking this potion, not only do I feel better, but I feel like my magic power has gone up as well... this isn''t a normal potion, is it?


    As I was thinking about how I was going to misrepresent myself in response to Jeanne''s words, Aina saw the situation and opened her mouth.


    ''Temma-sama, we know what the ingredients for this potion are (...). So please answer honestly. What is it, what is this potion?


    After hearing Aina''s words, I realize that it seems impossible to fake it. So I decide to be honest with you.


    ''This potion is really a potion made from my blood.


    Why did you use it on these two men?


    Aina doesn''t change her face when she hears my answer. On the contrary, Jeanne and Aura have a subtle look on their faces.


    ''Simply because Jeanne needed a potion made from my blood. Aina would know that the blood of a creature with high magic power can sometimes become a medicine............................that''s what I used my blood for Jeanne''s medicine.


    It''s true about the effects of blood, although it''s deceptive in places. In a way, you could think of it as being similar to drinking the blood of spuds.


    ''''I see, that was the reason... but was it necessary for Aura too?''''


    No, Aura is just a bonus for Jeanne.


    Hi-Duck!


    Aura quickly put in a reaction, but me and Aina completely ignored her.


    ''''Then why did this potion make Jeanne and Aura''s magical power stronger?


    Perhaps it''s because my magic power was so strong. Have you ever heard of the rare occasions when you''ve ingested the flesh and blood of a demon with strong magical power and it increased your magical power?


    These things can be found in the legends and traditions of previous lives. For example, it is the same as the story of how he became immortal by bathing in the blood of a dragon, or how he became long-lived by eating the flesh of a mermaid.


    However, in this world where fantasy creatures called demons and magic and witchcraft actually exist, eating demons and temporarily or semi-permanently increasing their power is a well-documented phenomenon. However, it''s really rare...


    ''I guess that means my blood was good for their constitutions. It''s just that if you drink too much of it, it could be poisonous in reverse, so I thought it was time to get you to stop.


    ''I see..........................I understand. Just don''t talk about it to anyone. Jeanne and Aura as well. If the story gets out, there will definitely be people who will come up with something wrong.


    Jeanne and Aura nodded silently at Aina''s words. Even for me, I don''t want to get involved in such troublesome things, so I nodded honestly.


    Name...Jeanne.


    Age...14


    Race... human race.


    Titles... saint, former baroness, slave of the Temma


    HP... 3000.


    MP...12,000.


    Strength...C-


    Defensive Power...C-


    Speed...C+


    Magical power...A+.


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...A+


    Luck... B


    Skills....Light Magic 6, Life Force Enhancement 5, Magic Enhancement 5, Patience 5, Water Magic 4, Swordsmanship 4, Anomaly Resistance 4, Resilience Enhancement 4, Fire Magic 3, Earth Magic 3, Stick Art 3, Growth Enhancement 3.


    Blessing...blessing of the goddess of love, blessing of the goddess of earth, blessing of the goddess of life


    Her name... is Aura.


    Age...16


    Race... human race.


    Title: Maid Temma''s slave.


    HP...5500


    MP...6500.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power...C+


    Speed...C+


    Magic... B


    Mental capacity...B


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck... B


    Skills....cooking 9, patience 7, spearmanship 5, fire magic 4, water magic 4, archery 4, swordsmanship 4, martial arts 4, anomaly resistance 4, light magic 3, earth magic 2.


    Their statuses also show some growth. Even if the magic power is influenced by my blood, the increase in muscle strength and patience is definitely due to Aina''s discipline.


    When this story was over, there was nothing to do and I had some free time.


    As I was thinking about how I was going to spend my time, someone seemed to be coming to the gate and one of the gatekeeper golems came over here.


    The golem was followed by Aina, so I went back to my room and was preparing to polish my weapons, when Aina came calling for me.


    Apparently, it was my guest who was at the gate earlier, so I went to the parlor and found a woman I didn''t recognize there.


    ''Who are you?''


    I asked him anyway, and he said he was a convention attendant. Apparently, he had come because he was able to let us know at short notice.


    When I took a seat across from them, Jin and the others entered the room a little later. Menas and Leena were also with them. Apparently, Aina had approached them just before they went to the inn.


    ''So what was the news?''


    ''Yes, sir! In fact, it''s kind of a short notice, but we''ve decided to change some of the rules!


    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "


    The female attendant replied with a nervous look on her face, to which we all shouted out in surprise at the sudden decision.


    The female attendant was surprised and slightly frightened by it. However, she began to talk nervously, trying to elaborate.


    ''''Le, the changes to the rules are ''advance application for the weapons and armor to be used'' and ''lending a magic bag specifically for the tournament''. Since the foul play of Cayos was so vicious, it was decided that we should know the weapons and armor to be brought in beforehand...


    ''Out of the blue it''s true that there were some monkeys in the rules of the tournament, but it''s not something to change during the tournament, is it?''


    The female attendant shrugs at Menace''s point. ''It''s certainly too hasty and doing it now would only cause confusion.


    ''''As for the circumstances of the decision, I''m a lowly person, so I don''t know much about it. There was also talk of ''restrictions on weapons and armor,'' but it seems that this was removed as untenable. Because of the delay in the referee''s response, they are going to declare the use of any weapons other than those that were applied for as penalties and try to make the match run as smoothly as possible.


    But doesn''t that kind of defeat the purpose of a trump card?


    We nodded at Jin''s words.


    ''''We''ll just have to give them the benefit of the doubt and trust that the convention officials won''t divulge anything about it to the outside world.


    ''I''m not sure I''m supposed to believe you but what are the participants today saying?''


    In response to Garratt''s question, the female attendant looked a little troubled.


    ''There was a strong rebellion at first. However, when we inspected them a bit more forcefully, we found that nearly half of the players had something that looked like it could be trapped in the regulations.


    What do you mean by that?


    In response to Leena''s question, the female attendant took out her notes and gave examples while checking them.


    ''Well, the most common were potions such as magic recovery, some of which were divided into small bottles and pill types. The next most common were potions that increased resistance. These were also brought in small bottles and pill types. We''ve also seen disposable barrier-type items.


    I don''t think all of those items are intended to be used during the game. However, I thought it might make sense to change the rule, since it is possible to use the pill-type items, for example, without the referee noticing.


    In order to eliminate as many violations as possible, they''re going to deal with the other rules with as little disruption to the players as possible. I''m sorry, but we would appreciate your cooperation.


    The female attendant bowed her head as she said that. After actually inspecting the item and finding a suspicious item with a questionable purpose of use, there may be some things that can''t be helped.


    The reason for this is that I understand why, and I want to cooperate to the extent that I can. But please just show me the fairness in a way that everyone can understand.


    The djinn agreed with my words. The female attendant seemed relieved to see them.


    ''Thank you! As far as fairness is concerned, we''ve asked the Knights and others for their cooperation and have received their approval for now. But, I''m glad. We were able to get the approval of the Temma players!


    Unlike when I came, the female attendant was a bit buoyant. When I asked her about it, she gave me a surprising look.


    ''Huh? Because it''s not surprising that Temma is the most popular player in this tournament. I was told from above that when I heard that a player like that had come around to agree with me, it should make it easier for me and others to agree!


    While saying this, the female attendant left with a light step, as if she was half skipping.


    ''When did I become so influential?''


    At the question I casually spilled, everyone present looked at me as if they were looking at a strange object.


    ''''.......what?''''


    Seeing my reaction, Jin comes over and puts his hand on my shoulder. Then Jin walked back into the room without saying a word. Seeing this, we each started to move.


    ''Temma your own success is extraordinary by all accounts!


    Before I knew it, Namitarou, who had been approaching me, was laughing at me when he said that.


    After that, it was decided to proceed with preparations for tomorrow''s tournament, a little bewildered.

 91-Chapter 5-14 Team "Oracion" fully operational

    Are you ready to go? They''re going to have a test, so let''s get there early.


    I took my own luggage and called out to the djinn who were checking their luggage from a little distance away.


    ''Oh, no problem!''


    Jin replied as he raised his hand, followed by Garratt, Menace, and Leena, who signaled with their hands that they were okay.


    ''I''m ready too!''


    Namitaro, who was on the roof of the carriage, seems to be ready to go... most of all, Namitaro''s preparations are not very high...


    Shiroumaru and Solomon howl in response to Namitaro''s voice. Solomon in particular seems to be fired up, since he hasn''t been able to get out as far as he could since he came to the royal capital.


    It''s hard to tell because Slarin'' is in Tanikaze, but he''s been making gestures from a while ago that seem to make the horse excited, so he seems to be fired up enough.


    "Temma, you got a minute?


    Just as Shiroumaru and the others have finished howling, Namitaro comes calling from above us.


    ''What?''


    Can you help me take him down? I''m starting to get a little dry and it''s hard for me to move.


    Me and Jin and the others almost slipped off at those words, but I hit Nami Taro with a low-powered water magic method for now.


    ''''I''ll come back to life~''''


    Nami Taro comes down under his own power while talking about it. He dives straight into my bag and wakes me up when we get there.


    I put Shiroumaru and Solomon in my bag for now, though the energy I put in earlier seems to have already slipped away, and I get into the carriage.


    Jin and Garratt said they would take care of Gosha, so I didn''t hesitate to get in.


    ''''I''ll be off then,''''


    After calling out to the grandfathers who were out to see us off, the carriage headed towards the venue.


    Even though it was early in the morning, the area around the venue was overflowing with enthusiasm, and although it took a little longer than I expected, we were able to enter the venue without much trouble.


    ''So, see you at the game.


    ''Oh! I''m not going to take any chances when I get hit!


    It seems that they''re doing an inspection just inside the hall, and that''s where we''re going to leave Jin and the others.


    ''Over here, please.''


    It was still a little early to meet up, so only one group was there before us, and that allowed us to get into the inspection room right away.


    There were two inspection rooms, and they were far apart from each other, so we naturally separated from Jin and the others.


    ''''First, I will explain the inspection. In this room, we will briefly check the weapons, armor, and participating members. Also, you are allowed to bring your magic bags and other items into the waiting room as usual, but just before the match, you will be asked to put the weapons you will be using during the match into a bag that you can borrow in front of the officials. You will be asked to put your weapons, etc. in a bag that you will borrow in front of the officials. If you are unable to do so, please give your bag to someone you know in advance.


    Since he was told that, he put the weapons, tools, etc. that he planned to use on the desk.


    The attendant kept a record of them, especially the number, types, colors, and even the shape of the bottles, especially for recovery medicine.


    ''If you want to use recovery medicine after the game, please use it in front of the attendant, except in an emergency. Now we will check the members of the team. The Temma players were members of the subordinate in the tamer, weren''t they? Please call me.


    Since I was told that, I really wanted to keep it a secret, but I had no choice but to call them all out.


    Slarin, Shiroumaru, and Namitaro seemed to have heard the information, and the attendant wasn''t that surprised, but when he saw Solomon jumping out of the bag with great vigor, he yelled out and sat up.


    ''What happened!''


    Hearing the shouts of the attendant, the knights came in, opening the door roughly. I quickly put Solomon in my bag, but it looked like I hid something that I didn''t want him to see, and a few knights came around me.


    ''Now get that thing you just hid out in plain sight!


    The knights say that as they hold their weapons at the ready, but it''s impossible.


    ''I can''t do that. This is my trump card. Besides, it''s not something that''s against the rules.''''


    The knights, who didn''t believe my words, looked at the attendant who was sitting down.


    ''''Su, I''m sorry. The Temma players are not breaking any rules. It''s just that I was surprised by the suddenness of the situation...''''


    A little embarrassed, the attendant says to the knights, but the knights are still skeptical.


    ''''If we haven''t broken any rules, we should be able to get them out here!


    ''So this is my trump card. I can''t show it to someone who isn''t an attendant.


    As I was wondering what to do with the knights who said that, but were still unconvinced, a new figure appeared in this room.


    ''''What happened?''''


    The one who appeared there was the muscular man I often see in my house.......Lyle-sama.


    Lyle-sama appeared suddenly, and everyone except me poked their knees at him. However, the attendant was the only one who still seemed to be out of his seat, and it was a strange feeling.


    ''Face up. What in the world happened to you, anyway? What''s up?


    As soon as he looked at me, the dignified voice from earlier returned to his usual voice.


    Seeing Lyle-sama''s reaction, the knights'' faces turned pale, but the leader knight still reported to Lyle-sama.


    While listening to the report, Lyle-sama thought for a bit before making a suggestion.


    ''I understand what you guys have to say. It is true that we will have to confirm what Temma has hidden. However, as a player, you want to keep your trump card hidden as much as possible, and you can''t ignore the fact that the attendant said he didn''t commit any violations. So, from now on, I want you to get the person in charge of the attendant right away. He and I will see what Temma has hidden. That''s good for both of us!


    So it was hastily decided that only the man in charge, Master Lyle, and the original attendant would check it out.


    ''So, Temma. Was it caused by Solomon?


    Master Lyle seemed to understand, and was quick to attribute the cause, but the man in charge was a little confused as to what he meant.


    ''Exactly. Come out, Solomon.


    Solomon jumped out at my signal. As expected, Lyle-sama, who was used to seeing me, and the attendant, who was ready for the second time, didn''t make a sound, but this time the man in charge was surprised by a loud voice.


    The knights outside heard the loud voice and were in a panic, but they didn''t come in as Master Lyle called out to them.


    ''''Solomon is not in violation of the rules, is he?


    I asked the man in charge that, and he nodded, looking half in love with me.


    ''Temma, are you going to let Solomon out in the first round?''


    I intend to.


    Okay.


    With that, Master Lyle opens the door and calls out to the knights outside.


    ''Me and the person in charge just checked. As a result, there was no violation. The one that was hidden was a member of ''Oration''. I can''t reveal its identity right now, but I was forced to ask them to let me out of the first round. At that time we will find out what caused the commotion.


    Saying that, Lyle-sama took the knights and pulled them up.


    After that, I was apologized to by the person in charge and the attendant with great vigor, and I ended up attracting strange attention from those around me.


    ''''I''m in a lot of trouble...''''


    Remembering the shame play I had just done, I headed to the designated waiting room while complaining.


    At the moment, I had planned to fight around Solomon in the first round and Namitaro in the second round, so what Lyle-sama told the knights was half a lie, but the lie seemed to work harder on the attendants than on the knights, and when the attendant in charge of inspecting me was crying for real while apologizing to me, it was the opposite. I felt sorry for this one.


    About half an hour after we arrived at the waiting room, a staff member came to call all the participating teams.


    I was told that a representative would be coming in for the draw now, but since there was no other choice in "Oration," I left everyone else behind and followed the attendant.


    The lottery is held right in front of the audience, just like the individual matches, and the order is based on the order in which you enter the hall, so my turn was number three. Jin was lined up in front of me, and in front of me was the leader of the previous winning team.


    Other than that, I can also see Aguri and the Marquis of Sammons.


    ''''Temma I heard you did something early on. I heard you made the attendant cry.


    Jin speaks to me in a whisper, but apparently there''s a tail end to the conversation, and I tell him it''s hard to explain exactly what he''s talking about now, so I''ll tell him more later.


    ''We''ll start the drawing now. The first one, please.


    The attendant called for the first man and the drawing began.


    The result..........


    The team I know drew numbers that didn''t win each of the first and second rounds.


    In descending order of numbers, "Seigenteimers A" was ''3'', "Demon Soldiers" was ''8'', "Oration" was ''9'', and "Sword of Dawn" was ''13''.


    Other notable teams are the previous runner-up, 2, the previous runner-up, 11, and the previous winner, 16, who is looking for a second straight championship.


    The rest of the teams are not that well known, and it''s a 50/50 split between teams that have participated in the finals before and teams that are making their first appearance.


    ''But this isn''t it...''


    The ''this'' I mentioned is the name of the team you''re going to play against in the first round (...).


    "I didn''t think that Solomon''s debut opponent''s team name was the ''Dragon Gunners''...


    My opponent''s representative was two or three people behind me, so I was able to identify him, though he was only representative.


    He looked like a muscular Dharma, and if I had to judge him by his appearance, he was a power-type vanguard, and although I couldn''t tell what equipment he was equipped with, I was probably sure he was a warrior.


    The representative''s build was slightly larger than the djinn''s, and he looked skinheaded and hot.


    Compared to the other participants around him, he had the vibe of being quite capable.


    ''''Well, still, no problem?''''


    ...If it''s more than that, they''ll come out on top in the individual competition. It was hard to believe that such an entity would be able to avoid the individual competition together. With that representative, it didn''t seem strange that he would have participated in the main individual competition.


    This time, since there was time before my first match, I decided to take it easy and have a meal.


    As for the food, it is said that you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, but instead you will be examined with a magic item before the match, and in some cases you will be made to take a potion or medicine to counteract the effects of magic. Of course, failure to follow the instructions would result in immediate disqualification.


    Well, it''s said that if the food is cooked with normal ingredients, it won''t be like that, so there''s nothing to worry about.


    As we were preparing the food on the table, the first game had just started and we could hear loud cheers from outside.


    As I recall, the previous runner-up team will be coming out of the first game.


    Muttering that, I continued to prepare the meal. I didn''t go to see them because I wasn''t really interested in them and more importantly, the pressure of the four eyes that had been staring at the meal preparation beside me from earlier was too much.


    What I prepared under pressure was a rice ball, miso soup, an egg roll and pickles.


    The ingredients for the rice ball are fish fillets and pickled plums, and the pickles are cucumbers and pickled eggplant... I found out when I arrived in the royal capital that what we used to call komai is apparently the local name for the things that are usually called plums.


    Namitaro said that the person who introduced the name "komai" to the public was apparently a reincarnated person, and it seems he was Japanese, and when he saw a small plum seed, he called it "komai (konmai) plum", which became "komai plum", and finally "komai".


    To make matters more complicated, the name of the village where I learned about komai was "Komai Village", and its dried plums were sometimes called "komai-zuke".


    This is when I lost track of Namitaro. I''ve been calling it pickled plums ever since.


    "Temma.


    What is it, Namitaro?


    From the bag on the wall, Namitaro peeked out and called my name.


    ''Don''t you dare!''


    ...Every once in a while, Namitaro would say something that sounded like he read my thoughts...and most of the time it was something that annoyed me.


    I stood up quietly and shoved Namitaro deep into my bag. Then I closed the bag so he couldn''t come out, and wrapped the bag around my shoulder strap........................Let''s just leave it like this until Namitaro''s time to come out.


    Fortunately, all but Namitaro are out, so there''s no problem.


    I started eating as it was, and served the softly-cooked tuna to Slarin and the others....the occasional bag on the wall seemed to be moving, but I guess it was my imagination.


    As we were getting ready to eat, we heard a loud cheer from the arena. It seemed that the game was won.


    About 20 minutes from the start to the end of the fight? That''s about the average amount of time it takes to play the first and second rounds of a team fight.


    You didn''t get to a decision?


    There is actually a time limit for team fights. This is because team fights with up to ten players in a jumble of teams are a bit too small to split the arena in two, so the first round is set at 30 minutes, the second round at 45 minutes, and the semi-finals at one hour, with only the final being unlimited.


    Because of this, there aren''t many teams that are completely defensive in nature, so the matches tend to unfold quickly, and since there is often a lot of flashy offense and defense, the team matches tend to be the most exciting as a result.


    In the past, there was a proposal to increase the time limit per game by increasing the number of teams from 16 to 8, but the number of teams has never changed because the more teams there are, the more exciting it is and the shorter the games, the more spectacular and economical it is.


    The decision is made by the chief referee and four deputy referees using flags, with no draws, and always deciding who wins or loses.


    Since there were only a few cases of referee irregularities in the past, the king now appoints the referees in person, and in the worst case scenario, a referee who cheats could be charged with treason. Instead of severe punishments, the referees are given honorary knighthoods after the festival is over as a reward.


    ''''Ooh, looks like the next game has started.......so it''s Aguri''s team?''''


    I wasn''t sure if I should go watch for a moment, but I thought that Aguri''s team would not lose, so I decided to continue eating.


    By the time we finished eating, the third game was about to start, and Aguri''s team seemed to have won in a predictable way.


    Originally I wasn''t worried about Aguri''s team because they were well balanced and organized at a high level, but I was still relieved when I heard that the team I knew had won.


    The problem would be the last time the team would play in the second round, and I think it would be a good match. However, according to the information I got, the other team didn''t play the first round with its full complement of players, so I''m worried about the rest of the team.


    The third game is said to be a battle between almost evenly matched teams, so I don''t think it will be a quick decision, but since the next game is the Marquis of Samoens'' team, it would be safer to prepare for your own game as soon as possible.


    The Marquis'' opponents are said to have a lot of rearguard, so Gulliver''s performance will be something to see.


    As I waited while stretching for the after-dinner exercise, I heard the spectators'' loud cheers. Apparently, the third game was over and the fourth game was about to begin, so we moved closer to the arena as well.


    We were checked by the staff as we moved near the entrance. It didn''t take much time as they asked us what we had said during the break and we just put our hands on a stone slab-like item.


    Just after the end of the check, the fourth game began and we saw Gulliver start to run at full force.


    The opponents of the demon soldiers were two warriors in the vanguard and two archers and one wizard in the rear guard.


    The two vanguards looked surprised at Gulliver as he suddenly rushed into them, but soon one of them had his shield at the ready and the other had his axe at the ready. The rearguard archer fires an arrow over the vanguard''s head, but Gulliver knocks it all away with the club in his hand. The wizard in the position between the archers starts chanting, but Gulliver is quicker to pop the shield vanguard than he is to finish chanting.


    The shield warrior rolled backwards under Gulliver''s side blow. There was a wizard at the end of the roll, and the wizard stopped chanting to duck the warrior who was rolling towards him.


    The other warrior stands in front of Gulliver to protect the rear guard, but the game was decided here.


    The fact that this is a team fight seems to have slipped from their minds with Gulliver''s power. The moment the axe warrior noticed the knights hiding behind Gulliver, the knights jumped out from behind Gulliver with their shields at the front and went to the rear guard.


    From there, it was one-sided. At any rate, the warriors were held back by Gulliver, the archers drew their daggers and held them at the ready because they were too close to the distance, but they couldn''t counter the knights and were knocked down, and the sorcerer released a short chanting spell to damage one of the knights, but he couldn''t fire in rapid succession and turned his eyes around to hit the other knights'' bodies.


    The axe warrior hadn''t been defeated by Gulliver yet, but he was considerably outnumbered and his rearguard had been wiped out, so he surrendered.


    ''''Gaaaaaaaah!''''


    It was Gulliver who was most excited about the unexpectedly overwhelming victory. He was so excited that he was barking while waving his arms around.


    Gulliver suddenly started barking, and not to mention the audience, even the knights, who should be used to it, were surprised and naturally kept their distance from him.


    There were only two people who could confirm that they were happy to see Gulliver barking and clapping their hands.


    One was his master, the Marquis of Samons, and the other was Luna, though he didn''t know why.


    Luna was clapping as she leaned forward from her royal seat, struggling to support Tida behind her to keep her from falling off.


    Luna''s applause may have triggered cheers and applause from the surprised audience.


    The members of the demon soldiers pulled up proudly in the middle of it all. I didn''t see them face to face since they were on the opposite side of the street from where I was, but the Marquis of Sammons seemed to be happy to be able to show Gulliver''s success.


    ''''Ladies and gentlemen of the Oration, please enter.


    An attendant called out to me when the group in front of me had disappeared from the fighting table. The attendant who called out to me was the attendant I had assigned to the morning''s inspection.


    ''Let''s go!''


    I let Slarin and the others who were waiting in the bag out and took off Shilomar and Solomon''s collars.


    ''Heh?''


    The attendant froze with a strange voice when he saw Shiroumaru and Solomon, who had grown larger as soon as the collar was removed.


    From the opposite doorway, the opposing team''s ''dragon squad'' had just come out, appealing to the crowd.


    (Sorry, but I''m going to have to ask you to be Solomon''s stepping stone.)


    I walked away, imagining the reaction of the onlookers to what was about to happen.

 92-Chapter 5-15 Solomon First Team

    At that moment, time in the hall certainly stopped.


    What we (Oration) did was just enter the venue normally, without any performance. Still, it was enough to take the audience''s breath away and keep them glued to their seats.


    The order of entry was Shiroumaru with Slarin on his back, followed by Namitaro sliding on the ground behind him, and finally Solomon, the star of the show.


    There were loud cheers for me and Slarin and Shiroumaru, who had advanced to the finals in the individual competition, as well as for Slarin and Shiroumaru, who had shown their strength in the preliminaries, and screams and boos from some in the audience for Namitaro, who had pulled a prank in the finals of the preliminaries.


    Then the crowd stopped cheering at the sight of Solomon.


    With the collar removed, Solomon''s size was quite rapid, growing to about 3 meters in length and a wingspan of about 4 meters. Anyone could tell that it was a dragon species.


    ''''Curolololoo~~!


    Solomon climbed up on the fighting table and howled in a voice that was not exactly powerful.


    At that moment, time begins to flow in the hall. There are screams from some of the crowd, a goofy voice from some of them, as if they can''t keep up with the situation, and loud cheers from the majority.


    A quick look around the hall reveals that some of the crowd is trying to flee the venue, but only a few of them are. Nearly all of the crowd was focused on Solomon.


    Now, most of the audience may have forgotten that there was anyone other than Solomon.


    The evidence of this is that the members of the dragon squad are looking at Solomon with their mouths open, and even the referees have stopped moving, but no one can be heard to blame them for it.


    Solomon is surprised by the reaction of those around him, and he leans closer to Shiroumaru, but it seems to have been received by the crowd, and the cheers are even louder.


    The cheering didn''t stop for a while, and the judges didn''t want to move, so I had no choice but to use my magic to create a light explosion towards the sky near the center of the fighting table.


    The sudden explosion caused a temporary hush in the hall.


    When I looked at the referees, they realized the significance of my action and ran to the center of the room and called both teams to the starting line.


    ''''We will now begin the fifth game of the first round, the match between ''Oration'' and ''The Dragon Shooter''. Let the match begin!


    The judges ran and evacuated from the center of the fighting table from the center of the arena almost as soon as they were declared to start.


    At this time, there was an unspoken agreement that they would not move until the judges were some distance away from each other, so Oration and the dragon squadron did not move, as they had learned to do so.


    The moment the judges moved away from us and stopped moving, the dragon squadron began to form up.


    All the members of the dragon squad are warriors, and of them, three of them, all of them are heavily armed and have large shields, and the two behind them are holding a large sword and a halberd, respectively.


    There is a moderate amount of space between these five men and they are running in a straight line with their eyes on me.


    They seem to be wary of Solomon and his men, but if I am disqualified from combat, my family members will be disqualified, and that''s what they are aiming for. (When a member of the team is unable to fight another battle, the demon soldiers will lose.


    However, this was the first time they had participated in the match, and Solomon, who was quite spirited, blocked the dragon squad''s path.


    Solomon glides low and closes in on the dragon squad, and then goes straight for a body hit.


    When I say body slamming, it was like he landed on the two men at both ends of the vanguard, stomping on them and crushing the man in the middle with his body.


    Even so, the dragon, though small in stature, was bigger and heavier than a man and came crashing down on him with a lot of momentum.


    As a result, it seemed to have managed to do quite a bit of damage.


    I look at it and move to encircle the dragon strike force, giving them instructions to jump out at any time and provide a check on them.


    The formation of the dragon strike team was broken by Solomon''s body strike, and for a moment it looked like the game was decided, but the opponent was also only a team competing in the main competition, and only one of the vanguard was completely silent.


    The remaining two shield-holding vanguards tried to push in with their shields, trying to stop Solomon''s movements.


    ''''Kyuoooooooooooo!''''


    Solomon twisted around to shake off the two men who were clinging to him, but before he could do so, the two men behind the large shield bearers cut at Solomon''s eyes.


    ''GANG!''


    The large sword and halberd strike hit Solomon just near both of his shoulders, causing Solomon to scream, but he was unable to cut through Solomon''s body.


    Apparently it was because the scales covering Solomon''s body were hard, and the distance between Solomon and the two men behind him was so close that the hit point of their attacks was slightly off.


    However, it seems that no damage was done, no matter how much it didn''t hurt.


    At any rate, even though it was incomplete, it was like being hit by a heavy weapon. I''m not sure that even the inside of a dragon is as strong as its scales.


    The beaten Solomon''s eyes are moistened with pain.


    But that''s only the extent of it. Immediately, Solomon began to fight back.


    First, Solomon targeted those who had attacked him.


    With his neck stretched out as far as it would go, Solomon bit his opponent''s shoulder with his greatsword and smashed it into the halberd man beside him.


    As expected, even Solomon wasn''t able to completely blow the two men, who were nearly two meters apart, but they still managed to get out of their stance and knee-to-knee with each other.


    Solomon tried to catch up with them, but the two vanguards who were holding on to Solomon stepped on him while shouting loudly, stopping Solomon''s movement.


    The two who had been knee-deep in the meantime also managed to regain their stance and raise their weapons, aiming to do some damage this time, but they were blown backwards just as they were about to swing their weapons.


    It was Shiroumaru and Namitaro who blew him away.


    As expected, Solomon was in danger at that point, so he gave a signal to the two animals that were ready to jump out at any time.


    Although the members of the dragon fighting squad were also alert and attentive to us, it seems that the speed of the two animals was far beyond their expectations.


    The two arrows, Shiroumaru and Namitaro, became two arrows, running past Solomon''s side and hitting his opponent''s torso.


    The two men, who were hit by the nearly empty torso, collided with each other in the air, blowing backwards, and then stopped moving. Their bodies were twitching slightly, so they didn''t seem to be dead.


    With two of them covering him, Solomon now targeted the remaining two who had stuck to him and got in his way.


    However, Solomon, who had never experienced fighting a closely-held opponent before, didn''t know how to attack, and could only think of ways to flail around on the spot.


    Solomon flails his arms, flaps his wings, and swings his tail, but he''s not able to do much damage to the men, who are in close quarters and use their shields well to defend themselves.


    Still, the opponents accumulate a little more damage each time Solomon rampages.


    The members of the shield-holding dragon squad are also not just getting hit, they see an opening and counterattack, but they still don''t seem to be able to attack beyond Solomon''s defensive capabilities.


    The offensive and defense continued for a while, and eventually one of the members of the dragon squad moved away from Solomon''s body slightly and was blown away by a blow to his tail.


    The only man left was desperately trying to stay close to Solomon, while he steadily and steadily fought back.


    However, that didn''t last long, as the man was hit by Solomon''s attack on the back of his head and was stuck in a hug.


    At this point, there was no one moving in the dragon strike force.


    The referees came closer to confirm this, but that didn''t stop Solomon from moving.


    As expected, the opponent is in danger any further.


    Sensing this, I took out the collar from my bag.


    "Solomon! Stop!


    I hurriedly approached Solomon, jumped on his back and hugged him by the neck.


    Then I put the collar on as it was.


    ''Cuh?''


    It was only then that Solomon seemed to realize that his opponent was unconscious, and he quickly became quiet.


    Apparently, this was his first time fighting against someone else and he didn''t have time to look around.


    A quick check of Solomon''s condition showed that the area near where the last one had hugged him had turned red.


    It seems that the last one, while being swung around by Solomon, had fought back and done some damage with his bare hands, albeit only slightly.


    Even though it was a minor injury, it was still a minor injury, so I cast a recovery spell to heal it, and Solomon came clinging to me as it was.


    ''''Winner, ''Oration''!


    At the same time as the referee''s words, the attendants came running in with five stretchers in their arms.


    And a roaring cheer.


    Even though the dragon had only gone wild, the audience was happy to see a dragon they had never had the chance to see in their lives.


    Some of them even shouted Solomon''s name.


    Luna seems to be the one who is the most excited in the crowd, again. Tida, who is struggling to hold on to Luna behind her so that she doesn''t fall off, looks like she''s having a hard time.


    ''''Uhhhh....


    Before the attendant arrived, one of the dragonslayers, who had fallen at my feet, woke up. It was the man who had held on to Solomon until the end. When I looked closely at him, I saw that he was the man who had participated in the lottery as a representative of the dragon strike team.


    ''''Itai........an? You lost.....


    Apparently, this man is more sturdy than he looks, and he has no particular injuries that seem to be injuries. What there is is only an abrasion, and it''s hard to believe that he was exposed to Solomon''s attack for the longest time.


    ''''Ahh........what kind of a laughing matter is it that a dragon strike team is repulsed by a dragon.......should we change the name of the team, for that matter?''''


    The man was sitting on his haunches, scratching his head and mumbling. The hand must have been the one that struck Solomon, the skin on his hand was peeled off and soaked in blood.


    ''I don''t need a stretcher. I can walk on my own. More importantly, the dragon is very strong indeed. I hear you, who are following it, are strong too.


    After refusing the attendant a stretcher, the man stood up, turned to me and asked me to shake his hand.


    When I squeezed his hand back, he suddenly squeezed my hand with such a grip that my bones creaked, I thought my hand was going to be crushed.


    "Hahahaha. Well, at least you can forgive me for this.


    The bald man laughed briskly at me, such as. Then he turned on his heel faster than I could think of anything to do to get back at him and left with his friends on a stretcher.


    ''''Itai ... remember that bald guy,''''


    As I returned to Slarin and the others with my clasped hands plastered and complaining, Namitaro, who had heard me complain, approached me.


    ''Temma that''s a line from Mishita, getting hit and running back.


    I felt the same way when he said it, but I didn''t want to affirm it, so I pretended I didn''t hear Namitaro''s words.


    On my way back to the waiting room with Solomon in my arms, I passed the runner-up team from the previous two rounds that would be playing in the next game.


    It''s not that I called out to him, but he stopped and looked at me with a glare, so we naturally ended up glaring at each other.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. The female archer''s ears were a bit pointed, so maybe she has elven blood in her ears.


    ''''Leave it alone. Let''s go.


    Someone who looked like a wizard shouted out, and at his words, the other members of the group started to walk away from me.


    The voice sounds like a man, but that guy seems to be the leader.


    I was going to give the guy an evaluation, but an attendant came between me and him, so I decided to head quietly to the waiting room. Apparently, the attendant thought that they and I might get into a brawl, and as I started walking in the opposite direction, he let out a small voice, ''Thank God.


    If it''s as the underdogs say, that team should come up, so I decided to think about how to fight a bit with Slarin and the others.


    First, the three vanguards. These three didn''t have shields, and the two men who had axes and spears were probably warriors, more like power fighters.


    The remaining one had a one-handed sword tucked into his left and right hip, so he was probably a swordsman, and judging from his equipment, he seemed to be focused on speed.


    I had a feeling that I had seen these men somewhere, but I decided not to think about them, concluding that it wasn''t something to be particularly concerned about.


    As for the archers, the short bows they carried on their backs seemed to be the main thing, and two other daggers, which seemed to be for close quarters, were attached to their waists.


    I couldn''t judge how good the wizard was, but from that demeanor, he was probably the leader of the team and not just a weak one.


    I don''t know if there''s an alternate member of the team, but if they don''t change members in the second round, then I''ll be in charge of the wizard.


    Well, I don''t think I''m stronger than my grandfather, so I don''t think I''ll lose. However, it''s a hassle to have a series of widespread magic attacks, so it''s better to defeat them quickly.


    The three vanguard players are Slarin, Shiroumaru, and Namitaro.


    If you have Shiroumaru and Namitaro as your main attackers, and Slarin as your follow-up, you''ll be able to make change... or rather, I feel that these three animals are more than enough to fight the other team on an even playing field.


    The last female archer, this one is Solomon''s responsibility.


    To be honest, this archer seems to be the least compatible with our team. Of all of them, it''s probably the worst with Solomon.


    At any rate, in front of Solomon''s defense, an ordinary short bow would be useless, and the daggers that are supposed to be used for close quarters would not be able to do much damage to Solomon, Solomon would just have to go straight at him and just hit him with his body, which is a simple job. However, I told him to be careful not to take arrows in his eyes and mouth.


    The rest of the strategy meeting ended with a tactical approach, Ganbarou........ Oration''s basic strategy was originally ''be flexible'', so it''s like we just decided who we would be in charge of beforehand.


    When the mission was over and we took a breath, it seemed that a decision had been made, and an attendant came to inform us that the opponent for the second round had been decided.


    As expected, they were the runner-up from the previous two rounds.


    There are no upsets in the tournament so far, and the hot teams are advancing smoothly.


    However, those who are familiar with the tournament know that the next match is the one that will be the most upsetting.


    The next match would be the Sword of Dawn. Normally, this team, with Jin and Garratt, who had advanced to the individual finals, would be considered a top-ranked team and would be expected to pass the first round.


    However, Jin and Garratt lost to Amur in the individual tournament.


    If they had only lost, there wouldn''t have been so much concern, but after the loss, the news that the two men were injured, which is not a minor injury, ran through the minds of the bettors.


    This was the work of the betting merchants and those who were trying to manipulate the odds.


    As a result, there was almost no difference in the odds for the opposing team and the odds for the Sword of Dawn, which had been the most popular team before the tournament.


    Incidentally, their opponents, a team that was making its first appearance in the tournament, had recently been on the market.


    Although they are completely defeated by the Dawn Sword in terms of performance, the team itself has a lot of momentum, so many people think that the current Dawn Sword team can win.


    ''''I''m curious, let''s go and take a look.''''


    I checked with Slarin and the others and they all went quietly into their bags.


    Namitaro was the only one who tried to go on his own, but he was going to do something unnecessary, so he forced himself to pack his bag.


    Once out of the waiting room, the attendant led me to the spectator''s area for the athletes, which was a private room that hit the bottom of the bleachers (the bleachers were upstairs from the second floor), and when I opened the window, I could see the fighting table from there, right in front of me.


    For safety reasons, the walls are thick and the windows are small, so it''s a little difficult to see the fight, but it allows you to watch the fight from an angle that no one but the fighters and officials can see.


    The room is 4m long, 4m wide, and 3m high, but when we take everyone out of the bag, the room feels a bit small.


    The window was about 50cm long and 1m wide, so we all had to watch the match with our faces close together. Most of all, Shiroumaru and Solomon didn''t want to watch the Sword of the Dawn match, they were just interested because me and Slarin were watching, and they quickly moved away so they could afford it.


    The match seemed to have just begun.


    The Sword of Dawn has Menace in the middle of the vanguard, with Jinn on the left and Garratt on the right about 5 meters apart, and Leena around 4-5 meters behind Menace.


    The opposing team, two warriors, one wizard, and two archers, in that order, formed a formation like the fifth of a dice, facing the Sword of Dawn.


    The first to move was the other team.


    The archers shot arrows at them, and all of them began to slowly move forward to match them.


    The Sword of Dawn is trying to intercept the three in front of them, fortifying their defenses while the three in front of them play their arrows and so on.


    Eventually, as the distance between the two sides closed in, the wizard began to use earth magic to send stones flying.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the market.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but the moment the archer''s arrows stopped, the warrior in front of him started running.


    With that, the number and speed of the wizard''s flying stones increased, and the archers began to leap left and right from behind the warriors, taking aim at the djinn and Garratt, respectively.


    The lead warriors both headed for Menace, trying to create a two-on-one situation. The warriors were armed with one-handed axes and one-handed swords, with larger shields in their opposite hands.


    The other team''s plan seemed to be to use their archers to take out the wounded djinn and Garratt with the archers and the wizard Leena with the wizard, and then crush Menas and Leena, in that order, with the two warriors, before finishing off the remaining djinn and Garratt.


    Defeat the healthy ones first, then the injured ones. It was an effective strategy, but there was a slight miscalculation.


    That is, Garratt is of the beastman race and has higher recovery power than the human race, and Jin is of the human race but has the recovery power of the beastman race. As an added bonus, Temma is helping him heal his injuries. As a result of the combination of these things, the condition that an ordinary human would not be able to stand had recovered to some extent to a state where they could fight.


    And by some degree of djinn''s class, I mean a condition that was light enough to surpass that of an ordinary adventurer for a short period of time.


    If the opponents had gone all out and tried to crush Jin and Garratt from the beginning, they could have easily crushed one of them.


    However, as a result of having a decent chance of winning and having the next match in mind, it was a complete let-down, and they ended up getting attacked unexpectedly.


    ''''Yes!''''


    Go!


    The two warriors, who were running towards Menace, were slow to notice Jinn and Garratt, who were approaching at a faster speed than they were, and were struck by a blow from the side, throwing them off balance significantly.


    As expected, since they are not in perfect physical condition, that blow was not enough to take down the two warriors, but Menace delivered a powerful blow to the opponent who was showing a large gap.


    Even though Menace is a woman, she is a top-notch adventurer and warrior in her own right. It''s not easy to deliver two (...) powerful blows in a row to an opponent who is showing a big gap.


    And then Jin and Garratt, who were just barely conscious after falling, put a stop to it.


    This reversed the superiority in numbers. In addition to that, the strength of the battlefield was also.


    The rest, contrary to what happened earlier, Jin and Garratt checked the archers and began to attack the wizard with Menace and Leena.


    Jin and Garratt were indeed unable to run fast due to the aftereffects of their injuries, and they couldn''t run and kill the archers, but there was no problem as they could just go in slowly and not let Menas and Leena attack them, and they were able to knock down the arrows coming at them without difficulty.


    The archers were also in a sort of stalemate, since it was obvious that they would be approached by Jin and Garratt if they took their eyes off of them, so they couldn''t bypass changing the target of their attacks to Menace and Leena. It was a stalemate that was unlikely to last for long, but.......


    The wizard, whose support from the surroundings disappeared, began to release magic while running backwards to escape. However, the magic that is released while running backwards has completely missed Menace and Leena, and it also moved in the way of their escape, and Menace, who should have been much further away, has already caught up with them.


    Even if the occasional magic goes towards Menace, it is easily blocked by Leena, so there is no more to be done.


    He should have offered to surrender here, but the wizard, frightened by the approaching Menace and without the help of his companions, was in a state of mild panic, and the idea of surrendering had slipped from his mind.


    As a result, the wizard was sent into the air by a blow from Menace........


    The wizard was crushed and the two archers, who were about to be surrounded by djinn, hastily threw their bows down and raised their hands in surrender.


    ''''Winner, Sword of Dawn!''''


    We hear the referee''s voice and hear half cheers and half sighs from the bleachers.


    The room we are in is right under the bleachers, so it''s quite noisy.


    It seems that there are more people who have lost money by betting than we expected. Probably, if you exclude the spectators who did not participate in the betting, there were more people who bet on the opposing team than on the Sword of Dawn. And those who bet on the Sword of Dawn were smaller in number but had more money multiplied, or so it seemed.


    So even though the multiplier on the Dawn Sword was lower, nearly half the sighs could be heard from the audience........


    Whatever the case, the victory of the Sword of Dawn was just as it had been predicted, no turbulence occurred, and it was an orderly victory.


    I thought about going back to the anteroom because Jin and the others'' match was over and the place was noisier than I had imagined, but then I remembered that the next match was against the previous winning team, so I decided to hold back and stay here to watch.


    However, I regretted my decision.


    After all, the last time the team won the championship was the most dominant team in the world. They won so easily that it was almost (...) unreliable to watch.


    The members of the previous winning team were two warriors, a swordsman, and two wizards, and each of them faced their opponents at the signal to start and defeated them with a single blow of magic or weaponry.


    When this happens, it''s hard to decide whether the previous winning team is too strong or the opposing team is too weak.


    The only thing that could be gained was that there were two wizards who were capable of melee combat.

 93-Chapter 5-16 Hidden Balls

    The next game is the start of the second round.


    The first game is between the last runner-up team and Seigenteamers A.


    I was going to start preparing for my own match instead of watching this one, but one of the runners-up from last time was bothering me, so I decided to take a look at him.


    The guy was a medium height guy and didn''t look very strong, but for some reason, he seemed creepy to me.


    On top of the fighting table, Aguri and the others were already waiting, and the three grappler apes, which were Aguri''s subordinates, were checking the condition of their weapons as if they were human. The three grapplers carry a one-handed sword, a spear and a bow.


    Can the apes use a spear? If I thought it was, the ape holding the spear is wielding the spear and so on, so it looks like it''s a spear that can be used as a club. It''s hard to say that they are able to use it properly, but the spear, which is wielded with muscle power that surpasses that of a human being, seems to have a power that can''t just be painful if it hits you, because you can hear the sound of the wind cutting through it from a while ago.


    Beside those three heads, there is also a warrior in armor, who seems to be annoyed with the other team that is a little behind. I can''t see his face, but he must be Aguri''s grandson, who was introduced to me a while ago.


    The opposing team was a warrior, a wizard, and a creepy-looking man.


    I thought the three of us were going to fight alone, but the last man pulled out a bag and was trying to get something out of it.


    The two giants that came out with a slight struggle were the first one, "Cyclops," who looks about three and a half meters tall with a muscular body, and the second one, "Troll," who is also about the same height, but is much heavier and has a dumb look on his face. They wear matching collars, simple clothing, and are not equipped with weapons or armor.


    The guild considers them to be B-ranked or higher monsters, and their attack power alone can rival that of A-ranked or higher monsters.


    They are rarely seen in the vicinity of the capital, as it is not a suitable habitat for giants. (Cyclops and Trolls are mainly found in mountainous regions and forests in cooler regions.


    The sudden appearance of the giants drew loud cheers from the audience. After all, when the two giants climbed onto the arena, their heads were almost as close to the audience as they could get. Even though they were far away from the audience, they were still very powerful due to their size. There are even some frightened spectators.


    However, Aguri and his friends were not happy about it. They have the power to defeat a team of five opponents in the first round with just three players, and now they have an additional non-human force to contend with. If you think about it dispassionately, defeat was a strong possibility.


    However, it is the warrior who is the most upbeat about such a situation.


    The man grinned and then began to remove the armor he had been equipped with, leaving a piece of armor in place. What he removed was his helmet, shoulder brace and other parts of his armor, and eventually only the chest pads, arms and shins remained.


    The man instructed the three Ape''s to toss the removed pieces of armor out of the way of the platform, out of the way of the three Ape''s. The piece of armor he threw flew towards the audience, but the wizard who was waiting at the bleachers put up a barrier and played the armor.


    Ape almost threw the armor into the audience, and for some reason he began to pose for it. Perhaps it was something like ''I''m confident in my powers too''?


    A gasping Aguri was quick to slap the man and Ape on the head, but the crowd seemed to take it in stride and laughter could be heard from all over the place.


    The preliminaries? are evenly matched. It will be a highlight of this match to see what kind of strategy Aguri and his team, who are losing in strength, will use to fight.


    As if waiting for the laughter to subside, the referee gave the signal to start the game.


    The first notable move was the opposing team... or rather, the Cyclops and the Trolls, along with the warriors, just took their positions in front of them. But even just the two giants moving together was quite impressive, and just the sound of thudding footsteps drew a crowd.


    The formation was more like a 3-1-1, with cyclops and trolls at either end of the front row, a warrior in the middle slightly down, a wizard behind the warrior, and a tamer (a creepy man) further back.


    The reason they are at the very back is to prevent the disqualification of their subordinates that would be applied if the tamer were to be killed.


    The opposing Aguri and others have a similar formation. Ape spear and sword ape at both ends of the front line and warriors in the middle, but unlike their opponents, these are side by side. They are the ape of the bow behind the warrior, and behind them are the ape of the bow, and behind them are the agris. But Aguri is right behind the bow ape, holding his staff at the ready.


    As soon as the umpire stepped back, the cyclops and trolls walked forward, the ground shaking.


    The archer''s ape shoots an arrow and hits several, but the two giants don''t stop moving forward, their faces contorted. Seeing this, the two apes in the front row moved to move around to the side of the cyclops and troll and held their weapons at the ready.


    The two bodies were distracted by this movement and stopped in their tracks. In the meantime, a warrior on the Agri side, who was lighter, ran in and slashed the troll''s shins. It wasn''t a very deep cut due to the sturdy body of the troll, but the troll still screamed in pain.


    The troll noticed the warrior as he was attacked and tried to swing his arms down to smash him, but the warrior was no longer there, and now he was cutting at Cyclops'' shins.


    Cyclops was wary of the troll''s reaction and moved to dodge just before he slashed at him, so he could only make a shallow wound, but Cyclops'' attention turned to the warrior and he was off the ape.


    The sword ape jumped up here and swung his sword down at Cyclops'' head.


    If it had been decided, it could have delivered a fatal blow, but because it used Cyclops'' waist as a springboard when it jumped up, the blow to the head was blocked by his arm.


    Cyclops tried to swing his arms at the defenseless Ape, but this was checked by the bow Ape and missed the attack.


    The trolls are a bit of a struggle because of their sluggish movements and are at the mercy of the ape with the high agility of a spear.


    It is a good thing that Aguri and his team had the advantage so far, but the other team seemed to think that this was not a good idea, and the warriors and wizards left their tamer behind to join the attack.


    However, something unexpected happens here for the other team.


    Aguri, who had been waiting behind Ape and his team, began to use magic.


    The magic itself is not very powerful, but its use is strange, and it shoots out flames like a living snake, wrapping itself around the bodies of cyclops and trolls and setting the warriors on their way.


    The flaming snake then wraps itself around the faces of the cyclops and trolls.


    The two giants couldn''t resist scratching their faces and counteracting the flaming snakes.


    They were able to extinguish the fire as soon as it was wrapped around them, but they still had burns on their faces in the form of snakes wrapped around their faces, and neither of them were able to open their eyes properly.


    Since they were attacked by Ape and the others in this state, Cyclops and Trolls attacked without hesitation. The other warriors and wizards in the area of the attack were caught up and were too distracted to avoid it.


    The warrior and the ape of the sword on the Aguri side run to avoid being noticed by the two.


    By the time the other warrior and wizard noticed the enemy going towards the tamer, the tamer was already trapped within range.


    One person and one head swinging their swords, carrying the momentum as they ran.


    As if to prevent the sword from being swung down, a pillar of stone grew out from underneath the tamer''s feet. Then another pillar of stone stabbed into his abdomen as if to strike away at the incoming one who had attacked him.


    Ape of the sword at the warrior, who blasted backwards, spitting liquid out of his mouth. Fortunately, he didn''t fly to Cyclops and the others, so he didn''t end up getting chased down where he was unprotected, but by all accounts, it seemed impossible for him to return in this match.


    The two giants, a warrior and a wizard, whose eyesight has recovered considerably, began to attack the aggrieved group.


    They quickly recovered and fought off the attack, but it didn''t last long.


    A slight imbalance was broken, and as soon as the spear ape was played by the troll attack, Aguri immediately announced his surrender.


    Hearing Aguri''s surrender, the referees declared the other team victorious, but the troll went towards the fallen spear ape.


    Just as quickly, Cyclops heard the tamer''s command and held the troll back, but the troll was clearly trying to put a stop to the ape.


    As expected, the referee couldn''t let the action go, but since he hadn''t actually attacked the troll, it seemed to end with only a stern warning.


    The spear ape got up afterwards, but the warrior and the sword ape that had been attacked by the tamer were carried away on a stretcher. It didn''t seem to be an emergency, as both were trying to get up as they were being carried on the stretcher.


    ''That tamer, I''m sure he''s about as powerful as a top-notch wizard, but it looks like he''s second-rate as a tamer.


    Namitaro, who was watching the game next to me, muttered.


    ''What do you mean?''


    What, you didn''t know? That collar is the same kind of thing we use for slaves. But that one is much more rare.


    According to Namitaro, the matching collar around the giant''s neck is not an ornamental item, but rather a rather rare magic item, and the effect is to bring the object wearing the collar under your control.


    It is said that there are various conditions that must be met in order to bring a subject under your control, but since the conditions vary from object to object, it is not known what kind of condition it is.


    That''s why it''s second-rate.


    That''s right, they''re sometimes a little late to the tamer''s commands, but it''s not entirely of their own volition, so they''re delayed because their bodies are trying to resist the command.


    I was unintentionally impressed by the moderately knowledgeable Namitaro. I asked him how he knew....


    A long time ago, he almost put the collar on my neck once. At that time, the collar slipped and I couldn''t get it on! By the way, I had him sink to the bottom of the river when he tried to set me up! And by the way, I have a collar from that time... are you there?


    No!


    The collar Namitaro offered was a collar that somehow managed to retain its original shape, and Namitaro said


    ''Well, it''s too old to be effective against goblins, though!


    That''s what it says.


    You know, Namitaro does things, you know, like get caught and sold out.


    There''s more to come... do you want to hear it?


    I silently shook my head in refusal to Namitaro, who seemed to want to talk for some reason.


    ''''What, you''re boring~''''


    In the meantime, the next demon soldier was about to enter, so I decided to return to the waiting room and wait for the attendant.


    As soon as we arrived at the waiting room, the attendant instructed us to hurry up and get to the doorway area. When I moved, the fight was just finished. It was a pretty quick decision, but I was satisfied to hear that Gulliver was unbeaten.


    As we entered after being checked by the officials, the other team entered from the other side. After all, the three vanguards were staring at me.


    ''''Second round, second game. ''''Oration'''' versus ''''Lowen Glynn'''', the match begins!


    At the same time as the referee''s voice, the opposing team called ''Lowen Glynn'' began to form up.


    However, the referees this time seemed to be quite light and immediately retreated to out of range after giving the signal.


    So we didn''t take up a formation and immediately ran towards our respective targets.


    Shiroumaru jumped out first, followed by Namitaro a little later.


    Solomon jumped up, which made him third in line.


    Slarin and I moved as we watched our opponents, so we were a little behind the three of them.


    ''Gah!''


    Torchy!


    Shiroumaru pounced on the warrior on his right side, trying to bite the right hand holding the weapon.


    Namitaru used his mysterious propulsion to gain momentum and lunge at the warrior on his left.


    As Shiroumaru bit him, the other warrior quickly shifted his body and pulled his arm back, so he was not damaged, but the sword he was holding was bitten and taken by Shiroumaru.


    The other warrior swung his sword at Namitarou''s lunge, timing it to swing his sword in time...


    Quiff turn!


    The most important thing to remember is that Namitaro''s rotation technique doesn''t resemble the quiff turn I know, and it''s more of a ''Namitaro Dokuraku'' than a turn. That''s more like it.


    Shh.....


    Before the opponent could turn around, Namitarou''s body hit him in the back. The other warrior fell forward as the body hit him from behind.


    Seeing the warrior fall, the swordsman cuts at Namitaro, but Namitaro spins and dodges the attack as well.


    And then.........


    Kyahhhh!


    A woman''s scream rang out.


    Reflexively, I looked towards the direction of the scream and saw Solomon flying around in the sky with the archer''s legs in his hands.


    Fortunately, the archer wasn''t wearing a skirt, so there was no happening that said his underwear was visible.


    When I looked at the place where the archer was, I saw that his bow had fallen off. Apparently, he had dropped it when he was nipped by Solomon.


    While hanging in the air, the archer was kicking at Solomon, but he seemed to do little damage to Solomon.


    The archer''s boot that Solomon was holding in his mouth came off as the archer released his kick for the umpteenth time.


    ''Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!''


    The archer falls headlong into the air. Solomon opened his mouth and for a moment he said, "I''ve got it! I made a face like that and started to swoop down.


    I managed to retrieve the archer before he hit the ground, but Solomon went to unload the archer at the edge of the fighting table, looking at me.


    The archer who was dropped off seemed to be unconscious and was carried away on a stretcher by the ref.


    The moment the archer fell, both sides in the battle temporarily stopped moving, and Shiroumaru made a move to catch the archer, but sooner than that, Slarin was waiting at the drop site, so it is likely that the archer was not injured in case Solomon was unable to retrieve him.


    ''Temma! Go ahead!


    Almost at the same time as Namitaro''s voice, a few air balls came at me as I was looking at Solomon.


    ''''Dangerous........''''


    The wizard may have thought he had caught me off guard, but it didn''t make sense to me, as I was looking elsewhere and paying attention to the wizard.


    I put up the magic barrier I had already prepared and blocked all the air balls.


    The wizard, who was quite surprised to see that all the magic that I had released by surprise was prevented without snatching anything, looked quite surprised, but immediately tightened up and began chanting a new magic.


    However, it (chanting) seemed to be a bit late.


    Because behind him was Namitarou, and to his left and right, Slarin and Shiroumaru were glaring at the wizard as they surrounded him.


    ''d*mn it! What the hell are they doing!


    When the wizard looked for the swordsman and warriors, the three of them had been beaten by Namitaro and the others before they knew it, and were left folded up and abandoned.


    ''The others are in that state... but what do we do? Do you want to give up?


    I asked the wizard that, but before he could answer my question, he started running towards me.


    The moment I started running, I was blinded by a semi-circular firestorm in three directions behind and to the left and right, but it didn''t work on the three animals.


    ''''Whoa, Hebu, geez!


    Thinking that Firestorm had subdued the three of them, the wizard was caught off balance when Slarin''s tentacles teased his legs, he fell down about a paw strike by Shiroumaru, and was crushed by Namitaro''s body press.


    As a result, the wizard was knocked unconscious.


    My role this time was mostly over as I glared at Solomon, who was on a roll and missed a bit.


    ''Winner, ''Oration''!


    The referee, who had no idea what I was thinking, announced that we had won.


    You can hear the crowd cheering from the bleachers, but you decide to leave quickly and watch the next game.


    The next match will be between the Sword of Dawn and the previous winning team, and the winner will be our opponent.


    But.........


    The djinn will lose.


    He entered the same viewing space as before and muttered his objective match prediction.


    ''What a cold one Temma is.......I agree with you!


    Me and Namitaro think that if both teams are in perfect condition, even if the Sword of Dawn is inferior in numbers, they can fight more than evenly. However, this time, Jin and Garratt are not in perfect condition, so the difference in numbers will become a difference in strength. That''s what I thought.


    And that prediction came true.


    At the beginning of the game, it looked like Jin and his team were pushing the game, but from the middle of the game, they started to get pushed, and at the end of the game, they were completely pushed and lost.


    When it was all over, it was like we were in the other team''s hands.


    They seemed to know this, and even the members of the Dawn Sword seemed to be frustrated.


    ''''That''s the team that won the last round. They controlled the Sword of Dawn from the beginning to the end.


    Yeah, Jin and the others knew that, but they just didn''t know what else to do.


    The djinn pull up with a look of frustration on their faces. Now all the matches for the djinn were over.


    They got the best 8 as a team, Jin got the best 4 as an individual, and Garratt qualified for the finals, which seemed to be a great result, but they still had some regrets because they were still able to aim higher.


    With two games left, they decided to take an hour''s break and go back to the waiting room to avoid running into Jin and the others.


    I wouldn''t have anything to say to a defeated opponent who is still winning........................


    "d*mn it! You''ve got no place to be!


    At least if he was in good shape...


    ''It''s Jin and Garratt''s fault. It''s not me and Lina''s fault.


    ''Yes! Let''s get them to take responsibility!


    For some reason, the djinn who we thought had returned to the anteroom after losing came to the spectator area where we were.


    I was baffled by the extremely bright djinn, when a staff member warned me about the noise, so I had no choice but to move to the Oration''s waiting room.


    ''''But you''re weirdly cheerful, don''t you regret losing?''''


    I asked Jin as I served him tea in the anteroom, and he drank his tea and then opened his mouth.


    "It''s frustrating. But I gave it my all and lost, even if it was on my hands. I have no regrets. And I can''t sit around and regret it all the time.


    The djinn who say, "I don''t know," is the one that drags the most out of all of them.


    Menace and Leena burst out laughing at Garratt''s words.


    ''You''re the one who says that, you''re the one who can''t sleep tonight because of your frustrating habit!


    Seeing Jin and Garratt arguing, I decided not to pay too much attention to them, just hoping they weren''t weirdly depressed.


    ''I just realized that I''m going to have to take on the djinn and their enemies in individual and team battles.


    In the individual finals, it was Amur who defeated Jin and Garratt, and the next match in the team competition was against the team that won the Sword of Dawn.


    ''''Ah, if you ask me, that''s true! Jin-san and Garratt must support Tenma-san more than anyone else!


    Hearing Leena''s words, Jin and Garratt, who had been jostling each other, looked uncomfortable at the same time.


    They passed the time with chit-chat, etc., and it was almost time for the first semi-final match to start.


    ''''Well, I guess it''s time to leave you alone...........................Good luck with that, Tenma!


    Jin and the others returned to their anterooms, while I headed for the viewing area.


    After we parted ways with Jin and the others, we heard a loud noise coming from the direction they were heading.


    It was probably the sound of Jin hitting the wall. Even if he had said something cheerful in his mouth, he still felt frustrated, and he couldn''t easily change his mind.


    The staff members who heard the noise and came rushing in, I didn''t look back and headed for my destination.


    A short time after entering the viewing area, the demon soldiers entered.


    Gulliver came out of his bag and seemed to be in good shape, wielding a thick wooden club as a preparatory exercise.


    For the Oniheiheitai, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Gulliver''s performance was the key to winning this match. Gulliver understands this, and that''s why he''s putting up a good fight.


    The opposing team is a bit behind the curve, just like in the previous game.


    The members of the demon soldiers didn''t seem to care about that, but the crowd was starting to buzz.


    Not long after the bleachers started buzzing, the other team entered. However, the only people who entered were the tamer and the wizard.


    Was the absence of the warriors due to some kind of trouble?


    Just as everyone was beginning to think so, Tamer, who had stopped walking, opened his bag.

 94-Chapter 5-17 How to Battle the Demon

    Out of the bag came a cyclops, a troll, and a wyvern.


    Moreover, the normal wyvern is 3-4 meters long, while this one is well over 5 meters. The color of the wyvern is usually moss green, which can vary from light to dark depending on the individual, and can also be replaced by a pale red, depending on the individual''s marital color, but the color of the wyvern that emerged from the bag was a light black.


    I''m sure that this wyvern is either a subspecies or a mutant, but I can''t say for sure.


    "Namitaro, have you ever seen anything like that?


    Before asking me, I''d like to ask you for an opinion... well, not that big, but I''ve seen it before. They''re probably mutants.


    Namitaro is impressed by the surprisingly knowledgeable Namitaro, but the distance between him and the wyvern makes it impossible for his evaluation to work. When I told this to Namitaro, he was astonished.


    What''s up with you, Temma? It''s a good idea to activate the appraisal and concentrate the magic power in your eyes while looking at the target. That''s right........at first, it''s a bit like focusing a telescope or something. Once you get used to it, though, you''ll be able to focus on it just like your own eyes.


    I followed Namitaro''s advice and tried the appraisal and it didn''t work at first, but after a few tries, I got a feel for it.


    Name........Wyvern.


    Species ... a wyvern mutant.


    It was a simple appraisal, but it was a success. After the success, I found out that the tamer doesn''t seem to have much of an attachment to his family. His name is just that, a wyvern. In other words, he usually calls it a wyvern.


    Just to be sure, I used the same appraisal on Cyclops and Trolls and the result is the same, their names are the same as their species names.


    "If he catches me, do you think he''ll name me ''Koi''?


    Aside from the fact that Namitaro''s race is a carp, he seems to be the type of person that many tamer''s think of their subordinates as tools.


    The audience is excited to see a new member of the military. In a large city like King''s Landing, a wyvern can be seen several times a year in the military or defeated, and many aspiring tamer''s have longed to be part of the military, so the confusion is not as great as it was with Solomon.


    However, with the entry of this wyvern, the demon soldiers were at a disadvantage.


    If it was only Cyclops and Trolls, depending on the skill level of Gulliver and the knights'' coordination, they had a good chance of winning, but if the number of enemies from the air increased, the story would change.


    At any rate, there is no one in the demon soldier corps who is capable of fighting in the air, and if they are not good, they will be unilaterally attacked from the air.


    I''m sure that, even if he was a knight of the marquis family, he would have mastered at least a certain amount of attack magic, but the wyvern isn''t weak enough to sink with ordinary attack magic, and I don''t think the wyvern would come down to the range of the knights'' physical attacks.


    From the looks of it, Gulliver seems to be stronger and smarter than Cyclops and Trolls.


    Still, there won''t be enough difference between Gulliver alone to overwhelm Cyclops and Trolls.


    If this was not an arena, but an open-air arena with obstacles and no time limit, I might be able to get away with it, but....


    The leader of the demon army, Marquis Samonth, also had a difficult look on his face as he just barely approached the fighting table.


    In this situation, the referees gave the signal to start the match.


    As soon as the signal was given, the wyvern took off and Cyclops and the trolls stepped forward and became a wall.


    The other team didn''t seem to basically change their formation. The only difference between this formation and the one we saw before was that the wyvern was set up over the position the warriors were in, making it feel like an anomalous 3-1-1.


    In contrast, the demon soldiers were led by Gulliver, with two rows of knights a little behind him.


    Seeing that the referees had moved away, the demon soldiers began to move forward, keeping their formation intact.


    The other team seemed to take the form of intercepting the demon soldiers, and as a small check, the wyvern spat out a fireball.


    The fireball is about 40 centimeters in diameter, and although it seems to have a decent amount of power, its speed is a bit slow, and it seems to take a few seconds to continue spitting fireballs.


    The first and second shots of the demon soldiers moved left and right and dodged, but the third shot was close enough to hit them because of the distance.


    However, Gulliver clubbed the approaching fireball and deflected it back. The club that played the fireball appeared to have broken, scattering fragments, but the fragments seemed to be only surface objects, and from the middle of the club to the end of the club, a thick metal rod was exposed.


    It seems that the club that Gulliver was holding was not all made of wood, but had a metal rod inside the core, and the black metal rod may be made of magic iron.


    In the meantime, the tamer seemed to have given the order, and the cyclops and trolls attacked Gulliver. Perhaps they thought it was a bad idea for Gulliver, who had a sturdy weapon, to approach them.


    Maybe the tamer thought that Gulliver (his family members) would not be willing to spend money on the weapons they use.


    The tamer himself did not allow his own family members to carry weapons. It''s a ridiculous thing to spend money on tools (weapons) of your family members, so they wouldn''t spend money on them either.


    Like Namitaro said, if it was a second-rate or lower tamer, it might be possible.


    Moreover, even though they are attacking, they don''t seem to have any idea of cooperation between the two bodies, they just raise their arms and go towards them. It seems that they are not able to give proper instructions.


    That''s why a distance has been created between the cyclops and the slow-footed troll.


    Depending on how you look at it, it looks like Cyclops versus the Onion Soldiers (one against five).


    The moment Cyclops approached Gulliver, the knights jumped out from behind Gulliver to the left and right.


    This caused him to turn to the knights for a moment.


    Gulliver didn''t miss the opening for Cyclops and gave him a strong body hit. Cyclops, who was hit, fell down, engulfing the trolls who were behind him.


    Gulliver tried to chase after the two bodies, which were struggling to get up, but was blocked by the gliding wyvern.


    Gulliver attacked the Wyvern''s spitting fireballs with his club, but the Wyvern broke away from the attack range before Gulliver''s attack could come.


    The knights, away from Gulliver''s back, split up into pairs, one to perform the magical attack and one to defend against the other''s magic, trying to close the distance between them and their opponents, but they couldn''t get much closer due to the attacking magic released by the tamer and the wizard.


    As the knights took their time, Cyclops and the troll tried to regain their stance and head towards the knights, but the moment they turned their backs, Gulliver kicked the troll in the face.


    The slow-moving troll was slow to react to Gulliver''s approach and rolled flamboyantly, but he seemed to have done less damage than expected and got back up quickly.


    The Cyclops, on the other hand, struck at Gulliver the moment the troll was kicked.


    Gulliver reacted to Cyclops'' attack with his hands and defended himself, but the timing of the blow was just right as he was standing on one leg, and Gulliver was knocked down as well.


    Cyclops repeatedly tried to stomp on Gulliver as he rolled, but Gulliver dodged the attack as he rolled and got up with the momentum of the roll.


    However, he took the opportunity to turn the wyvern towards the knights, leaving the knights in a tight spot.


    Quickly, Gulliver threw the club, which he hadn''t let go of when he was rolled over, at the Wyvern.


    The wyvern was in the midst of releasing fireballs at the knights, so they didn''t seem to notice the flying cudgel as they had their backs to Gulliver.


    The club, flying with a vertical rotation, hit the base of the wyvern''s tail, making a loud dull sound and hitting it.


    It''s not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you''re going to be able to get your hands on a new one.


    However, unlike earlier, it seems to have done quite a bit of damage as it flapped its wings with an awkward movement.


    The knights were pinned down by the other team for a little while, but Gulliver immediately took care of it, so the fireballs spat out by the wyvern were less. That''s why they didn''t take a direct hit and didn''t take much damage.


    In a series of attacks and defenses between the two families, the opposing family members, including the wyvern, were all heading towards Gulliver, leaving him to fight three against one. However, this was a convenient development for the demon soldiers, so the knights did not dare to go to Gulliver''s aid.


    Impatient with this, the tamer called out to call for Cyclops alone, but due to the distance between the two sides, Cyclops didn''t seem to hear the order.


    While biting his tongue at that, the tamer unleashes his magician and attack magic on the knights who are coming towards him, sandwiched between them on either side.


    But because the knights were divided into two groups unlike the previous days, the density of the magic attacks inevitably dropped, and the knights were coming at you at a faster pace than before.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find the best way to get the most out of your new job.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what to expect.


    On the other hand, Gulliver, who was three against one, was showing his lion''s share of success.


    Rather than taking on three of them at the same time, Gulliver focused his attacks on the Cyclops, being careful not to get attacked against the trolls, being approached and then moved away, being moved away and then being moved away, repeating the process to keep enough distance to always make them aware of him.


    The wyvern seems to have only Gulliver completely in its sights, and so far it doesn''t seem to be heading towards the knights, and doesn''t seem to be too concerned about the distance.


    Moreover, due to Gulliver''s attack earlier, Wyvern''s speed is much lower than it was at the beginning, and his attacks were messy as if his blood was on his head.


    As expected, he wasn''t spitting fireballs at his allies until he got them involved, but it seemed to be only a matter of time before he did.


    Cyclops, whose attacks were being focused by Gulliver, was fistfighting with Gulliver at close range, but Gulliver completely surpassed him as far as technique was concerned, and he was unable to give him any effective hits from earlier, and he was constantly getting attacked and accumulating quite a bit of damage.


    When Cyclops began to wobble and the three bodies'' positions overlapped almost in a straight line, Gulliver made a big move.


    Gulliver punched the wobbling Cyclops with all his might, rolled him over, ran towards the troll, and then jumped to gain momentum and stomped on the troll.


    Then he jumped further from there again and punched the wyvern in the air above him.


    Gulliver''s fist caught the wyvern in the face, and the wyvern crashed down, screaming.


    After that, Gulliver, who landed cleanly, ran to cover the knights, not even looking at the three bodies that were rolling and struggling.


    With his subordinates defeated in an instant, the tamer became impatient and began attacking Gulliver, leaving the wizard to attack the knights.


    The tamer sent stones flying towards Gulliver, but Gulliver ducked what he could duck, and if it was impossible, he knocked it off with his fists, ready to damage it, almost at the shortest distance to the tamer.


    In addition to this, the tamer has created several 20cm thick walls of stone in front of Gulliver with the Stonewall, trying to buy time, but Gulliver smashed that too with his fists.


    Gulliver''s furious advance left the audience in a state of fear, but even more so in a state of excitement.


    However, Gulliver is not unscathed. His body is bruised and his mind is exhausted from engaging in fisticuffs with Cyclops, watching out for the wyvern''s attacks and attracting the trolls. Furthermore, his fists were spurting blood and were painful to watch as he punched at the approaching stone and destroyed the wall.


    If Gulliver had the luxury of time, he would have avoided the tamer''s magic even if he had to go a long way to avoid it. The only reason he was hitting her was because Gulliver himself was nearing the end of his physical strength.


    Gulliver was in a hurry. And that impatience had created a huge gap.


    The moment Gulliver smashed the last wall created by the tamer, Gulliver was blown forward. His back was engulfed in fire.


    Suddenly, his fellow knights were startled and disturbed in their movements.


    The fireballs continued to come at the fallen Gulliver.


    Gulliver is rolling and dodging the fireballs, but he''s been grazed by several shots and his strength is steadily diminishing.


    The owner of the fireball (the wyvern) slowly stood up and began to flap his wings while checking out Gulliver''s condition.


    I don''t know if it was an act that he had fallen down earlier, or if his recovery speed was fast, but here the troublesome enemy had revived.


    The wyvern soared up into the sky above, gliding over Gulliver''s eyes and hitting his body.


    Gulliver quickly stood up, but his knees were trembling and he was unable to duck the wyvern.


    The two knights moved to cover Gulliver, who was blown away, but this was blocked by the wizard''s attack.


    The tamer also started attacking the other knights, and the knights were completely stranded.


    Moreover, the trolls that had been trampled by Gulliver had risen up and were approaching Gulliver, making the ground shake. As expected, the Cyclops remained down, but the defeat of the demon soldiers was coming thick and fast.


    The knights were momentarily torn between going to support Gulliver and defeating the tamer, so their momentum was deflected by the half-heartedness of their actions, and Gulliver was also coming dangerously close to being wounded and exposed to the Wyvern''s onslaught.


    That''s when the Wyvern got wide open. Then, just in time for the troll, the Wyvern rushed in at breakneck speed.


    Gulliver noticed the Wyvern''s intentions and quickly twisted around to avoid it, but he was a little too late.


    The moment the wyvern slammed into Gulliver, the bitten Gulliver''s left arm was ripped from around his shoulder and sent it flying through the air with fresh blood.


    The troll didn''t pause for the screaming Gulliver and delivered a powerful body blow.


    A scream went up from the audience as Gulliver rolled around in tatters.


    Gulliver was squirming, unable to pass out due to the pain in his shoulder. Gulliver''s body was bleeding profusely, and if he didn''t, he was going to die of blood loss.


    The wyvern was about to turn and attack again against Gulliver.


    But then the referees waited.


    ''The match is over! The winner, ''Dendrobates''!


    The referee declares the decision louder and louder than ever before.


    Apparently, the Marquis has told the umpire to surrender.


    The tamer heard this and apparently ordered the wyvern to stop the attack, and the wyvern stopped plummeting and began circling overhead.


    But again, the trolls didn''t seem to hear the order and were approaching Gulliver.


    When the knights saw this, they started to run, but it was unlikely that they would be able to make it in time due to the distance.


    Just as the troll gets a few meters closer to Gulliver, the troll suddenly begins to suffer.


    If you look closely, you can see that the troll is holding his head down and looking at the tamer.


    ''You used it.''


    Namitaro muttered when he saw the troll.


    ''Did you use it?''


    Oh, that is the same as the slave''s collar, which is designed to choke the master in response to his magic. It''s a good idea to have a mechanism to make use of that suffering to do what you say.


    It is said that normal slave collars are designed to allow you to make certain settings (e.g., do no harm to the Lord, obey the Lord''s orders, etc.) before they are placed around your neck, and then close your neck when you break or threaten to break the settings, but the collars fitted to the trolls do not have that. Instead, the trolls'' suffering is so powerful that they can choke you not only physically, but also magically, so depending on the amount of magic you''ve shed, you could die instantly.


    Theamer gave another order to the suffering trolls to keep the magic flowing.


    Upon hearing the order, the troll crawled away from Gulliver.


    As the trolls were leaving, Marquis Sammons came running to Gulliver.


    The Marquis of Samons was quite flustered and clung to Gulliver.


    Several attendants came from behind the Marquis, pulling what looked like a large cart, and they were trying to get Gulliver on, but they couldn''t get him on.


    ''I''m going to go for a minute.''


    I left Namitaro to follow me to the fighting table, taking the pills from my bag.


    I was stopped by an attendant on the way, but was easily let through when I told him that the Marquis of Samonth had asked me to help him.


    I ran straight to Gulliver, briefly explained to the Marquis, who was surprised by my appearance, and began to treat him.


    ''Will Gulliver be saved!


    Knowing it was disrespectful to the excited Marquis, but half ignoring him, he continued to heal the knights while giving them instructions.


    First, he cast a spell on Gulliver, dulling his sense of pain before looking at the wound, but it was worse than he thought.


    The wound was shredded from being bitten and torn off by the wyvern, and it was also quite dirty from rolling on the platform. Moreover, the inside of the mouth of the wyvern that the tamer was using couldn''t be unclean, so there was a need to be concerned about pathogens.


    So, the first thing I did was wash the wound with clean water (using water magic) and remove any visible debris.


    Then I disinfected it with poisonous magic and high purity alcohol, just in case. The purpose of using high-purity alcohol was to kill pathogens, but it seems to have stained the wound and made Gulliver go a little wild, but the knights soon suppressed him and Gulliver soon realized it and put up with it, so there was no damage.


    The next step is to align the torn arm that was treated as well with the shoulder, carefully adjusting its position and connecting it with magic.


    I tried to connect it from the inside as much as possible, but the wound was so tattered that it was difficult to see, so I thought that in the worst case, I might not be able to move my arm, but it seems that the nerves were connected because my fingers were moving after I connected them.


    The rest of the time, I used a clean cloth to secure the shoulder so that it wouldn''t move, and then I had him use the cloth to support his arm by the neck, just like he did when he broke it.


    As a final touch, they gave Gulliver a mouthful of blood booster, medicine to increase his resistance to disease, an anti-inflammatory and painkiller.


    The medicines were of natural origin and he had tried them himself a few times, so he should have no problem using them at the same time.


    ''At any rate, this should give him a non-life threatening effect for now. However, it''s almost a first aid measure, and since we''ve given top priority to saving your life, please just be prepared to not be able to move your arms like before, and although we''ve disinfected them, there''s still a chance that you may contract an infection.


    I turned to the Marquis as he finished his treatment and explained that, and to my surprise, he was ragged with tears.


    ''''Thank you! Thank you so much! I''ll make sure to repay you for this!


    The Marquis grabbed my hand firmly and shook it up and down violently while uttering words of thanks.


    After shaking my hand about a dozen times, he hurriedly went back to Gulliver.


    The pain seems to have eased considerably and Gulliver is able to move on his own to some extent, and with the help of the knights, he was able to get into the Daihachi cart.


    It is a good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.


    As I followed the Marquis and the others to the doorway area, one of the referees spoke to me with an apologetic look on his face.


    ''''I''m sorry, but Temma will have a match soon after this, so please wait here.''''


    I''ve been told that Gulliver''s treatment is at my own discretion, so I can''t allow him to take any unnecessary breaks, and he wants me to wait here for Namitaro and the others to arrive.


    I''m not so tired that I have no complaints about the referees'' decision, but they seemed to be concerned about it.


    So I told the referees that it was a natural decision and I didn''t care about it, and left the magic bag with them.


    While waiting for Namitaro and his team, the opposing team came first and went up to the stand, and soon after, Namitaro and his team arrived.


    I''m glad Gulliver was saved. Gulliver was lucky to be saved. We have to win this game to defeat Gulliver.


    We waited for the referee''s signal, with Namitaro in the lead.

 95-Chapter 5-18 Famous Taxes

    In the second semifinal, "Oration" versus "Blue Hornet"! Let the game begin!


    After seeing the referee step back on cue, we began to move towards each other.


    The other team was the previous winner, and even though they weren''t perfect, they were still strong enough to take the Sword of Dawn opponent by the hand.


    The opponent''s team consisted of one swordsman, two warriors and two wizards, with two warriors lined up in the front row and the wizards hiding behind the warriors. And the swordsman was in a position behind the wizards.


    It''s an unusual formation, with the swordsmen holding back, but perhaps it''s a countermeasure to be wary of our speed and get behind the wizards.


    You can''t say that they are all young, but instead they give off an atmosphere of ''experienced and experienced fierce men of war''.


    This is without a doubt the strongest team I''ve played in this tournament. If I''m not good, Shiroumaru and Solomon could be seriously injured. As for Slarin I think he''ll be fine as long as he''s the Emperor.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to do better than you think, Temma. Even if we force our way through the front, we''ll most likely win, but the damage will be commensurate.


    Namitaro also seemed to sense from the atmosphere that he was a tough opponent.


    ''Well let''s try a little trick. Shiroumaru, Solomon!


    I decided to call the two animals that were poised to jump out at any moment to join me in the little trick I came up with.


    ''Firewall!''


    The other side''s wizards used their magic to make the first move, so I deployed a firewall to defend and hide our appearance. The other side''s magic was fireball and air cutter, both of which could not penetrate my magic because they were more concerned with speed than power.


    ''''Waterball!''''


    I then created a water ball that I made ten large rounds around myself.


    The crowd cheered as they saw the water magic method (...), which is rare to be used in competitions. However, the water ball seemed to be hidden by the flames from the other side, and they seemed to become more alert to the sudden cheers that went up. I can feel the two wizards increasing their magic power and preparing to release their magic at any time.


    ''''Go!''''


    I fired the water ball at the firewall I had created.


    The waterball landed on the spot where the flames were rising, extinguishing the flames and creating a large amount of steam in a wide area.


    ''''Siloumal! Solomon! Go play (.........)!


    I gave orders to Shiroumaru and Solomon at the same time. The moment they heard my instructions, they split up into two groups on either side of me and jumped out, heading around the other team.


    The other side''s warriors didn''t waver when they saw Shiroumaru and Solomon suddenly jump out of the way, and they were able to protect the wizard.


    I prepared myself.


    The wizard also didn''t release magic at Shiroumaru and the others who had jumped out, but kept a vigilant eye on the direction I was in.


    Shiroumaru was running in a detour, occasionally zig-zagging and glancing at his opponent, while Solomon was flying about 1-2 meters high, spinning and circling in a detour to watch his opponent as well.


    Then, just as the two animals came right next to the warriors, they accelerated rapidly and went straight past (........).


    The unexpected event caused the opposing team to stop moving for a moment, but they immediately seemed to notice the change and moved into an interception stance.


    The moment the opponents entered the intercept stance, there was a bullet heading towards them at a speed that seemed to drown out the vapor.


    ''''It''s still coming! Counterattack! Take down the tamer and it''s over!


    The swordsman who was camped behind him gave instructions to the other companions, and himself turned towards Shiroumaru and the others who would be coming to attack at the right time.


    And the one who appeared in front of the wary warriors was........


    You think it was Temma? Shame! It''s Nami-chan~~


    It was Namitaro, sliding at high speed.


    Snap out of it! It''s coming from somewhere!


    The swordsman scolded his companions, who had stopped moving for a moment at Namitarou''s appearance. Namitaro slipped past the warriors and went straight for the swordsman.


    The swordsman ducked the Namitaro that was coming at him at high speed, but he took his eyes off Shiroumaru and the others as he was about to do so.


    ''Oops! Watch out for wolves and dragons!


    At those words, the other four reflexively looked at Shiroumaru and the others, but Shiroumaru and Solomon had begun to chase each other, moving in a trackless manner.


    ''''Guh!''''


    "Whoa!


    By the time the swordsman heard his companions groan and turned around, the warrior and the wizard on one side of him were both down. The culprit was me.


    ''''Where the hell have you been?!''''


    The swordsman barked at me as he took down his companion. I think I should adjust my stance before asking such a question, but maybe I''m confused by the suddenness of the situation.


    So to that question I''m....


    "Up.


    I pointed my finger at the sky.


    In fact, the little trick I mentioned was to make them alert and pay attention with Shiroumaru and Solomon''s actions (playing), and then feint further with Namitaro, which was disguised as the real deal, to reduce their strength with my attack, which flew up into the sky under the cover of the water vapor.


    And there was more to this little trick.


    ''Firebo, Gobo!


    Come on, dear.


    They were about to attack me, when a large mass of water sneakily appeared behind me and pulled me in, and I let out a painful breath.


    ''Oi! What do you... Slime!


    The swordsman seemed to remember Slarin from his hiding place here.


    The one who dragged the two of us in was Slarin, who became the Emperor-sama (Emperor).


    Slarin was originally going to be holding back to follow us, but seeing an opportunity, Slarin must have made his own decision to attack. And with the result he got, the winner of this match is almost decided. Incidentally, Slarin made sure that he was inadvertently on Namitaro''s back when he moved.


    ''It ain''t over yet!''


    A swordsman holds his sword in both hands and comes running towards me. They completely ignore Shiroumaru and his friends, who were on guard earlier, and seem intent on making a one-sided battle.


    I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one who''s been in this situation.


    ''''Shiroumaru, Namitaro! Don''t touch it!


    Hearing my words, Shiroumaru and Namitaro called off the attack.


    ''''That margin is fatal!


    The swordsman comes slashing at you with both swords. As far as skill goes, they seem to be a bit inferior to Keos.


    If the rest of the team members had abilities similar to this, then they are certainly capable of being worthy of the winning team.


    Moreover, if all of them didn''t compete in individual battles and were in perfect condition to compete in team battles, that would be even better.


    However, this swordsman seems to be the type of person who is more accustomed to working together with his friends rather than fighting on his own individual strength. Moreover, he seems to be thinking of defeating me before the outside world gets in the way, and perhaps in a hurry, his attacks are a bit crude and large swings are noticeable.


    That''s probably why I feel somewhat unsatisfied with the fact that I fought against a strong opponent in an individual match.


    What''s up with that? Didn''t it save your life?


    I deliberately try to provoke my opponent with a spare attitude while taunting them with all their attacks.


    On the contrary, being provoked seemed to have brought back his calmness, and the swordsman, who had regained his spirits, was much sharper in his movements than he had been earlier.


    The swordsman stopped his dual-force attack midway through and switched from a large swinging attack to a smaller, sharper attack, which was becoming quite formidable.


    But he still didn''t feel like he was going to lose. I couldn''t relax as much as my opponent had cooled off, but I was finally even on par with Keio.


    I gradually increased the speed of my attack, and when my opponent couldn''t keep up with my movements, I flicked off my sword.


    ''''Oh no. I surrender.


    The swordsman raised his hands in surrender as he flicked his sword and thrust the tip of his blade into his throat with the returning sword.


    ''That''s it! Winner, ''Oration''!


    The trick worked better than I expected, and we won the game without getting hurt.


    I think this was because my opponent was able to read my tricks too well. If our opponents were the type to come forward like the first round''s dragon squad, or if they were a team that knew me (and my character) to some extent like Jin and the others, it wouldn''t have been as effective as it was.


    ........In short, it''s less effective for teams that are more brain-based, but more effective for teams that fight while thinking.


    Anyway, today''s match is all over, and the only thing left to do is to play the final match in three days time.


    I waved my hand lightly in response to the crowd and thought about the rest day schedule in my head.


    After recovering from the fatigue of the two days of rest before the final, there are things I want to do and need to do, such as taking care of weapons, procuring weapons, and chilling out at stalls and stalls, so it''s frustrating that I only have two days to spare.


    Especially at the stalls and stalls, items are frequently replaced or sold out in a single day, and bargains are often sold out quickly.


    That''s a bit of a digression, but I''ve heard that I set several new records at this event.


    Firstly, I became the youngest person to make it to the individual final (the second time I''ve made it to the team final), made it to both the individual and team final, and won the individual final in the shortest amount of time (against Oggo). And to be more precise, two generations of parents and their children (to be precise, two generations of parents and a great-uncle) made it to the final.


    I had heard that my father and mother had won the team competition with the kings before, but to my surprise, my grandfather had also won the individual competition. Dad and his friends had won it once, but Grandpa had won it twice in a row. After that, he''d had enough of competing and his record of successive championships was broken.


    I''m an adopted child, so I wondered about that, but since I was raised from a baby, and since adoption is a common occurrence in this world (especially for nobles), I heard it''s not particularly strange... not really. .........


    ''Grandpa you''ve suddenly got more relatives...''


    Well do you want me to turn it off?


    My grandfather said something rather boisterous, but I almost agreed with him.


    On the first day of rest, there was a crowd of a few dozen people in front of the mansion. If this had been just a wild horse, we wouldn''t be feeling this whispered about.


    It''s all because of those guys over there.


    There are all kinds of people in there. A man who looks like a dirty beggar and a woman who looks like a prostitute with bad makeup. Pig merchants in expensive clothes and badly skilled mercenaries. There was even a nobleman who looked like a fallen aristocrat mixed in with a dumb one.


    These guys are all frauds who talk about ''my parents or relatives''.


    The commotion started when I left the hall to go home after the semi-finals yesterday.


    After the semi-finals, I was briefed on the finals by an attendant, and even though I left the venue later than the crowd had left, I was approached by a man and woman who claimed to be my real parents.


    They got my information from somewhere and approached me to suck the good juice, but I thought the story ended there as I turned them in to the security guards who were near the venue as con artists, but this morning I woke up when I felt a suspicious presence at the gate of the mansion and saw that many of my self-proclaimed parents/relatives (the con artists) They had gathered.


    After returning to the mansion yesterday, I explained to the grandfather that the impostor had left, but I didn''t expect them to come together suddenly after yesterday, and they were shouting about my parents and relatives, shouting that they wanted to welcome me, so I was getting close to my limit.


    It''s a good thing that there are no idiots who try to break in because the golems and security golems are currently standing in line inside the gate, but for me, I was hoping that at least one brave (or foolish) person would show up to try to break in, because I can get rid of the criminals as criminals without hesitation.


    Anyway, if me and my grandfather went near them now, I might accidentally (...) eradicate them for some reason (...), so I asked Slarin and Shiroumaru to go deliver a letter to the royal castle.


    It could have been at the nearby guard packing station, but I thought it would be quickest and most reliable to have the most powerful people in the country help me here.


    I figured that since Slarin and Siloumar would be famous in the royal castle, they would be able to talk to one of the royals, and in the worst case scenario, Slarin would be able to sneak in unnoticed by the guards and at least give the letter to the kings.


    They took the letter to me about an hour and a half ago, so if all went well, help would be on the way in another hour or so.


    But Slarin and the others worked harder than I expected, and the kings seemed to move fast, too.


    I thought it would take another hour at the earliest, but less than thirty minutes later, Slarin and the others returned.


    ''''Thank you for your help. The letter ... looks like you were able to hand it over safely.


    As I was offering words of thanks to Slarin and Shiroumaru, I sensed numerous signs of movement surrounding the con artists outside.


    ''''Don''t let one of them get away! As long as you''re alive, I don''t care if I hurt you!


    What a loud conductor was Mr. Dinh. Other than that, Edgar-san and Chris-san are also there. Furthermore, it is not only the Kingsguard who are under Din-san''s command, but also knights and others seem to be mixed in with them.


    Even though they are in the city, they are riding horses, and it looks like they came to annihilate the city rather than come to help.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more information on this topic.


    All of the imposters have been roped and gagged, and Mr. Dinh is standing in front of the gate facing the gate keeper''s golem.


    Mr. Dinh is recognized by the king as being related to the mansion, so the golem opens the gate and lets only Mr. Dinh through (Mr. Dinh is set up for the golem to be able to pass through the gate in case the king skips out and comes to visit).


    When we saw Mr. Dinh walking towards us, my grandfather and I rushed to meet him.


    ''I''m sorry to have disturbed you, Master Merlin. And I know you are uncomfortable, but please accompany me to the gate to check.


    As we followed the hard-tongued Mr. Dinh to the gate, we were made to see the faces of our captive con men.


    ''Do you know any of these men?''


    As he said that, me and my grandfather both shook our heads.


    ''''I understand. Oi! Take these guys to the jail cell!


    Ha!


    Mr. Din ordered the nearby knights to leave a dozen or so knights on this spot and have the con artists taken away. He seems to have the remaining knights patrol around the mansion.


    At this time, there were more and more geezers looking at us from afar, and they were all listening in with interest.


    ''''In fact, we have recently received information that a certain group of criminals have been appearing in the area, and we were on special alert, but early this morning we received information from the residents that a strange group of people were barging into a certain mansion and making a lot of noise, and we came to seize them at the order of His Majesty....... I had no idea it was Lady Merlin''s mansion.


    Ding-san explains in a voice enough to be heard by those around him that it was third party information that brought him here, and that it was a direct order from the king.


    Of course, this is just a token, and it''s obvious that they were sent after hearing my request, but there are more than a few people who take issue with the fact that the royal family communicated with the participants during the tournament, so I guess they are taking this form.


    ''It really helped. We were in trouble because the final was coming up, and we couldn''t just remove people who were making a lot of noise in front of the gate without a fight.


    I thanked Mr. Dinh in a big way.


    "And Lady Mary has a word for you.


    Mr. Dinh began to speak the words of Lady Mary in a small voice, so that only me and Grandpa could hear him.


    ''''If those idiots come out next, you can capture them.


    Mr. Din''s face was quite serious, so Maria''s anger must be quite high. I promised her that I would definitely go to Maria-sama''s place to show my face.


    ''''Oh please then we will pull up, but I will have guards patrol this area regularly until the tournament is over. I will report this incident to His Majesty, the Warlord, and the other parties involved, so there is a high probability that self-defense will apply in most cases, but apart from that, the post-processing and investigation will be very difficult.......


    After saying this, Mr. Dinh nailed the horses around him and returned with the rest of the knights.


    "I wonder if I''m old enough to take it easy on them.......we''re in trouble!


    Grandpa said loudly, meaning he wasn''t going to go easy on him, and took out a large staff from his bag under his robe and poked the cobblestones.


    The cobblestones that were poked with the cane shattered with a loud noise, and several people who had heard the noise turned blue and moved away from the yajiba horses in a hurry.


    ''''Looks like you''re still here, Grandpa........''''


    They''re all cockroach-like creatures... if you see one, you''ll find 30 of them.


    I hope the high performance insect repellent (royal prestige) continues to work.............................no potion may work on a real idiot.


    Anyway, you''re allowed to use your powers next time, so feel free to do so.


    ''''Both of you look so bad........''''


    Me and Grandpa seemed to be looking very bad before I realized what was going on, and unusually, Namitaro was dong it.


    Later, as we managed to get our expressions back to normal, Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha, who had heard the commotion, came to check on us and Grandpa started to tell them what had happened.


    After they finished listening to the story, they too seemed to be pissed off at the appearance of the con man and were quite angry.


    It seems that the uncles have a strong sense that I am not only my father''s (Ricardo) and mother''s (Ciria) children, but also the children of Kukri village, and whether they are my real relatives or an impostor, they can''t forgive me for coming out and saying something so convenient after all this time.


    The two of them ran off to inform the other people from Kukri village about this and said they would keep an eye out for the con artists and be careful.


    Today''s commotion will spread throughout the royal capital soon, so hopefully the scammers will not appear again, but it will not be complete.


    It was only at this time that I wondered if there are people in this world with blood like mine? It didn''t matter that I was there, but it bothered me a bit.


    And after all this time, I''m wondering why the gods put me in that place, too. I wanted to ask the gods why they left me there as a baby at some point.


    I''m going to go to the weapons store. I told them not to go outside, but just in case, give Jeanne and the others the nucleus of this golem. I taught them how to activate it before, so they should be able to do it.


    I took out some golem nukes from my bag and handed them to my grandfather.


    These golem nukes were tuned for battle, so even if I took on multiple top-notch knights with just one of them, they were strong enough to buy Jeanne and the others time to escape.


    ''''You won''t take them with you?''''


    ''I don''t think I''d be able to run away and run errands with the two of you in tow if I got involved with some weird (scammers), so... if I didn''t have to worry about my surroundings at all, I could handle it.


    Grandpa seemed to agree with my words and went back to the mansion.


    Shiroumaru and Solomon seemed to want to go with me, but when I told them that I was going to buy a lot of souvenirs and that I would be staying at home because they were going to cause another ruckus if they were together, they sat down and slobbered honestly.


    Slarin and Namitaro don''t seem to want to follow me from the start, but they seem to be expecting the souvenirs.


    And Jeanne and Aura are hiding behind the front door as well.


    ''''I''ll get you all some souvenirs, so you''ll have to put up with going out!


    I called out to Jeanne and Aura, and they both waved their hands in reply, though their shoulders slumped somewhat, perhaps disappointed that they wouldn''t be taken away.


    As I walked out through the gate, the remaining yajoma saw me coming out and quickly moved away.


    I ignored them and started to walk to my destination, but within five minutes, I saw a person running from the front.


    I tried to avoid colliding with the person in front of me, but the person in front of me seemed to be aiming at me, and then he or she approached me, correcting my course towards the misaligned one.

 96-Chapter 5-19 Events before the Battle ~ Awakening? Hen~

    When I saw someone running towards me, I braced myself to see if another impostor had appeared.


    Likewise, the other horses that were still watching me started to buzz again, as if they thought it was a new impostor.


    But I was wrong.


    The person coming towards us was a woman, someone I knew... or more accurately, someone related to someone I knew.


    ''Hello. I see you''re in a hurry, is there something urgent you want me to do?


    The woman I spoke to was a female dwarf who worked in the workshop of ''Kelly'', my favorite shop and a female dwarf and blacksmith.


    ''I''m glad we didn''t cross paths~. As a matter of fact, I have an order for a weapon addressed to Temma-san in my home workshop, and she asked me to come and let you know that it was completed.


    You ordered a weapon for me what''s that?


    He was wary of orders for weapons that he had no idea what to do with, and that seemed to be in his voice.


    ''Yes, sir. It is addressed to Mr. Temma, sir. I can''t say it out loud, but my client is the Grand Duke.


    He said he had built my weapon at the request of Lord Ernest (the Grand Duke), but I didn''t know why now.


    I''ve had a reasonably close relationship with him, but I was puzzled by the suddenness of it, and then a female dwarf said she was going to talk to me in detail at the shop, and since Kelly''s workshop was originally one of my destinations, I decided to follow her in a straightforward manner.


    ''Oops! They''re here. Here''s what you asked for. Let''s get right to it and shake it out!


    When I opened the door to the workshop, Kelly, who was right in front of me, handed me a sword.


    The sword was entirely black, with a blade length of 80cm and a handle of about 40cm. It''s a bit smaller than the Adamantine sword I returned to Master Ernest earlier, but it seems to be of comparable quality to that one.


    One of the best features of the sword is that the sides of the blade are carved with a dragon from the base to near the middle, and the grooves are filled with white metal, making it look like a work of art.


    After looking at the whole thing and checking it out, I shook it a few times, changing the handle, right, left and both hands.


    Maybe it''s because it''s well-balanced, but it''s pretty easy to swing for its size.


    Because it was made of adamantine, it was heavier than other swords of the same size, such as iron swords, but it was lighter than the previous adamantine swords, so it didn''t feel particularly problematic.


    ''That''s good to hear! Then we''ll work on fine tuning the rest.


    Saying that, Kelly took the sword from me and removed the cloth that was wrapped around the hilt and laid out in front of me a few different materials that she had prepared in advance.


    ''For now, I''m going to wrap it all up in one piece, so you can choose the one you like.


    One by one, he checked the colorful materials laid out in front of him.


    There were animal hides, reptile hides, shark hides, bird hides, black cloth and white cloth, all of which were of different thicknesses.


    He spent more than an hour testing all the materials.


    ''None of them felt right... if I had to say it was shark skin, but the shark skin was so coarse it felt like I was holding a file... the next best thing is the thicker cloth.


    I came to the conclusion that.


    ''Well, that shark is a demonic one. If you don''t like the other materials, then cloth is the safest option.......


    Kelly looked a little boring as she put away all the materials except the shark skin and cloth.


    The other animal leather wasn''t too bad to grip, but the surface was a bit smooth, and she was worried that it would slip out completely when she swung her sword with all her might.


    Maybe I''m overly concerned about it, but I decided to rule it out in the end because I figured it would be better to use a material that was a little easier to catch in my hand when I got blood on it or when it got wet.


    ''Well, cloth is used most often in adventurer''s weapons, and in a way, it''s probably the material most compatible with adventurers... but since it''s Adamantine''s sword, I also don''t want to settle for a common material. .....


    Well, this is the selfishness of a blacksmith, Kelly says, and I understand that feeling.


    It''s a good-looking and well-built sword, and the material used to wrap the hilt is also very important.


    But if you don''t have the material, there''s no way to be particular about it, so you have to compromise, but then something comes to mind.


    "Hey, Kelly. "Hey, Kelly, what do you think about wrapping this around the rope?


    I took out the rope in my bag and wrapped it around the handle to test it out before handing it to Kelly.


    ''Yeah, it''s unusual, but it''s probably too much of a change at any price... and it''s a surprisingly good grip. But this one will still be no good.


    Kelly grabbed the handle and was surprised by the feel of it, more than she expected, but refused to look too bad.


    But I continue to talk to Kelly about it.


    ''No, I''m not going to wrap that rope around any number of things. Wouldn''t it be fun to tie a rope with this material and wrap the rope made from it around the handle?


    I handed Kelly a few strands of material and asked for her opinion. After receiving the materials, Kelly received them and checked them by touching and pulling them, then grinned.


    ''This is going to be quite interesting... the question is, can we get a lot of these materials together... are you okay with that?''


    ''No problem. This material is all around me, and if you look for it, you''ll find it in your bag.


    With my assurances, Kelly begins to roughly calculate the amount of material to use for the rope.


    ''Alright! We''ve got a rough idea of how much we need! But you can never have too much, you know. Temma gather as much as you can and bring it to me right away. If everyone in this workshop does it, it should be ready in the morning!


    Hearing those words, the female dwarves in the workshop stopped their work at once and began to lie down at once.


    ''''Temma. It''s going to take a while to gather the materials anyway, so we''re going to go to bed now to prepare for an all-nighter. Wake me up when you''ve collected them. That''s the key here!


    Kelly tossed the key she had pulled out of her chest randomly and tossed it at me.


    ''Don''t lose it! Oh, and don''t s*xually harass someone until they''ve given their consent!


    With those words, all the female dwarves said, "You''re always welcome! And then he laughs.


    He seems to trust that I won''t abuse it, but don''t say anything that will make me feel like I''m at a loss for an answer.


    I laughed and cheated appropriately and ran off to gather the materials. My destination is my grandfather''s mansion.


    On the way to run, passers-by gave me strange looks, but I didn''t care.


    There were a few signs of acquaintances among those I passed. However, I was in a hurry, so I apologize, but I pretended not to notice and ran through.


    When I arrived at the mansion, I decided to start gathering materials.


    ''''Come on! Shilomar!


    In my excitement, I called Shiroumaru with a flirtation that I don''t usually do. Shiroumaru comes running to me when I call him, wagging his tail furiously. Drooling from his mouth.


    I pulled the material off of Shiroumaru as he came in front of me, removing his collar and returning it to its original size, then pulled the material off of him.


    ''Kyin!''


    In my hand, I hold a hair of Shiroumaru that has been pulled out more than I expected. Shiroumaru hairs, this is what the material is made of.


    Shiroumaru''s hair is about thirty centimeters long, but this is clearly not enough to tie a rope.


    ''''Shiroumaru, just bear with me for a moment~''''


    Seeing the look on my face, Shiroumaru gets frightened and tries to run away.


    ''....double the treats today and tomorrow.


    Shiroumaru''s ears twitched and he hesitated to run away.


    ''The day after tomorrow ... no, how about a double snack for a week!


    Hearing those words, Shiroumaru turned to me and got down. A great deal of drool dripped from its mouth.


    Thus, the master of the material I was seeking groveled at the doubling of the week''s treats. Behind him, the flying eater also prostrates himself, drooling.


    For now, I throw the meat instead of the advance into Shiroumaru''s mouth and then start collecting the material.


    I try to pick back the hair from Shiroumaru''s entire body, being careful not to make the part of him that I removed as inconspicuous as possible, but it''s hard to collect enough.


    Hey Temma. Wouldn''t it be faster to cut out Shiroumaru''s hair than to force it out?


    Oh....


    I huffed and pulled out a pair of scissors (made of mithril) from my bag at the advice of Namitaro, who was crawling around on land for a walk. Shiroumaru looks at me as if he wants me to notice him a little earlier.


    After that, the work speed increased dramatically, and I cut Shiroumaru''s hair as well as all of his body hair short.


    Thirty minutes after I started cutting the hair. After I threw the hair that had gathered more than I had planned into the basket and threw it into my bag, I moved to the mansion''s kitchen and started cooking.


    This is so I can still have time to make Kelly and the others'' evening meal.


    I''m going to prepare a few sandwiches so that the food can be easily eaten while I work.


    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and make the boiled eggs. In the meantime, I''ll make a large batch of thin slices of ham and fry the beef slices in a sweet and spicy sauce.


    Peel the boiled eggs, add mayo and a little seasoning, mash them together, and the filling is done.


    The rest of the dish was just a sandwich on homemade bread with butter. I wasn''t sure what to drink, but I decided to pour a lot of tea into a small pot. The aroma and taste would be worse than a fresh batch, but it would still be better than nothing.


    I made sure I had the ingredients and food in the back and then headed to Kelly''s workshop.


    On the way there, I went around the stalls and secured additional items for Kelly and her friends, as well as souvenirs for Shiroumaru and the others, and when I arrived at the workshop, I used the key I''d been keeping to open the door with the ''temporary closure'' tag on it.


    "Kelly, I''m here to collect the materials. I''ve gathered some materials.


    I called out to Kelly, who was sleeping in the middle of the workshop with a futon over her head, and she started to squirm and crawled out of the futon.


    I pulled the comforter over my head while Kelly, still sleepwalking and exposing her skin, pulled the covers over her head.


    ''Whoa!''


    Awakened by the shock of the bedding, Kelly looked around with the comforter over her head, retrieved the clothes she''d taken off and put them back on.


    ''Look, here''s what the rope is made of. I asked Slarin to clean it, so it''s ready to go. And here''s your evening meal. I''ve brought some drinks with me, so if you''re hungry, you can eat whatever you want.


    He got dressed and stood up, handed Kelly a basket of Siloumaru''s hair, and placed a basket of sandwiches and a skillet of tea in a basket out of the way of the workshop, as well as a variety of food he had bought from the stall.


    ''Hey Temma.


    Kelly doesn''t seem to be amused that I was unresponsive and is whining and pulling her own breasts up and down.


    So......


    "Wow, I just saw Kelly naked! What am I going to do? I''m so nervous I can''t sleep anymore today!


    I tried to live up to their expectations with a blank stare. Then the female dwarves, who had been watching us at the back of the workshop, were holding their bellies and laughing, killing their voices.


    As we continue to get even worse, the female dwarves can no longer kill their voices and are laughing hysterically, holding their bellies.


    And Kelly seems to be getting embarrassed of what she''s doing when she sees my reaction, and her face is getting redder and redder.


    ''Temma, I''m sorry, please stop! And you guys! You won''t be laughing at me forever!


    Finally, when she couldn''t stand the shame anymore, Kelly gave in and, incidentally, started yelling at the laughing female dwarves in the back.


    But the laughter grew louder as Kelly''s face turned red and she yelled at the dwarves.


    While looking at the female dwarves who couldn''t stop laughing, Kelly for some reason became quiet, and after a while, she opened her mouth when the laughter became less and less.


    ''''You guys do you have anything left to say?''''


    It''s as if Kelly''s voice feels as if angry air is emanating from her entire body, quiet yet sublimely frightening. The female dwarves who have been subjected to such anger are on their knees, shivering and shaking in a blur.


    ''''Ah, yes Temma. I''ll finish this in the morning, so be here before noon. I''ll need your help to make some final adjustments and make sure it feels right.


    Kelly''s anger is somewhat subdued against me, but it''s scary enough to make me break out in a cold sweat.


    I shake my head, being careful not to say anything unnecessary, and slowly leave the workshop.


    I closed the door and was a few meters away from the workshop when I thought I heard Kelly yelling and the screams of the female dwarves, but I left without looking back.


    I joked and fooled around with Kelly, but I have to admit I was pretty nervous. The fact that I was caught off guard by the unexpected sight of a woman''s more beautiful naked body than I''d ever imagined, not to mention the fact that I was aroused, if not lustful, by it.


    I''ve seen women naked a few times in the time since I''ve been reincarnated in this world so far, even if I''ve never had any female experience, but I''ve never been this thrilled.


    It''s not so much that I like Kelly, it''s more like the feeling I had in my previous life when I was in junior high school or so, when I started to become aware of women. ...I''d thought (if I do say so myself) that I was withering away because I''d never had much awareness of women s*xually before, but apparently it was normal. I don''t know if it''s something to be happy about, and I don''t know why it was Kelly, but...


    I can''t let everyone (especially the ladies) remember such a thing, so I decided to buy some time by visiting the stalls and stalls to calm my mind without returning to the mansion immediately.


    However, since I''m quite a celebrity now, I might get into some strange commotion or trouble if I walk around dressed as I am, so I put on a little disguise. The result......


    Hey, buddy. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?


    The policeman (a patrol soldier) questioned me about my duties and took me to the police station (Tsumesho).


    I was wearing a dirty hood and a rare craft item (a suspicious mask) I was selling at a street stall, but it was no good. I thought I shouldn''t be sneaking around, so I walked proudly in the middle of the road, but it seemed to me that it was the opposite, that it was suspicious.


    I was taken to a filling station for the soldiers and taken to a sort of interrogation room where I was surrounded by a few soldiers who took off their hoods and surprised me to the point of sitting up, and then apologized to me for bowing my head repeatedly like a waterfowl.


    Apparently, they thought that if the tournament''s finalists were brought in and their attempts to surround them with a few people for questioning were discovered by their superiors, and even the royalty were reported to them, they might lose their heads, not to mention their careers.


    Well, I don''t think such a thing would ever happen to that king. I''m sure he''d rather tease me behind the scenes, saying he''s done a good job with his mission. In this case, bringing me in was the right thing to do. But the soldiers, who don''t know the king''s character (true nature), would never reach such an idea.


    If this is the case, they may be deflated by this matter down the road and become confused about their duties, so I have to follow up on it.


    With that in mind, I was thinking of getting someone to call someone who knows a knight, when a few knights who seemed to have just come to check on the patrol showed up.


    ''Who''s there? I heard you caught a trespasser... or is that Temma-kun?


    One of the knights who came into the interrogation room-like room was Edgar, who was conveniently an acquaintance of mine and a member of the Kingsguard.


    I couldn''t help but smile at the convenient turn of events, but on the contrary, the soldiers looked even paler.


    Edgar-san spoke to me before the soldiers could talk to me, so I told them everything to be as objective as possible.


    ''Pfft ... no, excuse me. That''s a tough one...........................Chief Soldier.


    Yes.....


    Mr. Edgar stifles a laugh and calls for the soldier-in-chief. The man called the soldier-in-chief looks like he''s given up on everything.


    ''Thank you for your service. Keep up the good work on your mission.''''


    ...What?


    The soldier-in-chief, who seemed to have expected to be reprimanded, seemed to not understand the meaning of Edgar-san''s words and made a goofy voice.


    He said, "There seems to be some misunderstanding, but you have not done anything wrong in this case. It is the fault of Tenma, who was dressed in a confusing manner. The man himself seems to be remorseful, so this matter is over.


    "I''m sorry to have disturbed you,


    Without a pause in Edgar''s words, I bowed to the soldiers.


    ''''Temma-kun, you can go now. However, I understand the reason for the disguise and how you feel, but at least wear a hood. As expected, this mask is too suspicious.


    Then Edgar handed me the mask I was wearing (in the style of a monster who looked like he lived in the opera house), holding back a laugh.


    I''ll be careful. And please keep this a secret from the kings because they are sure to make fun of you.


    I asked Mr. Edgar to do me a favor so the soldiers wouldn''t hear me as I accepted the mask.


    Mr. Edgar nodded and chuckled again.


    Then he gave me some advice about disguises. I asked not only Mr. Edgar, but also the soldiers who found me to think about it, and finally they decided that the reason why they were suspicious was because of the suspicious mask that was removed from the hood, and they decided that it would be better to stop wearing the mask and just wear the hood deep in their eyes, and when they were approached by the soldiers, they should show their faces and tell them why. I became.


    I thanked Mr. Edgar and the soldiers and left the Tsumesho, and began to tour the stalls once again, but as I left the Tsumesho, I saw the three men coming after me.


    At first I thought it was Lily and her friends, but when I casually checked around the corner, it wasn''t Lily and her friends, but a trio of men I didn''t know.


    I thought about going back to the stuffy room and having them deal with it if it was going to be a problem, but when I used my appraisal, I found that they were not completely unrelated to me, and that they were unlikely to try to harm me, so I decided that if they didn''t want to talk to me, it was safe to ignore them and went around the stalls I continued.


    I spent the next couple of hours cruising the stalls, but the trio following me still hadn''t approached me.


    I had done enough shopping too, so I decided to return to the mansion.


    When I returned to the front of the house, there was no sign of the three of them calling out to me, so I just walked in.


    After entering the mansion, the trio seemed to be watching for a while nearby, but before long they seemed to have given up and the signs had disappeared.


    It was almost certain that I would be seeing those three people in the near future. I thought it would be good to ask them about their day then, so I took out the food I had bought from the cart.


    Shiroumaru and Solomon flocked to the grilled meats and spit-roasts, and Jeanne and Aura flocked to the fruits and other sweet treats, using their appetites to relieve the resentment of not being able to go out.


    Slarin and Grandpa watched the scene as they sipped their tea.


    Today''s loot (souvenirs) were all tasty, varied and unusual, and the harvest was impressive, as expected of a festival in the royal capital.

 97-Chapter 5-20 Pre-Fighting Events-Meeting with a Stalker-

    The second day of rest. The finals of the tournament were coming up tomorrow, so I would normally spend it preparing for it, but I had been standing in the kitchen all morning.


    ''Probably not a failure but... okay! It''s solidified properly.


    I took out a single amber-colored plate of something from the refrigerator-type magic tool in the kitchen (made by me, supervised by Grandpa & Aina) and touched it to make sure it was OK.


    ''''The rest is all about the taste...''''


    He placed the board on the cutting board and broke it open by placing the knife against the gridded grooves. He popped one of them into his mouth to taste it.


    ''Yes, it worked! By the looks of it, the rest of the flavors should be fine too.


    What I was making was candy. I found a stall that sold water candy, so I bought a lot of it and modified it as a portable food that could easily replenish my energy.


    By the way, in this world, the word "candy" refers to water candy, and I''ve never seen hard candy balls before, and my grandfathers have never heard of them either.


    He had never seen hardened candy balls, and his grandfather had never heard of them either. Fortunately, the ingredients were simple enough that I remembered them, but I was a little concerned about whether I would succeed as I tried to modify them.


    The ingredients consisted of bought water candy, sugar, a little honey and lemon juice, and I put these in a pot and boiled them down, being careful not to burn them, and after removing them from the heat, I took the heat off while kneading them with a rice paddle, and poured them into a bat and put them in the fridge to harden. This is the basic flavor, and I made several other flavors such as chopped raisins and lemon peels, mixed with a little rock salt, and so on.


    It''s good for hunting and such. Next time when I''m not busy, I''ll make some more!


    I broke one candy board after another and put each type into a bottle and put it away in my bag.


    As I was putting the candy away in my bag, I felt a presence behind me, so I turned around to find Slarin there, looking at me. He seemed to be unusually interested in the food (candy).


    When Slarin came to my feet, he noticed a piece of candy spilled from the cutting board on the floor and reached out with his tentacles to pick up the piece and take it into his body.


    ''Is it good, Slarin?''


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.


    At this point I thought Shiroumaru and Solomon were unusually unresponsive to food, but they were still sleeping soundly.


    Perhaps they didn''t notice because they didn''t smell strong enough.


    I asked Slarin, who was enjoying his candy, to stay with me and I headed to Kelly''s workshop.


    There are still some wild horses near the mansion, but no one has tried to talk to me, so I''ll just ignore them as potatoes or something.


    Incidentally, there were three stalkers from yesterday''s morning, but they still wouldn''t talk to me, so I ignored them as well.


    When I arrived at Kelly''s workshop, the door was still locked, so I used the key I''d been keeping and went inside.


    Inside, Kelly and the other female dwarves on staff were sleeping soundly on the floor, seemingly unaware that I had come in.


    I checked on Kelly first, and since she seemed safe, I called out to her to wake her up.


    ''Ughhhhh good morning Temma I''ve got it right there...''


    Kelly pointed to Adamantine''s sword with a half-sleepy reaction. The hilt of the sword was wrapped with a pure white rope made of woven Siloumaru hair, and from the looks of it, there didn''t seem to be anything wrong with it.


    ''''Don''t go back to the back for a bit to see how it feels.


    I took my sword and told Kelly so. Kelly was sitting hunched over, rowing the boat and waving her hands like a ghost. Maybe he didn''t hear me.


    I swung the sword in the workshop''s backyard to feel the hilt, and the results were good. The hair on the Shiroumaru was inherently smooth, and I had expected it to slip even if I used it as a rope, but Kelly and the others seemed to have deliberately made the knot bigger when they tied the hair together, and the knot was non-slip.


    ''Pretty well done, huh?''


    Kelly came from behind me, wielding her sword, yawning.


    ''Yeah, good job!''


    The entire sword was originally black and seemed to have a martial impression, but thanks to the dragon and pure white rope dug into the side of the blade, it looks like a work of art, or perhaps a ceremonial one.


    ''Thanks Kelly. So what''s your fee?


    I pulled my purse out of my bag, but Kelly shook her head.


    ''No, I don''t want it. Originally, the Grand Duke paid us more for the sword and the carving, and even the rope was made of tenma, and we only had to weave the hair. So the labor is included in the Grand Duke''s fee!


    Apparently, Master Ernest (the Grand Duke) was paying more for the time I said I was unreasonable, so Kelly thinks it was within the adjustment that I knitted the rope.


    ''Besides, Temma gave me a lot of gifts. The new technology is working well, we''re getting good food, and I''m getting more in advance for my fees... any more and I''m overpaid.


    I put my purse away in my bag as Kelly laughed at that and I knew it wasn''t a good idea to pay for it.


    ''Shucks, Shiroumaru''s hair is pretty good quality material! It''s smooth, clean, sturdy, and even has all kinds of resistance. That rope won''t burn very well if you try to burn it in a fire.


    It is quite rare for a single material to have various types of resistance (in this case, fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, and ice magic resistance, but it can also include poison and paralysis). In particular, materials such as body hair are often basically vulnerable to fire, but Shiroumaru''s hair is also resistant to fire.


    ''''That guy''s amazing... I knew that Shiroumaru had a high magic defense, but I didn''t know that it was also resistant to hair.''''


    I had noticed that Shiroumaru didn''t care too much about eating ordinary magic, but I was surprised that one of the reasons for this was because of his body hair. I had thought it was because of Shiroumaru''s physical abilities and life force.


    That''s about the extent of Shiroumaru''s body hair, and we began the final fine-tuning of the sword.


    It didn''t take much time, mainly because it was only a matter of adjusting the hilt, even though it was a minor adjustment.


    ''''That''s it!''''


    I asked Kelly to retie the rope on the handle and adjust it to a thickness I could use.


    ''I suppose that concludes half of the Grand Duke''s request!


    Half of what you asked for?


    I asked, tilting my head back, not quite sure what Kelly meant by that.


    ''Yeah, I''m not completely done with the (...) request yet. This is an adjustment for the tournament. There''s still some sharpening left after the tournament so that it can be used after the tournament is over. So, after the tournament is over, I''ll bring it back to my workshop!


    Then Kelly slapped me on the back as hard as she could.


    Even though she''s a woman, she''s a dwarven blacksmith there. Kelly''s power is comparable to that of a top-notch adventurer, so my body flew lightly.


    ''''Well then. Don''t forget to bring your sword! I''m going to sleep again.


    Yawning, Kelly walked back into the workshop and crawled under the covers she had been sleeping under.


    I was about to return the keys, but Kelly started snoring early, so I had no choice but to lock the door for her before leaving the shop.


    As it was, I continued walking around the stall, chilling out instead of strolling, but again, the three stalkers were following me.


    I got tired of ignoring them, so I lured them into a long and narrow back alley.


    The three of them followed me to the back alley without any suspicion.


    ''Hello,''


    I waited a short distance from the entrance of the back alley and called out to the three men. The three of them seemed surprised and reflexively tried to run away.


    ''Oh, please don''t run away. I''ve roughly (...) grabbed your identities. As expected, I don''t think it''s a good idea for a nobleman (...) to work at stalking you, but I''ll keep his Majesty the King in the dark, so please don''t do anything like this. I''m sure we''ll have a chance to meet formally (...) in the near future, so until then, have a good day.


    I wound up at once before they could speak, and I jumped up onto the roof of the building, kicking the wall.


    If these were unknown nobles, I would report them to the kings, but fortunately for them, they were not trying to harm me, and they probably knew someone who knew me among their own people.


    A party is scheduled to be held at the royal castle in a few days. And since I''m sure I''ll get a special invitation as I''m sure I''ll get a chance to meet them at that time as well, as I''m sure I''ve already placed third in the tournament.


    Once again I looked at the trio with my mouth open with a pout and then left.


    I jumped unnoticed on the roof and descended into an unpopular back alley and breathed out loudly to catch my breath.


    ''Was I a little off-putting?''


    Even if it was to exploit the emptiness of the three of us, I regretted a bit that I shouldn''t do something that didn''t suit us. ........At least, the damage is surprisingly large if you do it alone.


    Just to be sure, I used ''Search'' to explore the trio, and they hadn''t moved from where we had just split up.


    I went back to the mansion, choosing a path that would take me away from them.


    ---SIDE three guys---.


    Hey you''re not talking to me again.


    You a**h*le.


    Two of the three men were nipping at the largest man.


    The large man let out a snarl as he scratched his head and crouched down to make his large body smaller.


    ''''Well it can''t be helped but if I mess up, the family''s territory may end up going downhill again.......''''


    The other two men gasped at the man who spoke in a blabbering voice that didn''t match his appearance.


    ''No, because that''s not the case now. From what I''ve heard from your father, he doesn''t seem to be so rooted.''''


    ''I heard that too. But it''s possible that Rion... or rather, that he''ll change his attitude when he finds out that we''ve been following him.


    When the smallest of the three (though he was about average height) said this, the man called Rion stood up vigorously.


    ''''That''s because of you guys, too!


    Rion lets out a loud yell, but the two of them don''t mind one bit. Apparently it''s always the same.


    ''That''s not true. We did give you some good advice. You were the one who didn''t listen to the advice and got scared, sloppy and hesitant.


    Albert was right. We''ve done the least amount of ... cooperation. The rest is Leon''s responsibility. We had nothing to do with it.


    Ugg~


    Rion glares at them with a snarl. However, they are completely ineffective and look cool.


    If an unseen third party saw this scene, they would call out for the guards while screaming. That''s how powerful Rion''s face was...It''s hard to believe that he''s a nobleman.


    ''''Hey, hey, Albert. I knew it was your........


    ''No! It''s nothing to do with him!


    Albert refuses to say no to her in a covered-up manner.


    Then Cain! Your.....


    Absolutely not! It''s like trying to pick a fight!


    The man called Cain also refuses before Leon finishes saying it. Most of all, this one, unlike Albert, disagrees, breaking out in a cold sweat.


    ''Well, he said we''ll have a chance to meet formally soon,'' That means he''s still willing to listen to Leon... right? Maybe.


    Hey, Albert! Don''t say that in a questioning way!


    Well, even if he listens, it''s not like he''s going to cooperate.


    Hearing Cain''s words, Rion''s body started to pull and shake. And.........


    It''s all because of my godd*mn father~~~!


    He barked loudly to the sky.


    ''But if I''ve offended him, it''s because it''s Leon''s fault.


    Rion crumples to the ground disappointedly when he hears Albert''s words.


    A few minutes later, they were waiting for the guards to question them about their duties.

 98-Chapter 5-21 Individual Battle Final

    In less than an hour, the individual finals will begin. According to the tournament officials, today''s attendance is the highest ever, which inevitably leads to a large number of people using the stalls and bets set up at the venue, and the laughter of those in higher positions is constant.


    ''Are you nervous, Temma?''


    My grandfather, who was here as my second, thought I was nervous to keep quiet and called out to me.


    Normally, we don''t have a second for individual matches, but only one person was allowed to have a second for the final match. This was done under the guise of preventing the finalists from being escorted or forcibly recruited by the nobility, and in order to help the parties involved to concentrate on the tournament and take care of their personal affairs.


    ''''No, I''m not nervous. It''s just that I''ve rarely had to deal with someone smaller than me in an opponent''s tournament before, so I was trying to figure out how to best fight.


    This is true. All of the guys I''ve fought have been bigger than me or about the same size. This is because many of them licked me because I was still young and wanted to take advantage of me.


    I''ve never been in a fist fight with someone smaller than me because I''m not a big person. But I can say objectively that she''s stronger than me in terms of strength and maneuverability, and Tenma is better in everything else. In other words, as long as you fight normally, Tenma has the advantage.


    I guess what Grandpa is saying is ''including magic''. That''s certainly true.


    But it''s not fun to fight as it''s said and honestly true. This is a serious fight, but it''s also a kind of festival. If you have the luxury of time, you can have a little fun with it.


    "From the looks of it, you don''t intend to use your magic honestly.......it''s typical of Tenma, or something like that.......


    Grandpa read my thoughts and let out a dismissive voice.


    "Well, anyway," he said, "I''m sure Temma will win. "Well, anyhow, I''m sure Tenma will win and I hope you''ll do well for my pocketbook!


    With that, he took out a bill from his pocket to prove that he had bet on me.


    "You''re betting on it.......well, I''m betting on it. That''s okay," he said. Grandpa, come join me in a little prep work.


    At my words, Grandpa took off his hood. In case you''re wondering, Grandpa has a body that doesn''t look like an old man. He''s muscular and toned, with no lean muscle mass. And quite strong. Not in a magical fight, but in a fist fight.


    As expected, he''s old, so his strength isn''t as strong, but my grandpa''s essence is that he''s a technical fighter, and he fights with counters, jointed techniques, throws, and a less forceful style, and he can keep me down if he''s on no magic terms.


    So these days, not only me, but also Jeanne, Aura, and even Aina are learning how to fight and self-defense from grandpa. I don''t have the blessing of a warrior god, that is to say.


    Then, for a while, Grandpa and I sweated and warmed ourselves up with a light kumite. The attendant who had come to check on me was surprised to see my grandfather engaged in a high-level kumite with me, and he kept rubbing his eyes to make sure I was okay.


    ''Temma player. It''s about time.


    The attendant called me and my grandpa to the arena.


    On the way to the arena, I listened to the attendant''s warning and left my bag with him.


    The entrance we were led to was not the one we had been using, but rather the one in front of the kings'' seats, which was more than twice as wide as the previous passage.


    ''Now, please wait here for a moment. The Amur players will be here shortly, and you will enter at the same time.


    Since this tournament was originally a battle cry tournament, the final is supposed to be the first thing the kings see in their faces. That would be the reason for the performance.


    ''''Amour, over here please.


    "Hm.


    It seems that soon after I got here, Amur arrived too.


    As I got close enough to hear footsteps, I turned around to see Amur''s face, and there was a little girl there. No, it''s simply that Amour isn''t the bandit king version, that''s the main body........................but it''s not right.


    And behind Amur, there was a familiar man standing behind her, who was following her as a second.


    ''Yo, kid!


    The man raised his hand with a fierce smile on his face. That man''s name was ''Blanca'', the man I lost to. Most of all, he was also the man I struggled with the most in this tournament.


    ''Are you done with your injuries, Blanca? And why are you in Amur''s second? Is it because we''re both tiger beastmen?


    I replied to Blanca, who was talking to me in a very friendly manner, and she started laughing...with a fierce look on her face.


    ''''Hahaha. My injuries are already healed! As for the second, me and your daughter know each other to begin with. I got beaten by you, so I just got some free time and turned into your daughter''s second.


    It''s probably half a lie to say that my injury is healed, but it doesn''t seem to be any problem for me to walk normally.


    When I was talking with Blanca, Amour suddenly came between me and Blanca.


    Then he looked at me and then I realized something.


    ''Hey you''re drooling.


    Amur turned back at my point and furtively wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his clothes before turning to me again.


    ''It''s me, not Blanca, that''s fighting.


    Apparently, Amour didn''t like the fact that I was letting myself go of my opponent and talking nicely with Blanca.


    ''Yeah, my bad. I''m Temma. Nice to meet you.


    I apologized honestly and held out my hand.


    ''Hmm, Amour. Nice to meet you.


    Amur nodded and then shook my hand. Just as we finished shaking each other''s hands, the time seemed to have come and the doors that had been closed before opened.


    When the doors opened completely, the first thing we saw was the bleachers of the kings at the front. All the royalty, including the king, stood up and looked at us all together.


    We are led forward by an attendant, and applause erupts. At first it was for me and Amur, but when I noticed Grandpa and Blanca following behind us, there was even louder applause and cheering.


    When the four of us reached the center of the arena, Grandpa and Blanca bowed to us and stepped back. This was a remnant of the old days, they said, and it was staged so that the seconds were accompanied by their attendants, and it was just the two of us who were competing against each other from here on out.


    After confirming that the seconds had retired, the king walked down the stairs to a position closer to the arena, lightly raised his hand and motioned for the crowd to be quiet.


    ''Well done to both sides for making it to the final. I hear that neither side has reached adulthood yet. As the ruler of this country, I am happy to see such young people here. Whichever side wins, this match will be remembered in history. Both sides will keep this in mind and fight without regrets! Individuals, let the finals begin!


    When the king finished speaking, the enthusiasm of the crowd, which had been quiet, exploded again.


    Soon after that, me and Amur confronted each other at a distance.


    Then we put our hands in each other''s bags and take out our weapons.


    Amur''s weapon is the same type of axe that he used in his fight with Jin. However, the color of the axe is different. It''s a darker black color compared to Jin''s. It is probably made of magical iron.


    In contrast, I take the Adamantine sword that Ernest-sama gave me.


    When I saw that sword, a huge cheer went up. It seems that they were expecting a powerful battle from the weaponry of Amur and I.


    In contrast to the excitement of the crowd, many of the nobles seemed to have disappointed expressions on their faces as some of them were disappointed.


    They probably know who the previous owner of this sword was, and probably have the mistaken idea that I''ve already been called by Ernest-sama (Grand Duke).


    Individuals, finals! Temma vs. Amur, the match begins!


    The final match had finally begun. As soon as I held my sword, Amur''s body was shaken.


    It''s the same move as the attack that Blanca used to destroy my arm. But it was slightly slower than Blanca''s due to the weight of the weapon, and since this was the second time I''d seen this move, I was able to deal with it in plenty of time.


    In response to Amur''s side-nagging strike, I swing my sword down from the upper level to intercept.


    However, although his speed was slower than Blanca''s, the weight of his attack was more than Blanca''s. That''s why my body, which had been expecting an attack on par with Blanca''s, was blown away by Amur''s blow.


    The fact that I was blown away left me in a fairly defenseless stance, but fortunately Amour was also out of position, and in addition, I was blown away more than I thought I would be, and since the distance was much wider, there was no follow-up attack.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but it''s not much of a concern because in reality it''s just a difference in the momentum of your weapon. And since I''m properly receiving it with my sword, the damage isn''t much.


    ''''Besides, it looks like it''s going to be difficult to fire continuously...''''


    It''s true that this is Blanca''s secret weapon, and Amour''s small body is not capable of firing it continuously.


    It''s a good idea to use that technique when the distance between you and your partner is wide, it''s easy to spot and deal with, so you can''t use it with the distance between me and Amour.


    However, since I''m going to be on the defensive more often than not, I decided to make a bold move and put Amur in close combat.


    It''s a trick, but I''ve tried to emulate Blanca''s technique several times, so I can use it to some extent.


    If this technique were to become a surprise attack, it would be a bad idea, but it was effective in attacking the enemy, and I was able to beat Amur to the punch.


    You can''t use that move from this distance, can you?


    I approached Amur only about two meters away and swung my sword. Defeated, Amur also swung his axe, and from there a battle of blows with heavy weapons began.


    From there, the exchange of blows continues for several minutes without moving from the spot. I was winning in terms of hand count, but there was a difference between the two in terms of weapon proficiency, and Amur, who was more adept with the axe, was able to outrun my attacks two or three times before delivering a powerful blow.


    Neither of us were decisive, and once Amur tried to distance himself from me.


    I thought this was a bad move and stepped forward to match Amur''s move and swung my sword. But.........


    Sweet.


    Amur sped up and fell back, my sword cutting through the air.


    ''I got it,''


    In a quiet voice, Amur fires a sharp blow at my torso.


    ........Not good! By all accounts, it''s powerful enough to cripple me in combat!


    I''ll be in time!


    I let go of my sword as quickly as I could and strengthened my hand with magic to pin the axe blade. Then I did a sideways leap without resisting the momentum of the axe.


    It was a method close to a bet or two, but I won the bet and managed to minimize the damage.


    When the axe lost momentum, I put my feet on the ground and tried to throw it away, snatching it from a startled Amur.


    However, the moment I made the throw, Amur tried to pull out the axe with even more force. So I forced myself to stop throwing and let go of my hand.


    Then Amur suddenly loses his resistance and almost flips over backwards.


    ''''Phew!''''


    Without missing the opportunity, I swing my fist.


    The blow nearly catches Amur''s face, but Amur''s arm interrupts when he is close to catching it.


    However, since I was defending myself inadequately, my fist succeeded in damaging Amur''s face with my arm.


    As it was, Amur fell backwards, but without killing the momentum of his fall, he rolled backwards and stood up.


    As soon as he got up, Amur showed a stance as if he was preparing for my pursuit, but I prioritized picking up my sword rather than giving chase, so the flow of the fight was again interrupted and we had to start over.


    I readjusted my sword and stared at Amur. Where does Amur have such power in his small body? I took a stance, wielding an axe that was more than my height, I thought.


    And Amur rushed ahead. This time it was just a lunge, not using Blanca''s technique, but it was still quite fast.


    If you get hit by this blow, there is a good chance you will be sent flying just like the first time, so this time you concentrate on avoiding it, but Amour only showed a pretense of swinging his axe and rushed in further.


    ''''Mmm!''''


    With such a call, Amur swung his fist instead of his axe.


    I tried to cut down Amur, who came in between swords, with my sword, but I hesitated for a moment.


    This caused Amur''s fist to hit me in the face, almost causing me to fall backwards. Amur''s attack was a real challenge, but I managed to duck the second shot by twisting my neck.


    When I ducked the second shot, Amur tried to swing his axe, but my blow was faster than his.


    Amur reflexively tried to block the attack with his axe handle, but he didn''t get there in time, and his sword struck his side.


    However, because of the distance between me and Amur, I couldn''t pull Amur off with as much force as I expected.


    And, Amur grabbed my sword, leaving me defenseless.


    The axe wielded there. Amur held the axe handle short and adjusted it so that the blade part hit me.


    ''''Screw it!''''


    Amur swings the axe at me as if to strike me from above. A split second before the axe falls, I grab Amour''s shoulder and pull him close to my body as I pull him towards me.


    And while doing so, I give him a head butt. He continued with a body, then an uppercut, and finally a big outer cut.


    He slammed into the ground with considerable force, but before he could put a stop to it, Amur rolled away from the scene.


    However, he dropped the axe in a quicksilver, so I didn''t hesitate to let him throw it farther away.


    However, the axe was heavier than I expected, and it didn''t fly five meters.


    ''''Looks like you won''t.......surrender.


    Although Amur is wobbling, his eyes are sharper than before the start of the match.


    He hasn''t given up yet, and since Jin was beaten by Amur in this state, he can''t let his guard down.


    The proof of this is that Amur''s mood has begun to change. Until then, it was still a sign of a human, but now Amur is a fierce beast.......similar to the feeling that Blanca had when she got serious.


    ''''Fugaaaaaahhh!''''


    Amur comes rushing in in a straight line, without an axe. It seems that he doesn''t seem to be thinking of defending himself.


    I tried to counter the carelessly rushing towards Amur, but Amur came running without a care in the world.


    I attempt a kesa-kiri (kasakiri) against such Amur, but Amur uses his left arm as a shield to block it.


    It doesn''t...hurt!


    It looks like Amur has magically strengthened his left arm, but from the feel of it being transmitted through the sword, the bone in his left arm must be cracked at the very least. And from the painfully contorted face, it''s clear that he''s a skinny guy.


    Then he grabbed the sword with his left arm, which was supposed to hurt, and struck at me with his right hand.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it. As a result, I was unable to evade as much as the finger was extended, and although it didn''t hit my eye, it did graze my left temple and blood began to flow.


    The audience groaned at my bloodshed. Amur was gaining momentum and continuing to attack, but I couldn''t let him take the lead.


    I let go of the sword in Amur''s grip and pretend to go for an eye strike with the fingers of my right hand.


    Amur seems to have been distracted by that when he saw that my fingers were extended. So I withdrew my right hand in the middle and struck Amour''s chin with my left instead.


    My left fist neatly shook Amur''s head, and it looked like it was going to fall apart, but Amur held onto my body before it completely collapsed.


    ''''Catch........me!


    Amur puts his arms around my body firmly and tries to force me up. I quickly buckled down and resisted, but because Amur, who is smaller than me, was squirming underneath me, I couldn''t hold on as hard as I wanted to and floated in the air.


    And then he threw me to the side. The Amur''s throw was so forceful that I was knocked to the ground without being able to catch myself properly. Right after I was slammed into the ground, Amur grabbed me by the legs and swung me around.


    Amur doesn''t seem to be pushing himself particularly hard, even though he catches me with one hand and swings me around.


    He''s probably the best in this tournament in terms of pure strength alone.


    I''ve almost been knocked to the ground a few times, but each time I''ve been able to avoid it by hitting the ground with my magic-enhanced hands. But it doesn''t seem like I''m going to succeed that many times.


    The moment of collision with the ground a few times, I punched the ground as hard as I could and plunged my fist into the ground.


    It''s a good thing that the fists are plunged into the ground, so the body that was being swung around by Amour temporarily stopped moving and lost its momentum.


    I tried to escape from Amur by standing on my head and exerting myself.


    But that''s not enough to make Amur let go of my hand, and instead, he tried to hug my leg.


    If this is the case, he''ll decide on my ankle joint. I decided that, and I slammed into the ground faster than Amur could hug my legs.


    Amur stopped trying to hug me and tried to prevent me from putting one hand on the ground to avoid a collision, but that was my aim.


    I kicked Amour away with the leg of the one that wasn''t grabbed, aiming for the moment when Amour''s consciousness went to the ground and his hands were on the ground.


    The kick hit him in the face, and Amour couldn''t hold on any longer and let go of my leg.


    As it was, Amour hurriedly got away from me, which I was grateful for.


    At any rate, I forced myself to stretch out from a halfway position, so I did my best to get up, and if Amur had been forced to come at me here, I would probably have had to fight in a mid-waist-like stance.


    For the second time in a row, they took a pause between each other and took a stance.


    At first glance, it looked like they were starting over from the beginning. However, Amour was breathing heavily on his shoulders, and the situation was definitely becoming more favorable to me.


    I''m dirty all over my body and my equipment (leather armor) is scratched everywhere, but there is no fatal damage. The wound on my temple has also stopped bleeding.


    Amur''s body looks similar to mine, but his face is different from mine.


    Amur''s nose was bleeding quite a bit and he was having trouble breathing, which was probably why he was breathing on his shoulder.


    Looking at that amount of nosebleed, he probably has a broken nose. It looks like her nose is crooked, if only a little.


    I was about to ask Amur if he would surrender, but before that, he pinched his nose and forcefully corrected the bend in his nose and squeezed it.


    Then his nose almost stopped bleeding and he seemed to be breathing better.


    ''It''s all right now. Continue.........''''


    With that, Amour thanks me lightly. He probably misunderstood that I went out of my way to wait for the treatment, but I merely stopped moving, surprised that the girl had healed the bend in her nose on her own and stopped the blood.


    Most importantly, I was even about to recommend surrender, so even if Amur hadn''t acted like that to heal her, I don''t think he would have attacked her from me, but I''m sure he missed an opportunity.


    However, the audience applauded, perhaps mistaking my not attacking them as a ''gentlemanly act''.


    I''m a little embarrassed to admit it, but Amur and I didn''t have time to be embarrassed and were looking for an opening in each other''s hands.


    Me and Amur''s weapons have fallen away from each other and there doesn''t seem to be any room to go get them.


    Even if I were to take out a new weapon from the bag, they wouldn''t let me take that kind of time.


    This means that you will have to use your bare hands, which Amur seems to want to do, and he is in a position to jump on you at any time.


    Amour''s nose has stopped bleeding and his breath is no longer irregular. I''m not sure if he has used magic, so he must be very resilient or have other reasons.


    As someone who has been biting into medicine somewhat, I am curious about this, but I don''t have time to think about it right now.


    After closing the gap between us with a slow, abrasive footing, Amour finally came into my interval. At that moment........


    Gasp!


    I let out a beastly voice and Amur moved significantly.


    Amur swings his right hand wide from the top and comes to strike me. Since it was coming at me with considerable speed, if this had been a surprise attack, I would have received a direct hit, but I was expecting this attack.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with this one.


    It was exactly what I was aiming for, so I stepped lightly to avoid it while halfway through, and tried to hit him with my left.


    But then two unexpected things happened in quick succession.


    The first one was that Amur''s attack was too sharp, which caused a phenomenon like a kama-weasel to occur and slice through my arm. Well, even though it was a slice, it was just a scratch, so the wound itself wasn''t a big problem.


    The problem was the second one, as Amour swung his arm down, he spun around with the same momentum.


    This was indeed a surprise, and I pulled back my fist without pulling it out.


    ''''Nyaah!''''


    As it is, Amour''s heel(...) attacks me. It''s a flying neal kick, as they say in wrestling.


    I guarded it with my retracted left arm, but I was shoved in with my guarded arm.


    Amur is light in weight for his small stature, so he didn''t get shoved down as it was, but it was still powerful enough to break my shoulder and poke my knee, and I couldn''t get my left arm up.


    ''''Hmph!''''


    As I poked him in the knee, Amour positioned himself and continued with a right kick to the middle of the foot.


    I rolled away from this kick in time to avoid it. But Amur''s attacks didn''t stop.


    He chases after me as I roll and stomps on me.


    After a few meters of rolling, Amur has an opening and I gain momentum and get up.


    Still, Amur doesn''t stop attacking me and attacks me with his body.


    I jump with one hand and somersault to land on my feet, using the oncoming Amur as a jumping box.


    When I landed, my shoulder, which was sore from earlier, became even more painful, but I persevered and once I got away from Amur, I cast a spell on my shoulder to heal it. However, since I didn''t have time, I focused on connecting the bones together and decided that taking away the pain was secondary. That decision was correct, and when he had connected the bones in his shoulder, Amur was closing in on him, so he interrupted his treatment and took up an interception position.


    From there, it was a melee, with both men stopping to beat each other to the ground.


    But the fisticuffs did not last long.


    I''m not sure if I''ve ever heard of this, but I''m sure I''ve heard of it.


    I''m going to be careful not to let Amur''s attacks hit me, and I''m going to focus on evading them.


    I ducked and ducked using ducking and swaying, knocked Amur''s fists off with paring, and counter-punched him.


    He has a sore shoulder, so he focuses on hitting each shot small and sure, because if he swings his fist out of the way, he could lose his balance and show an opening.


    I''ll remember other boxing techniques I''ve read about on TV or in books and try to imitate them.


    It is surprisingly easy to remember the things you did for fun when you were a child, even if you are a hazy learner.


    This kind of (boxing) technique has not been established in this world, and even if you are halfway through the fight, it is very effective. Boxing techniques are specialized for fisticuffs, and their effectiveness did not change even beyond the world.


    It was only a matter of time before my fist, which also made full use of such previous life skills, caught Amour''s face as his movements began to slow down.


    And the time had come.

 99-Chapter 5-22 First time...

    My right hook cracks Amur''s jaw with a hook to the side of the head.


    Amur crumbled from his knees. But I almost pushed him to his knees too.


    At the same time as my right hook, Amour''s left fist had also hit my side. However, I was slightly faster than him, so I seemed to be able to hold back the power somewhat, but it still hurt quite a bit.


    Amur tried to hug me as he collapsed, but I ducked by jumping backwards while holding back the pain.


    As he fell to the ground, Amour''s eyes still haven''t lost their will to fight.


    If I give him time to do this, he''ll come back up again.


    So, I walked behind Amour and........


    Heeeee...


    He strangled Amur. To be precise, it wasn''t the trachea, but the carotid artery choking technique, the so-called ''naked choke''.


    For a few seconds, Amur struggled to resist, but with his jaw hammered out and concussion, he couldn''t do much, and eventually the strength left his limbs.


    ''Ref! You lost, lady! Boy, hurry up and get your hands off me!


    When I saw that Amur had stopped moving, Blanca came at me with a tremendous look on her face.


    I''m not going to be the only one who can do this.


    "Yo, and.........


    As soon as I turned on the activity, Amur regained consciousness and began to check both sides.


    Then, when he realized I was behind him, he hurriedly got up and tried to move away, but as soon as he got up, he wobbled and almost fell over.


    ''You''ve lost, young lady. The young lady was out cold for a little while, you know.


    Blanca was relieved to see that Amur was safe and seemed to calm down a bit, supporting the fallen Amur as he told her the result of the match. Amur looked surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered and nodded.


    ''Individual final, match over! Winner, Temma!


    After confirming that Amur had regained consciousness, the referee declared my victory.


    As soon as he did so, the hall was filled with loud cheers and applause.


    My acquaintances were especially happy as if it was my own affair, and even Maria was wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.


    I waved to the audience and approached Amur.


    Amur was still standing on his feet, supported by Blanca.


    ''Good work,'' he said. Stay still for a moment.


    I held my hand in front of Amour''s face and cast a recovery spell.


    Since it was only a first aid measure, the bruises and other bruises didn''t really disappear, but even so, the nosebleeds that had begun to appear again stopped.


    After the nosebleeds stopped, I held out my hand, and Amur looked at my face and hand in turn before shaking my hand.


    ''Boy, congratulations. I didn''t expect you to be so unforgiving!


    Blanca teases me as she congratulates me. I guess what Branka is referring to is the final naked tightening.


    ''No. You wouldn''t have stopped if you hadn''t done that, would you? Amur is.....


    Hearing those words, he laughed, saying things like "it must be".


    As I was looking at Blanca, I felt the hand I was shaking with Amour was pulled back a bit.


    I looked at Amur to see what it was, and suddenly I was pulled in with great force. And.........


    Tut.


    Huh? Why am I being kissed by Amur....


    Suddenly, without warning, Amour took my lips away from me...


    I was confused by such an unexpected event, and I felt like pushing Amour away from me.


    ''''Huh!''''


    Amur smiles as if to say "I did it". But to me, that smile looks like a ravenous animal staring at its prey.


    Blanca, who received Amour, put her hand on her forehead and looked up.


    ''''Idiot! Girl!


    Phew!


    Blanca raised the hand she had placed on her forehead and dropped her knuckles on Amour''s head. Then, Amour let go of consciousness again.


    Blanca lifted such Amour up.


    ''''Ahhhh.......I''m sorry, kid. Just think you were bitten by a tiger and forget about it!


    With Amour on his shoulder, Blanca hurriedly leaves the scene... or maybe it would be fatal if the tiger bites him.


    I left the hall with my grandfather, who had come to my side before I knew it, thinking vaguely about such things.


    ''Temma, what is your relationship with that boy (Amur)?''


    I don''t know! I''d love to hear why you did that to me!


    I was in the waiting room, talking about what I had just said while Grandpa was being treated.


    ''Thanks, Grandpa. I''ll take care of the rest myself.


    Since I''m better at recovery magic than my grandfather, I decided to do it myself, except for places I couldn''t see, such as my back.


    I don''t remember exactly what happened as I went back to the waiting room after that, but I heard that the auditorium was abuzz with excitement when Amur attacked them.


    I don''t remember much about it, but I heard that the audience was in uproar when Amur attacked them. And that in front of such a large crowd.......love at first sight?


    I don''t know about that, but it looks like the person who can tell us about it is just around the corner.


    ''And you''re going to explain that to me now, aren''t you, Blanca?


    I felt a startled presence at the door. Grandpa seemed to know that someone was at the door, but he didn''t seem to know who (...) and was surprised at me for guessing.


    ''That''s right I''m interrupting you.


    Blanca, who had come in sluggishly, bowed her head when she saw me and Grandpa.


    ''I''m sorry! Your daughter has done something stupid!


    The first to open up, Blanca bows her head while apologizing. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on.


    It''s not that he was harmed, but it''s not that he was harmed, so what''s the most important reason?


    When Grandpa asked him why, Blanca was reluctant to say.


    ''Anyway, you had a reason, didn''t you? There was no harm done, but the damage was done, and I should have a right to know why, right?


    With those words, Blanca seemed to have made up her mind, and after taking a deep breath, she began to tell me why.


    Me and my grandpa froze at that bombshell. Ignoring us, Blanca continues to talk further.


    ''''Your tribe ... well, it''s my tribe too, but it''s a pretty big tribe. There''s an autonomous region in the south of this country that''s mainly composed of beastmen. Your daughter is the only daughter of the biggest force there.


    What is called the "Southern Autonomous Region" exists in the south of this country. One of the characteristics of this region is that there are so many beastmen that it is also known as the "Beastman Autonomous Region", and although it is under the control of this country, it is said that due to their high fighting ability (.......), the king of three generations ago granted them autonomy.


    Today, although their numbers are small, there are also beastman aristocrats, and perhaps due to their influence, the relationship between them is good.


    But even so, discrimination against the beastmen still exists, and there are some beastmen who moved to the Southern Autonomous Region because of it, and it is said that some of those who moved there have a grudge against the human race.


    It is said that this is why the king is troubled by the problems of the southern autonomous region once every few years even today.


    "So you mean to say that she has declared a stronger Temma to be her husband?


    Blanca nodded at Grandpa''s words.


    ''I know there are some in my tribe and surrounding tribes that are stronger than the young lady, but they are few in number and all of them are much older and married. But close in age is no match for the young lady. But the young lady insists that she wants to marry a man who is stronger than she is. And the girl''s parents said, ''You can get the one you like, of any race. That''s how I sent the young lady off. I''m going to compete in this tournament, and you''re going to use me as a chaperone....


    Incidentally, although Amur''s father is an honorary viscount from the kingdom, he is more than an ordinary count in terms of strength. It''s a good idea to make sure that you have a good idea of what you''re doing.


    ''But the monk has veto power! Worst case scenario, I can handle it by force! The question is, will that get the lady to give up on it so kiddo. Sorry! Just think you''re out of luck and give up following your daughter around!


    If Amur were to give up, the only things he''d have to do is 1. find someone stronger than me in his own age group, 2. Amur can find someone he likes even if he doesn''t care about strength, or 3. kill Amur.


    1 is a long shot since the gods have guaranteed his strength, and 3 is indeed impossible.


    So I can only hope that 2 will appear.


    While I was sighing, Grandpa blurted out.


    There''s more...


    And so on.


    It was getting close to the time when the final match of the pairs would begin, but after all that talk, I felt too lazy to go watch, so I decided to take a break as it was.


    Incidentally, when I asked Blanca how Amour was doing, she smiled and.......


    I''m not going to kiss you all of a sudden. I''ve left her wrapped up in the bed as a spanking as well. So don''t worry! I won''t appear in front of the monk until this tournament is over! ...should be.


    And then he left the room.


    While I was having lunch in the waiting room, an official came over to tell me that the pairs'' final had finished.


    Apparently, the time for the team finals had been moved because we were halfway through the tournament, and it would start in two hours from now.


    This seemed to be out of consideration for my consecutive games, and the other side agreed.


    Yes, I understand. When the time is up, we can go back to the aisle I mentioned earlier, right?


    ''That''s right. An attendant will come to pick you up, but please keep that in mind.


    After the attendant left, I opened the bag I had left with my grandpa.


    ''''Guh~''''


    As I''m feeding them additional food, being careful not to eat too much, Namitaro comes up to me, grinning.


    ''Temma you''re close to the grave of life!


    It comes with a nice smile on its face and turns its pectoral fins to me. Probably, he''s trying to give me a thumbs-up, but I can''t tell by looking at him.


    ''Shut up!''


    The expression on Namitaro''s face was irritating, and I kicked him without thinking, but Namitaro''s scales were quite hard, and it hurt my leg in reverse.


    ''I''m fine~Temma~''


    Grinning, Namitaro pokes fun at me, pretending to be worried.


    ''''Well I''ll give you a thunderbolt.


    I apologize. Please give me a break!


    Even Nami Taro, as expected, is afraid of lightning. Do you get down on your knees right in front of me? I apologize for doing so, so I call it a day.


    ''By the way, changing the subject, how do you plan to compete in the finals?''


    Namitaro is saying, who is dealing with whom? I guess that''s what it means.


    I thought about it for a bit, then decided on a combination.


    ''First of all, the Wyvern variants will be aerial combat, so Solomon would be the right choice. The other side is bigger and faster, but in areas with a defined range, Solomon, with his small maneuverability, should have a chance to win. However, if there''s an opening, Namitarou should join in. You have at least one or two ways to attack in the air, right?


    I''m sure the all-or-nothing Nami Taro would have some anti-aircraft skills.


    I had this strange conviction, and when I asked him about it, he laughed wryly.


    "You have no idea who I am! I''m going to show you my trump card!


    Namitaro snorted and got into it.


    ''So, I''ll take care of the trolls and cyclops. Those guys are strong, but slow moving and seem to be more effective with their blows, so I''ll do the best I can.


    I''ve hunted ogres a few times, so as long as they''re the same giant species, it won''t make much difference.


    ''''Then the other two are Shiroumaru and Slarin''s prey!


    Namitaro said and looked at Shiroumaru and Slarin, but that was a bit different.


    ''No, Shiroumaru and Slarin will only deal with someone other than the tamer (...)


    Slarin and Shiroumar nod their heads at my words.


    ''Look, what about the tamer?


    Namitaro looked curious too, but I had an idea about that.


    ''I dare to ignore it. Unless they attack us, I don''t think he''ll go on the offensive himself until the enemy gets close. So I''ll beat the other guys first, then hit them!


    The strongest of those guys would probably be the tamer. If a guy like that doesn''t join the fight from the start, then leaving him alone until the last minute would be the least amount of damage.


    Well, it would be easiest if that guy retired where he was left alone....


    ''I don''t think we''re that strong of an opponent in a normal fight. But let''s not let up and go!


    Each of them replied in a spirited manner as if they were following my words.


    ''There is still time for us, but they are impatient.


    We were too quick to get into it, just as Grandpa had murmured, and then we were sodden about ten minutes later and had to get back into it again.

 100-Chapter 5-23 Finals and Tragedy

    We''re fired up again and we''re coming to the doorway.


    And my grandpa is walking beside me as an attendant once more.


    The opposing team has three people lined up, but those three are registered members, so perhaps one of the two, other than Tamer, will serve as a chaperone.


    This time, the opposing team was the first to arrive, but we didn''t make good eye contact.


    The reason for this is simple: the other team''s tamer was staring at us. I don''t remember him glaring at me, and it''s not a pleasant thing to do, but he''s not stupid enough to cause a problem right before the game, so I ignore it.


    In the midst of this slightly cushy atmosphere, the closed entrance opened and we all went up to the fighting table.


    Normally, the military should be taken out of the bag before stepping onto the platform, but for the first time, both teams were asked to step up to the platform with only the human members first to keep a distance between them before taking out their families, as there were more of them than humans and they did not want to get excited and start attacking each other. This was because his side had requested it.


    As we advanced to the center of the platform, my grandfather and the opposing team''s warriors bowed and got off the platform and went back.


    However, only the opposing team''s warriors were allowed to remain in the hall and had moved to the outfield behind the opposing team.


    This meant that the warrior was a registered member of the opposing team, which was the difference between him and his grandfather, who was not registered for the game.


    They then pulled their subordinates out of their bags, keeping their distance from each other.


    Shiroumaru and Solomon jumped out of the bag with great vigor. Slarin and Namitarou slowly emerged from the bag.


    The other team, Cyclops and Trolls, came out sluggishly, turning their shoulders wide and unraveling their bodies. The black wyvern had come out on foot at first, but after spreading its body wide on its wings, it was flying up into the sky.


    The hall was filled with the biggest cheers of the day as the two teams'' subordinates appeared in unison.


    The cheers lasted for a while, so much so that it was difficult for the king to start his pre-match ''thank you''.


    The formation of both sides was Oration (us) side by side, with Namitarou, Solomon, me, Shiroumaru, and Slarin from left to right.


    The Dendrobates (the other team) has a vanguard of Cyclops, Wyvern, and Trolls, with a Wizard a few meters behind them and a Tamer behind them.


    ''''The final of the team competition! ''Oration'' vs. ''Dendrobates'' ... the game begins!


    The ref declares the start and quickly leaves.


    But before the ref can leave completely, Cyclops, Wyvern, Troll and I jump out of the way.


    This jumping out of the way of me elicited a groan from the audience.


    But what was even more surprising was the opposing team. Normally a tamer would never launch a suicide attack.


    Moreover, the only other members of the team are my family members, so if I were to lose, it would automatically mean that Oration would lose.


    They wouldn''t understand such a thing, but the roar of the crowd and the reactions of the tamer''s behind them made their movements slightly slower.


    I didn''t miss the opening and approached the troll.


    ''Shh!''


    First, he continued with two low kicks to the shins. The troll was in so much pain that he involuntarily held the leg of the one kicked.


    Where the troll''s face fell, he ran up his back and hit the back of his head. The blow left the troll unable to stand properly, if not out of combat.


    The wyvern tried to bite me as I tried to put a stop to the troll, but the attack was missed by Solomon''s sideways body strike.


    However, the Wyvern''s closing in on me pulled me away from the troll, so Cyclops was able to get there in time.


    ----SIDE Solomon vs. the Wyvern subspecies----


    Solomon succeeded in deflecting the wyvern subspecies'' attack from the Temma with a physical attack. Furthermore, he was able to move the target of the wyvern subspecies to himself, so first of all it was as planned.


    "Ggaaaaaa!


    The wyvern subspecies was completely pissed off because of being interrupted by someone smaller than him.


    In nature, it was impossible for a wyvern to go at a dragon that was higher in rank than him as a species.


    However, this wyvern subspecies did not think normally. Of course, the fact that there was an order from the tamer had something to do with it. But this wyvern sub-species was even more confident in its own power.


    ''''I''m not just a wyvern.''''


    This wyvern subspecies had been strong from birth. It was not that the wyvern as a species was strong, but the fact that it was special.


    It is said that a wyvern is a species similar to a dragon.


    However, they are far from that of a dragon in raising their children.


    Highly intelligent dragons, unless there is something very wrong with the child, parents will stay close to the child until the child can survive on its own.


    However, once a wyvern has grown to a certain extent, the child is no longer a child from that point on and is just a creature of its own kind.


    So it''s not uncommon for parents to feed their own young. Even if they don''t feed, the parents will abandon their children as if they have lost interest in them.


    This subspecies of wyvern was also a potential prey for its parents. But this wyvern subspecies, on the contrary, ate its parents to death. The sub-species of the wyvern ate its parents to death, and because it had acquired a taste for the same species, it ate the nearby wyvern.


    Furthermore, there was no creature in the vicinity where the wyvern subspecies lived that was stronger than a wyvern, and it was truly an invincible champion.


    Because of this, this wyvern subspecies was absolutely confident in its strength.


    However, even such a wyvern subspecies had a miscalculation. That was the ''flimsy collar'' fitted around its neck. Because of this, I, who is supposed to be the champion, is now a slave to an ape-like creature.


    The collar prevents you from moving and even causes you intense pain even if you try to oppose it.


    This is one of the reasons why the wyvern sub-species is more violent than it was before it was captured due to stress.


    A similar creature comes at such a wyvern subspecies.


    The Wyvern sub-species was furious with Solomon, who was flying around in his own private domain, just like him, and he was angry beyond recognition.


    It came from the fact that his instincts as a wyvern did not know that he was afraid of dragons of higher rank as a species, and the feeling of emotions he didn''t know he had pierced his heart like a needle was the cause of his irritation.


    The Wyvern subspecies assumed that this was because ''a creature smaller than you is irreverently defying you in your own realm''.


    Solomon flies away from Temma after the Wyvern subspecies hits him physically.


    The Wyvern subspecies, with blood on his head, already sees only Solomon fleeing in front of him.


    The chase drama in the sky continued with the pattern of the wyvern subspecies, which was slightly superior in speed, trying to bite Solomon every time it caught him in range, and Solomon deftly dodging his attacks.


    You might think that you could just spit fire, but since they were flying at high speed, it was not a good idea to spit fire poorly, as it would land on you. Most of all, it seems that the wyvern now has the idea that he can show his strength to his opponent (Solomon) by biting him and doing damage directly rather than spitting fire at him.


    The fleeing Solomon seems to be starting to get impatient, and his movements are starting to get a little erratic.


    So far he has ducked all the attacks, but since he has been taken behind, Solomon couldn''t think of any means to attack the wyvern variants.


    Therefore, he couldn''t concentrate on evading, and finally the wyvern subspecies'' fangs (attacks) grazed Solomon''s tail, Solomon panicked and concentrated on evading.


    However, the attack causes him to lose his balance and delays his escape from the Wyvern subspecies'' attack range.


    The wyvern subspecies opens its mouth as wide as it can and tries to bite him, but when it does...


    ''Uggah! Ugar!


    I could hear Cyclops'' impatient voice from below. And the next moment.....


    "Fish style, hadohooooooooo...


    With such a prolonged voice, a flash of light came from the ground over the sub-genre of the wyvern.


    ----SIDE Namitaro...


    What a bunch of crunchy-looking bastards.


    Namitaro thought that as he watched Tenma overwhelm the troll with her bare hands.


    Well, he couldn''t help but think so, since the strength ranks were too different between Tenma (& Namitarou) and the troll.


    Incidentally, among those present in this hall, Tenma is probably the only one who can currently beat Namitaro.


    (Oops, while you''re thinking about that, you''re being chased by Solomon. Shiroumaru and Slarin they''re playing with a wizard and I''m sorry to hear that.


    To Namitaro, Tenma was a friend, and in a sense, a family member. Therefore, the picture of Tenma''s family is his family, and he thinks (selfishly) that Slarin and the others are his younger brothers.


    So when Tenma asked me to follow up with Solomon, I accepted the task as a matter of course.


    (So...) "Namitaro, let''s go!


    Namitaro set off to save Solomon.


    Needless to say, Namitaro is a carp. He''s not just a carp, but his species is a carp. So, of course he cannot fly.


    However, Nami Taro has a power (cheat) given to him by the gods.


    Also, Namitaro has a secret that he hasn''t told Tenma, which is exclusive to the gods and Namitaro.


    Namitaro was a wild carp that lived for more than a thousand years in his previous life. Even a wild carp, if it lived for more than a thousand years, it would change into a kind of youkai.


    But Namitaro was different. What a surprise, he gained divinity and became a divine beast, in a sense, a divine beast.


    And he used his divine beast powers to swim in ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans around the world.


    It was fun at the time, but eventually, as science developed, they could no longer swim around freely.


    Still, if they had escaped to the deep sea, they might have been able to swim around freely. However, the deep sea did not suit Namitaro.


    Deep-sea fish were so desperate for life that they saw Namitaro as food or a predator, and many of them were even more gloomy, leaving the jovial Namitaro with almost no one to talk to.


    And most importantly, the food didn''t match.


    There was no such thing as mountain food in the depths of the sea, and it was hard for Namitaro, who grew up in the mountains, to eat.


    So he moved to a pond deep in the mountains at the end of his life.


    After a long and tedious day, death came to Namitaro.


    And after he died, he was picked up by the gods.


    The gods wanted to give Namitaro a new body, just as they had given Tenma. A human body was among the options for the new body, but Namitaro chose the familiar body of a fish (a carp).


    Therefore, the gods created a new body based on the body of his previous life (...), which was most compatible with Namitarou, and gave it to Namitarou.


    Because of this, Namitaro is the closest thing to a god in this world, a carp. Although his power from his previous life is gone due to his reincarnation in this world, he is still, in a sense, more powerful than Tenma.


    One of Nami Taro''s hidden techniques explodes.


    Swimming over the fighting table, Namitaro moved into an easy to aim position, concentrated his magic power in his mouth and shouted the name of the technique.


    The origin is, of course, the thing (...). It''s actually a type of breath, but Namitaro named it this way because it''s easier for him to do.


    The name of the technique is a bit of a joke, but if you fire it seriously a few times, this royal city will fall.


    It''s the strongest depth of Nami Taro, with power comparable to Tenma''s Tempest and surpassing the Tempest in penetrating power.


    Well, since it wouldn''t be a joke if you fired it seriously, I''ve reduced its power to a few tenths or less.


    The "Hadoho" only hit the wyvern subspecies, and although it didn''t go down, it did inflict significant damage.


    ''''Sheeshita I took it too easy.


    Namitarou, who had intended to make the decision in a single blow, tried to unleash Do-Ho once more.


    But before Namitaro could, Solomon made a wide vertical turn in the air, gaining momentum and hitting the Wyvern subspecies in the back with his body.


    This dropped the wyvern subspecies to the ground, and the aerial battle was settled.


    The crashed wyvern subspecies was completely unconscious and would not be able to recover during this match.


    ''Yay, Solomon!


    At Namitaro''s words, Solomon made a single sound and took a circling flight.


    ----SIDE Slarin & Shiroumaru----


    After Temma jumped out of the way, Shiroumaru ran with Slarin on his back.


    His aim was the wizard.


    On the way, he was attacked when he ran past Cyclops'' side, but Cyclops couldn''t keep up with Shiroumaru''s momentum and his attack went off in the wrong place.


    Then Shiroumaru approached the wizard and opened his mouth to bite him. However, the wizard had also finished chanting his magic to intercept.


    The magic that was released was Firestorm. This is probably because he chose a range attack to make sure it hits Shiroumaru.


    The Firestorm, released at the perfect time, swallowed Shiroumaru.


    You can''t escape damage from a direct hit, even though Shiroumar is wrapped in magic resistant hair.......it was supposed to be a direct hit.


    The moment I thought Shiroumar was engulfed in flames, the flames flew off.


    What emerged from the flames was a translucent spherical object........an Emperor Slarin.


    Since most of Slarin''s body was made up of water, he enlarged his body to protect Shiroumaru as well as extinguish the flames.


    However, in reaction, Slarin''s body shrank slightly. This was due to the evaporation of water.


    Seeing this, the wizard fired a series of fire-attribute magic, but Shiroumar skillfully ducked these.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.


    Seeing that the wizard''s attack didn''t hit, Taymar began to join in the attack as well. Teimer''s decision was slow, but his participation gradually began to push Shiroumaru and the others.


    The magic itself was a difficult level of attack for Shiroumar to work on, but it was a tough one for Slarin to deal with.


    So Shiroumar chose not to let the Slarin attack rather than defeat the wizard.


    Once Shiroumar decides to focus on evasion, the attacking magic of the tamer and the wizard becomes less and less faint.


    The balance that once began to tilt towards the tamer and his friends returns to normal again, and a kind of stalemate is created.


    But, but.........


    ''Uggah! Ugar!


    With a sudden scream from Cyclops, the wyvern subspecies was consumed by a flash of light and collapsed easily as Solomon knocked him down.


    This caused the tamer and the wizard''s consciousness to reflexively turn to the wyvern subspecies and disengage from Shiroumaru and the others.


    ''''Guhuhu.''''


    "f*ck!


    The moment he was unconscious, the wizard fell down about a direct hit from Slarin''s fireball.


    The fireball struck the tamer as well, but it was only one step away from being dodged.


    Shiroumar quickly approached the fallen wizard and struck him with his paw.


    The wizard was knocked unconscious between Shiroumar''s paw and the cobblestones of the platform, ending this year''s tournament.


    ''Troll! Cyclops! Help me!


    The moment the tamer, impatient because there was no one around him anymore, called for help while shouting, Cyclops fell on his back with a loud earth shaking.


    ----SIDE Temma----!


    While Solomon was fighting the wyvern subspecies in the sky and Slarin and Shiroumaru were dealing with the wizard, Temma continued to duck the attacks of the cyclops and trolls.


    (Surprisingly, this Cyclops is very good at fighting...)


    After I was interrupted by Cyclops to stop me from stopping the troll, the troll had quickly gotten up and was attacking with Cyclops.


    However, the troll, which was on the verge of being knocked out, wasn''t so scary, and was weak enough to take it down in a heartbeat, but Cyclops was following up on it well.


    The unexpected struggle of the Cyclops was unexpectedly impressive, but I didn''t feel much of a sense of urgency.


    Against the two attacking fists of the two giants, I was able to land a steady stream of blows.


    For example, I concentrated my attacks on the base of my thumb, on my little finger, on my wrist joint... Even if I didn''t put a lot of effort into it, the effect was greater, and gradually the two giants began to be afraid of hitting me.


    After all, every time I swing my fist, the pain increases. No matter how unintelligent a troll is, if it''s accompanied by pain, it will naturally learn. Even trolls are like that, so it''s only natural for Cyclops to do so.


    When the two bodies were lost, the Cyclops suddenly shouted loudly to the sky. It sounds like a warning of some sort.


    Then a flash of light and the wyvern subspecies fell.


    As the wyvern subspecies should have fallen, the trolls attacked halfway through. Perhaps it was a reflex.


    I jumped up using the troll''s swinging fist as a stepping stone and unleashed a body-spinning spinning kick with a rough aim.


    It''s a difficult move to use against a human, but it''s powerful, so it''s perfect for dealing with a large, slow-moving troll.


    Just as I planned, the kick strikes the troll in the temple.


    The troll couldn''t withstand it, and its massive body collapsed like a threadbare doll.


    Without checking on the troll, I closed in on Cyclops and attacked him.


    Cyclops fought back, but his large body was too big for him, and as he fought with his legs at close range, the battle became more and more one-sided.


    When I showed a jumping gesture to decide the fight was about to be won, Cyclops was wary of the earlier kick and took a guard stance, crossing his arms to protect his head.


    But instead of leaping upwards, I jumped forward and dove into Cyclops'' bosom.


    Then I crouched down and jumped up with momentum while raising my arms upwards, a so-called frog punch.


    Cyclops was only wary of kicks from above and didn''t seem to anticipate attacks from below, his jaw was empty, and my fist struck Cyclops'' head from below.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the marketplace.


    At the moment of Cyclops'' fall, Tamer seemed to be shouting something, but the sound of Cyclops'' fall was drowned out by the sound of his fall, so it didn''t reach my ears.


    Thus, the only person who could fight in Dendrobates was Tamer, and we moved into a position where we could surround him.


    We were moving closer to cover our backs with the crashed wyvern so that Tamer would not be surrounded by us.


    Shiroumar saw this and moved to attack Taymer, but when we were only a few steps away from jumping on him, Shiroumar for some reason held his ground and applied the brakes.


    And the next moment, tragedy struck.


    ''''Grrrr...''''


    Ha....


    The wyvern subspecies suddenly woke up and bit the upper half of the tamer''s supposed owner, biting it off.


    This scene caused a moment of silence in the hall.


    Meanwhile, the wyvern subspecies chewed and swallowed the devoured tamer.


    ''''Gwoooooooooooo!


    The Wyvern subspecies that had finished eating (........) stood up and spread its wings and roared.


    Most of the spectators who heard his voice screamed and rushed to the doorway to escape from the hall, causing a commotion in the area.


    The wyvern variants reacted to the crowd''s voice and turned their heads towards the audience and spat out fireballs.


    The number of fireballs was three. The moment the wyvern subspecies opened its mouth, I ran out of the room, but I couldn''t get there in time because I was the farthest away.


    Of the three fireballs, one of them was knocked out by Solomon''s body, and one went off the bleachers.


    The last one came in a straight line into the auditorium, but this one was just about to land and the wizards'' barriers were able to get there in time and cause no damage.


    All the fireballs were stopped, and the wyvern variants soared into the sky with a roar.


    Solomon, who was in charge of the sky, had crashed because of his shield, and there was no one to block the Wyvern subspecies'' path.


    The wyvern subspecies seemed to have noticed this and looked satisfied.

 101-Chapter 5-24 The tournament is over!

    The wyvern subspecies throttled with satisfaction and looked as if it had taken the heavens, but it didn''t last three days.


    ''''Hadohooo!''''


    Namitarou''s special move was released into the sky and hit the wyvern subspecies. However, it is not a technique that can be used repeatedly, so its power is less than a fraction of the first one.


    You can find a lot of people who have been in the market for a long time, but you can''t find a lot of people who have been in the market for a long time.


    ''Idiot, it''s a decoy!


    The wyvern subspecies may not have understood Namitarou''s words, but it seemed to have targeted Namitarou, spreading its wings wide and trying to spit out a fireball.


    ''Looks like you''re not as intelligent as I thought you were,''


    Before the Wyvern subspecies could see the owner of the voice that came from behind them, Tenma''s fist hit the brain.


    Temma jumped up with magic and attacked the Wyvern subspecies from behind while the Wyvern subspecies was distracted by Namitaro''s hadoho.


    ''''Gaff!''''


    The wyvern subspecies crashed down in a wobbly fashion, as if it had a concussion.


    However, there was an auditorium in the direction the wyvern subspecies was falling, and the spectators who hadn''t escaped screamed.


    ''''Shiroumaru!'''' Slarin''!


    When Slarin heard my voice, he jumped onto Shiroumaru''s back, and immediately Shiroumaru ran as fast as he could to the vicinity of the fall.


    Then, Slarin''s body grew huge, and he reached out his tentacles and grabbed and pulled on the wyvern subspecies, correcting its trajectory as he pulled.


    Then, Solomon bit the wyvern subspecies from behind as it crashed near the center of the platform.


    The damage to Solomon''s body is significant, but as he showed his usual bite, he bit into the wyvern subspecies'' neck and wouldn''t let go.


    I climbed down beside Namitaro, watching the scene.


    I''m sure you''ll be happy to hear that. Let''s just put a stop to this guy.


    Yeah, I know.


    The wyvern subspecies was harder than I thought it would be, and the fist I had struck was red.


    I pulled my adamantine sword out of my bag and started running towards the wyvern subspecies.


    The wyvern subspecies spat out several fireballs in an attempt to keep me away, but I dodged all of them.


    Only, one of the fireballs I dodged hit a fallen troll, and the troll was squirming.


    The wyvern subspecies, which had avoided all the fireballs, managed to get up and was about to take to the air, but I got closer before it could, aimed at its neck, and swung my sword down.


    It is a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do with it as well.


    ''Grandpa! Bring me my magic bag!


    I called out to my grandpa, who had put up a barrier in front of the kings.


    Grandpa lifted the barrier and he literally flew over and brought me the bag.


    ''Is this good?''


    Thanks, Grandpa. Here we go...


    As you grab the wyvern subspecies and push against the bag, the wyvern subspecies disappears safely into the bag.


    So, this completely confirmed the death of the wyvern subspecies.


    Afterwards, I saw the trolls, but they were also out of breath.


    As for Cyclops, his collar seems to have come off due to the death of his owner (Tamer), but he''s sitting quietly and doesn''t seem to have any intention of flailing around.


    However, when I look around, I don''t see the wizard.


    As I wondered what was going on, Slarin, who had returned to his original size, came over to my side and spat the wizard out.


    Apparently he had been evacuated into a bag inside his body.


    The hall was slowly and gradually becoming less and less chaotic as I put a stop to the wyvern subspecies.


    And then the judges came up to me...


    "Winner, ''Oration''!


    I declared. If you look closely, you can see that the knights were rushing in from behind the judges, but since we were quick to defeat them, it was a form of delay as a result.


    Even so, the knights are still securing the wizard, taking the warrior into custody, and disposing of the tamer''s corpse.


    In the midst of all this, two knights come up to me. It''s Jean and Sigurd.


    Congratulations on your win, Yotemma. I''m sorry to say this, but we''d like to have that wyvern inspected.


    ''This isn''t compulsory at the moment, but it needs to be looked into properly, so it could be compulsory in the worst case. Right now, the ownership of the material and other materials belongs to Tenma, but if it becomes compulsory, it could be confiscated.


    It''s a very convenient argument, but it''s better to just come to them as a consultation. And since the incident occurred in public, the knight''s group can''t afford not to investigate the wyvern subspecies, either.


    ''''It''s fine but let me be present during the autopsy. Because the wyvern has blood as one of its materials that is valuable.


    After hearing my words, Jean-san nodded. However, Jean-san and the others hadn''t yet brought a magic bag that could store the wyvern subspecies, so I was going to keep it for them until then.


    After that, Jan and the others were cleaning up the bodies of the trolls and tamer, but they couldn''t decide what to do about the Cyclops, so they ended up leaving it with the Adventurer''s Guild.


    Due to the post-processing by the Knights'' guild, the award ceremony that would take place after the match was delayed, and they were called back to the anteroom for a break before being called back into the hall.


    The winners of each division (the losers of the semi-finals, since there was no deciding match) were lined up on the prepared fighting table, but the only people in attendance were the pairs who received their awards properly.


    First, the individual matches, which should have been me (Tenma) and Amur, followed by Jinn and Keios, in order, but Keios was not there.


    This is because he was disqualified for foul play.


    But so far, this is a story that has happened in the past.


    This should be the "Oration", followed by the "Dendrobates", and then the "Oration", and then the "Dendrobates", with the "Oniheiheitai" and "Blue Hornet" right behind them.


    However, none of the members of the runner-up, the Dendrobates, were present. This was because everyone except Cyclops was taken away due to the commotion of the final, so they couldn''t line up here.


    In truth, Cyclops alone would have been fine, but because his owner died, he is more like a rampaging wyvern subspecies in terms of handling, and he can''t be held responsible for anything that happens.


    The reason why Cyclops hasn''t been disposed of is because his former subordinate and teammates are still alive, and he has remained quiet and unruffled.


    And the most bizarre one is ''Oration''.


    I''m in the individual tournament, and the only people in line are my family members, including Namitaro.


    I''m planning to go to the team competition after my individual awards, but there have never been any instances of my family members standing in line alone before.


    It''s a good idea to have a few of these in your lineup, but in the worst case scenario, that spot would be empty, and the two teams would be out of line, even if only temporarily, which is unheard of for a champion and runner-up team.


    Even with that in mind, I had to watch my back.


    After all, behind me is not a carnivore...but a carnivorous girl, Amour. Her gaze has been piercing me from earlier, and it''s uncomfortable.


    I wanted to finish the individual awards and move to Slarin''s place (for refuge) as soon as possible, but only at times like this does the time seem to be long.


    From a distance, the king is saying something, but I don''t have the time to hear what he''s saying right now, and I just want it to be over quickly.


    After the king finished, it was Caesar''s turn to speak, but my mind was the same as the king''s.


    After Caesar-sama''s talk was over, the awards were finally given, and I received a commemorative plaque, dagger, and prize money from the head of the tournament''s board of directors, and then I was able to leave and finally take a breather as I lined up at the team competition.


    My gaze still stung after I left Amur, but it was better than before. However, even though the pairs are being awarded, Amur''s gaze remains fixed on me without wavering. I think it''s quite rude, but no one pays attention to it.


    Perhaps the king said something. The proof of this is that when his eyes meet mine, his face is almost smug and he''s trying desperately to keep his face tight.


    ''Oration, forward.''


    After the pairs were awarded, we were called in. The souvenirs and prize money were the same as in the individual matches, but the team matches had daggers for the number of players. But there was a problem.


    ''''Um.........it seems that only the Temma players can hold daggers, so please gather them together.


    The officer in charge of handing out the daggers, after trying to figure out how to get the daggers to Shiroumaru and the others, gave them to me in batches.


    The rest of the day went smoothly and ended with a final word from the head officer.


    In his words, he said that in addition to the prize money, the participants being honored here would be able to attend a party hosted by the royal family as a special prize.


    To be honest, I thought I didn''t need to attend since I''ve had dinner with the royal family people several times, but since it was indeed bad if the winner didn''t attend, and since I had promised the three stalkers that I would be there, I decided to attend with an open mind.


    The party is going to be held in a week''s time, on the last day of the festival, at the royal castle.


    The moment the awards ceremony was over and we left the hall, I packed my slarin'' bag and moved quickly.


    Needless to say, it was to counter the Amur. I rushed back to the anteroom and met up with my grandfather, and I only took Slarin(...) out of the bag and had him swallow us.


    Then I asked Slarin to go to the kings.


    This is how I was able to get past Amur.


    The kings didn''t expect me to show up unexpectedly, and as expected, they were surprised, but they soon understood why I showed up.


    ''Oh Temma! Congratulations on your win. But still, what an enthusiastic approach you''ve been taking!


    Well, I thought Temma was a sure thing to win but I didn''t see that one coming!


    The king and Lyle-sama tease me almost simultaneously.


    ''You, Lyle you need to step back.


    Their grinning faces came to a halt at the appearance of Maria, and they gave way to her honestly.


    ''So, Temma. What''s your relationship with that girl?


    That''s our first meeting!


    I reflexively straightened my back and got into a cautionary posture and reported to him.


    It was then that Grandpa came out of the room and he was discussing something when he was approached by Caesar-sama.


    ''''Well it''s fine with me because I''m sure of my bloodline and I''m competent, but if you really don''t like Temma, just say it. I''ll do everything in my power to get rid of you.


    Maria-sama smiling and saying something scary with a smile. Nevertheless, it seems that she had grasped the identity of Amur.


    ''''No, it''s okay...''''


    It was indeed too scary, so I refused, but I don''t want to imagine how I would have eliminated it if I had asked for it...I don''t want to imagine it.


    ''Oh, and where are you, Jean? I''d like to talk to you about the Wyvern subspecies.


    Hmm. Oh, Jean is here for the interrogation. And I''m well aware of the wyvern. I''ll remind him that the wyvern was Temma''s prey and should be handled with care.


    While changing the story, I also got official recognition of the rights of the Wyvern subspecies from the king. So when I tried to leave this place, Maria-sama smiled at me and pressed me.......


    We''ll talk about this another time.


    And I was reminded of that too...


    Grandpa seemed to have just finished talking, and it was just the right time to leave.


    We had to leave the hall with the knights, not Slarin, leading the way.


    ''Congratulations on your win, Temma-san! That was an awesome fight against Wyvern!


    Congratulations on your win, big brother! Congratulations to Slarin! Let me play with Solomon again!


    I told him I understood and headed out, feeling a little soothed by Luna, who came with her blessing and chutzpah to tell me what she wanted.


    As expected, there was no sign of Amur, which was a relief, but the increase in the number of stalkers was a bit worrying.


    We escaped out of the venue with the crowd.


    It would be harder for people to find me that way, and even if Amur was waiting for me, it would be much harder to find me. The people around me wouldn''t expect me to be mixed up in it either. I''m in disguise, for one thing.


    Sure enough, I felt the presence of Amour near the entrance of the hall. When I glanced in the direction of the presence, Amour was standing on Blanca''s shoulder, peering here and there. No doubt, he''s looking for me.


    People who noticed Amour and the others like that were naturally stopping in their tracks, so a crowd of people had formed in the distance. After all, there was the runner-up of this year''s individual competition and the third-place finisher from the previous year. And with the added bonus of the runner-up (Amur) doing something bizarre... If I hadn''t been the target, I would have joined the fray.


    I proceeded from there, being careful not to be distracted by Amur, and escaped the crisis.


    When I arrived back to the house with my grandfather, I found a crowd of people at the gate. I wondered if it was another one, but this time the crowd was a little different than before.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, because there are two groups: those directly in front of the gates and those that keep their distance from them, and in the group directly in front of the gates, there are people who are clearly recognizable as knights.


    As I slipped through the group on the outside and approached the gate, I realized the identity of the group that was in front of the gate.


    The group seemed to be the people of Kukri village, including Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha, and the knights of the Duke of Sanga.


    I didn''t know any of the knights, nor was the Duke of Sanga himself, so it seemed a bit suspicious, but since the armor had the Duke of Sanga''s family crest on it, I didn''t think anyone in the royal capital would commit such a fraud, so I decided to ask them first.


    ''''Ha! We have been entrusted by the Duke of Sangha with the escort of the people of Kukri village who are here! We''ve also been ordered to defend this place to the death, just in case things get a little too loud! Later on, the Duke will be in attendance!


    It seems that the purpose of this is to create an excuse for them to come to me while selling their debt to me under the guise of being an uncle''s bodyguard.


    If this was a stranger nobleman, I would just say thank you and ask him to leave, but since I have no small connection with the people of the Sanga duke family and I don''t hate them, I agreed and told the knights to go inside, but they never abandoned their posture of complying with the order that they can''t leave the place until the duke himself comes. So I decided to interpret that half of it was a favor from the Duke of Sanga.


    Besides, since I stood out as much as I could in this tournament, my association with the nobles would naturally increase in the future.


    In that case, I''ll need to show off my friendship with the Duke of Sangha (and choose which nobles I get along with) before any strange nobles come close to me.


    We already have a relationship with the royal family, but there are no shortage of friendly grand nobles.


    Still, there will be more trouble...


    After a round of interactions with the knights, I turned in the direction of my uncles and was suddenly embraced by Aunt Martha. And then she took me to the center of the group and threw me up.


    It''s not that there''s anything wrong with being hoisted up, but I just wish they had chosen a place... Honestly, being hoisted up while being exposed to other people''s eyes, honestly, what a shame play! But I couldn''t say it out loud because they were all people who had taken good care of me... even my grandpa was participating in the body lift.


    I guess he got loosened up from lifting me up, and some of them were crying after they put me down.


    Then someone shouted.


    ''Today is a banquet~~!


    You''ve made a mistake today. But I won''t complain because this includes my celebration.


    At the word "banquet", the people of Kukuri village immediately disperse and start running. They seem to understand what each of them are doing, and in a short conversation, they seem to have decided on the division of responsibilities for what they are going to prepare.


    The knights of the Duke of Sanga are also taken aback by too much teamwork.


    When I left the knights and entered the mansion, it seemed no one had returned yet and it was quiet inside.


    ''''I''m sorry Aina-chan and the others, but let''s get ready first!


    Aunt Martha went into the kitchen as if it were a stranger''s house, which it was. A few aunts followed her, while Uncle Mark was in the garden preparing the banquet hall.


    ''It''s easy to say you don''t have to do anything, Grandpa...''


    Well that''s a little out of control, but....


    Slarin and his friends crawl out of the bag while I''m talking to Grandpa.


    And they each move, Slarin to the couch in the living room, Namitaro to the pond in the garden, Shiroumaru and Solomon to the kitchen...


    The last two animals got in the way of the cooking, so I grabbed them by their collars and forced them into the living room.


    Jeanne and the others returned on the way to take them in. Aina and Aura, of course, were there, as well as the three girls and even Jin and the others.


    ''Welcome home, Tenma-sama. And congratulations on your victory.


    The first one to call out to me was Aina. With those words, the three girls who were about to jump on me stopped. Apparently, it was also meant to be a check.


    The three girls have a bitter look on their faces, but seeing that they are not complaining, it seems that the hierarchy (difference in power) is clear.


    The djinn were apparently expecting a banquet around tonight, and they came for the food. They had brought some goodies with them.


    When I asked the three girls about Primera''s absence, it seems she will be coming with Sanga Duke. Perhaps it''s an insurance policy.


    Even if I disliked the fact that the knights were there and refused the visit of the Duke of Sanga, I think they thought that if Primera was there, they would still have a chance.


    The point is that Primera''s teammates (the three daughters) will be attending the banquet, so they can''t leave Primera alone as an outcast. Then, to refuse the Duke, who accompanied the Primera to the banquet, would be an abomination.


    It might be like that. I don''t feel like they don''t trust me, but since I have the mentality as an aristocrat, I guess I feel like I''ll do what I can......if this wasn''t Duke Sanga (an acquaintance), I wouldn''t have shown mercy.


    Well, he''s a black-hearted person, so it doesn''t matter... As I was thinking about this, the Seigenteamers came in this time.


    This was a sudden visit as well, but they knew each other and were members of the same guild, so they immediately joined us.


    This meant that most of their acquaintances, excluding the nobles, had gathered here.


    All that was left to do was to say that the banquet could begin once preparations were made, but at that time an incident occurred.


    The golems that were lurking near the gate activated all at once and moved into an intercepting position.


    Most of those who were able to fight here, including me, were alerted to this, and those who were unable to fight immediately moved into the mansion.


    Not long after the golem was activated, someone jumped over the gate and entered. There were two intruders.


    The intruders were trying to intercept the golem when it attacked them, but they were surprised by the strength of my special golem and ran away.


    Eventually, one of the intruders noticed me and rushed me.


    The distance from the gate to my position (near the entrance) is about 100 meters.


    The intruder closes the distance in the blink of an eye. And then I realize the true identity of the intruder.


    The name of the intruder is Amur. He is Stalker No. 4, the one who takes my lips in front of the public and chases me around.


    While I was thinking this, Amur (Stalker No. 4) was right in front of me.


    When Amur was less than 10 meters from me, he spread his arms and flew away. And I was intercepted by Namitaro.............


    Namitaro caught up with Amur, who was running at a speed that was sure to break the world record (a previous world record), and flew with even greater speed and momentum.


    And then he crashed into Amur.


    Amur took a full hit from Namitaro''s body and spun around and fell through the air.


    ''Goyo-ya, goyo-ya!


    Namitaro held Amur down with a lantern-like object in one hand (fin) and a ten-handed object in the other hand (fin). Dozens of golems are surrounding such Namitaro and his friends.


    If Amur is here, the other intruder is naturally Blanca.


    That Blanca is struggling against the golems.


    I''m not sure how strong my golem is over the ordinary, but it''s not enough to surpass Blanca.


    Probably, he''s probably going easy on her. You can''t just destroy a golem on your own, and yet they''re the ones who are going to give it their all, so they''re probably on the back foot.


    ''''Combat canceled! That man does not need to attack! Instead, restrain him from collapsing there! Be as polite as possible!


    Hearing my command, the golems immediately stopped attacking Blanca. Then, the two golems brought Amur, who was being held back, with the two golems each holding one hand. Amur''s mouth was even politely chewed with a gag.


    ''''Fu~........Sorry kid! I couldn''t hold the girl back!


    ''You''re having a hard time, Blanca....''


    If I look at Blanca with sympathy, Blanca will also look at me with sympathy.


    ''''Yeah, it''s still a better one. After all, half the hardships have been transferred to Temma........


    "Boo-hoo!


    Grandpa and Namitarou were the ones who reacted the most to Blanca''s words. Namitarou had fixed the prop in his hand and was approaching with the golem that was holding Amur captive. Grandpa seemed to have approached him as the patriarch.


    ''I''ve caused you trouble anyway. ''Hey, girl! Let''s go! ...no no! Originally, you could have been captured and then turned in by the MPs!


    When Blanca grabbed Amur by the neck root and tried to forcefully pull him away, Amur refused by grabbing the golem with both hands and shaking his head while resisting.


    Incidentally, the golem that had been holding Amur captive was about to release Amur when Blanca grabbed him by the neck root and let go of his hand.


    ''Well, well, Blanka. It''s not that bad. Today is a banquet to commemorate Tenma''s victory, and interestingly enough, many of the players from the tournament are in attendance. It would be a good idea for you guys to join them, too, if you don''t mind. Oh, Temma.


    When my grandfather says that, I glance at Amur. Noticing my gaze, Amour looks at me with pleading eyes.


    ''''Ha~ Well, that''s fine. Except! Don''t bother people! Can you do it, Amur?


    Amur''s eyes lit up at my words and he shook his head repeatedly.


    ''''I''m sorry, over and over again...''''


    Blanca said, taking Amur''s gag and lowering it to the ground, and with a quick movement, Amur hugged me and moved straight to my back.


    ''Temma, I love you,''


    While hugging my back, Amour confesses in my ear.


    As expected, I was embarrassed by that straightforward confession, but that mood soon fizzled out.


    ''''Get away from Temma! You thieving cat!


    The three sisters, Lily, Nellie and Millie, were coming at him, shouting loudly.


    Against those three girls, Amour........


    "You''re the cats. I''m a tiger.

 102-Chapter 6-1 Normal operation

    That''s why it''s so noisy... it''s hard work, Temma.


    Good work, Mr. Temma.


    I couldn''t help but giggle as Duke Sanga and Primera, who showed up as guests, labored over me.


    Amour''s words led to an argument with the three girls, to which Aura took advantage of to incite Jeanne to join in, and the Kukri villagers began to feast on it.


    Furthermore, afterwards, the Marquis de Samons also appeared.


    He thanked Gulliver for his treatment and congratulated him on his visit and was about to leave when he invited the Duke of Sanga to the banquet because he was sure he would be there, and he was delighted to join in. Apparently, he was expecting a little.


    I had Gulliver out on the spot to see how he was injured, but he didn''t get frightened by me. On the contrary, he got down on his knees to show his appreciation.


    ''''Oh, it seems that Gulliver is very indebted to Lord Temma! You seem to respect me.


    This surprised the Marquis de Samons, but he immediately laughed and said, "You have never taken this sort of thing as a formality against my sons! And so on.


    ''They respected me before they missed me...''


    As for me, I would have liked to have missed Gulliver more than he respected me, but I guess it was better than before.


    The argument that was going on behind them, centered around Amur and the three girls, had been put to rest by Aina''s intervention. Aura was cowering behind Aina, holding her head down.


    The Duke of Sangha and his son arrived at that moment, and when I went to meet them and told them what was going on, they labored over it.


    And the feast continued on....


    Whenever someone in Kukuri village got drunk and danced, the party turned into a ball, and when someone sang, it turned into a concert. Moreover, during the concert, the kukri''s soldiers would start screaming and making noise.


    At first it was just noise, but gradually they began to come together and turned it into a concert.


    Oh, Temma. Do you have a minute?


    When the concert by the servants was over, a djinn approached with Garratt.


    ''Temma''s not busy until the auction starts, is she? Then why don''t we go hunting while we''re at it?


    Jin says that around this time of year, there are inevitably fewer meats to use at the food stalls, and there are more requests for help in procuring them.


    So he asked me if I would like to go hunting to earn some money as well.


    This is the time of year when you can sell all kinds of meat...but not goblins, of course. So why don''t we go for a little bit? There''s a good forest about half a day away from King''s Landing,


    So what do you say, Tenma? How about we go out there without the guys?


    When Garratt said he wanted to be a man alone, I decided to join him. I also wanted to get away from all the commotion for a while.


    Behind me, Amur and the three girls were still glaring at each other...or almost like the three girls were poking at each other. Amur was chewing on the meat without a care in the world.


    ''''Yeah, that''s nice of me but is it just the three of us, just the guys?


    Even if it''s just the men, if it''s the three of them going together, Menace and Leena would definitely not be silent.


    ''''That''s why, well I tried to talk to Blanca, but she refused because she had to find a souvenir for her wife...''''


    As Jin was distressed, a man approached him.


    ''''Then can I join you?''''


    The man was a warrior on Aguri''s team.


    As I recall, who was on Aguri''s team?


    The djinn agree with my words. The man looked depressed at being forgotten, but he hurriedly began to introduce himself.


    ''Oh, swimmers! I''m Ricky Monakert. I''m Agri Monakert''s grandson.


    After Jin and Garratt discussed something with Ricky, who was uptight...


    We don''t mind, but you''ll have to get permission from your leader first.


    I mean, Ricky tilted his head at the word. I could roughly guess what Jin was thinking.


    ''There''s the leader right there. That''s him, Temma.


    Garratt pointed at me with a smirk.


    ''Oh, I knew it,'' I think, and Ricky wonders why.


    ''I suppose that''s just as well. Ricky, think about it, the strongest of them all is Temma and the weakest of them all is you, right?


    Ricky was angry at those words, but his anger seemed to subside when he turned around and saw who had said them.


    ''That''s not true, Jissy!


    Isn''t it?


    Aguri, who was called Jinchan by Ricky, came with his grandfather.


    ''No, that''s true but in terms of hunting age, me and Jin-san and the others are better than you, right?''


    That''s why you can''t move up to B grade! Lord Merlin told me that when he was five or six years old, Temma used to go into the Grand Old Man''s Forest by himself and hunt and play with him! And if you count from that, it''s like Temma has almost a decade of experience! How many adventurers have judged people by their appearance and disappeared unnoticed?


    Pfft!


    Jinn and Garratt are gushing at Aguri''s words. It''s probably because they know what I did in Seigen.


    It''s not something to be admired, but you''re Ricky, you''re younger than me, but you''re not the same person inside. After all, he was a better shot than his father, the best in the village.


    Well, that''s a new one! As I recall, your father, Temma, was Mr. Ricardo, who was the leader of His Majesty''s team when they won the team competition.


    The Duke of Sangha joined my grandfather''s story. Beside him is the Marquis of Samoens.


    ''''I''ve also heard that Mr. Ricardo is a skilled hunter, so when it comes to surpassing that Mr. Ricardo, I have no idea how much of a substandard child Temma-dono was...I have no idea!


    The Marquis of Samons is laughing with a glass in hand. By the way, these two men, since they are the heavyweights of the royalist faction, have supported the king since they were young, and because of that relationship, they have looked up my father and mother. However, they have never met each other.


    Even though two of the great nobles are here, Aguri''s sermon continues. He seems to be drunk.


    If you look closely, Grandpa''s face is also red.


    I decided to make the first move, since it was going to spill over to me if I didn''t, so I decided to make the first move.


    ''Ricky, you can join us! Grandpa, I haven''t eaten much, so I''m going to go eat some food!


    And I left the place quickly. Those who were there casually followed me, leaving Ricky, Aguri, and Grandpa behind.


    The two drunks didn''t even notice that we were no longer there.


    ''''By the way, Temma-kun, are you going to attend the party at the royal castle?''''


    After moving to a place much further away from the grandfathers, Duke Sanga comes asking.


    ''''Yes, it seems that it''s not possible for you not to participate in the quicksilver, and more importantly, Maria-sama has called me...''''


    Honestly, it''s harder for me to say no to Maria''s words than to the king. Does she have a motherf*cking mind? I''m....


    So who will you be joining with, Lady Temma?


    The Duke of Sangha seems to be interested in the reply to the Marquis of Samoens and is looking at me silently.


    Since the party in these cases is supposed to be accompanied by the opposite s*x, he wants to know who I will choose.


    ''I''ll go alone. Technically, I''ll be taking Slarin and the others with me, but I probably won''t be taking them out of the bag.


    Hearing my answer, Duke Sanga turned his attention to Primera for a moment. Apparently, if I was in doubt, he was planning to twist Primera into a partner.


    The Marquis de Samons had probably asked with the intention of covering the Duke of Sangha.


    ''''But in a party like that, taking a companion of the opposite s*x with you is fundamental.


    The Marquis de Samoens will continue to bite back.


    Emphasizing his fianc��e''s place, the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis de Samonz seemed to have given up.


    ''I''m sorry for pestering you,''


    ''No, I appreciate the sentiments of both of you. And perhaps there are others who are more enthusiastic than the two of you...


    After all, the person I''m marrying has his own permission to do so!


    After hearing my words, they seemed to agree with me.


    ''''Well, that''s true too. There''s no way that person would overlook it....


    Yes. Oops, I see the new dishes have been brought in. Would you like to go, my lord?


    The Duke of Sanga nodded at the Marquis Samons'' words and they both left the place.


    ''''That was close, Duke Sanga-dono.


    At a great distance from the Temma, the Marquis de Samons spoke to the Duke of Sanga.


    ''''It can''t be helped. It''s counterproductive to force the primera when Temma-kun has no intention of doing so. And besides, it was a no-no and an original. It''s good to know that I''m willing to do that,


    As expected of these two, they were called great nobles, and they had pulled back just one step before Tenma''s bad mood.


    However, if it wasn''t for these two, Tenma would have been in a bad mood a long time ago...or rather, he wouldn''t have been allowed to participate in this banquet.


    ''But it''s a pity that Temma-kun can''t call me ''father-in-law (Chichi)''.


    It''s not that the Duke wanted to attach Temma to the Primera for his own benefit alone.


    That''s how much he likes Temma and cares about Primera.


    ''''Duke-dono is still good. There are only men in the house.......and the younger one will be disliked by Temma-dono......why didn''t I try harder until I had a daughter.... ...


    The Marquis de Samoens also liked Temma so much that he wanted to make him his son-in-law.


    Incidentally, Tenma didn''t dislike "my son (Gary)" as much as the Marquis thought he did. The Marquis has no way of knowing but....


    So, when are we going hunting?


    ''''I''m thinking that we should leave the royal capital as early as noon tomorrow and come back around the afternoon after tomorrow. I''d like to process the meat as soon as possible, too!


    It seems a bit rushed, but Jin says that if we don''t move quickly, there are a lot of people thinking the same thing, and Garratt agrees with him.


    We don''t need that much luggage, we can just prepare for the tournament and that should be enough. However, if they''ll let me use Temma''s magic bag, I can go now!


    ''No, I don''t mind storing my hunting catches, but I don''t want to do it now, not with the stones. What about your share later?


    This is the biggest problem. It is not uncommon to hear stories of people almost killing each other over their share of a joint hunting trip like this...and sometimes there are even disputes within a party that is always together.


    This is one of the most common stories we hear about adventurers.


    The guild''s recommended method is to use the same method. There''s a method the guild recommends, so I''ll try it. First, we''ll set up a time and hunt while we all act together. The prey we hunt at this time will be divided equally between everyone. Then we move into individual action and hunt, this time the prey is individual. This is repeated several times.


    ''It''s a bit tedious, but we''ll make time for everyone to hunt together and individually so one person doesn''t have to take no share. The time for individual action can be used for a break or to work with someone else. When you do it with someone else, you get an equal share. Well, even with this, when we struggle, we struggle.


    But I don''t have any other good ideas, and since I don''t hunt with others much myself to begin with, I can''t talk about it.


    ''''That''s fine. It''s not like we''re going with complete strangers.


    If something goes wrong, we can talk it out. I don''t know Ricky well, but I think I know a lot about Jin and the others.


    Then it''s settled. We''ll be up around noon tomorrow anyway, and with the way things are going, we should have no problem getting together. It looks like we''ll be sleeping rough right here.


    Hearing Jin''s words, I looked around and saw a group of drunks forming everywhere. Most of them are from Kukri village. The feast began in the evening, and although it''s only been a couple of hours, some of them are already drunk and asleep.


    Then, since our plans have been made, shall we go too?


    "Yea!


    Jin and Garratt made their way to the table where the drinks were set up, with a lot of energy.


    I looked for Ricky to tell him my plans, but he was still holding onto Aguri. Ricky''s eyes were losing their life.


    It was only about an hour later that Ricky was released from Aguri.


    After that, the banquet, which continued until late at night, naturally came to an end when most of the participants finally got drunk and decided to sleep in a small group on the spot.


    It is not a good idea to have a good time, but it is a good idea to have a good time.


    ---- The royal castle that went back in time a little


    Well, let''s go...


    A man, seeing that the area was unpopular, was sneaking out of his room and heading for the carriage.


    ''Who''s there!''


    As the man was about to turn the corner, he noticed someone following him from behind.


    ''Uncle, it''s Luna,''


    A small figure emerges from behind me - the youngest royalty in this castle, Princess "Luna von Bluemail Krustin".


    Luna is smiling as she appears out of nowhere.


    ''''What''s that Luna.......what''s going on?''''


    The man called Uncle is ''Lyle von Bluemail Krustin,'' a man who is the country''s Minister of War and royalty.


    ''A little outing...''


    I know a place that serves good food, I''ll take you there.


    Yes!


    They continued down the corridor, wary of the area, until they were very close to their destination.


    ''Luna, stop ... there''s someone out there.


    The tension between the two men was palpable. Lyle softly peeked at the sign, and there were two men there.


    ''Luna, it''s okay. It looks like you''re with us..................oops! What are you two doing here?


    At Lyle''s theatrical lines, the two of them hurriedly tried to hide themselves, but they immediately recognized it was Lyle, and they seemed to have figured out Lyle''s purpose even more, and looked relieved.


    ''''What, it''s you.......don''t scare me. What, I was just going to go inspect the city now.


    His Majesty himself... and in the company of His Highness the Grand Duke?


    The two men there were the head of the country and Lyle''s father, ''Alex von Bluemail Krustin''. People call him the King.


    And beside the king is Ernest von Bluemayle Krustin, the oldest man in the royal family. He is the oldest man in the royal family, the younger brother of the former king, and the man who holds the title of grand duke of the land.


    "Well, I thought I''d give myself and His Majesty the chance to inspect the festival in person to see what makes it successful and what makes it a failure. It''s not a good idea to be too ostentatious, so I was going to take a look around in private.


    After laying out the excuses that the Grand Duke and the King would have thought of beforehand, they tried to find out what Lyle and Luna wanted.


    ''''No, we are of the same mind as Your Majesty. We thought it would be better to listen to the young person''s perspective on these matters, so Luna is with us. After that inspection, I thought we should have a good meal...''''


    Lyle''s words brought a smile to the faces of the king and the grand duke.


    Well, well, well, that''s just as well," said Lyle. We thought we''d have a good meal after our visit.


    ''I know a place that happens to serve good food at this time of the day I thought I''d at least show my face. Alright! Both of you, follow me!


    The three of them nodded at the king''s words and got into the carriage.


    ''''Sorry, go around the city as you see fit. I''ll give you further instructions later. I''ll give you further instructions later. Please keep this matter private...


    Yes, sir.


    Finally, the Grand Duke, riding in the carriage, motioned to the Gentleman, whose hat was deep in his eyes, and asked him to hold some money.


    Then he made sure that everyone was in the carriage and let it go slowly.


    ''I''m looking forward to it! I wonder what kind of goodies they''ll come up with!


    I hope I get a sweet one!


    I could use a good drink.


    Well, well, people settle down. First, we have to see how it''s done.


    The four of them are talking happily in the carriage, saying things like.


    In the meantime, the carriage continues to move forward, sometimes turning, sometimes stopping, sometimes slowing down.


    What does that mean?!


    We''re being set up!


    The Grand Duke was surprised, and Lyle held his hand up to pull the sword out of his waistband at any moment.


    ''No, this is where we''re headed,''


    As soon as the Gosha replied that, the door was opened from the outside.


    The moment Lyle was about to draw his sword........


    ''Where do you think you''re going to go if you leave your work alone? The Warlord, the Grand Duke, and His Majesty the King?


    Standing there was the next king of this country, Crown Prince ''Caesar von Bluemail Krustin'' and the Treasurer ''Zain von Bluemail Krustin'', who is equal in rank to the Warlord (Lyle) in terms of office and a little higher in rank for royalty.


    In addition.........


    Luna! Skipping out on your studies, where are you going to go!


    There''s even the boy who will be the next king and the second in line of succession, Prince "Tida von Bluemail Krastin" (the Dowager Grandson of the Emperor).


    Moreover.....


    You ... you know what will happen if you go to Temma now, don''t you?


    A chilling voice came from His seat, "Ma, Maria!


    ''Ma, Maria! Why is it there!


    Pretending to be Gohsa, the one who was controlling the carriage for a little while was the wife of the king, and in a sense, the most powerful member of the royal family, Queen "Maria von Bluemail Krustin".


    Normally, the Grand Duke or someone else who came into direct contact with her would have noticed who she was, but she was so excited about being able to outdo the rest of the royal family and drink good wine that she had no idea that Maria was pretending to be the person she was.


    ''Well, why is that? So, let''s go, ah-na-tah. And the Grand Duke, too....


    The king and the archduke left, with Maria dragging them away.


    ''''Hmm. Then we''ll have to have a firm talk with the Warlord. ''Hey, Lord Treasurer,''


    ''Yes, Crown Prince. You are quite right, Your Highness. Well, shall we go now, War Minister?


    Lyle was restrained and taken away by his two brothers.


    ''Come to think of it, I hadn''t finished my studies yet! We''ve got to hurry!


    Luna ran to escape the scene alone as her accomplices were captured one by one.


    But just as she started to run, she was grabbed by her back collar and failed to escape.


    ''I''m glad you noticed, Luna. If you''re so uptight, I''m going to teach you how to learn now!


    Tida smiles and tries to drag Luna away with her. And then.........


    Tida, wait!


    A woman''s voice came from the front of Tida and the others.


    ''Mother.....


    Luna reached out her hand to ask for help.


    The woman who reached out, Crown Princess ''Isabella von Bluemail Krustin'', took Luna''s hand and held it firmly at her side to prevent her from escaping.


    ''Mother?''


    ''''Tida, you can''t watch your studies until morning by yourself. I''ll help you, go ahead and explain to the maids what''s going on... I wish Aina had been there at a time like this... Oh God!


    Luna knew what Isabella had meant when she came here. Not to help herself, but to be her enemy...


    Tonight the castle will not sleep....

 103-Chapter 6-2 Big Game Discovery

    "Garratt, hornbill in the bushes diagonally to the right.


    Yes!


    ''Jin, mushrooms underfoot. They make good medicine.


    Yeah, yeah, yeah.


    "Shiroumaru, deer in the shadow of a tree about 20 meters to the left.


    Wah!


    ''Slarin, that badger is still a cub, you need to get him back to the nest.


    ... (Pruning)


    Solomon is home. Go sleep in your bag.


    Cui.....


    Ricky, there are two pigeons overhead. Make sure one of them drops.


    Okay.


    The next day after the feast, we had come to the forest that the djinn had mentioned. The ''half a day'' the djinn were talking about was on foot, so we used my carriage to get to the forest in a few hours.


    This forest isn''t that big, but I heard there was a river and a pond nearby, and there were quite a few small to medium-sized creatures living here.


    And fortunately, there was no sign of adventurers or hunters recently, and the animals were less wary of them.


    Within an hour of entering the forest, there was a good pickings there.


    ''It''s time for us to take a break and move individually?


    Once we had hunted some of our prey, we decided to take a break.


    "Copy that, leader!


    Copy that.


    Jin and Garratt are in a good mood from earlier, probably because they''re getting more done than they expected.


    On the contrary, Ricky seems to be a bit confused by the state of Jin and the others.


    ''''No! You were right to invite Tenma to join us! Nah, Garratt!


    ''Yeah, sure! If it was just us, we wouldn''t have had such an easy hunt!


    So far, I''ve been searching for my prey and reporting it to the djinn, and they hunt it down...that''s how we got here. During this time, I didn''t kill my prey by myself.


    At first I was going to go kill it, but Jin stopped me.


    He said, "If you go to finish it too, the workload will be unbalanced. When it comes to the rules this time, it''s better to separate those who look for it and those who hunt it.


    So I divided the work so that if I found one, I''d dump it on someone else, and the one dumped would go and finish it off.


    And that''s how I got into it.


    After all, I have a ''search'', so I know the identity and number of prey nearby. Besides, Jin and Garratt are high level adventurers by nature, and Ricky is also quite good at it, as he says he''s basically adventuring solo. On top of that, they are Slarin and Shiroumaru.


    It''s a good thing that Shiroumar is a wolf, so he''s good at hunting, and Slarin has become a workhorse who goes around behind the scenes to kill wild animals without being distracted by their presence.


    On top of that, there were cases where he would duck into a den to kill a badger, as he did when he caught one (he only restrained the badger).


    In addition, Solomon was not suited to hunting in the forest, so he was waiting in a bag.


    ''It would have been nice if Namitaroo had come too!


    Jin, he''s a carp, just in case.


    Just as Jin had said, Namitaro did not come on this hunt.


    I''m a fish," he said, "I''m not good in the woods. I''m not good in the forest.


    There are many things I would like to say to you, but that''s why Namitaro stayed in the house.


    By the way, I think the only people who know we''re here to hunt are Menas and Leena, and Namitaro, Blanca and Aina.


    I told Grandpa and the rest of the guys, but they were too drunk to remember, I don''t think they would remember.


    ''Well, I told Aina, so I guess it''s okay.


    While muttering about this, I continued to prepare for lunch.


    When I say prepare, I just take out the leftovers from yesterday''s banquet and other things I brought in my bag.


    That''s it, Temma. When the break is over, we''ll each move individually this time. It''s fine to move apart, but who''s going to stay in this place?


    ''We''ve got to keep our base of operations secure and you''re going to take turns coming back?


    Hearing Jin and Garratt''s words, Slarin and Shiroumar stepped forward.


    ''''It''s alright. Slarin and Shiroumaru will remain in this base. With these two animals, we won''t fall behind the demons and animals around here.


    The djinn nodded at my words.


    ''And in case you''re in doubt, you can call out loudly for Shiroumaru. If you''re not extremely far away, Shiroumaru should be able to hear you. Alternatively, if you walk along the nearby river, you should be able to get close to this base.


    There is a large river running near where we are currently based. So if we go up or down that river, we should be able to get to this neighborhood. Worst case scenario, I can use the search.


    And there was another reason for leaving Slarin and his men behind.


    That was so that I wouldn''t be the only one in the hunt.


    If we were to work individually, then of course Slarin would have to follow me. That would mean that I would be the only one with more prey. And that would be extremely...


    I know that Jinn and Garratt won''t come to me to complain about that, but I don''t know how Ricky will feel about it, and if it makes too much of a difference, Jinn and the others might not feel good about it.


    Besides, these individual hunts are also a kind of game.


    So it would be better to hunt alone as much as possible.


    However, I''ll take Solomon with me. He''s never been out in the open before, so it would be better to let him out somewhere in the open.


    ''You don''t have to worry about it... well, I''d be grateful if you would, though!


    I guess Jin and Garratt knew what I was thinking. Ricky doesn''t seem to have noticed, though.


    ''Well, let''s get some food for now.


    At Garratt''s words, we shoveled our food in. We finished our meal in a few minutes and scattered into the forest in a thoughtful manner.


    ''''Oh! Medicinal herbs! Is this one a ginger?


    I was more focused on finding plants to eat than looking for prey.


    This is because this forest is surprisingly full of plants that can be eaten and medicinal herbs that can be used to make medicine, and that is more gratifying to me.


    ''''Is this........something like gyoja garlic.......''''


    I decided to always use appraisal for anything that I doubted I could eat.


    Many of these wildflowers are difficult to recognize by a layman''s eye, and even a skilled person sometimes makes a mistake.


    Therefore, the appraisal is very useful. The most important thing to know is that even if you know the effects and whether it can be used for food, you don''t know how to eat it, so you''ll have to find out after you get home, but even if you don''t know, there''s no problem because it will only be turned into slarin'' rice.


    ''Whoa! These are truffles!


    As I was paying attention to my feet, I found several black, round objects. When I picked up one of them and used my appraisal, I found out that it was a ''black diamond'' or black truffle.


    ''''Wow, there are at least ten of them... I mean, wasn''t the black diamond a giant stag beetle?


    I picked up the truffles at my feet.


    There were 15 truffles within my reach, and after a short walk, I found two more places where truffles were growing in clusters.


    I don''t know how much a truffle is worth in this world, but in a previous life, a 100 gram truffle would have cost tens of thousands of yen.


    Of the 29 truffles, 10 of them are over 100 grams, and the rest are 50 grams or less.


    Of the 29, 10 were over 100 grams and the rest were 50 grams or so.


    ''I''ll keep this one, or the others ... maybe I''ll eat them at home? Maybe Aina would know how to cook.


    And so on and so forth, fiddling with a small truffle on his palm, Solomon, who decided it was food, made it whole only.


    ''Squeak~y~''


    And he didn''t like it, and after a few bites, he spat it out.


    ''Squeak!''


    I dropped my knuckles without saying a word the moment Solomon spat it out. The squeal I heard earlier was Solomon''s scream.


    Utterly and utterly caught off guard! It was a small one, thank goodness, but what a way to bite into a whole truffle and spit it out! What a waste! I''ve never even had one before!


    After lecturing Solomon, I searched the surroundings, but decided to give up on collecting truffles when I found them deep underground or too small to dig out.


    ''Good! I''ll remember this place!


    After that, we went back to gathering wildflowers and other things, but we couldn''t find anything more than truffles, so we had to return to our base.


    ''Yo Temma! You''re too late!


    What have you got?


    Jin and Garratt were playing the game, lining up the prey they had hunted.


    ''''I guess I win!''''


    No, it was me!


    The gin''s prey is a wild boar. It''s not that big an individual, but it''s round and fatty.


    In contrast, Garratt''s prey is a buck. This is a fairly large individual, with great antlers.


    ''''Temma! The verdict is in!


    A draw is good enough.


    They said they didn''t agree with my decision, but I actually think this decision is fair.


    In terms of meat value, the boar is better, and the stag meat is much less expensive. However, as for the other materials, the fur has many uses, and its antlers are also used in medicine, so its value is high.


    When I explained that to them, they agreed, but instead they were trying to find out what I was getting.


    Just as I was about to take the truffle out of my hand....


    What are you doing here?


    Ricky is back. The two men changed their target to Ricky and closed in on him.


    ''Prey, sir? All right.


    With that said, Ricky took out his prey....


    Three boars!


    Two deer!


    He was lightly outnumbered by two.


    ''''We lost........Temma is!


    At the sound of their collective voices, I took out the things I had collected. They are in a basket full of them. That''s two.


    ''Seriously........''


    If you''re not careful, you''re worth more than what we''re selling...


    They were devastated, but I decided to put a stop to them.


    By the way, at this point, Ricky still has a relaxed expression on his face.


    ''''I''ve got some of these things,''''


    When I brought out the truffle I had set aside for them, the three of them didn''t understand what came out for a moment.


    Among them, Garratt was the first one to notice that it was a truffle.


    That''s a dog beastman. Even in his past life, he would have used a pig or a dog when looking for truffles.


    With Garratt''s words, it seems that Jin and Ricky have figured out who this guy is.


    ''''Really?!''''


    I''ve never seen...


    The two of them are also immensely disappointed. After all, a truffle was a truffle, even in this world.


    ''One thing Solomon did eat, though...''


    Shilomar reacts to the part about Solomon eating me, but I tucked it into my bag before Shilomar could get his nose near me.


    Shiroumar looks unhappy, but I can tell. This guy was going to eat a truffle! And....


    Anyway, it was decided that I would win the game of prey, and now we were going to hunt as a group. I was led in the opposite direction from where I found the truffle, but don''t feel bad...


    Hey, Temma, what''s going on here?


    The djinn who were walking in the lead suddenly stopped and began to alert the area.


    Looking at where Jin was pointing, there were several gouged out marks on the ground, and there were signs that something had been fought over.


    ''''That''s definitely weird... okay, let''s turn back! It should be nightfall soon. We''ll spend the night at the place we just left.


    I played it safe, and Jin and Garratt agreed with me, but Ricky seemed to disagree.


    ''Why not? Maybe it''s worth the money! Even if it''s a powerful demon, it shouldn''t be an enemy if it has all these men in place!


    He''s confident in his own strength and he wants to go beat them because he''s got all the right people here. But.........


    ''You''re no better than an amateur when you''re going after an unidentified object in the dark. Don''t do it.


    Jin had cut him off with a buzz.


    ''''Djinn has a point. Besides, it''s the decision of Tenma, the leader of this party, and the majority disagrees. If you insist, wait until morning.


    Garratt also explains to Ricky why he disagrees. Ricky also reluctantly backed down after being told by two people who were obviously older than him.


    That night, they changed their plans a bit. My original plan was to move individually for the night as well, but since there was a high probability of an unidentified creature in the area, we all decided to stay on guard.


    I''m not sure if I''ve ever caught a creature in my search, but the farther away the search is, the less accurate it becomes, so if a creature is difficult to catch in a search, you have to be careful not to let your guard down and find yourself right next to it.


    Just to be sure, Shiroumaru is also on alert, so you won''t be able to fool them until they smell it.


    At night, I tried to stay as quiet as possible and keep at least one person awake.


    Fortunately, I was able to make some tea from the wildflowers that were growing nearby, so I was able to distract myself.


    This tea, by the way, is quite bitter and astringent. So it had a bad reputation except for me.


    Jin said, "Bitter, is there something wrong with your tongue? He said.


    Garratt said, "Bitterness is good, but it''s too austere! And diluted it with hot water.


    Ricky said, "Give me sugar, or honey! And he was drinking it sweetly.


    Shiroumaru and Solomon turned away and only Slarin was drinking it quietly.


    Well, this wildflower tea is only used as a secret flavor when blending, so if this is the only one you like, it''s not a choice.


    But thanks to the taste, everyone seems to have lost their sleepiness, and we were able to spend the rest of the night without any problems until morning.


    Until the morning....


    First thing in the morning, Ricky suggested, ''Let''s move individually first thing in the morning. Jin and the others agreed with this, saying that since we had held Ricky down yesterday, that would be good enough.


    I agreed because I thought the same thing, but I couldn''t have foreseen at this point that this would lead to hardship later on.


    ''For now, let''s just say we''re going to hunt outside of where we were yesterday, shall we?


    As a minimum rule, they decided not to go where it had been rough yesterday, and they each scattered.


    Again, Slarin and Shiroumaru were away, and Solomon joined the stay-at-home group.


    It seems that the anger he received yesterday was bearable. Maybe he was a little too angry.


    Today I ran to the end of the road where I found the truffles.


    I slowed down a bit where I found the truffle, but still couldn''t find it.


    Beyond that, the trees were fewer and fewer, and instead they were covered by what looked like a bearcup.


    ''It''s going to be tea, let''s take some back with us.


    As I was picking at a clean spot on the bamboo leaf, I heard the presence of a large creature a short distance away.


    There were seven of the signs. One of them is a small one.


    As I approached, hiding myself with a bamboo branch to avoid being noticed, I saw a large white creature about 50 meters away.


    Is that...a cow? "Appraisal.


    Breed...white beef, A grade equivalent


    And it came out. A white wild cow one of them is a calf. It''s not a demon, it seems to be some kind of cow.


    But unlike a normal cow, it has eight legs. It''s like a normal cow with one more foot in front of and behind the normal cow''s foot. And it has four horns on its head.


    ''''I haven''t heard of a cow like that around here.................so it must have come from somewhere else?


    Anyway, if they''re cows, they''re good for meat. I''d love to hunt at least one cow somehow, but.....


    As I was looking for an opening, I noticed something strange.


    The largest wild cow in the herd seemed to be under attack from four other wild cows.


    There is a calf and a female cow behind the big wild cow.


    ''What''s that? Are we fighting over meth?


    It must be hard to produce offspring in the wild... well, the same goes for humans...


    For a moment, my mind went back to the time I preached to Tida and the others, but if it leaves the males and females to take their turn, they''ll be fine. Besides, they aren''t originally from around here, they''re like an alien species.


    Let''s just call it that...


    Even as he was thinking about this, the four cows were still attacking, and the white wildebeest under attack had its white body stained with its own blood.


    With targeted wind magic, I cut the heads of the four white wild cows.


    The four cows that hadn''t noticed me had fallen flat after having their heads cut off.


    As I got closer, I saw that the four heads were dying with their throats slashed, but they were still alive.


    ''''Do you want to drain the blood................er, like this?


    I use earth magic to create four hills a little bigger than a white-haired wildebeest, and I use the Guardian Gigant, a giant guardian, to mount the cows on them and secure them in place.


    At the bottom of the slopes, he dug a hole and let the blood fall out. I cut a cut in the thick veins of the hind legs (all four of them) to make it easier for air to enter. I don''t know if this was the right thing to do, but I felt it would be better to have an air hole at the top as well, since the blood was going to flow downwards.


    In addition, it would be troublesome if other beasts came by during the process, so I used wind magic to prevent the smell of blood from leaking out.


    ''''So, the only thing left is you guys........''''


    Behind me, I spoke to the white feral bull that was watching me work. I don''t think he could understand what I was saying, but the moment I turned around, the male stood up and began to threaten me.


    ''I''m not going to hunt you guys, so get the hell out of here. I''ll at least treat your injuries as a service.


    I''ve been in a good mood because I was able to hunt a big fish, and I cast a recovery spell on the male.


    The recovery magic made the wounds and so on disappear, but the damage was not removed, so the male didn''t move on the spot.


    Instead, the calf approached me.


    The male and female are cooing and calling for the calf, but he''s not bothered, coming up to me and sniffing my body and my bag.


    ''Is this what you want?''


    I took out the kumazasa I had just plucked and brought it to the calf''s snout, and it began to eat the kumazasa with great relish.


    ''Cows eat kumazasa too, don''t they...''


    I was a little surprised at the eating habits of the cows, and the calves ate all the kumazas in no time at all.


    The male and female were cautious at first, but then they realized that I didn''t have any hostile intentions, and they became a little calmer.


    A short time later, when we had made progress in draining the blood out of them, the time for the meeting was approaching.


    "I haven''t bled out yet, but... well, we can manage it later.


    I put the four white wildebeest in a bag and froze the blood puddle before covering it with dirt to handle it.


    ''Alright, let''s go and don''t follow me...''


    The calf follows me. It looks like I''ve succeeded in feeding him.......not that I want him to follow me.


    As I was thinking this, the male and female cows also tried to follow me.


    When I think about it, if I''m gone from here, the magic will break and the smell of blood will fill the area. And then the carnivorous beasts will come by.


    A bull would be no match for most carnivorous beasts, but right now he''s injured and slowed down, and there''s a female and a calf. It would be difficult to protect the two cows.


    If that''s the case, there''s a good chance you''ll be saved by following me, who had no hostile intentions and killed four white-haired wildebeest in the blink of an eye.


    I may be wrong, but I''ve come to that conclusion.


    So.....


    "If you''re gonna follow me, you''re gonna have to listen to me. If you''re gonna be quiet you''re not gonna eat and then you''re going to come in here.


    Then he widened the mouth of the bag that held the slarin''.


    At first, they looked confused, perhaps because of the scent of Shiroumaru and Solomon (a large carnivore), but then they saw the calf go in and followed quietly.


    "There you are, Temma...


    Game on!


    Jin and Garratt were back first again, waiting for me.


    ''How''s that!''


    ''The djinn''s hunt has yielded two boars and a deer, and the rest are mushrooms and wildflowers.


    ''What, I''m better than you!


    Garratt has one boar, one deer, and five antler rabbits.


    ''Well is it a tie again?''


    There are mushrooms this time!


    ''Why? You know I have more than a few!


    That''s what Jin and Garratt say, but again, I think it''s a reasonable result.


    ''Jin''s mushrooms these are all poisonous mushrooms. And they''re useless wildflowers that can be used as medicine, but they''re all cheap medicines. Five of Garratt''s horned rabbits are about the same as a boar.


    So, taking into account individual differences and other factors, I decided to call it a draw again this time.


    ''One!''


    As I was talking to the djinn and the others, Shiroumaru was sniffing the bag.


    ''Oh, you''ve noticed the quicksilver... okay Shiroumaru, and Solomon. These guys are our friends, so don''t try to eat them.


    When I took the cows out of the bag, the djinn were more surprised than the cows.


    "Hey, hey, that''s a whitehead!


    Hey, hey! Strangle me, or I''ll help you if you do! So share some of it with me!


    Jin and Garratt are very excited. Apparently, white wildebeest is a high class meat.


    No, they''re a protected species. This is the one I killed. Here.


    Only the white wildebeest face emerged from the bag. Shiroumar and Solomon were slobbering reflexively.


    ''Alright, Temma! Let''s eat, let''s eat now!


    We''ll have to start with barbecue!


    They''re out of control, but they''re not ready to eat now.


    ''No, we haven''t taken it apart or anything. If we do eat, it will be after we get home. I''ll call you when we eat, so be patient for now.


    I promise! Jin and Garratt shouted in unison. It''s kind of like more Shiroumaru and the others.


    ''''But then again, Ricky''s slow... let''s look for him for a bit.


    I used the "search" to expand from my position away from the djinn and others, and I was closer than I thought. It''s about 2km away. But it''s funny how it moves.


    Are they running away from something?


    Ricky''s movements are zig-zagging and sudden reversals.


    ''Let''s spread it out a bit more.......this!


    The one that was at the end of the search is a rather large creature. It seems to have a "concealment" and cannot be "appraised".


    That''s when I heard something roar. Quite large.


    ''''Jin, there''s a sign of Ricky at this cry! Maybe something is attacking me!


    I quickly evacuate the cows to my bag and run in the direction of where Ricky is.


    The djinn also started to run in response to my words.


    Shiroumaru and the others lagged a bit, but they soon caught up with me.


    About ten minutes after we started running, we heard something running around, knocking over trees.


    The chirping was getting louder and louder.


    As they passed through the trees, they saw the owner of the roar.


    ''That''s a dragon!''

 104-Chapter 6-3 Value of the Dragon

    I yelped, but upon closer inspection, the shape was a bit different than the dragon I knew.


    The biggest difference is that the guy in front of me doesn''t have wings on his back. And on the outside, it looks like a Komodo dragon with large, hard-looking scales attached to its entire body. It''s quite large, with a total length of more than 15 meters, and since it''s called a dragon, its sense of intimidation is completely different from that of any other monster.


    ''''Appraisal.''''


    Name... earth dragon.


    Gender...male


    Rank...S


    Race... lower class dragon species


    HP...40,000.


    MP... 15,000.


    Strength...S+.


    Defensive Power...S+


    Speed...


    Magic... A


    Mental capacity...C+.


    Growth Potential...B+


    Luck...C+.


    Skills....Earth magic 8, anomaly resistance 7, life force enhancement 7, physical ability enhancement 6, regeneration ability 4, and concealment 3.


    I don''t know if it was because I saw it in person or because I came close to it, but I was finally able to use ''appraisal''. This earth dragon is a demon classified as a low-grade dragon, but as far as its status is concerned, it must be one of the strongest of them. Perhaps, if it was only strength, it might be close to the intermediate level.


    I''m going to be the decoy for now. In the meantime, the two of you should rescue Ricky! If you can, go straight through the woods! I''ll take you along the river. I''ll lead you to the other side!


    Now, I would be a good opponent to fight against. But it''s hard to fight in the forest. So I need to lead them out of the forest, where they''re as easy to fight as possible.


    ''''Will you be okay on your own!


    Jin says worriedly, but that ground dragon is probably like a stronger wyvern subspecies. Depending on how you look at it, it''s an easy opponent to fight against as long as it doesn''t fly.


    ''''Don''t worry. Besides, Slarin and the others are there.


    And since it''s not a convention, you can use the gigantics. That''s enough to make the change.


    ''All right. Don''t take it easy!


    Taking that word as my cue, I split up with Jin and the others.


    Just as Ricky and the others were coming towards us, I pulled out the sword I had bought as a disposable from my bag.


    It''s an iron sword, but it''s thick and strong, and a pretty sturdy one at that.


    ''Ricky! Keep running!


    Giving instructions as we passed each other, I flew straight to the ground dragon and swung my sword down between the ground dragon''s eyes.


    ''''Gugya!''''


    The earth dragon stopped moving with that blow, but it didn''t seem to do much damage, just a crack in the scales between his eyebrows. In contrast, this one''s sword had a terrible blade spill and was no longer useful as a sword.


    ''''Whoa! It''s harder than I expected.......thank God it''s a disposable sword.......


    I used a disposable one because I was hoping to distract and, oh well, do some damage.... Even the one I use all the time might have chipped off.


    I''ll get a hammer next time. I knew you''d be angry.


    The earth dragon tried to bite me while I was in the middle of making new plans after returning to King''s Landing.


    ''''Shall I lead him on quickly?''''


    I adjusted my speed to entice the ground dragon to keep flying. There were a few times when the groundhog looked like he was about to give up, so I poked him in the nose every once in a while to tease him.


    With that, the earth dragon chased it out of the forest.


    ''''Eat it!''''


    I let off a few ''Firebrit'' shots, but they were all blocked by the hard scales and disappeared.


    ''It''s as hard as it looks then how about this!


    I aimed at the spot where the magic had just hit, and fired three shots in a row, firing a stronger fireblit.


    The magic aimed at the paw shattered the scales with the first shot, pierced the skin and reached the bone with the second shot, and slipped to the other side with the third shot.


    ''''Ggaaaa! Grrrrrr.


    Here, the earth dragon began to become more cautious. It seems to have finally figured out that I''m strong enough to harm Jiryuu (myself).


    Jiryuu started to retreat a little bit, but suddenly he was slashed from behind.


    ''''Gawp!''''


    Shiroumaru. Shiroumaru, who was chasing behind the earth dragon, cut at the earth dragon with a ''slash'' from behind the earth dragon.


    However, even with Shiroumaru''s all-out strike, he was only able to peel off a few scales of the earth dragon and could only do a small amount of damage.


    However, the fact that it was injured, albeit only slightly, surprised Jiryuu, and he tried to drop down to a position where he could see both me and Shiroumaru, but this time Slarin''s Fireball and Solomon''s Rays (Breath) attacked from above Jiryuu, but this time, Slarin''s Fireball and Solomon''s Rays (Breath) attacked him from above.


    It''s not enough to destroy the scales of the earth dragon, but the sudden attack from the sky didn''t seem to surprise the earth dragon.


    ''''After all, lower level dragons are generally of low intelligence...''''


    I looked at the earth dragon that was about to panic and remembered the wyvern subspecies I defeated the other day.


    ''''Come to think of it, we should take the wyvern subspecies to Jang and the others.


    I remembered that the Wyvern subspecies had left an inspection, so I decided to quickly kill the earth dragon.


    ''''Let''s go then!''''


    I summon the Gigant while approaching the earth dragon. Only my right hand has been replaced with a large sword that I had made in Kelly''s workshop.


    The earth dragon stops moving as its eyes are drawn to the huge arms that suddenly appear.


    It seems that he is not very smart after all. The only way to survive here is to keep moving and escape by forcing your way through.


    ''''Gogya, gogya, bogya, gugya.......''''


    A left fist strike to the earth dragon''s brow, a right large sword strike to the neck, a left uppercut to levitate him, and a right blow to his throat.


    ''Oops, too good to be true!''


    Blood gushed out of the earth dragon''s throat. A demon of this class has value in blood. So they use magic to freeze the falling blood.


    At that time, a large drop of water fell from the sky. It''s Slarin.


    Slarin swallows the blood I''ve frozen. If this were Shiroumaru or Solomon, I would rush to spit it out, but with Slarin, there''s no problem. Perhaps when he sees me freezing the blood, he understands that I need it and keeps it in the magic bag inside his body.


    Eventually, the blood stopped and the earth dragon stopped moving completely.


    So I placed the earth dragon on the ground on its back so that the rest of the blood wouldn''t spill out, and I saw Garratt come running from a distance.


    ''''Oi~! Temma, I''m here to help... or rather, I guess it''s completely too late...


    Garratt''s face was drawn up as he looked at the lying earth dragon.


    ''''Where are the other two?''''


    I expected Jin and Ricky to arrive later, but apparently they were waiting at their base yesterday.


    According to Garratt, the moment Ricky met up with them, he collapsed due to a loss of tension. The two of them carried him to the base, but they were worried about me, so Garratt, who is light, went to check on me and was planning to come in to cover me if he could.


    ''Well, it was a complete waste of time. If I had been a little earlier, I could have claimed my share of the Earth Dragon!


    And I was patting myself on the back. In this case, the other three had contributed nothing to defeating the Earth Dragon, so I would have it all to myself.


    ''''Well, I''ll share some. Within the bounds of common sense.''''


    ''Seriously? Thank God!


    I was pleased with that. In fact, he didn''t help defeat them, but he was part of the operation, so Jin and Garratt had the right to be. Ricky was... well, he interpreted it as a finder (encounter) and that was an added bonus.


    I could have dismantled the earth dragon right here, but I decided to take it back to avoid wasting as much blood as possible.


    ''''But, well ... where are we going to dismantle it, this?


    Garratt''s question is most likely, but there was only one place I could think of.


    ''The King''s Castle. I had to go there to deal with the wyvern subspecies anyway, so I''ll deal with it there as well. There''s no doubt that there are dismantlers (knights) there... and if you dismantle them elsewhere, there will be people who will come and cause a commotion because of the curiosity...


    A king or a grand duke or a warlord or a princess... and then, at the end of the day, Mary and the others will come in anger and make a big deal out of it. Maybe, surely, definitely....


    If you''re sure there''s going to be a ruckus, you might as well pick a place where there''s no problem with making a ruckus.


    Garratt doesn''t want to get involved in that mess. Well, I don''t want to get involved in it either.


    But if we put this thing up for auction, I don''t know what it''s going to fetch I''m sure it''s going to be a big deal.


    Yeah, so I won''t let him out! It''s a hassle to go through the interruption process and all that... By the way, is the earth dragon good?


    I''ve heard that wyvern is good. I don''t know about the subspecies, but I think it''s probably good. Jiryuu....looks hard, but if it''s cooked for a long time like beef muscle, it might be good.


    ''''Some of them are up for auction, and I''m not really worried about money... and looking at our members, I''d rather eat them than sell them.


    At those words, Garratt looked at Shiroumar and Solomon and nodded.


    ''Well then, let''s head over to the djinn and theirs. It''s a big hunt, so let''s get the hell home.


    I put the earth dragon in my bag and headed for Jin and the others, but it was farther than I expected, so I grabbed Garratt on the way and flew away.


    ''Oh Tenma, you''re safe.............................Hey Garratt! When did you become a Temma''s boy!


    Jin started teasing us as soon as we got back.


    I guess what Jin meant was that he compared me grabbing Garratt''s backpack and carrying it to a parent dog carrying a puppy in its mouth.


    ''Temma, you can leave out that share you mentioned earlier, Jin.


    Okay.


    The djinn didn''t know what that meant, and he burst out laughing for a while, but when Garratt told him what it meant, he got down on his knees and apologized.


    ''I''m sorry! Get in a good mood!


    Seeing a very desperate Jin on his knees, I decided to forgive him. Apparently, when he was heading to Ricky''s place, he ran off in a hurry and left his prey behind. And when he returned, he found that his prey had disappeared.


    While Jin and the others were talking about this, Ricky was awkwardly looking at them from a little distance. That would be true. This was carelessness on the part of the djinn and the others, but Ricky was the cause of it.


    For some reason, when Ricky was about to take his prey out of his bag and hand it to the djinn and the others, Slarin approached the djinn.


    Then he spat out a boar and a deer.


    ''Whoa! That''s the boar I hunted, isn''t it!


    This is the deer I killed!


    After spitting out the djinn''s prey, Slarin once again swallowed the boar and the deer, one by one.


    The djinn are confused by this action, but Slarin is trying to tell me something.


    ''What? Djinn, Garratt, and Slarin say, ''I protected the prey I left behind, so I''ll take a portion of the prey as a reward.''


    Slarin is bouncing his body in affirmation. That''s why Slarin and the others were a little late that time.......shrewd.


    ''''Nah!''''


    Seriously?


    The djinn were surprised, but if Slarin didn''t collect them, it wouldn''t be surprising if the prey were all gone.


    Slarin''s methods are a bit dirty, but the actions of the djinn and others in these cases are often seen as ''giving up the rights to the prey''. Besides, they thought that since they would get a share of the Earth Dragon from me, they would make money from it, so they didn''t complain.


    However, he was quite regretful........


    I''m not hunting any animals (edible meat) today, so I guess I got it on my own.


    ''''Well then, let''s go home. Let''s summarize the story of the earth dragon''s share while we leave.


    This time, the earth dragons were not going to be redeemed by the guild, so it was decided that the djinn''s share was part of the materials. Therefore, we decided to decide ahead of time which materials we wanted.


    For the djinn, it''s the top and bottom of their fangs, for Garratt it''s the claws on their paws, and for Ricky it''s the sharp spines that grew on their backs.


    We decided to divide it up with an extra scale and a few kilograms of meat for each of them. We don''t know if the meat is edible yet, but since it''s the meat of a low-grade dragon, even if it''s inedible, there must be many people who will take it in for research or something.


    When we were nearing the royal capital, I saw some kind of shadowy group.


    When I looked closely, I saw that there were many familiar faces in the group.


    ''''You there! Stop!


    A man at the head of the group approaches on horseback.


    ''The direction you guys came from has brought me information that a ground dragon has appeared, do you know anything about it?


    The man is talking to Ricky in the groom''s seat.


    ''I''ve got him, then. Mr. Squad Leader.


    Turning to Ricky, I replied by pulling out the window. The person who approached me must have been the squad leader of the First Order.


    ''What? ...... Is that true!


    It seems that it was the squad leader of the First Order, after all.


    This is the person who was thrown by Mr. Dinh as a weapon when he participated in the knight''s training before. Well, that time I kicked this person who flew at me, but.......


    Then I remembered them because I had greeted them a few times when I showed up at the royal castle.


    This group seemed to be made up of the First Order and the adventurers.


    ''''If there are adventurers here, did you have a call for me?''''


    The answer to that question is yes, he said. But the call was made yesterday afternoon, and we were already gone, so they gave up.


    Some of the members here were active in the convention, such as "The Dragon Shooter", "Rowen Glynn", "Blue Hornet", and others.


    However, since none of them were present at the house banquet, when I asked the squad leader, he said that none of them were in a position to move.


    First, the ''Sword of Dawn''. Due to the absence of Jin and Garratt, they did not participate due to their lack of strength.


    Seigenteimers A, B, and C'' is a hangover.


    I ate too much of "Gunjo''s Flowers (Three Girls)".


    Amur also ate too much.


    Blanca gave priority to finding a souvenir for his wife.


    Grandpa is hungover.


    Other than that, he''s out of commission.


    And as far as I know most of the reasons are as far as I''m concerned, as far as I''m concerned!


    Fortunately, it''s not compulsory, so there are no penalties, apparently. Originally, the members who participated in the banquet were adventurers from other towns, except for the people from Kukri Village, so it was not calculated, but the people who went to ask for help must have been surprised.


    ''''Anyway, if you defeated it, let me out once. I want to see it with my own eyes.


    So he took out the earth dragon in front of everyone''s eyes.


    Everyone seemed to think it was a little smaller individual, and they were surprised at how much bigger it was than they expected.


    ''''This is the four of you........''''


    No, it took Tenma alone to kill him. We didn''t do anything.


    Jin quipped to the squad leader, who was exclaiming.


    The other adventurers showed a look of surprise at that. After all, saying that they didn''t help in any way could hurt their reputation.


    Normally when they say that, they say that they helped a little, or that they were concentrating on covering up.


    Well, there''s no point in lying about it. It''s more like I was covering for you by saying that I didn''t want to drag Tenma down!


    Garratt''s way of saying it was strange, but it seemed to have gotten through to the other adventurers.


    Normally, to defeat a demon of this class, it takes 10 skilled adventurers to defeat it.


    Therefore, it''s only natural for people to think that I was the only one to defeat them.


    But I have a history. It is unofficially listed in the guild''s records, but rumors are spreading among the nobility and those involved in the Kukri village, and the demonstration of power at the recent tournament has lent credence to the term "dragon killer.


    Moreover, the core of the adventurers here are the ones who fought me.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it.


    So I don''t know what the truth is, but on the surface it seems that they believed it.


    I''m sure that this is indeed the ground dragon that was reported. However, I can''t report that he has returned because he was exterminated by His Majesty the King''s order to go and defeat him. I''m sorry, but tell me more about where the earth dragon was. The defeat is gone, but there is still something left to do, including investigation.


    Even as a knightly order, they went to the trouble of hiring adventurers to go out to war. It''s not a good idea to go back, but it''s not cool if you don''t achieve anything.


    It''s true that I''m not going to ask you to give me a ground dragon, but I''m sure you''ll want to say that secretly.


    ''''I would like to have this ground dragon examined together with the Wyvern subspecies, is it possible?


    So I decided to give a little help. If I take the earth dragon to the knight''s group, that alone will increase the work of the knight''s group. More work means more reports to the upper echelons, so we can also say that leaving the army was not a mistake. Simply put, it means more funds for activities and salaries.


    The squad leader was very pleased with my proposal. It was as if the credit was rolling in without any effort.


    But this is just a transaction. You can give them the record that you were involved in the case of the earth dragon and this one (me) can secure free labor for the dismantling of the earth dragon and sell the debt of gratitude to Lyle-sama, the head of the order. Of course, I have the right to all the materials of the earth dragon, so I''ll make sure to tell him that.


    In the meantime, I can''t make a promise here and there because it''s only verbal, so I asked the squad leader to write a stroke and one of the knights took it back to the royal capital. The contract would be decided by Lyle-sama.


    Well, I''ll have to make it out of ten, though. After all, that man has done a lot of things since the first time I met him, so it seems that most of his salary is being managed by Maria-sama. In short, he''s the head of the military and yet he''s getting his allowance from his mother.


    As expected, I feel sorry for her, even though she deserved it.


    ''Temma! Well done!


    After separating from the defeating party and returning to the royal capital, I headed straight to the royal castle, where Lyle-sama was waiting for me at the gate.


    Around it, guards and gatekeepers are also waiting. Lyle-sama''s first voice seems to be deliberately saying it to them so that they can hear it, rather than to me.


    (Sorry, Temma, tune in.)


    Lyle-sama whispers to me, tapping me on the shoulder.


    ''Ha! I found a ground dragon, so I killed it while I was at it.


    My words startled the guards and gatekeepers who were around me.


    It''s natural. It''s not the kind of thing that you would kill a creature called an earthly dragon just for the sake of ....


    Normally, if you find one, you should run back as fast as you can. It''s also a way for you to get rid of the problem, and it''s a possible reward for just reporting it.


    You can''t get away with it. Then let''s go!


    With Lyle-sama''s guidance, we headed to the knights'' training grounds. As expected, we can''t take out an earth dragon here, so the training ground was chosen as a place where it could be large and dirty.


    ''''So, Temma I''m sorry, can you pretend that the reason you went to that forest was because of my instructions? Of course, I''ll pay you for that, and I won''t claim the rights to the material. Just let me bite the Knights to slay the Earth Dragon, too.


    Lyle-sama comes to me in the carriage to offer me advice without being heard by the surrounding guards. Apparently, it seems to be as I expected.


    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that it''s a good idea, but there are some conditions, right?


    As a condition of our offer, five gold pieces to each of the four of us. This includes a hush money.


    In addition to this, we will also buy the materials we got from them. This is a higher price than the market price.


    It''s a good idea to buy the materials from the three of us, except for me, as well as the ones we hunted together.


    They seemed disappointed that I refused to buy the earth dragon, but instead they decided to accommodate some of the materials for the wyvern subspecies.


    ''So Lyle took advantage of the Temma.


    Lyle-sama was caught by Maria-sama as soon as they arrived at the Knights'' training grounds. It seems that when one of the guards went to secure the training ground, Maria-sama found him and beat him to it.


    When I asked Maria why she went ahead of me, she said it was because Lyle seemed to be planning something.


    ''''Mother, that story was dealt with by me and Temma after ''both parties agreed''........''''


    Currently, Lyle-sama is being made to sit upright in front of Maria-sama. I wasn''t told anything in particular, so after positioning the wyvern variants and ground dragons out around the middle of the training area, I have the knights prepare to dismantle them.


    Although, to be precise, it''s not in the form of me giving orders, but rather Tida giving orders to me.


    ''Lyle, I''m not mad at you for taking the flight. What I''m angry about is that you tried to take credit for the Knights (for your own pocket money) without telling us. Do you understand?


    Mary''s sermon continues.


    ''Mr Temma, what next?''


    ?


    Hearing my words, Tida instructs the knights.


    ''Look, Lyle. This is a case that could go down in history! If you''re going to make a deal, you should take it into account! Fortunately, it''s a good thing I''m the one who noticed, but if I''m not good... no, even if I''m not good, the other nobles will take advantage of me!


    The sermon continues.


    ''Mr. Temma. They have all the knives and tools available, but as far as I can tell, there are no experienced people in the castle.


    ''Then the guild... or maybe Grandpa will know. I''m sorry, but can someone please go?


    Well, we''ll be there.


    In a corner of the training grounds, the djinn who had been having a tea party (out of force as it was called) ran for office and borrowed a carriage from the knights and left.


    ''Good! You always have a habit of thinking of things so easily like that... I''m asking you!


    The sermon, which has been getting progressively derailed, continues.


    ''By the way, Tida, where''s Luna?''


    ''Luna is learning. She''s probably working on it (...) with her grandfather and great uncle.


    He said it in a way that bothered me, but I guess that means he can''t come here.


    ''Well I guess that''s not an option then, let''s take a break until Grandpa gets here.


    We put a table out there and take out the tea and snacks.


    Fortunately, there''s plenty to talk about to pass the time.


    As I was picking the snacks with Tida and talking about the earth dragon and other things, I couldn''t hear Maria''s voice anymore.


    When I turned around, the sermon seemed to be over and Maria was approaching us. Behind her, Lyle-sama is also there, with vacant eyes.


    ''''Is it okay to be here?''''


    Before Maria-sama could hear my reply, she sat down in the empty chair. Behind her, a vacant-eyed Lyle-sama stood behind her.


    ''''How would you like to change the deal for the Earth Dragon?''''


    I watched Maria sit down and then opened my mouth.


    ''That''s what I''m talking about. Well, I''m not changing the terms on the Temma side. What I''m changing is that my business partner will ''change to Tida, not Lyle,'' and that ''I didn''t slay the ground dragon at the behest of the royal family (...).''


    I understand the first reason. The point is to create an achievement for Tida, the ''future king candidate'', and to strengthen the connection between Tida and me. This change is understandable because it''s something that benefits me as well.


    There''s a second problem. If I''m going to give credit to Tida, it would be better to leave a note in the dossier saying that the royal family gave the order.


    Perhaps sensing my doubts and Tida''s, Lady Maria smiled and told me.


    ''It''s simple. It''s easy to find out that the royal family had orders, considering the circumstances. It may be that the nobleman will find out about it and put you in unnecessary trouble. Then it would be better to mention from the beginning that Tenma is cooperating with the royal family as a courtesy. That way, it will be easier to do later on.


    That was the reason.


    With Lyle-sama''s method, it could be said that the royal family used their power to make me give up the earthly dragon, etc. Those closest to him would think that this is not true, but the general public might believe it, and the reformers would certainly use it.


    So, he says, he''s trying to minimize the criticism and still make the most of the facts.


    I don''t mind, but if you ask me which side I''d rather be on, the one I know the most, the royalist side.


    Not long ago, I might have said I didn''t want to join a faction battle and go somewhere unknown, but in my current state, I''m sure I''ll get involved anyway, so it would be more convenient to make my position clear.


    After all, he''s on good terms with the heads of the royalist faction for now (...). There''s no way we can''t take advantage of this.


    ''''There''s no problem.......but I''m only a favored collaborator (..........).


    ''Yes, there''s nothing wrong with that. Temma''s just a regular (...) guy who likes the royal family, you know.


    It''s not that I''m not a good person to talk to, but I''m a good person to talk to.


    I''m sure you''ll find that Lyle didn''t move a bit during the conversation, but he did respond to Maria''s laughter, turning pale and shivering.

 105-Chapter 6-4 Disassembly Work

    "Hey, let''s cut a little deeper in there! Let''s get those scales off you first!


    Under Grandpa''s direction, the knights proceeded with the work while chirping and chirping.


    The work started an hour ago, but they still haven''t even reached 20% of the entire process.


    However, it was helpful that my grandfather knew how to dismantle a ground dragon.


    He learned it a long time ago when he hunted a low-grade dragon. It seemed that it was a ground dragon at that time as well, and since he didn''t know how to do it, he dismantled it in a half-experimental state, which apparently ruined a lot of the material.


    This time, he''s making use of his experience from that time and doing his best not to damage the materials.


    Speaking of which, I heard it''s the first time in about two hundred years that the royal family has been involved in dismantling a dragon.


    Tida seemed to have researched the earth dragon in the archives, and she had a lot of interesting things to say about it.


    For example, I heard that the flesh of the earth dragon is delicious, but it is quite hard, and unless it is softened in some way, it literally doesn''t stand up to the teeth; the last time I hunted a earth dragon, the central figure was the second prince at the time, who seemed to have black hair and black eyes just like me, and when he was born, there was an uproar about the queen cheating on him; the fact that the scales of the earth dragon can be melted and processed like a metal can be done or something....


    Hmm, it''s like metal...


    I got some good information. I was just thinking of getting a new piece of leather armor for my current leather armor, so I might as well splurge on it.


    ''''I knew it was out!


    Take it with you in a hurry!


    Don''t forget to put it in your magic bag!


    At that time, a group of people who were dismantling the wyvern subspecies at a short distance from the earth dragon became noisy.


    When I looked over there, it seemed that they had just cut open the stomach of the wyvern subspecies, and the upper half of a melting human body was coming out from inside.


    ''''A tamer.......gross.


    Pfft.....


    Tida was holding her hand over her mouth, as if she had never seen a (...) dead body like that (...)


    ''Temma, come here!''


    Jean, who was leading the dismantling of the Wyvern subspecies, is calling me over, holding the tamer''s bag.


    ''What''s up?''


    Hey, do you think this bag will still work?


    The two bags that Mr. Jang offered seemed to be difficult to repair because they were melted and had holes in some places, but since they didn''t seem to be completely broken, the contents could be replaced.


    It looks like it''s going to be okay. Please bring a replacement bag. Anything of the same size will do.


    A nearby knight immediately brings a bag to my order.


    I take the bag and use granting magic to create a simple magic bag.


    I connect it to the broken bag and make it share space. All that''s left to do is open the new bag and take out the contents.


    ''''How did you do that! Here!


    Mr. Jang is surprised, but theoretically it''s a simple one. All he had to do was to make a new opening for the bag that couldn''t be opened anymore.


    When I explained that to him, he was impressed, but later he told me that this was a new technology, and he warned me not to tell him about it, as it would surely be used against him if this technology spread.


    As such, I examined the convention magic bag that Tamer had with him and found nothing particularly suspicious.


    However, the same method was used to examine the ''tamer''s personal belongings that were left in the care of the attendants'', and there were a variety of dangerous items that were found, and Jan and the others were lightly surprised.


    The most common were poisonous drugs, from the strongest to the weakest, fast-acting and slow-acting, as well as those for demons and animals, and even powerful aphrodisiacs and aphrodisiacs.


    The next most common were weapons, and these were even items that seemed to be used for torture.


    The rest were items and foodstuffs that appeared to be stolen, and after confirming these items, Jean paused the dismantling and went to prepare a report and interrogate the rest of the members.


    ''Excuse me, Mr Temma. Let''s just say that the dismantling will have to wait until later, please.


    Tida lowered her head instead of Jan-san, but as for the wyvern subspecies, she didn''t mind since she could likely dismantle it on her own.


    ''''Temma-san, the earth dragons have been gutted and sorted out, and all that''s left to do is skin them.


    After about three hours after Jean and the others disappeared, we finally got to the skin of the earth dragon.


    Once we''ve come this far, we can use our magic to crunch through the rest.


    ''''Then I guess we can take a break.''''


    Tida told them what I suggested.


    "No, that''s quite a bone to pick.


    Grandpa comes up to me, rolling his shoulders, but he doesn''t look as tired as he says he is.


    He doesn''t look so tired as to say, "This is a pretty big guy. He''s more than one size bigger than the one I killed. Not to prove it, but here, take a look at this.


    Grandpa took out a magic nucleus that was more than 40cm in diameter. By the way, the wyvern subspecies was about 20 centimeters in diameter.


    This one alone must be worth more than ten million g''s. If I were to sell it at auction, it would be worth twice as much. If it was sold at auction, it would be worth twice as much.


    ''It''s worth quite a bit but I''m not going to sell it and I don''t have any use for it at the moment... I think I''ll just let it die in my bag until it''s ready to go.


    As I was talking with my grandfather about such things, Tida interrupted me as if to say she was afraid.


    ''''Um~ Temma-san. I''ve been wanting to ask you since.... or rather, I''ve been wanting to ask you for quite some time now... what is that cow over there with Shiroumaru?


    Tida pointed to the three white wild cows grazing behind Shiroumaru.


    Oh yes, I''ve been wondering about them, too. Do they eat them?


    Grandpa seemed to be curious about it, and said he''d help me process it if I ate it, but I told him I wasn''t going to do that.


    I rescued him and he took a liking to me, so I brought him here. I thought I''d keep him at home.


    Tida is surprised by my statement.


    "Well, okay. We can use an unused backyard or something in the backyard, and if you ask around Martha, she can show you how to take care of them in detail.


    It''s a very good idea to have a total of three calves on top of two overweight cows, as if you were keeping a cat and dog.


    The problem is the food, but what are you going to do about it?


    ''I don''t have a problem with that. Basically, we can mow the grass in the meadow in bulk and store it in our bags, and I think we can buy any surplus and cheap grain we have left over, and if we want, we can collect it in exchange for cow''s milk, Grandpa.


    A white wild cow looks like a Holstein or something. Well, the white-haired cows are much bigger.


    So we tried milking the cow for the first time in our lives, thinking we could get some milk, but it was amazing.


    At any rate, 30 liters of milk came out lightly. I tried it and found it to be quite thick and tasty, so I kept it in my bag.


    The milk from the white heifer is a high quality product. It''s hard to get one because we can''t breed them. The meat is even more expensive.


    Don''t worry. We have meat! So I took the meat out and showed it to him, and Grandpa was quite pleased.


    Tida looked like she wanted to eat it too, so I told her I would share it with her after I broke it up, and she was happy too.


    ''So, Temma-san,'' he said, ''what are the names of those cows? What are the names of those cows?


    He asked me if I had any names in mind beforehand, so I announced the names I had in mind.


    ''That bull is ''Juve'', the cow is ''Hiro'' and the calf is ''Tama''.


    From "The Wild Cow Without One Eye" (Yagyu), the bull was named Jube, the calf (female) was named Tama (Garasha), and the mother was named Hiro.


    I couldn''t decide whether to name the mother Hiro or Teru, but in the end I decided on Hiro.


    Well, it''s a funny name, but it''s good.


    Yeah, it''s different.


    After all, the two of them seem to feel a little uncomfortable with the Japanese name, but we can''t help what we''ve named them. We''ll let them get used to it.


    After the introduction of the white wild cows, Maria came to us while we were taking it easy.


    Tida, Temma, how are you doing? Tida, Temma, how are you doing?


    Maria-sama joined the break and the four of us continued to talk. When I looked in the direction Maria-sama came from, I saw that Lyle-sama was still sitting upright.


    When I asked him if it was okay for him to show up like that as a royalty and head of the military, Maria-sama said something horrible like, ''''It''s just the usual thing.


    ''So, what part of the earth dragon will they sell me?


    He asked me, so I told him that I had spoken roughly with Master Lyle and decided to leave it in writing officially.


    The parts to be sold to the royal family are one eyeball, most of the internal organs except for the heart, a few bones, and a few dozen pounds of meat from the earth dragon, and from the wyvern subspecies, both eyeballs, most of the internal organs except for the heart, half of the skin, half of the scales, half of the claws and fangs, and half of the meat.


    They''ll be taking more than they originally planned, but they''ll color in the right price and give the djinn and the others some extra money on top of the original plan.


    As I thought, Lyle-sama is not even close to Maria-sama in this kind of bargaining.


    I don''t want it!


    When I quickly declined Maria-sama''s words, Tida was quite surprised.


    ''''Well, I knew you''d say that, but.......just so you know, in the case of a title, I''m even thinking of an earl, right?


    I don''t want it.


    Lady Maria seemed to know I was going to say no, but Tida didn''t seem to be convinced.


    ''Why, Temma, is it that at the age of fifteen, you are probably the first person in history to go from a commoner to an earl?''


    Tida said it best, but that''s just for normal people.


    To be honest, I don''t think a knighthood is that good for me right now. I don''t care about it because I''ve never had a special position in my life (including in my previous life), and I think I''m better off than any other nobleman out there.


    And since I''m not strapped for money, I can live and do whatever I want.


    But once you become a nobleman, you have to do the appropriate (troublesome) work of managing the estate and calculating tax revenues, and even if you were to receive an honorary knighthood without a fiefdom, you would be involved in conflicts between nobles.


    Moreover, in my case, receiving a knighthood means that I will have to form a vassal band from scratch, and I will have to sort them out, which will only increase the disadvantages rather than the advantages.


    When I told Tida that, Tida had a complicated look on her face, but on the contrary, Maria-sama laughed with an amused look.


    ''''Even though you''re not related by blood, you''re still the son of Ciria and Ricardo. You look just like them!''''


    As Tida and I were stunned, Maria-sama, whose laughter had subsided, began to talk happily.


    ''''Actually, Ricardo refused to be lined up with the nobility as well. He said that Shelia agreed with him.''''


    Maria told me for the first time that my father and mother were actually noblemen in the past.


    My father was the son of a knight, the lowest rank, and my mother was the niece of a viscount.


    Well, come to think of it, Mother was Maria''s childhood friend and Father was a classmate of the King''s at the same school, so at least one of them must be a nobleman.


    When I tried to ask Maria-sama why they were in Kukri village, she said that they were classmates at the same school as the king, so one of them must be a nobleman.


    ''That would be better spoken of by Master Merlin than by me. That''s right, Master Merlin.


    I said to my grandfather, who had been right behind me before I knew it.


    I don''t know why you are telling me all this," he said. It''s not something I want to remember.


    ''If Temma were a normal girl, I wouldn''t have told her either. But this is going to be a pain in the ass, that''s for sure.


    At Maria''s powerful smile, even Grandpa sighed and sat down in his chair.


    ''That''s true.......so let''s talk about Ricardo first. It''s not much of a story. Ricardo was born as a result of Ricardo''s mother having a nobleman as her companion. Ricardo lived in the village of Kukri when he was a child, but his father, who was a knight without an heir, brought him to the capital to be raised. A few years later, his father lost his title when he was forced to leave the capital. There was a chance that Ricardo would have dropped out of school, but he was so good that he was able to stay on as a special student.


    It seems that he met the kings at that time. By the way, the school is a secondary school, the equivalent of a middle school in a previous life.


    The problem is Shelia''s family. I''m related to the family. She is the daughter of my brother, the son of the viscount''s heir. She was born after I left home.


    Grandpa was born the third son of a baronial family, and Mom was born the eldest daughter of the second son of a baronial family.


    Grandpa and Mom''s father were close in age, and they were close, but they didn''t get along with Grandpa''s older brother, the eldest son.


    Because of this, Grandpa left home before he came of age and became independent as a commoner (...). It was rare for him to leave home before coming of age, but fortunately he had a talent for magic, so he didn''t have a problem with it.


    But my mom''s dad ... my grandpa was different. It is said that he didn''t have any magical talents and he wasn''t allowed to leave home because he was the second son.


    After that, he married and had a mother, but the eldest son also had a boy born who would be his heir, so he was made independent as a knight.


    Immediately after independence, they had a lot of financial difficulties. However, it is said that the eldest son did not support him at all.


    When Grandpa was made independent, he was already quite famous as a famous adventurer, and he took considerable care of him financially.


    Thanks to that, Mom was able to go to school and apparently became friends with Maria-sama (elementary school...........like an elementary school). At that time, Maria was the king''s bride, and so later on she got to know him as well.


    Because of this relationship, Mom met Dad and they ended up going out. Grandpa also intended to eventually adopt her as his son-in-law because of her aristocratic heritage and her good grades at school.


    I''ve heard that Grandpa allowed Mom and Dad to go out with each other and said it would be a good experience to be an adventurer.


    However, the king''s eldest son, who misunderstood the king''s interest in Mom, put a lot of pressure on Grandpa to make Mom a member of the king''s entourage, because the king thought that Mom was his friend''s lover and he was close to her.


    Because of this, Grandpa wasn''t very healthy to begin with, but he got sick from the stress he was under.


    Worst of all, the eldest son blamed Grandpa for not being able to fulfill his nobleman''s duties and tried to adopt Mom.


    Just then, Mom and the others had returned to King''s Landing to take part in a martial arts tournament, and when Mom and Dad heard about it, they protested to the eldest son, but he didn''t listen to them and tried to get his faction''s bosses involved in the plan.


    The king (the crown prince at the time) tried to protest, but Mr. Cliffe came up with a plan and stopped him.


    Hearing of his plan, Mom and her family participated in the tournament and won the championship.


    When the king asked for a reward for winning, he said, "I don''t want a reward.


    "I don''t want a reward. Let me accept your decision to marry us and disown my family.


    This was Mr. Cliffe''s idea of a plan. Normally there would have been a punishment for disrespect, but the crown prince (the current king) and some of the leading nobles (the royalists) had lobbied the king and some of the noblemen in advance, so the request was easily granted and the two were married and moved to the village of Kukri where their father was born.


    On the contrary, the eldest son was forced to be replaced by his father for causing a disturbance.


    Shortly after the replacement of the eldest son, the grandfather died of heartache.


    ''''Moreover, the eldest son (Ciria''s cousin), the eldest son, is still in the position of Viscount, so he might harass you with recriminations.


    So one of the counter-measures was to make Temma a count.


    Maria says that''s why she''s so obsessed with my title. Well, I''m sure that''s not the only reason.


    ''''By the way........by the way......can I kill you, that ex-consultant?''''


    Tida was taken aback by my straightforward statement.


    ''No, you can''t do that.


    Well, that''s not good.


    ''Yes! Mr. Temma!


    Tida, who is relieved that they disagreed, but....


    ''Not ready to kill! We''ll have to wait and see how it goes a little longer!


    Yeah, and we''ve got to plan carefully so they don''t find out!


    Tida is even more donkeyish. In particular, she seems to be most surprised by Maria''s statement that she condones killing.


    ''Tida, do you understand? Sometimes a nobleman has to take a man''s life. Isn''t it troublesome?


    ''''No, Mr. Temma is not a nobleman.......and besides, it''s because of Mr. Temma!


    Tida looks exhausted.


    It seemed that it was too early for Tida to make adult black jokes.


    Such a half-serious, half-playful conversation continued, and before I knew it, it was overdue for a break.


    ''''It''s time to get back on track, or it''s getting dark.


    "Yes, let''s get started, Mr. Temma.


    The current state of the earth dragon is in a state where the skin is cut into the ground to be removed. So, I''m going to start by dropping the tips of the head and limbs that are in the way.


    This is my role.


    ''''Well........''''


    First, he maneuvered the gigantine to hold the earth dragon in place. Then, he used the sword to cut through the flesh along the cut just below the head.


    As he cut all the way around the neck, the bones were left at the end. As expected, it was difficult to cut the bones, so he put the tip of the sword against the nearby joint and put some force into it.


    ''''Oh~!''''


    The earth dragon''s head was cut off more easily than he expected, eliciting cheers from the knights who were watching around him.


    After that, the tips of the limbs were cut off in the same manner as the neck.


    ''''That''s good, huh?''''


    Putting back the swords and gigantos, I went ahead and secured the djinn''s portion.


    The knights used their magic on their demolition knives to increase the sharpness of the dismantling knives and cut along the border between the skin and the flesh of the ground dragon.


    Every once in a while an inexperienced knight would make a mistake and cut his finger or failed to peel the meat cleanly, but the work generally went on without any problems.


    And after about two hours, the entire process of work was completed.


    It took about seven hours, and after mobilizing more than twenty knights, the earth dragon was turned into material.


    ''''So that''s it!


    Tida is excited that her work is done, but what is finished is the work of the knights (........).


    ''Tida, your work isn''t done yet,''


    What?


    Tida tilts her head at Maria''s words.


    That''s right. This time we need to negotiate the price of the materials for the deal with the royal family. This time it''s Tida who''s in charge so be gentle with me.


    I said with a deliberate smile at Tida.


    Seeing me, Tida turned pale and looked at Maria nearby, but Maria ignored Tida.


    After all, it was Maria who told me to do this kind of act (...). She''s the mastermind, so to speak.


    It''s not that I''m saying that I can rip off Teeda for her money, it''s just Maria''s parental love for her to experience this kind of deal, so to speak.


    I understand. Since this is not the place, would you like to negotiate in my room?


    When Tida realized that she couldn''t expect Maria''s support, she tried to discuss it in her room, but I refused to do so.


    ''''No, let''s do it here anyway. I''m sure the knights who participated in the dismantling will be wondering how much value the ground dragon material we dismantled will fetch.


    As Tida gave me the choice of location, I refused without hesitation and suggested that we do it right here in this place where the knights are watching. The most suggestion is that Tida has no choice right now. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.


    Tida, who was defeated by the eyes of the knights around her, agreed to negotiate here. With this, Tida would no longer be able to bargain poorly for the material.


    If you bargain poorly, there is a risk that you will be thought of as ''a succession of kings setting a low price for their work''.


    So far, Tida doesn''t seem to have noticed this, but Maria-sama''s eyes have become a bit steely.


    ''''Let''s go with the earth dragon first. What we can get flexible here is one eyeball, internal organs minus the heart, a few bones, and a few dozen kilograms of meat, is that correct?


    No, there are changes to the organs. We''ll take one lung, liver, gall bladder and stomach. I''ll sell you 200 kilos of meat.


    The parts of the internal organs that are in demand would be the parts I just mentioned. I told Maria that I would sell those to her, but if you''re dealing with Tida, it''s one thing to try to stick it out.


    ''''Yes, that''s fine, but do you mind if we have so much more meat?''''


    ''Yeah, there''s still plenty of meat to go around. I''ll consume that one if I can.


    I understand.


    Sure enough, Tida did exactly what I wanted her to do. To be honest, the meat would be like an extra compared to the value of the internal organs.


    After all, meat can only be treated as edible (...), but internal organs can be used as ingredients and medicine, and of course, edible as well.


    Tida is simply pleased with the increase in the amount of meat, but she doesn''t notice that Maria-sama''s expression has become grim behind her.


    ''''So the price ... what''s the deal with the earth dragons in the past?''''


    In response to my question, Tida took out a document that she had apparently made beforehand and began to answer.


    ''There are a total of five past transactions that have survived as documents. The first case is two hundred years old and is the head, heart, scales, claws and flesh, the second case is one hundred and fifty years old and is the eyeballs and all the internal organs, plus the scales, bones and flesh. The third case is 120 years old and only meat. The fourth was 80 years ago and all but the meat. The last one was 40 years ago and was the one that Mr. Merlin took down, and this time he bought everything. But I heard it was in pretty bad condition, so it''s not very helpful.


    On top of that, the cost of living was quite different from now, so they could only use it as a reference.


    It wasn''t very useful, but still, it seemed to be a positive assessment for Maria-sama that Tida had made the materials beforehand, and her smile returned a bit.


    ''Well then, let''s go ahead and price them individually. First of all, it''s a highlight. How about this one for a million Gs?


    Well yes, that price is fine.


    I said a little bluntly, but Tida nodded easily.


    ''As for the guts ... how about eight hundred thousand?''


    It would be nice if you could get it a little cheaper.


    Well, you''ll get 700,000.


    Thank you.


    The story moves along at a brisk pace. As the story goes on, Maria''s expression becomes more grim.


    Later, Tida decided to preach a sermon.


    The expression on her face was as if such a future was in her hands.

 106-Chapter 6-5 Transaction end. And two...

    What part of the bone do you want?


    Nevertheless, there are still negotiations to be had.


    Tida is asked about the part of the bone, but this seems to bother her. This bothers me too. At any rate, it''s because I can''t think of any particular use for it.


    If you want to display a set of heads, a set of heads would be good, but for this deal, heads are excluded from the candidates.


    That being the case, it doesn''t make any difference where you choose.


    ''''Then can I get one of the front and hind legs for 400,000 G?


    When I asked him why, he said he wanted to keep it as a document, so it had to look good in its own right.


    Actually, it would be a cheap price for a dragon bone, but since the first use I came up with for the bone was to get soup stock out of it, I decided to sell it for that price.


    ''''So the meat........how about 10,000g per kg?''''


    It''s 1,000 g (10,000 yen) per g. It''s the most expensive in the world. It''s a significant price even in this world.


    As I expected, Tida had a difficult look on her face.


    I have 200kg so I''ll ask for 2,500g/kg.


    He suddenly pulled it down to a quarter. Furthermore, before I could open my mouth, Tida continued to speak.


    ''''One hundred kilograms will be fed to the knights as a reward. So, after subtracting the cost of the place and labor, I''ll ask for 2,500 g.''''


    At the last minute, Tida came to take advantage of the situation. The knights around me are happy to hear that they will be rewarded.


    It''s my turn to fold.


    ''''All right, that''s fine. Then I''ll need a million in eyeballs, 700,000 in guts, 400,000 in bones, and 500,000 in meat for a total of 2.6 million g.''''


    Yeah.


    With that, Tida enters the amount of money on the contract, along with her name.


    ''''So, the Wyvern subspecies........''''


    No, we''ll have to wait until after the demolition is complete.


    As expected, if I continued like this, Tida would be in danger in many ways.


    Tida nodded to my suggestion without seeming particularly bothered by it.


    Seeing Tida like that, I had a feeling that she would thank me later on.


    Behind her, Maria-sama was thinking about something. Perhaps she is thinking about changing Tida''s education policy in the future.


    After Tida confirmed that there were no flaws in the contract, she held out a copy of the contract to me as well.


    Please make sure there is no mistake in the amount and content. I''m sure I''ll have the full amount ready tomorrow.


    I skimmed through the contract and then tucked it away in my bag.


    ''Well, I guess I''d better get going then.


    Oh, I''ll just drop you off...


    Tida got up from her chair and was about to walk towards me when Maria held Tida''s shoulder.


    ''Tida, I need to have a word with you. I''m sorry Temma. I''ll have to leave you here.


    Oh, yes. This is the bag with the wyvern subspecies in it. Please keep it with you.


    Maria smiled at me, followed by a smirk at Tida, and then she walked into the castle, pushing her back.


    ''''Heh, eh...''''


    Tida, who didn''t quite understand what was about to happen, was taken by Maria in confusion.


    ''Tida I''ll pray to see you again tomorrow...''


    I clasped my hands together and prayed (not to God) to Tida as she was being donned.


    ''Temma, I''ve given you the materials for the Earth Dragon. Now let''s go home.


    Grandpa came over, holding up the bag with the earth dragon in it.


    It was almost time for it to start getting dark, so I hurriedly tucked the things around me into the bag and called Shiroumaru and the others over.


    It was cute to see Tama-chan frantically following behind Shiroumaru as he hurriedly came over here, and the knights who were watching the scene were relaxed.


    When we get back to the mansion, we have to think about Juubae and the others. Even if I make them my family members, I don''t think they''re very good at fighting, so I''ll probably have to ask them to help me enrich my diet.


    ''''I''ll also have to study the meat of the Earth Dragon...''''


    I know a few ways to tenderize the meat, but I don''t know if that method will work on the ground dragon, so it will be a halfway house experiment. Well, even if it fails, it won''t be completely wasted since we have a processor in our house.


    After making sure Shiroumaru and the others were in the bag, I went back to the mansion with my grandpa.


    When I returned to the mansion, there was another crowd of people in front of the gate.


    But this time the crowd didn''t seem to be a group of scammers, and no one was trying to talk to us.


    The party was still going on as we slipped through them and passed through the gate.


    It was mainly the men of Kukuri village who were drinking, and the women were cleaning up and talking shit about the men with gasps on their faces.


    ''Well, I don''t know what it is, but kanpai!


    "[P]eek!


    There is hardly any food left, and they are drinking as if they don''t need any nibbles.


    But among them, there are those who weren''t there when I went out.


    Why are Kelly and the others there?


    ''Yeah, I came to see Temma before noon, but she wasn''t there, so I invited her to the feast. But you see, dwarves are very good at drinking. I can''t tell you how many barrels of booze they''ve filled up alone.


    Uncle Mark, drunk and staggering, pointed to the empty barrels piled up behind them.


    There are probably more than ten or twenty barrels in the pile. I wondered where in the world he had gotten them from, but I decided that since he was a drinking dwarf, he must have stocked them.


    ''But if Kelly''s here, that''s just fine.


    Anyway, I was just planning to go to Kelly''s workshop in the near future to discuss equipment using materials from the earth dragon.


    Kerry! Do you have a minute?


    Huh? Oh, welcome back the star of the show!


    Kelly, who had been drinking from a mug, is about to make another toast as soon as she checks me out.


    ''Kanpai! Congratulations.


    Kelly emptied the contents of her mug in the blink of an eye and congratulated me as she remembered.


    ''Yeah, I need to talk to Kelly about that. I actually wanted to renew my armor, using the earth dragon material.


    Before I could say it fully, Kelly put her mug on the ground. His eyes had become the eyes of a keen craftsman, unlike the ones I had seen earlier.


    ''Can you leave it all to me? I can''t say I''m sorry to say it, but there are other craftsmen in the capital who are more skilled than I am, if you can find them. I''m sure that just because Tenma says he is looking for a craftsman, there will be plenty of people who will want to create one. Are you still okay with me?


    You''re not sure?


    Kelly smiled a toothy grin at my provocative words.


    Don''t be silly. No blacksmith knows more about Temma than I do!


    Kelly says confidently, and I hold out my hand to her. Kelly holds my hand firmly, too.


    I don''t know if she''s really excited, but the hand she held hurt so much it made my bones creak.


    ''So, has Kelly ever made armor out of earth dragon material?


    ''Once, a long time ago. I didn''t have a lot of material at the time, so I just did a small shield. Still, I used both scales and skin, so I know how to do it, and I''ve used similar (wyvern) materials many times, so I don''t have any problems.


    And so on.


    In order to process the skin of the earth dragon, so I decided to go ahead and give the material because it requires special preparation.


    The skin of the Jiryuu is roughly cut, but it is still quite large.


    When the skin was taken out, the non-believers who were drinking around it also gathered around it, cheered, and then began to drink it, this time with the story of the Jiryuu as a snack.


    Kelly gathered all of the female dwarves who were attending the banquet and discussed this and that, putting the material of the earth dragon at the center of it. Along with the materials, the leather armor and other armor I had been using were also placed on the table.


    ''''Temma! Do you have any requests?


    First, focus on ease of movement. After that, rather than making your whole body stiff, just thicken the vital areas.


    It''s like strengthening this guy!


    And if you can make me some shoes, too.


    I''d like to say yes, but shoes aren''t my specialty, so I''ll order them from someone I know I can trust.


    That''s fine.


    Suddenly Kelly asked me a question and I decided to have something made that resembled the armor I was used to. The shoes, too, will not be a problem at Kelly''s acquaintance''s place. However, it seems to need to be adjusted while wearing them at least a few times, but I told Kelly that I would have to come to her place, so I told her the day that was convenient for me.


    ''There''s a reasonable fee, but you''ll be fine, right?''


    So, I replied that it was no problem. After all, I''ve sold some earth dragon materials to the royal family, and I have the prize money from the tournament in addition to the savings I''ve made so far.


    If I wanted to do it, I could even live in hiding right now... though I wouldn''t.


    As I was having that exchange with Kelly, I heard a voice calling me from somewhere.


    I looked around and saw an object coming towards me on all fours. And four of them.


    ''What are you doing?'' All four of us.


    It was Amur and the three sisters who were approaching.


    The three sisters were crawling with Amur in the lead, followed by the three sisters.


    Hearing my words, Amur slowly tried to get up, but he was held by the three sisters who were right behind him and fell down.


    Amour presses his mouth to the beat of his fall and looks at me. And.........


    It''s all done.


    He rubbed his belly and stained his cheeks.


    The belly that was being rubbed was swollen to a great extent. And the three sisters who are hugging Amur have similarly swollen tummies.


    ''Temma, look, look,''


    I could have done it. We could have done it.


    Oh, it''s moving...


    With those words, the four of us suddenly fell silent.


    I remembered that I had come across a situation like this before, so I slowly turned my back and left the place.


    After that, the four of us raised our voices in protest, but soon became quiet. But I didn''t look back.


    After leaving the four of us behind, I looked for Jeanne and Aura.


    I didn''t have anything in particular to do, but I couldn''t even hear their voices, so I was a little worried.


    However, my fears were unfounded.


    Jeanne and Aura were asleep, leaning against the wall of the mansion.


    This way, it''s a picture.......yeah, it''s just my imagination.


    Jeanne is good, but not Aura. Out.


    Aura is sleeping next to Jeanne, her mouth is open and drooling, and she is holding a glass that must have been filled with alcohol in her hand.


    She looks like an old man who is drunk.


    ''....Aina is here.


    Muttering muttering, Aura got up vigorously.


    ''''Enemy! We''re under attack! Demon! Too late!


    And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on. Aina is going back to the royal castle, so Aura really saved her life, Aura.


    ''Aura, if you''re going to sleep, sleep in your room! And while you''re at it, take Jeanne with you.


    "Wai........that? Master Temma, welcome back....


    The sleepy-eyed Aura seemed to notice me after she replied with a yawn.


    She was trying to bow to me in a dazed motion, but she was breathing in her sleep with her head down.


    ''Let''s just carry on for now Slarin, please.


    He asked Slarin, who was quiet in his bag, to carry them to his room.


    Slarin bounced his body around, and with a larger body, he walked into the mansion, holding them both in his arms.


    As he held them, Slarin twined his tentacles around them and lifted them up, but I''m probably more tired than I think I am, as I think about how there''s no more gentle tentacle play than this........


    I wanted to go to bed early today, but before I did, I went to the backyard and made an impromptu cow shed with earth magic and prepared food and water before letting the juvees out of their bags in the shed.


    ''I''ll make you a proper one in the near future, so you''ll have to put up with this for a while.


    I said, and after a single whine, Joubert began to eat his food.


    For now, that''s all we have to do today. The party is still going to go on, but it won''t be a problem even if I''m not there.


    So I went into the mansion and cleansed myself up before crawling into the bed in my room.


    When I entered the room, I somehow cast a strengthening spell on the door, set up a golem in place of a gatekeeper, and locked the door multiple times.


    ........Today, there are carnivorous girls in the room, so I had to be careful.


    In the meantime, my room is equipped with a toilet, so there''s no need to take time to unlock the door in the middle of the night and get into danger, etc.


    And my instincts were right, and the carnivores who tried to open the door in the middle of the night and were tied up like minnows were found early the next morning. And four of them........


    Grandpa and I headed for the castle again today with the four djinn, two slaves who were suffering from hangovers, and the men in Kukri village who were fighting a headache while being taunted by their wives.


    Since the djinn seemed to be returning to their lodgings, I stopped by the lodgings on the way to the castle and gave them the materials for the earth dragon.


    ''''Sorry about that. Also, here''s Tenma''s share.''''


    Jin seemed to have already gone to redeem the fruits of his hunt and handed me a bag of 40,000 g''s.


    ''''As expected, every piece of meat fetched a higher price than normal!


    As for the income from a single hunt, 40,000 G is quite something. But compared to the amount of money he got from the earth dragon, that''s a trivial amount.......as expected, he didn''t say it in front of Jin, but.....


    I heard that the djinn and the others are going to spend their time slowly until the auction starts, so they''re not going to hunt temporarily.


    After leaving the djinn and the others, I headed to the King''s Castle and came to the same training ground as yesterday, but for some reason, Luna was in front of me.


    ''''Luna, where are Tida and Maria-sama?''''


    When I asked Luna, who was in a very good mood from earlier, about the two of them, she began to speak happily.


    ''Something your brother is studying with your grandmother! It freed me! Also, Grandma told me to talk to my brother and get him to sell the wyvern.


    Luna is next on the list after Tida but then again, Tida, I hope she''s not dead....


    However, Luna didn''t actually come alone, and Caesar-sama is behind Luna, hiding and watching us. It''s like he''s not hiding from me and grandpa, but rather he''s watching over Luna out of concern for her.


    ''So, where did Lady Maria ask you to sell me?


    My favorite part!


    Maria must have given you some pretty sketchy instructions. I mean, I wonder if Luna will know how to put a price on it?


    But since Luna didn''t seem to know exactly what a wyvern subspecies was, we started by actually showing her what it was.


    Then, after seeing the wyvern subspecies in person, Luna said


    Sell them all!


    It was. Grandpa was surprised by this, but he immediately laughed at the fact that it sounded like something a kid would say.


    ''If you were to buy the whole thing, how much on earth are you going to pay for it?''


    I was a little curious, so I asked Luna about it, and she tilted her head a few times...


    20 million g''s... or so?


    Not to mention me and grandpa and Caesar-sama, who had been listening in, are surprised by Luna''s sudden offer of a high price.


    ''Huh? Was it cheap?


    Luna looked at me with a worried look on her face, mistaking my surprise and silence for my silence because I was cheap.


    ''''So it''s okay if it''s about 30 million g''s?''''


    Lunar is going to raise the price even higher. How far will Lunar raise the price if I don''t say anything? As I was thinking about this, Caesar-sama came over here in a hurry.


    ''''Luna, isn''t that indeed too high?''''


    ''Huh? Father, you''re here?


    At Luna''s question, Master Caesar, who couldn''t say he was hiding and watching, coughed lightly and falsely said, "I''ve just arrived.


    ''But that wyvern is so rare and precious, isn''t it? Besides, your grandmother also told me to go buy whatever place I wanted for whatever amount I wanted, right?


    Hearing those words, Master Caesar had a difficult look on his face as he held his head in his hands.


    ''''Why do you want the whole thing, Luna?''''


    For now, when I asked her why she wanted the whole thing, Luna''s answer was simple: "Because if you want to decorate it, it''s cooler to make it whole, right?


    Because if you''re going to decorate it, isn''t it cooler to have it whole? I think everyone who comes to the royal castle would be surprised if I stuffed it and hung it on the front door!


    That''s what I heard. I''m impressed by that idea, that he is the grandson of the king.


    Caesar-sama, who apparently thought the same thing as I did, had a somewhat distant look in his eyes. Perhaps he feels that no matter what kind of education he has already given Luna, it''s too late to fix her.


    ''''Luna, I need the materials for the Wyvern subspecies as well, as a stone. I can''t give them all away.


    ''Ehhh~! Big brother, you''ve got a ground dragon too, so why not! Give it to me!


    Luna didn''t take a step back after that, and Master Caesar continued to hold his head in his hands.


    Then, just before it seemed that Caesar-sama''s anger was going to explode, Luna suddenly became quiet.


    Luna suddenly became quiet, and Caesar-sama was dismissed from the timing of his anger.


    ''''Then, half! Half a pound! Big brother won''t use all of the earth dragon materials because he has the earth dragon materials, and there might be some left over, so just give me half (...)!


    Only half (...), he came up with a compromise in Luna''s own way.


    However, I can see from his words that the compromise was not just an idea, but the result of Luna''s own thinking.


    Indeed, as long as there are materials from the Earth Dragon, we don''t need all the materials from the Wyvern subspecies, and there''s a high possibility that we''ll have a surplus.


    ''''Assuming you sell half of them, how much are you going to charge for them?''''


    ''Let''s see... if it was half, it would be about 8 million Gs. If it was all of them, I''d be fine with thirty million g''s, but it''s half, I don''t need the guts, and the demon nucleus would have a big brother...


    Luna talks about why it was cheaper while folding her fingers.


    Caesar-sama, who was on the verge of getting angry just now, was quite surprised by the situation.


    "Ummm, Temma. "Oh, Temma," he said, "I think the price is fine. The price should be about the same.


    Ummm... well, okay.


    ''Really! Thanks, brother!


    Luna was delighted and furtively took out the contract.


    The only thing written on the contract is Luna''s name and ''I agree''.


    All that''s left to do is write my name and what part of the body I''m selling and at what price, and the contract will be signed.


    After I wrote my name and the price, I asked Luna which part I should sell, and Luna looked at me curiously.


    ''Half is half, okay? Like this, I''m going to cut you in half from your face to the end of your tail, okay?


    With gestures, Luna says it''s a rather difficult order. I was sure that I was only going to sell half the weight.


    It''s true that that method would cut the weight in half nicely, but it would require a lot of skill.


    As I was trying to figure out how to do it, Luna gave me an innocent look.


    I know you can do it, brother!


    He says. Those eyes are eyes of complete trust. With those words, my retreat was blocked.


    ''Okay. Let''s do it. ''Grandpa! Hurry up and go to Kelly''s workshop and ask her if the weapon I ordered is ready. And if it''s ready, go get it!


    All right. I''ll go tell him right away!


    Grandpa said, and flew off into the air.


    In the time it took for Grandpa to come back, I had completely removed the guts of the wyvern subspecies.


    Yesterday I had stopped at the point where I had torn open its belly and stomach, so the guts were still stuck in its stomach.


    It took a bit of work, but it didn''t take long as all I had to do was scrape it out.


    ''Temma. Is that all right?


    My grandfather came back just as I was finishing, carrying two long swings.


    He said, "It''s finished, but feel free to bring it to me if there''s anything that''s bothering you.


    Grandpa handed me a ''halberd'' and a ''large body spear'' (or something like that) while saying a few words from Kelly.


    Both are light in comparison to their appearance, and they are heavy enough that you can manage to hold both of them at the same time.


    I''m sure you''ll find that the balance is perfect because Kelly spent a lot of time making both of them.


    The sharpness of the large body spear is particularly impressive, to the point where it was cut just by blowing on the hair.


    I thought I could handle the wyvern subspecies with no problem, so I started to prepare.


    First, I used ink to draw a line from the tip of the Wyvern subspecies'' nose to the tip of its tail.


    Next, I summoned Gigant and gently held the Wyvern subspecies in place as I held it in place.


    ''Let''s go!''


    He held the large body spear at the ready and tore along the line.


    Although strengthened with magic power, the large body spear went on to cut through the skin and flesh of the wyvern subspecies in an interesting way.


    However, it was difficult to cut both sides to the bones, so I put it off for later.


    In less than ten minutes, the skin and flesh of the wyvern subspecies could be sliced open. The only thing left to do was to cut the bones in two.


    As expected, it was unlikely that I would be able to go from the head to the tip of the tail in one fell swoop from this state, so I cut into the skull first, using the tip of the knife to cut into the skull.


    ''''Yo!''''


    After I finished making a cut in the skull, I lightly tapped the cut with the halberd.


    After tapping a few places, the skull cracked in half with a cracking sound.


    ''''Brain, you''re so small...''''


    I couldn''t help but mutter when I saw the brain that emerged from the cracked skull.


    The size of the brain was about 30cm in diameter. It would be large compared to a person, but in terms of the size of the skull, it would be quite, or rather, very small.


    If this was a head as big as a person''s, the brain might not even be 10cm in size.


    At any rate, it seems that high intelligence is not proportional to the size of the brain.


    I put my brain in my bag for now and continued working.


    This time I changed to a large spear and cut the spine lengthwise.


    The spine was quite hard, but it was not so difficult to cut the spine as long as I separated it into sections.


    On the way, the bone was a little thicker where it hit the pelvis in humans, but it was easily split in the same way as the skull.


    And.........


    That''s it!


    I slashed the tip of his tail with a vigorous motion, and before I knew it, there was a cheer from the yajimas that had been formed.


    Luna came over to me from among the gelding''s horses and compared the two sub-species of wyvern, then pointed to one of them.


    ''Brother, give me this one!


    The one Luna pointed to was the one with the dorsal fin on the left side.


    Luna is indeed mischievous. If this is Tida, she''ll let me choose which one to take first.


    ''You don''t need the brains, do you?


    Yeah, I don''t want it!


    Luna doesn''t even look at us and refuses as fast as she can. It seems that some of the yajiba-majors are disappointed by Luna''s words. Probably, they are probably some kind of researcher in the pharmaceutical field.


    Ignoring them, Luna was poking at a section of the wyvern subspecies.


    ''Hey, brother. How do you make a taxidermy?


    It looks like Luna is serious about making a stuffed wyvern subspecies. I don''t know how to make it, but the stuffed crocodile shark I registered in the auction is made from a mold made of plaster and stuffing.


    However, it was quite heavy because the contents were made of plaster.


    The craftsman I asked to stuff the shark used plaster and wood to make it lighter, but it still weighed nearly 300kg. However, it''s whole on four legs, so it can stand on its own and is stable.


    But the wyvern variants I sold were half-body, so they weren''t stable, and they weren''t Luna''s in the first place.


    I was curious what Luna would do about such a miscellaneous problem, but I didn''t want to point it out poorly here and get spoiled into giving me the other half as well, so I decided to quickly dismantle my share without saying a word.


    The wyvern subspecies seems to be able to be easily skinned once the head and wings are off, so it didn''t take much time.


    I''m like a cook today, I thought, as I dismantled the wyvern subspecies.

 107-Chapter 6-6 Shadow Ruler

    After that, seeing Luna about to carry out her plan to taxidermy the wyvern subspecies, Master Caesar hurriedly pulled Luna away from the wyvern subspecies and the knight with the magic bag collected her and left.


    Luna was complaining to Caesar-sama, but on the contrary, she was pissed off and dreading it. At that time, he chirped and turned to me and looked at the half of the blocked (dismembered) wyvern subspecies and slumped his shoulders.


    Caesar-sama had the payment for the wyvern subspecies brought to me on the spot, so I was to receive it and return to the mansion.


    I was curious about Tida, who never showed up, but I was even more curious about Luna, who was being dragged along by Caesar-sama. Perhaps the sermon would begin now.


    On the way back home from the royal castle, as we were touring the stalls, there was an appetizing smell wafting from various places.


    Many of the smells of meat dishes, such as spit-roasting, all seemed to be delicious.


    I bought a few bottles of each of the delicious-looking items and ate them with Shiroumaru and his friends just to taste them.


    He bought a large amount of the ones he liked from them and stored them in his bag.


    As I wandered around, I would occasionally hear the word "earth dragon". Apparently, rumors are spreading.


    So far, my disguise hasn''t been discovered, but if I stay in one place too long, I might eventually be discovered.


    So, as much as possible without stopping, went around to various places.


    After walking for a while, we arrived at a venue like a flea market.


    I looked around to see if there are any bargains, but there is only junk and stray items. As I was about to leave the market, I noticed a stall dealing in books at the corner of the market.


    In this world where printing technology has not yet been developed, books are precious and expensive.


    I was interested in the stall that dealt in such books, and when I went to the stall, I was surprised at the wide variety of books available.


    Looking at the price, the cheapest book was from 1,000G, and the expensive ones had a price tag of 20,000G.


    The owner of the store may not have been willing to do that, but when I stood in front of him, he only glanced at me and immediately turned away.


    I went through a few book titles and found one with a familiar name in it.


    ''''The Younger Days of the Great Sage Merlin...''''


    I picked it up and flipped through it, and it was definitely a novel about my grandfather.


    The price was five thousand G. I was wondering what to do with it when I noticed the owner of the store looking at me.


    His eyes seemed to say no chilling, and he unintentionally took the money out of his bag to pay.


    ''''Maido........''''


    As I was about to leave the place, hearing an unwilling voice, I saw a few flimsy books with no titles on them.


    I picked up one of the books and looked inside to find a shocking story.


    I tried to check the price, but there was nothing on it, so I was forced to talk to the owner.


    ''What''s the price of this book?''


    ''What? Oh, that book ... it''s a doodle book, so it''s all good for a thousand g''s.


    Five books in all. I thanked him and left.


    I can''t let people see my face now. If they saw me, I would definitely be so smug that they would call the police.


    I hurried back to the mansion, sometimes running, sometimes jumping on top of the building.


    ''What''s up, Temma? You''re so burnt out....have you lost your mind?


    As soon as I walked through the gate, I ran into Namitaro, who was taking a walk.


    Apparently the feast was over and no one else was there.


    ''Namitaro! Look at this!


    In my high spirits, I unfolded the untitled book I had just bought and showed it to him.


    ''What the heck.......are you serious!


    It is something that would astonish even Namitaro. It''s.


    ''Japanese''! And it''s a cookbook!


    That''s right, this was a book of cookery recipes, supposedly written by a reincarnated person.


    The reason why the owner couldn''t understand the contents of this book was because it was ''a book written entirely in Japanese''.


    In this world, there is a similarity between the characters in the previous life and the book. It is an alphabet such as g (gram) and m (meter) and Arabic numerals.


    But this book is written entirely in kanji and katakana. So I guess people in this world could not read it.


    At the end of the book, the author''s name was written.


    ''Yamada Taro.''


    ...Thank you! Mr. Yamada! We''ll take good care of it!


    Although the number of items in the book is small for the volume of the book, the ingredients are substituted with what is available in this world, which is quite useful.


    Inside the book, I found instructions on how to make anko (red bean paste), amazake (sweet sake) made from rice, miso and soy sauce for sake, and even how to mix curry spices.


    As I was wondering where to start, Namitaro suddenly became excited.


    ''Temma! That''s it! I wanna make this!


    I read the page that Namitaro had open and there it was.....


    Imo yokan...


    Yeah! Sweet potato kettle! In a past life, the occasional fisherman used to feed it to them! I like to take it off the needle a little bit and eat it!


    Come to think of it, I used to use potato yokan as bait for carp fishing.......easy to gather ingredients and it doesn''t take much time. But the only thing that worries me is that the way I know how to make it is to use agar to harden it, but I don''t have that agar.


    Fortunately, the method in my notebook is the one that doesn''t use agar, so I might be able to get away with it.


    I checked the ingredients in the kitchen, and luckily I found some sweet potatoes (or something like that), so I decided to try to cook them immediately.


    The procedure is to steam the sweet potato, mix it with sugar and a little salt, grind it, put it in a mold and let it cool down, and it''s ready to be cooked.


    I knew how to make this dish roughly, so I didn''t have that much trouble, but if I hadn''t known how to make this dish, I would have been at a loss to decipher the recipe book.


    But if I didn''t know how to make this dish, I would have been at a loss to decipher the recipe book, because it is written in Japanese for the first time in fifteen years, and also the recipe book says "potatoes are steamed".


    I''ll have to translate this one in my spare time.


    Anyway, it took me about two hours to cook it, using my senses and magic. Finally, the sweet potato yokan-like substance was finished.


    I tasted one end of it, but it didn''t seem to have any problems.


    I divided the completed sweet potato yokan into two parts and put one of them in my bag.


    ''Temma! Ha! Ha!


    When I take the sweet potato yokan, Namitaro flaps his pectoral fins and urges me to take it. Beside him, there were the familiar gourmets beside Namitaro.


    They put the sweet potato yokan into their mouths and chewed it with relish.


    Among them, Namitaro called out "nostalgic" and demanded another one faster than Shiroumaru and his friends.


    We should have made quite a lot of potato yokan, but they were gone in the blink of an eye. Most of it was eaten by Namitaro, which made Shiroumaru and Solomon look a little unhappy.


    I decided to leave the foodies alone and work on deciphering the recipe book.


    On the way back to my room, Jeanne and Aura, who were cleaning up, asked me about the true nature of the sweet smell wafting through the kitchen, and they took the other half of the potato kettle.


    After that, I worked in my room until dinner, but because I worked with the potato kettle in hand, all the potato kettles were gone.


    And then my grandpa teased me for being the only one who didn''t eat the potato yokan, and I had to make the potato yokan again to get him in a good mood.


    Lesson of the day, grandpa''s teasing is creepy....


    ''Temma, aren''t you going to the auction?


    The next day after the potato yokan fiasco, Jin and his friends arrived in the morning. The reason was an invitation to join the auction.


    I''m selling a stuffed crocodile shark, so my original plan was to attend, but my plans were thwarted by those who attacked before the djinn.


    ''Temma is going to play with us!


    It''s ours!


    Get out of my way!


    "I''m going to play with Tenma.


    Three cats and a baby tiger are arguing at the doorway, and Aina is watching them with steely eyes.


    And Aina, who is looking at it with steely eyes. Aina has a basket of laundry in her hands and a limping Aura in her grasp.


    ''It''s time to stop, okay?''


    Would you mind stopping right there?


    Jeanne and Primera are trying to contain the fight between the four animals.


    ''It''s hard being a man who has it!


    Jin pats me on the back and comes over to tease me.


    I was a little pissed off, so I decided to punch him in the stomach and he became more mature.


    ''Well, if that''s what you''re going to do, it''s no use. Temma, don''t be too indefensible.


    With Menace''s words, the Sword of Dawn left.


    The jinn was borrowing Garratt''s shoulder, but he seemed to be able to walk somehow, so he should be fine.


    ''''Temma!''''


    ''Temma is going to eat and hunt in the woods!


    Which one do you want?


    I recommend the forest...


    Can''t I sleep at home?


    ""No!"


    I know it''s going to be a hassle no matter which one I choose.


    So I tried to say what I wanted, but was instantly dismissed. Aren''t you guys actually close, guys?


    "Um~ Temma-san. We''re having a party at the royal castle the day after tomorrow.......are you ready for it?


    Primera''s question sounded like a revelation to me.


    There was definitely something like that. I had completely forgotten about the earth dragon, but for an ordinary person, being invited to the royal castle was a once-in-a-lifetime event.


    Most importantly, though, it''s none of my business.


    ''''Come to think of it, there was such a thing! Sorry, all four of us, but we could have done it!


    As I say this and turn to go back to my room, my sleeve is unexpectedly tugged on.


    When I turn around, Amour is tugging at my sleeve.


    ''I''m invited too. ''I''ll prepare it with Temma.''


    Amur declares proudly in his chest. Seeing this, the three girls were chagrined through clenched teeth, but suddenly, as if they had a flash of inspiration, they began to consult with him.


    ''Right! Amur needs to get ready too!


    I know how hard it is to prepare!


    So let us help you!


    When I say that, with a brilliant coordination, I pull Amur away from me and try to take him away.


    However, even though the three of us joined forces, Amur seemed to have more power than me, and he slowly approached me, dragging the three of us along with him.


    ''''Ha~na~se~''''


    Hey! That''s a lot of stupidity for someone so much smaller than us!


    "Forget it!


    ''No, no, no, no! Primera! Help me!


    Primera was wondering what to do, but when the three of them called her to help, she did as she was told.


    Primera put her hands around Lily''s torso, who was hugging Amour''s back, and began to buckle and stomp.


    Gradually, Amur''s advance stopped, and after a few seconds, they were completely antagonistic.


    ''''Hunnu!''''


    Fight!


    I got it!


    Oh, oh....


    The Primera, who isn''t keeping up with the groove, is making distracted noises, but the four of them don''t seem to be able to hear her at all.


    One person vs. four people is completely even for now, but it''s not likely to last that long.


    The reason for this is because someone is approaching with great speed to interfere in this game.


    That person overtook the five of them with the speed of the wind and stood in front of Amur.


    ''''Blanca, you''re in the right place. Help me.........


    Boom! And with a loud sound, Blanca''s fist bone fell on Amur''s head.


    This caused Amur''s body to lose its strength, and the antagonistic balance tilted vigorously in the direction of the three girls.


    As a result, Amour was pulled out with great force and flipped over with the four who were pulling behind her.


    ''''Nyah!''''


    "Yikes!


    Four people were heard screaming. The four were the four people who were behind Amur, and Amur was holding his head and rolling around. Apparently, he didn''t even have time to scream.


    ''I''m sorry, Temma........Amur! I told you we''d be getting ready to party today! Let''s go home!


    Wait....wait...temma~?


    While pointing his hand towards us, Amur was dragged by Blanca and said


    ''''Bye Bye Baa~y then, Temma. Let''s go play!


    The three sisters, who are in a better mood now that the interloper (Amour) is gone, ask me out again.


    ''So, didn''t I tell you I have preparations to make? Come and play with the four of us.


    In truth, it only takes a few minutes of things to prepare and so on. All you have to do is prepare the formal wear that Isabella-sama bought for you and make sure you''re well groomed, so all you have to do is what you''ll do on the day.


    But if you go to play with the three sisters here, Amour will definitely pout afterwards. And I would be forced to go with them.


    That''s why I chose not to play with the three sisters as well. It''s not because it''s troublesome or anything.


    ''''Ehhh~!''''


    ''''It can''t be helped. Temma-san has her own reasons........


    Primera soothed the three who were unfaithful.


    ''''M~.......it can''t be helped.


    Primera, let''s go play!


    I''m going to be burned out~!


    The three of them seemed to have given up unfaithfully and tried to take Primera instead.


    However, Primera looked at the three of them with an apologetic look.


    ''''I''m sorry.......Actually, I have to attend the party too, so I have to make preparations after this.......''''


    Primera''s words startled me, along with the three of us.


    ''Why!''


    Why? !


    It''s not fair!


    The three of them are crowding around Primera and complaining about it. I didn''t understand at first why Primera was invited, either, but after thinking it over, I understood that it was only natural. After all.........


    You seem to have forgotten that I''m the third daughter of a duke, despite the fact that I look like this.


    ""Ah...."


    That''s right. Although Primera herself didn''t win a prize in the competition, if the daughter of the duke''s family was active in the qualifying round of the competition, it wouldn''t be surprising if she was invited. Moreover, the Sanga dukes are the heavyweights of the royalist school. Rather, it''s strange that they''re in the royal capital, but they''re not invited.


    Even if he wasn''t invited, it''s normal for him to accompany the Duke of Sanga as his wife''s proxy since he doesn''t seem to have brought his wife with him.


    Incidentally, it seems that partners do not have to be of the opposite s*x, and there are some noblemen who take a bodyguard with them.


    By the way, I''m not going to take my partner with me. At first I thought about inviting even my grandfather, but he was personally invited. It seems that because he protected the kings during the commotion of the wyvern subspecies and because he is on good terms with Master Ernest?


    I''m sure there will be nobles eager to recruit me for this party, and although the king, the Duke of Sangha, the Marquis of Samoens, and others will be watching for me, I''m still concerned that someone will see an opening and try to take me in, so my grandfather has decided to join the party.


    I had planned not to allow Slarin and his friends to participate, but a member of the royal family insisted on their participation, so it was decided that they would participate on the condition that all but Namitaro would be kept in the bag.


    I digress, but the three of them look at Primera''s sudden confession as if they are looking at something unbelievable.


    Primera, who is being stared at, looks very uncomfortable and is sitting back slightly.


    ''''Traitor!''''


    Oh, my God!


    The three of them thought they had shouted something misguided, but then they attacked Primera.


    Primera also ran off with an even better reaction than usual, running across the yard to try and get past the three of them.


    The chase was a battle that was more spectacular than watching a bad match.


    The three girls, who were superior in speed, worked together as if they were on the hunt for Primera, but Primera saw through their habits and responded by using all her skills to escape.


    The chase lasted for nearly an hour, and before they knew it, neighbors and passersby heard the commotion and watched from outside the gates, even placing bets.


    The betting was about whether the three of them would catch him or the Primera would get away with it within the allotted time, and the first time limit was coming up as the betting began.


    At the first time limit, Primera was still unlikely to be caught.


    Just as the people who had bet on Primera were about to rejoice at this, the ''Rule Breaker'' appeared in the yard.


    ''Shut up! If you''re going to play, go outside!


    The Rule Breaker emerges from the mansion, and her name is Aina. She''s the woman who is the shadow ruler (head maid) of this mansion. Most of all, she does it single-handedly, so she has a ''temporary'' on her head...


    When Aina appeared in the path of the four men, she hooked the legs of the leading primera and rolled her over, throwing the three men behind her one by one.


    As a result, the bet was voided and boos could be heard from the gate, but Aina silenced them with a single glare and dismissed them.


    ''It''s fine to be energetic and frolic, but could you please choose the time and place?''


    Where Aina pointed, there was a large amount of laundry hanging out to dry, and furthermore, several windows were open to change the air in the mansion.


    However, due to the four men running around nearby, the laundry and the inside of the mansion were dirty and miserable with flying dust and flying dirt.


    ''While I''m cleaning the kitchen, I took my eyes off the kitchen for a bit, and all the things I''ve cleaned since the morning have been ruined... what are you going to do about it?''


    Aina''s power is so tremendous that the four people who are being pissed off are trembling, unable to stand.


    Even if it''s a qualifier, I''d like to ask who in the world Aina is that makes the four people who were active in the tournament tremble with intimidation alone, but it''s probably going to end with ''I''m a maid'' anyway.


    As I was thinking about this, the four of them looked at me for help, but at the same time Aina''s eyes turned to me, so I reflexively looked away.


    At my response, the four of them'' expressions turned to despair.


    And I don''t know what happened after that.


    I don''t know what happened after that, because I was afraid that Aina''s power would spill over to me, so I walked away.


    I would hear bitterness from the four of them for this.


    But then I will say this. "If you were in my position, would you be able to talk to Aina in that condition? And.....


    As I stayed in my room and prepared for the day after tomorrow, I heard the occasional scream from outside, but it was all in my head.


    On the way to the bathroom, I saw Jeanne and Aura hugging and shaking in the corner of the hallway, but it must have been a hallucination.


    Nearby, I had the feeling that Shiroumaru and Solomon were also trembling, but I''m sure it was my imagination.


    Grandpa, too, seemed somewhat restless and fidgety, but he didn''t care.


    Aina came back into the mansion with the dirty laundry, perhaps after her sermon was over. She is followed by four others who are carrying the same laundry.


    Jeanne and Aura breathed a sigh of relief after they saw that Aina and the others had moved away.


    However, they were later found sitting down by Aina, who had come to check on the corridor and had been sentenced to clean the corridor after the sermon.


    As a result of the seven of them cleaning the entire house as an incidental matter, the six of them, excluding Aina, suffered from severe muscle pains the next day.


    No one caused a commotion that day, so it was the most peaceful day I''ve had since arriving in the capital.


    ''''I''m ready, I''m not ready yet~''''


    However, only one of them was about to leave, suffering from muscle pain. It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.


    The reason I didn''t send them is because a man can''t help a woman prepare, and also because I didn''t want them to start a strange rumor before the party.


    In addition, Jeanne, Aura and the three girls were probably very tired and didn''t seem to get up until well past noon, and were woken up by Aina, who came back from helping out.


    ''There''s nothing funny about it. Let''s go then.


    I hope no one is stupid enough to do it.


    Well, that''s a long shot. Jeanne, Aura, make sure you stay at home. Now, please.


    On the day of the party, me, grandpa and Aina got into the carriage that came to pick us up from the royal castle.


    Aina is accompanying us because she has a job as Maria''s maid of honor at the party. It''s easy to forget since I''ve been home a lot lately, but Aina is essentially a maid with Maria-sama.


    There''s a lot of questions about whether she''s allowed to come to the house even though she''s a maid with the queen and all that, but the biggest problem is that she''s doing things like being the head maid of the house, even though she''s single-handed.


    That alone shows how bad Jeanne and Aura are as maids.


    I would say that even if Jeanne can''t help it because she''s a former young lady, Aura is probably a maid from the start. When I first saw her, she seemed to have an excellent vibe, but when you open the lid, she''s a colossal fraud. Well, me and my grandfather didn''t need a maid to begin with, so even those two are good enough for me.


    Aina, perhaps noticing my thoughts, muttered something like, "I''m worried about you, so I''ll have to discipline you more strictly.......


    We arrived at the royal castle a little earlier than the scheduled time, and after getting off the carriage, we were ushered into the anteroom.


    The only people gathered in the anteroom were those who had been specially invited, and among them was Jin.


    We caught a glimpse of Jin, but he was surrounded by other participants and seemed unable to move.


    It seems that most of the people surrounding the djinn are small and medium-sized merchants, and they seem to be aiming to use this opportunity to connect with influential and famous people.


    ''''Then I will return to Maria-sama.


    Aina, who had led us to this point, had left us and gone back to work.


    As if waiting for that, the other participants tried to rush to me, but were surprised to see someone come in after me.


    ''Oh, you''re here, Temma,''


    It was Lyle-sama who came in. The participants, except for me and my grandfather, have become very quiet due to the sudden appearance of the royal family.


    It''s a good idea to have a look around the waiting room.


    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that I''m not the only one. And, Temma, don''t make a scene. You cause a disturbance and I''ll kick you out of the room, whoever you are.


    Lyle is trying to warn me and keep the other participants in check.


    It seems that when he heard that I arrived, he came to take the initiative to prevent the other participants from causing a commotion in relation to me.


    It''s a good thing that the only people who are here are those who will become docile if Lyle-sama (the royal family) advises them to do so.


    I''ve been led to a separate room from me, where Blanca has been standing beside me as an escort and guard.

 108-Chapter 6-7 Stalker identity

    Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. We''re having a party. Cheers.


    The party started with a very brief introduction by the king.


    Hundreds of nobles and special guests were present in the large room used for the event in the castle, and at the king''s words, everyone started to move in unison.


    The place where I am right now is in the corner of the hall, and this is where the same special invitees as me have been gathered, away from the nobles.


    This is a kind of escape zone, as we can''t have the special guests and the nobles waiting in the same place until the start of the event. This created a similar place on the nobleman''s side as well.


    This was mainly to protect the special invited guests from the nobles'' forceful solicitation. Sometimes the pattern is reversed, but in that case, the aristocrats don''t have to retire to the escape zone too much, as they often go straight to the dungeons.


    And since food is prepared here as well, there is no need to leave.


    Moreover, the only people who can enter both places are the waiters prepared by the organizers, so as long as you are here, you will almost never get into trouble....


    ''It''s better than I thought it would be,''


    It''s good, too.


    Hey, Blanca. This is the perfect drink.


    Oh, that''s good.


    Currently, Amur, Jinn, and Blanca are frozen around me.


    Several nobles were watching us from the very edge, so I decided not to move from here.


    In case you''re wondering, Grandpa said, "I found some good liquor over there, let''s go get some," and left.


    ''So, will Temma stay here forever?


    Jin asked me as he chose his next drink. Although he didn''t say it out loud, the people who had been listening to us seemed to hear him and the place became slightly quiet.


    I don''t intend to stay here forever. I''m sure we''ll have a pickup in a little while and...


    Before I could finish saying all that, one of the waiters came up to me and gave me an earful.


    ''Looks like you''ve been picked up, so I''ll go.''


    I''m coming with you.


    Sweetheart do me a favor and stay out of trouble.


    Blanca puts her hands on both of Amur''s shoulders as she tries to follow me, telling him with a serious expression. He glanced at my face at that moment, so I guess he''s asking me to follow him.


    I thought that if I was that worried about it, Blanca should have followed me, but there seemed to be a situation, so she didn''t come after all.


    ''''If there''s something that looks good, bring it to me~''''


    Beside Blanca, who was making a bitter face, Jin was waving his hand carefree. It seems that the drinks have been passed around.


    ''''Sorry for the wait. Duke, and Primera, too.''''


    It''s the Duke of Sangha who has come for me. Behind him is a beautifully dressed Primera as well.


    ''''No, I''m not waiting that long, so it''s fine. More importantly, you''re still the center of attention.


    ''Father, that''s only natural. In fact, I think it would be more aristocratic not to draw attention to it here.


    Unlike the usual, I shook hands with Duke Sanga and walked away, feeling uncomfortable with Primera, who looked properly like a duchess.


    The destination is the place where the kings are waiting.


    At their appearance, the aristocrats who are considered to be royalists are smiling, and the aristocrats who are considered to be reformers are making bitter faces. Among them, I''ll make sure to remember the nobles who are clicking their tongues and glaring at us.


    As it is, we walked among the participants and arrived in front of the king''s eyes.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with the other participants.


    ''''Oh! Temma, you''re wearing the clothes Isabella gave you earlier in the day!


    Before the king could even open his mouth, Maria-sama was pleased to see the clothes I was wearing. Because Maria''s voice was so loud, the noblemen who were watching us were buzzing around us.


    As if to ignore those nobles, Maria-sama is looking at me as if to confirm my outfit and nodding with satisfaction.


    ''''That''s nice~ but I''d like to see you wearing the clothes I gave you.


    He nodded and came to tell her what he wanted in a natural way. He''ll probably tell me to come play in those clothes next time.


    At Maria-sama''s words, the king came tapping me on the shoulder with a laugh. And.........


    "Congratulations on your victory, Temma. And thanks for defeating the Earth Dragon!


    At the king''s words, the nobles around him said, "So the rumor was true! I can hear a voice saying, "I don''t know what to say.


    It seems that the king who draws attention to me by saying things that don''t need to be said in a place like this, is still not in good character. In fact, you''re smiling like you''ve just successfully pulled a prank.


    Don''t get too carried away, dear...


    At the low, quiet voice of Mary, the temperature around her seemed to have dropped.


    The nearest whispered king nodded quietly, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.


    ''''I''m sorry, Temma. I''ll excuse myself for a moment. I''m going, dear.


    Saying that, Maria-sama took the king to the royal waiting room.


    We were left there, and we could only be stunned.


    ''''Well, as usual........''''


    At my muttering, the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samonsu nodded lightly. But for me, it''s just the right time.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with the help of a few of your friends.


    Normally, the act of interrupting a place where there are nobles above you would be considered impolite, so the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens frowned for a moment, but after checking out the other party, they quickly returned to normal.


    ''''What, you guys?''''


    You don''t even have to talk to him before you come over.


    Approaching us were a pair of men with an air of resemblance to the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens, respectively.


    ''''Brother, where is Brother Leon?''''


    Primera called out to the taller of the two men.


    The man scowled for a moment, then


    ''I don''t know. He''s probably down in the dumps again.


    I said.


    At those words, the Primera and the others had a look of approval on their faces.


    ''''Well, let''s leave that guy alone, so let''s start by introducing ourselves. I am Albert von Sangha, the heir of Duke Arsus von Sangha. You can call me Albert. I''m going to be Primera''s half-brother who is causing a lot of trouble. I look forward to working with you in the future.


    He''s one of the stalkers who used to follow me around, and he''s the most beautiful of the trio. Apparently, he has the blood of the Duke of Sangha in his veins.


    ''''Nice to meet you.......is it strange to say that? I''m Cain von Samons, son and heir of the Marquis de Samons. I''m sorry about everything that happened to my brother. And you can call me Cain, too. You don''t have to call me by my title.


    This light-hearted man has the most childish face of the trio. He''s about the same height as me, but his thin body lines make him look younger. He doesn''t look much like Gary, and he doesn''t have much of the Marquis de Samoens look to him.


    ''''It''s nice to meet you too. And over there.........


    Stop! It''s still more interesting to ignore that one.


    When I was about to ask about the man who was far behind the two of them and was checking on us, Albert stopped me. Apparently, he''s going to leave it alone until he comes over here himself.


    ''By the way, Temma. Have you ever met your brothers?


    From the atmosphere of our greeting, Primera asked me curiously. The dukes seemed to be curious about it, so when I told them amusingly that I had been stalked before, the two fathers struggled to hold back their laughter.


    And as for Primera, she looked at them with a somewhat disdainful look.


    ''''Brother Albert, Brother Cain.......did you both prefer men.......''''


    He also said.


    By the way, it seems that Cain and another man named Rion are childhood friends of Albert, and Primera, who is close in age, used to play with him when he was a child. That''s why he calls them both "elder brother" as well.


    Incidentally, she barely knows Gary, Cain''s younger brother, she said.


    "You''re wrong!


    ''Yes! It''s a misunderstanding!


    Seeing the two men in a hurry, Amour pointed at them....


    Tenma, are you a faggot?


    He asks me, tilting his head. I immediately shake my head to the side and point to the man who is still looking at us in the back.


    ''It''s not me, it''s those two and that guy over there.


    They are shaking their heads violently at these words, but they hear "I knew it" and "I thought it was suspicious" from those around them. Among other things, an excited yellow voice can be heard from some of the strange aged women.


    They seem to be rotten ladies. They seem to inhabit this world as well.


    I''m not sure if they misunderstood that I was called out for pointing my finger at them, but the rest of them (Stalker No. 3) come up to me.


    His gait is light and his face is smiling.


    ''You called me!''


    No. 3 placed his hand on No. 1 and No. 2''s shoulders as he let out a happy sound. At that moment, the three of them and the rotten ladies who were close to their age were overjoyed. Some of them even collapsed with their noses spewing blood and others broke down in tears.


    ''''Wha, what! What''s going on? Hey, Albert! Cain! What''s going on?!


    No. 3 can''t keep up with what''s going on around him, and he''s shaking their shoulders violently, trying to get his face close to theirs to hear what''s going on. And then, they''re a-knocking again.


    I casually move away from them, watching the scene from the side. And following me, Amour and Primera.


    The Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens are doing their best to contain the commotion, but the ladies'' momentum is hard to contain.


    In the end, the party was suspended in order to settle the commotion and the location was changed to the courtyard and the party resumed.


    There was no sign of the rotten ladies at the reunited party. Apparently, the ladies had gone home with their parents due to a sudden illness.


    Their parents must have been in tears.


    ''''It was terrible........''''


    ''To be a slacker, unable to read the air, and even more of a plague on top of his brainpower...Rion is irredeemable.


    It''s not my fault.


    As the center of the commotion, the three people who were questioned by the kings were exhausted.


    However, in the end, the three of them are innocent, and it is said that they judged this to be an unfortunate accident that caused the sudden seizure... Otherwise, there were several ladies who looked like they would commit suicide because of their embarrassment, and it seems that even the kings thought it was a bad idea! .


    Now we are in a private room near the courtyard, where we are taking a break from the discussion of the accident we just had.


    ''''So, now that the three of us are here, what was the purpose of following me around?


    I decided to ask the three stalkers who finally got together to ask the truth about their stalking in the city.


    The Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens are also in this place, and they are looking at the three of them with a grim face.


    ''''First, let''s clear up our misconceptions. Me and Cain didn''t mean to stalk you, we were merely chaperones for Leon.


    ''I apologize for stalking you as a result, but our real goal was to get between you and Leon when he spoke to you. Me and Albert''s family know you, so we were being taken around by Rion because he could at least listen to us if he met you out of the blue.


    ''''Well, that''s all because of Rion''s sloppiness and I had to go along with the perverted act of stalking him for days, but...''''


    The two men were glaring sideways at Leon, protesting their innocence.


    Primera seemed relieved that her son and brother hadn''t had any perverted thoughts about the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens.


    ''I understand about the two of you, but what is the important thing, Leon-san''s business?


    Well, uh, well, you know...


    When I spoke to him, Rion began to squirm, mumbling and squirming as if he had difficulty saying it.


    ''That''s disgusting,''


    That''s disgusting.


    Albert and Cain immediately rush in on the situation.


    Even though the two of them made me feel uncomfortable, Rion didn''t want to talk about it, so I couldn''t keep up with them for good.


    ''''If you don''t have anything else to do, I''ll be back. Then I''ll leave you to it.


    I bowed lightly to the Duke of Sanga and the Marquis of Sammons and walked towards the door.


    Grandpa, who had been quiet as air until then, greeted them lightly and lined up beside me. Amur followed right behind me, and Primera was a little confused, but was urged by the Duke of Sangha to follow behind me.


    And as I put my hand on the door, Leon finally spoke.


    ''Wait! I have a favor to ask of you!


    At those words, I stopped and turned to face Rion.


    Because I stopped so abruptly in response to Leon''s words, Amur, who was walking right behind me, bumped into my back and didn''t pull away from me in the midst of the hustle and bustle, but since it was going to be a serious conversation, I forcefully pulled him off and left him with Primera.


    ''Sorry for the wait. So, what is it you''re asking for?


    When I stand in front of him and make eye contact, Rion finally seems to have made up his mind, and he''s loud enough to be heard outside...


    Temma, come to me!


    I said ... very seriously ...


    I slowly retreat and keep my distance from Rion.


    Amur is standing between me and Leon as if protecting me, threatening me.


    Looking around, I see that Duke Sanga and his friends are also keeping their distance.


    "Rion........I guess our friendship with you ends here.......


    Albert, among others, was moving towards me and Primera with a serious expression on his face.


    Cain also kept his distance with a dry look on his face and is at the side of the Marquis Samons.


    ''''Heh? Why?


    Leon doesn''t seem to know what''s going on. I''m a little relieved to see that, but I''m still keeping my distance.


    ''Rion, think carefully about the meaning of what you just said. For all intents and purposes, it sounds like you just confessed to Temma.


    I guess he understood what Rion was trying to say, and Cain started teasing Rion.


    Albert seems to have calmed down a little bit here and seems to have let his guard down.


    ''''Huh? Hah! That''s not what I meant! I just want Temma to come home to visit me!


    Rion is surprised and shouts out the meaning of his earlier words. Why didn''t you just say that from the beginning...


    ''I understand what you mean, but why do you suddenly have to come visit me?''


    When Leon started to make a fuss against Cain, I put my doubts to him. I could still understand if this was Albert or Cain, who were friends with his father, but I couldn''t understand why Rion would want to come and play.


    I''ve been thinking about it since I was being stalked, but I don''t get the sense that Rion is trying to take me in, in fact, he seems to be guilty of it.


    ''''You''re from Kukri Village in Temma, right, that Kukri Village was located in the Haust frontier county (.........). And Rion is the heir son of the Haust Frontier Count.


    I suppose that''s why I''m trying to keep the economy of the Housto frontier counties from deteriorating.


    My question was answered by Albert and the Duke of Sanga.


    ''''Are you saying that the economic downturn is a result of the incident in Kukri village that has caused the adventurers to leave?


    I brought up a story I had heard in the rumors before, and they nodded in affirmation.


    ''''It''s calming down a lot now, but there''s a chance that it could go downhill again in the future.


    The possibility of a downward spiral that Albert mentioned is because I was active in the tournament.


    Until now, the economy has deteriorated simply because the adventurers who had befriended the Kukri village simply left, but now it has somehow stabilized. However, he said, ''in a diminished state''.


    If it was under the same circumstances as before, Leon would not be in such a hurry, but Temma has made a name for himself with his first two divisional victories in the tournament, as well as defeating the dragons on his own, in addition to having made a name for himself at a rapid pace. When that happens, some people start spreading rumors about "the place where I drove out Tenma" or "the place where I tried to kill Tenma"... or rather, they start to appear. It''s a good idea to have a good relationship with the nobles who are not on good terms with the Count of Husto, or who want to sell out to Temma.


    Apparently, Leon needs to make them think they''re on good terms with me to keep them in check.


    But even if Leon were to approach me alone and ask me to do so, he would probably be rejected by me. That''s why it was Albert and Cain to increase the chances of that happening.


    It''s a good idea to have the two of them come along and listen to the conversation first, but it didn''t make sense because Leon is even more lame than I thought.


    It''s fine to at least go out and have fun, but if the Haust frontier aunt family is trying to get me in, it''s indeed impossible.


    Cain and I will make sure of that. If Rion is going to do that, that''s exactly what we''re going to do, we''re going to disown the House of Houst Frontier.


    He won''t actually be able to completely disassociate himself from her, but since he''s guaranteeing it, he''s prepared to do so.


    ''''I''m ... sorry. Just give me a minute.


    Albert approached Leon and Cain, holding their heads in his hands, and kicked them as hard as he could. He then sat them down and began to preach to them.


    After a certain amount of preaching, he pulled Rion over to me and held his head down.


    ''Why should I have to do what you asked me to do instead!


    After saying that, Albert moved away, leaving Rion in his place.


    The remaining Rion hesitated for a little while, and then he gathered his energy before opening his mouth.


    ''''Right now, the Haust Frontier County is in a crisis. Even though the former is self-inflicted, we can''t just leave them alone. Temma might resent me for being so convenient, but help me for the sake of my territory, please.


    With his head down, Rion comes to ask me for help. I couldn''t sense the slack-jawed look from his appearance until just now.


    ''''It''s fine.''''


    I agreed without much of a pause. Rion''s mouth was half open in surprise as I readily agreed.


    ''''However, there is a condition. First of all, you must never think of adding me as a vassal. Besides, you must be able to help the people from Kukri village if something goes wrong. Lastly, I want to help them as much as I can. If you promise to do that, I will tell you at every opportunity that there is no separation between you and the Haust frontier county.


    ''Shuffle! I''m going to call my dad right now and get him to commit! If I say I won''t, I''ll make you chase me off!


    As soon as he hears my words, Leon is shaking his head excitedly. I was too excited to hear what he said, but since I was speaking on behalf of the frontier count, I asked the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens to serve as witnesses.


    The two of them willingly agreed, and they even made me prepare a written pledge and signed it with each other''s family crests.


    Even if the frontier county objected to this, they wouldn''t go back on this promise to the point of conflict with the two of us. Thinking that, Rion is thanking the two of them, but I saw it. I saw it. The moment Rion turned his gaze away from them, I saw them laughing with a bad face....


    Probably, the Haust Frontier Count family thinks that this makes the possibility of me being included as a vassal close to zero.


    The two of them may know that there is no chance of me becoming a vassal now, but since they don''t know what will happen in the future, they want to leave some possibility for that time.


    That''s why it''s best to have one less rival, and to have the proof of it in our hands.


    Well, if this is how this conversation is going to be settled, there is no need to bother pointing it out.


    ''''All right! Let''s get right to it, Temma!


    What?


    Rion puts his hand on my shoulder and tries to take me to the party hall dressed as he is.


    Just when I thought I was suddenly becoming familiar, Albert grabbed Rion by the back of his hair and pulled him.


    ''''Whoa! What are you doing, Albert!


    ''''You really are a brainiac, haven''t you already forgotten what your Majesty and the rest of us were upset about a moment ago?


    It''s sad, but that''s why Rion is a rion (brainiac)...


    Cain is making fun of Rion while pretending to be sad.


    Rion, too, seemed to have no way to argue with him after he brought up the matter just now, and he let go of my hand with a snarl.


    ''Temma, Rion only went a little out of control because he wanted to make it known that he was on friendly terms with you right away. As far as I know, you weren''t interested in the Shudou, so you can rest assured....


    "I''m not interested in that shit! I love women!


    Leon refutes Albert''s words, but I''m not sure how to argue with him. Well, I guess he''s not wrong, but he should be more careful about how he says it.


    ''''Well, since that''s the case, let''s all go to the venue.


    Cain said and tried to take up a position beside me, pushing me back, but this was stopped by Amur. On the other side was Primera, who was pushed by the Duke of Sangha, and Cain was holding his tongue.


    Actually, it wasn''t possible that Cain was the one who had a sentient mind or something like that....


    I heard later that this Cain''s action was simply to show that Gary was the only one in the Marquis de Samoens family who had a dispute with me (...) and that he was on friendly terms with me.


    When I heard that, I was truly relieved.


    After we left the room, we went to the party hall together.


    The aristocrats who had been paying attention to me were more surprised that the next Earl of the Howst Frontier, Leon, was having a friendly conversation with me than the fact that I was having an easy conversation with the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens.


    He probably thought it was a very unlikely combination.


    However, Leon was very pleased with that reaction. This reaction was exactly the situation that Rion wanted, because the more the other nobles made a fuss, the more signs of economic recovery in the Haust Frontier County''s economy could be seen.


    The reactions of the people around us were a bit annoying, but we decided to ignore them and talked about a lot of things while enjoying ourselves.


    The only people present here are those who are in the top ranks of this hall, so other nobles don''t interrupt the conversation, and if they do, it''s only the royalists who come to say hello to the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samos.


    But after the Duke of Sangha and his friends said something, they didn''t come anymore.


    While we were enjoying our meals and chatting, we heard noises coming from outside the castle.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family.


    The guy was streamlined and shiny in the light of the hall it was my acquaintance.


    ''Tee-hee, tee-hee! Oyabun~!


    What''s up with you, Namitaro?


    Nami Taro spotted me and stopped in front of me in a spectacular drift. He was holding a lantern in his fins, and a little bit of honesty is really no big deal, right? I thought.


    ''Oh my God! Temma, Jeanne and Aura have been kidnapped!


    Contrary to my expectations, things were really bad.

 109-Chapter 6-8 Rampage

    Jeanne and the others were kidnapped.


    With this one word, the hall was in an uproar.


    The ones who were particularly noisy were the neutralist nobles, some of whom looked like they were about to jump out at any moment.


    ''''Duke Sanga-sama. If the one who kidnapped Jeanne and the others was a nobleman and injured or killed that nobleman for some reason, what would be the guilt of Jeanne and the others and my master, me?''''


    In response to my question, the Duke of Sangha thought for a moment and then


    ''''First of all, if this incident was really the work of a nobleman, depending on the other party''s title, depending on the extent of his injuries, he may not be acquitted. In that case, Temma-kun may be charged with some kind of crime as well, but it''s likely to end in a light fine. Of course, if the culprit was a lowly nobleman or an opponent who doesn''t have a title, it would probably end in self-defense, but.......are you planning to kill the other party?


    At Duke Sangha''s words, everyone who was around looked at me in unison.


    But that was a mistake on the part of the duke. It wasn''t me who could have killed him........


    ''''That''s partly true, but there''s probably a higher chance that Jeanne and the others will kill it by mistake. Of course, it''s not Jeanne and the others who are going to do it directly, but the golem I''m giving them as a guard.


    How powerful is this golem?


    That question reminds me of those golems and I''m reminded of those golems...


    ''If considered as a simple force, it''s comparable to Shiroumaru. That''s two of them.


    In terms of magic and speed, a scorpion-type golem for escorting would not be able to match Shiroumaru''s footing, but a golem whose entire body was made almost entirely of metal and didn''t feel pain would continue to move to annihilate the enemy, even if its body was half-destroyed, as long as it didn''t break the nucleus that hit its heart.


    I don''t think Jeanne and the others would order them to do that much, but if such an order was given for some reason, it might cause enough damage to cause the earth dragon to go berserk.


    I just thought of something, but maybe I''ll use the Earth Dragon''s magic core next time to create a ground dragon type golem.......


    ''Temma, I know you''re thinking of something weird again, but I can''t think of anything else right now...''


    Namitaro seems to have read my thoughts and is rushing in, dumbfounded.


    ''''I''m sorry, Namitaro. First of all, I''d like you to briefly describe the situation in which Jeanne and the others were kidnapped.


    Well.....


    According to Namitaro, when I was sleeping in the garden of the house, Leena came running to tell me that Jeanne and her friends had been kidnapped.


    When I was wandering around the city with Garratt and his friends, I saw Jeanne and her friends in the distance, and when I went to call out to them, they suddenly jumped out of the carriage and took her in.


    They were in the middle of a deserted area, so it was probably someone who was familiar with the crime.


    However, it''s hard to tell if it was done with Jeanne and the others in mind.


    The two of them were chasing after the carriage, and Leena came to the house to inform them. I heard that Leena was planning to run to the royal castle if I wasn''t in the house.


    He was going to catch the carriage at the time, but since Namitaro was at the mansion, he asked him to take care of the rest, and he''s falling down in the mansion.


    ''All right. Thanks for coming to let me know, Namitaro. I''ll be there right now.


    With that, I floated up into the sky with magic.


    "Temma, I''m coming with you!


    Grandpa seems to be coming with us. In the hall, the Duke of Sangha and the others are giving some instructions to those around them.


    ''Temma, I''ll help you with that!


    Leon is shouting downstairs. I appreciate the offer, but I don''t have time to wait for it now.


    As it turns out, Namitaro said he would show us around.


    ''Temma, we''ll be there later, go ahead! Namitaro, I need a tour!


    As Albert said this, he and Rion and Cain ran out of the party hall with Namitaro following them.


    Let''s go, grandpa. Jeanne and the others seem to be in this direction!


    I expanded my search and sought out Jeanne and the others'' reactions.


    Grandpa seemed to wonder how I knew where Jeanne and the others were, but he seemed to agree when I told him that I had made it possible to detect the current location of the guard golem.


    According to the map displayed in my head, Jeanne and the others are at the edge of the royal capital, and it looks like they are together, and there are about a hundred reactions around them.


    Even if they flew away from the royal castle at full speed, it''s far enough away. When I told this to my grandfather, he told me to leave him then, as he might be late. Well, even if I left him there, he would probably catch up with me in a few minutes.


    As we flew through the sky at high speed, I used my search to check on Jeanne and the others.


    The number displayed by the search was gradually but increasing, the number that started out at about a hundred, had now increased to about a hundred and thirty.


    Then, when we were halfway to the target, there was a movement in the map in my head.


    Ten reactions from those who had been around Jeanne and the others contacted Jeanne and the others.


    A few seconds after the ten reactions came into contact with Jeanne and the others, they were kicked off by the two reactions that suddenly appeared, and Jeanne and the two new reactions...the reactions of the golem of the guards started to move out together.


    As soon as Jeanne and the others'' reactions began to move, the reactions outside rushed towards Jeanne and the others, but Jeanne and the others did not stop moving.


    On the contrary, the enemy''s reactions were sent flying all over the place when they came into contact with Jeanne and her team''s lead reaction.


    Some of the reactions are estimated to be 2 to 30 meters away, so it''s just a touch up in the sleeve of your armor.


    I hope they aren''t turned into mincemeat like the Orcs of the past.


    While I was thinking about this, I saw a large mansion where Jeanne and the others were supposed to be.


    That mansion, the grounds are about the same as the house''s mansion, but the building was more than twice as large. It''s quite tall and there seems to be a basement, so there must be more than double the number of rooms when viewed from the outside, as it seems to be a four-story building.


    The first floor at the end of such a large mansion suddenly collapsed.


    In conjunction with that, the top of the second floor is also breaking down.


    You can find a number of disfigured men who have escaped from the dust cloud created by the collapse, who are believed to be members of the people who kidnapped Jeanne and the others.


    The men who escaped escaped from the smoke and began to raise their weapons toward the smoke.


    Then, as soon as the cloud of dust clears, two large scorpions emerge. On the backs of the scorpions, Jeanne and Aura can also be seen covered in dust.


    Jeanne and Aura seemed to notice me floating behind the men and waved their hands towards me.


    The men noticed that I was behind them by their actions, and they quickly moved to escape, but they were already in range of my magic.


    ''''I''ll suppress the power, but don''t hold a grudge if you die! ''Thunderwall''!


    The Thunder Wall, a powerful ranged attack of lightning magic, was originally intended for when the demons came in packs, and was not intended to be used for anti-personnel battles.


    It''s difficult to control the amount of force, so basically it''s a magic that can easily produce mass murder in an instant if used poorly against a human, let alone a demon that''s sturdier than a human.


    Well, you don''t need to consider these guys as human, but later on when you''re interrogating them, you''ll need someone who can talk, so I''m trying to hold back my power as much as possible, so there will be one or two people left. No matter how you look at it, the only thing that looks like a life force (...) is a strong face... let''s just say it.


    The Thunder Wall is a magic that causes several pillars of lightning to fan out in front of me as they spread out toward the enemy, and electricity flows between the pillars, electrocuting men who pass by the pillars one after another.


    Some of them seem to have died instantly, but there are more than a few who are still alive, so I''d say the mission is a success for now.


    In the search, there are about fifty people who have fallen in front of us, and finally about eighty percent of them were caught in the rubble of the collapsed house.


    The remaining 20 or so people were trying to escape from the back of the mansion.


    ''Jeanne, Aura. Your grandfather will be here soon, so tell him I''m leaving this place to him. I''m going to capture the rest of the enemy!


    I gave them loud instructions as I flew through the air, and they nodded and sat back down on the scorpion''s back.


    After checking the situation, I headed to the back of the mansion and found Podolo there, surrounded by about twenty men, trying to escape. Furthermore, beside him, there are some nostalgic trinkets.


    ''''Where do you plan to escape to?''''


    I landed in front of Podolo and his friends ahead of them.


    In addition, the Emperor-ized Slarin is on the left side from me, Shiroumaru is on the right, and Solomon is surrounding the men in the sky. The reason why the back of the men is empty is because there are grandpa and scorpion-type golems in that direction, and reinforcements from the royal castle should be coming, so it is intentionally left empty.


    ''''And while we''re at it, let me tell you, your misdeeds are known to all the nobles who attended the royal castle''s party... there''s no place for you in this country.


    I threaten to exaggerate a bit. The slarin'' guys move a little closer to the guys to match my threat.


    ''Don''t get carried away! You little brat! Hey, boys, get it done!


    Despite Podolo''s bravado, the men around me were hunched over and looked like they were going to run away at any moment.


    I took my sword out of my bag and slung it over my shoulder.


    "So when do you want to start dying?


    I said with a smirk, and the men around me, except for Podolo and the five men who were right beside him, ran backwards at once.


    But.........


    ''Whoa! Let it die!


    They are kicked around by the gains of three men who rode up on horseback. The three men are Albert and his friends, and the owner of the call, who is not a nobleman, is Rion.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    The three of them neutralized fifteen people in the blink of an eye. The only ones alive were the four Albert dealt with, Cain buried four of them with his headshots, and Rion had killed seven of them with one swing each.


    It looks like your friends are almost wiped out. The only ones left are the self-proclaimed nobleman-sama bandit, the current crime slave Guise and his gang, who were cotenanced by me... what do we do now?


    What a nostalgic foolish face, but what are these guys doing here?


    Just as I thought that, the woman behind Geese released an arrow.


    The arrow, shot with a small motion, tried to pierce my head with precision, but I grabbed the arrow in mid-air.


    Liquid was dripping from the arrowhead made of iron. It was probably poison of some kind.


    The arrowhead was carefully carved with grooves and jagged edges to make it easier for the poison to get mixed in.


    ''You can have it back.


    I folded the arrow I grabbed in my midsection and threw it back at the woman in a knife-throwing fashion.


    The broken arrow hit the woman''s shoulder and pierced her armor, piercing her flesh.


    The woman hurriedly took a vial out of her bag and tried to drink it, but the moment she tried to open the vial, it was snatched away by Slarin''s outstretched tentacles.


    ''Ka-ka-ka....''


    The woman collapsed, foaming at the mouth, with her hand outstretched.


    She didn''t seem to be dead yet, but it was probably just a matter of time.


    ''How dare you!


    Geath drew his sword when it snapped, but....


    ''There''s another one there!


    He was kicked out cruelly by Rion, who had ridden his horse and rushed in (out of control).


    Rion must have realized that the number of prisoners has been reduced by cutting down seven earlier, but this time it was all Mine-uchi.


    ''''This was just the beginning of the good part...''''


    They took the show, and I whined and made the woman drink the contents of the vial that Slarin had taken from me.


    At least the woman swallowed the contents of the vial, but if this didn''t save her, this woman just wasn''t lucky.


    ''Temma, is it just these guys?''


    Leon, who had calmed down now that the enemy was gone, seemed somewhat inadequate.


    ''''What a way to talk about my prey after you sidelined my prey... well, never mind. More importantly, Rion. Help me tie these guys up. And don''t forget to make them chew the gag.


    I''ve decided not to use honorifics to Leon in the future. It''s because I feel like I''ll feel like I''m missing out if I use honorific terms with Leon.


    The fact is that Leon doesn''t seem to mind my use of language, and he has been tying up Geese and the others with great effort.


    ''''I''ll help you too!


    As I was tying up Podolo, Cain joined in, happy for some reason.


    And Cain very quickly and skillfully tied up the woman in a tortoise shell bind........


    The Marquis de Samons your son is quite a freak....


    Cain, who had no way of knowing my feelings, had tied up the second person. The other party is, of course, a woman, and it''s turtle shell bondage.


    This is as expected of Leon.


    "What kind of a way to tie me up, you........


    Albert, who had arrived late, was saddened to see what Cain had done.


    ''Because I thought Rion would be happy...........because I really just wanted to try one!


    Cain''s excuse was withdrawn with a single glare from Rion, who was still on his feet after the battle.


    No one here asked him why he knew how to bind them.


    Because I don''t even want to know...


    As they were all tied up and lined up, Albert noticed that Guise was there and frowned as hard as he could.


    That''s right, if you''re facing a guy who was the son of his former father''s subordinate, who misbehaved a lot and tried to disgrace the Duke of Sanga''s name in the end, you''ll have a lot to think about.


    ''''Rion why didn''t you just kill this guy....................You should have just cut him in half without reading the air as usual.


    That''s going to piss me off!


    Rion was reacting to Albert''s eighteenth degree, in a disciplined manner.


    ''If you want, do you want to lose your head now?


    Albert sighed and shook his head as I asked him while I put my sword against Geese''s neck.


    ''''You can''t do that.......I don''t care if it''s a subordinate, this idiot is most likely at the core of this case. If you do that, I will be reprimanded by His Majesty.''''


    If you know what you''re doing, don''t give up.


    When Cain told him that, Albert distanced himself from Geese.


    It looks like he wants to move to a position where he won''t be seen as much as possible.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of how to carry Podolo and the others out, when a rustling sound could be heard from the mansion.


    Temma~ Many noblemen have arrived!


    Master Tenma~, Master Merlin wants to see you.


    The sound was actually Jeanne and Aura riding a scorpion-type golem.


    Albert and the others were surprised to see the scorpion-shaped golem, and the horses were trying to get away from the place.


    ''You two, come on down first! The horses would be startled and run away!


    They quickly get off the scorpion-shaped golem and run towards us.


    Rion was staring at Aura''s chest as she ran, but Aura didn''t seem to notice.


    ''''Hey, hey, maid. If you''re not careful, the beast will be after your breasts.''''


    Cain diverted Rion''s gaze to Aura. Rion quickly looked away, but a little too late, and Aura hid behind me, hiding her breasts in her hands as she hugged them.


    ''Temma-sama! What''s with this guy? He''s trying to get to my chest! Enemies! Are you a pervert?!


    Aura is behind me, giggling and fussing.


    Leon, who was called a pervert, is depressed and Cain is laughing with his belly.


    "You know what, Aura. Maybe, but she''s an aristocrat. It''s also quite a prestigious........


    When Jeanne said that, Aura came to look at me.


    When I nodded my head in affirmation of Jeanne''s words, her face turned blue.


    ''No - I don''t think you need to worry about that, do you? And I''m pretty sure Leon was staring at your chest.


    Yeah. That was Leon''s fault. But how did you know that one (...) came from a prestigious family...


    Aura seemed relieved when Cain and Albert cared for her, but if she made a mistake, it was a big problem, so she''d have to preach with Aina later.


    Besides, Albert was right, Jeanne saw Rion depressed over there, and how could she have guessed that he came from a prestigious noble family?


    Jeanne says that she judged Rion''s clothes and the coat of arms on the decorations on the Brave, but I still think it''s amazing. I would have looked at Rion and knew he was a nobleman, but I wouldn''t have judged him to be a prestigious nobleman.


    ''''Let''s carry these guys anyway.


    I pulled a tanikaze and a large eight-wheeler out of my bag, connected them together, and carried Podolo and the others.


    This is the one I used to carry Geese and the others before.


    Let''s get going then.


    I''m on Tanikaze and Jeanne and Aura are on Shiroumaru.


    I turn to the front of the mansion, wary of my surroundings, and I see Grandpa and the djinns there.


    The djinn are sorting and handling the guys who have fallen down after being electrocuted, while grandpa was yelling at some nobleman.


    Only one of them was yelled at the most, and while the other nobles were surprised by Grandpa''s swordsmanship, they didn''t particularly want to interrupt him.


    ''''Temma, you''re going too fast!''''


    Amur, who had been left behind, protested in a huff. Apparently, Amour wanted to go on a rampage with me, but since I flew away first and my horse wasn''t there, the result was the third group, and when we arrived, it was after it was over. By the way, the first group was me and my grandfather, the second group was Albert and his friends, and the third group was Amour Gin Branca and his nobles.


    And I heard that the knights will be coming afterwards, but I think this is for the sake of post-processing.


    "Anyway, Temma, there''s trouble brewing.


    Blanca pointed to a grandfather who was grabbing the nobleman''s chest with one hand and lifting him up.


    ''''It''s rare for a grandpa to be that angry.......who could that be, huh?''''


    This is Viscount Henckel von Braun.


    As if to answer my question, Albert told me from behind. He went on further.


    Temma''s mother, Lord Ciria''s former cousin, is a failed lord.


    With Albert''s explanation, I could see why Grandpa was angry.


    Anyway......


    ''''Probably trying to take advantage of him by saying he''s related to Temma or something, and that''s what pissed Master Merlin off. Not incompetent, but below average is the assessment I often hear about that viscount.


    Cain makes Henkell sound like a fool, and I think he''s right too.


    You can''t consider someone you''ve never met or heard of as a relative since you were reborn, and since my dad and mom have already cut ties with them in the first place, they shouldn''t be able to call themselves relatives. This is recognized by the royal family.


    Rion pointed at Henkel, whose face was pale as Grandpa tightened his grip on him.


    I knew it would be bad if I killed a nobleman here, so I went to stop Grandpa.


    I''m going to put him down anyway, Grandpa. It''s not a bad idea to die, but it''s a pain in the ass.


    When I stopped him, Grandpa reluctantly threw the henkel away.


    I''m not sure if I''ve ever heard of a better way to describe it.


    The fact that he didn''t move at the end of the roll suggests that he must have hit his head and fainted.


    ''So what did that guy do?''


    I already assumed that Henkel had done something, but based on the reactions of the surrounding nobles, it wouldn''t be a mistake.


    I''m sure that the nobles around me are staring at him and looking at him with disgusted expressions.


    While I was taking care of that place with the djinn, these noblemen came rushing over to thank me for that and to talk about what to do afterwards, and then this guy came from behind me and said he''s going to take charge of the place for me, and then he said he''s going to marry Tenma to a girl who is related to him. "brain


    It was a matter of fact.


    Of course, the nobles around them would be angry. They treated it as if they were gathered for Henkel.


    ''''Well, let''s leave that fool out of it for now, but who are these people?


    There are about twenty nobles gathered here, and about fifty knights waiting behind them.


    There are some faces I saw at the party, but I don''t know why they''ve gathered so much.


    If they were here to ingratiate themselves with me, even if the other party was a nobleman, I didn''t think my grandfather would want to thank them and get them to cooperate.


    ''''Oh, that''s right. Oh, we see. When they heard that Jeanne''s father had taken care of them, they came directly from the hall to the site to find out that his daughter had been kidnapped.


    It seems that this is the case. When I was about to thank him for that, an elderly nobleman stepped forward after the grandfather''s words.


    ''''I have a favor to ask of Lord Temma about that. I am Viscount Andalusian von Mustang. Please take care of me from now on.


    ''''What do you mean by a request? You''re not going to ask me to give you Jeanne, are you?


    Without showing the slightest reaction to my flippant remark, Viscount Mustang said, ''''Do me a favor.


    ''''Please, don''t abandon those kids. If you have no choice but to let them go, I want you to contact me first. If I''m not, I''ll ask you to contact the neutral nobleman here.


    Following Viscount Mustang, who bowed his head, the nobles behind him also bowed their heads.


    Since this was an unexpected request, they were a bit confused, but when Viscount Mustang noticed this, he explained to them.


    According to Viscount Mustang, the nobles here are all those who were taken care of by Jeanne''s father, ''Viscount Almeria'', and they are the ones who regret that they couldn''t do anything when Jeanne and her family fell.


    However, it is said that Viscount Mustang was more of a caretaker than a caretaker, and he was Viscount Almeria''s (Jeanne''s father) older brother.


    ''On the day of the fall of the Viscount Almeria, I was in the vicinity. I heard from a merchant I know that there was a disturbance in the Viscount Armeria''s estate. I didn''t know to what extent I could be of help, but I knew I had to meet with him and talk to him, so I led a small handful of men toward him... but I was wrong. Even though we were a small number, there was no difference in strength, and because of that, we couldn''t make it in time because of the complications in the procedures when we passed through other noblemen''s territories.


    It is said that Viscount Mustang learned that the Viscount Armelia''s house was crushed by the rebellion when he was only a few days away from the Viscount Armelia''s territory.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a great deal more out of them.


    The enraged Viscount Mustang, with a handful of men in tow, charged at the floating rebels, crushed them, and took the head of the man he thought was the leader.


    The majority of the rebels were thought to be mercenaries, so they knew this was not just a rebellion and tried to find out what was going on, but they could only get vague information that Podolo might have been involved.


    ''To tell you the truth, I would have liked to have cut off this Podolo''s head as well... I can''t do anything about it after I''ve captured him, but he''s done so much, he''ll be spared the death penalty for the first time in decades.


    In addition to the fact that the kidnapping incident that occurred during a party hosted by the royal family is considered to be against the royal family, it is also considered to be a plot to stage a coup d''��tat, since they have been gathering so much military force in the capital, the death penalty is almost certain to be carried out.


    The reason for this is that there is a possibility that Podolo will kill himself or someone else will assassinate him.


    "At any rate, if Tenma-dono is willing to do what you asked me to do earlier, we will side with you, Tenma-dono... not as neutrals, but as individuals.


    The part about not being a nobleman may be a misunderstanding, but it''s still a deal that has no loss for me.


    And from the looks of it, Viscount Mustang seems to be dependable in many ways, and the nobles behind him are all capable people.


    Even though it''s half-deadly, it seems that I''m also seen as a member of the royalist faction, so horizontal connections (informants) will be necessary from now on.


    Thinking about this, I was about to shake hands with Viscount Mustang when Henkel regained consciousness.

 110-Chapter 6-9 Coup detat

    Even my uncle can be forgiven for this treatment of the viscount, hi!


    When he got up, Henkel tried to yell at his grandfather, but he let out a small scream when he was hit by his grandfather''s killing intent.


    ''I don''t remember having a nephew like you!


    With a shout from his grandfather, Henkel begins to rattle and shake. Seeing such a sight of Henkel, laughter escapes from Viscount Mustang and the neutralist nobles.


    Henkel glares at the neutrals when he sees them, but on the contrary, he shrinks at one glare from Viscount Mustang. Although Henkel and Viscount Mustang are nobles of the same class, they are different in rank as human beings for all intents and purposes.


    On the contrary, the aristocrats behind Viscount Mustang were all nobles below the viscount and many of them must be younger than Henkel, but even compared to them, they looked lower in rank.


    ''''Oh! You''re Temma, I''m your...


    When Henkel found me, he tried to crawl over to me, but I silently took out my sword. In addition to that, I lightly flew the killing blow, which also changed Henkel''s color in an interesting way.


    ''Grandpa, Viscount Mustang. If a stranger comes at you on the battlefield claiming to be one of your people, there''s no problem if you cut them off, right?


    This is a place where Podolo may have been trying to stage a coup, and since it''s still in the midst of post-processing by the djinn, it wouldn''t be surprising to say that this is a battlefield right now and the war isn''t completely over.


    In such a place, someone, friend or foe, is sneaking in. I''m not going to be able to complain if I cut down in favor of safety," he threatened Henkel while checking with his grandfather and others.


    When Grandpa and Viscount Mustang noticed this, they made serious expressions and nodded.


    ''''There''s no problem with that. It''s not uncommon for people to pretend to be on the same side and try to sabotage themselves from within, and that can cause serious damage to their team.


    That''s right. In addition, that person pushed aside Merlin, his second in command on this battlefield, and tried to break into the chain of command himself. It''s too suspicious... to begin with, His Majesty has informed me that Merlin is currently the only family member of Lord Tenma, and no one else. In other words, that means he''s an impostor or someone who thinks up something outrageous.


    There''s no way the notice from the royal family hasn''t gone to Henkel, who''s most likely to use me. Then this guy is a fake Henkels? I thought, but the appraisal says it was Henkel himself.


    ''Perhaps he thought that if he said it was Shelia''s affair, he''d be able to suck the delicious juice... forgetting what they did to Shelia and Ricardo!


    Grandpa''s anger was rekindled.


    Viscount Mustang said, "In the first place, weren''t you a stranger to Henkel when Lord Shelia and the others offered His Majesty''s former Majesty a breakup and he agreed? And I''m burning wood in the flames of my grandfather''s anger.


    ''Oi, Temma. I''m sorry, but I need your help! There are some people still alive, so we have to make sure they''re still alive and accounted for!


    Jin called out to me without reading the air. Grandpa''s voice made him huff, and he calmed down a bit, having had time to look around.


    ''Then we''ll give you some from here. If we''re going to prove it, it would be more convenient to have someone from the nobility here to help us out.


    As he said that, Viscount Mustang gave the neutrals behind him a look and sent some of them towards the djinn and others.


    At that time, I saw Albert and the others coming towards us from the back of the mansion.


    As expected, Jeanne and Aura returned their scorpion-shaped golems and rode on Shiroumaru''s back.


    Albert is in the lead, with Shiroumaru (plus Jeanne and Aura), Tanikaze (plus Slarin) and Podolo and the others on the cart behind them, with Rion and Cain diagonally behind them, and Solomon above everyone else.


    ''Ho, this is quite a luxurious transport.


    Viscount Mustang strokes his beard (goatee) and smiles with amusement.


    Indeed, there''s a marquis for the incoming duke, a frontier earl to escort him around, and then there''s Solomon in Shiroumaru, who has become famous at the convention, with a metal horse-shaped golem in tow for the criminals. You wouldn''t see them under normal circumstances.


    At the same time Jeanne and the others arrived at my place, the djinn seemed to have finished checking them out and pulled the six survivors.


    ''''Then it''s time to return to the royal castle.


    At my words, everyone nodded and was about to walk away when Albert started to look around.


    ''Hey, Temma. Where did Namitaro go? We had Namitaro to guide us here...


    Hearing those words reminded me of Namitaro for the first time.


    Since it was that guy, I''m sure he''s wandering around somewhere, but when I tried to look for him in a search just in case, the mansion that was left in the slightest collapsed.


    Everyone was surprised by the suddenness of the event and held their weapons at the ready, but the one who came out of the collapsed mansion was Namitaro.


    ''''Temma~ There were all sorts of treasures in the basement~''''


    Namitaro slipped in front of me and began to take out some of that treasure.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a few hundred weapons and armor each, a few dozen kilograms of preserved bread and dried meat, and a few jars filled with gold and silver coins.


    Moreover, there is still about ten times this amount in Namitaro''s bag, and the possibility of a coup is finally becoming more and more likely.


    ''''I suppose we should look at this as having other accomplices.


    Yes.


    I think my grandfather agrees with Viscount Mustang. I agree with him. At any rate, I don''t think Podolo would try to stage a coup all by himself, and I don''t think he has the guts to do so.


    ''''In that case, should I call the knights from the royal castle and stay here until they finish taking over?


    Yes. They may try to retake the building or recover other evidence or destroy it after we leave.


    As for the destruction, it''s too late now, but there may be something else important hidden in there, so it became necessary to stay here.


    Then I''ll send a messenger to the castle. And then it would be better if the rest of us take charge of guarding this place.


    Viscount Mustang seemed to be used to this sort of thing, and he immediately sent the neutralist nobles towards the royal castle and began to give instructions to the rest of the nobles.


    ''''Lord Temma, is that all right with you?''''


    After finishing giving out instructions, Viscount Mustang asked me for permission for some reason.


    Viscount Mustang will be the highest ranking person in this place, and I think he should be the representative, based on his experience and other factors," he said, when I asked him accordingly, Viscount Mustang


    You were the first to arrive here, weren''t you, Lord Temma? And then there''s the destruction of it. We can''t take credit for that. And we''re the ones who came in as reinforcements. Then it''s time to appoint the leader of the first group that arrived. I''m sure you''ll find that Temma-dono is well remembered by His Majesty. There''s no problem in making him our leader.


    And I was forced to be the leader of the group. Moreover, the fact that no one had any doubts about it stopped me, and although they were leaders of the decorations, Viscount Mustang and the others would temporarily join my team.


    ''''At any rate, let''s take turns arranging the area around the ruins of the mansion. I''m sure reinforcements will be arriving from the royal castle soon, but don''t let your guard down.


    Viscount Mustang''s instructions were precise, and I was really in a state of decorum.


    However, I couldn''t give him instructions, but I was pleased to provide him with food and other items he had in his bag, so I''d like to think that I managed to save face as a leader.......


    About thirty minutes after the discovery of Namitaro''s seizure, the knights began to arrive from the royal castle, and after about an hour or so, we were finally able to leave the mansion after we took over.


    However, from now on, Grandpa, Jeanne, Aura, Namitaro, Albert and the rest of the group and Viscount Mustang had to go to the castle and tell the king and his men the details.


    Furthermore, the djinn of the third group and the rest of the neutralist nobles went straight back to their mansions and accommodations.


    As soon as we arrived at the castle, we were ushered into the audience hall.


    By the way, Podolo and his friends were taken away by other knights on the way and taken to the dungeon.


    I was led to the audience room where the noblemen have already gathered, including the King, Caesar, Prime Minister, and ministerial officials.


    Taking a closer look at the nobles, they were divided into three groups.


    The largest group is probably the royalists, since they are behind Caesar and his friends.


    The other two were next to each other, so I wasn''t sure which one was which, but I had a rough idea since one group was staring at the other.


    ''Thanks for your late efforts. According to the reports, ''a possible coup d''��tat by the quasi-consort of Podolo Il Chloride,'' but give me a full report.


    At the king''s words, Viscount Mustang, the highest-ranking among us, stepped forward and began to report.


    The content of the report was a general affirmation of what the king had said, but when he added, ''There is a possibility that there are other collaborators,'' the audience room was in an uproar.


    ''''Be still!''''


    At the sound of the person introduced as the Prime Minister, the nobles gradually quieted down.


    When it became quiet, the king opened his mouth.


    The report from Viscount Mustang has already been submitted for review by the military. Warlord.


    ''Ha! The items found by Viscount Mustang and others were found in large quantities of armor, food, and money, enough to be considered a coup d''��tat, and from the number of items found, we have determined that there are likely to be other collaborators or accomplices, and we are currently investigating them.


    With Lyle-sama''s statement, the audience room became noisy again.


    At the same time, the air in the audience room began to tense up.


    The reason for this was Lyle-sama''s statement just now.


    Since the ringleader this time was Podolo, a reformist, the royalist and neutralist nobles were looking at the reformist nobles with a somewhat reproachful eye.


    It''s a good thing that you have a good idea of what you''re talking about.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who can do this.


    The person who made the remark was Duke Kaisen von Dallam, the fat, balding, s*xually harassing old man and the number one unpopular man in the castle (according to Luna)!


    He really does look just like Luna said, and even I, who didn''t know his face, recognized him right away.


    However, as expected of a minister of a country, the power with which he glares at Lyle-sama is quite impressive.


    There seems to be an invisible spark between Lyle-sama and Duke Durham.


    ''''It can''t be helped if you think so, can it?


    It was surprisingly Zain-sama (Lord Treasurer) who entered the fray. Lord Zain, who usually has a quiet image, is glaring at Duke Daraam.


    ''''You previously incited Prince Tida and Princess Luna to go outside to kill a cow, putting them in danger.


    ''That''s a bit different, Lord Treasurer. I was only teaching the prince and princess the importance of having a real battle and the cattle that breed at this time of year. It was the prince and princess who slipped out of the castle and attacked the herd of cattle. Shall I ask you to stop making accusations?


    The standoff between the three of them soon turns into a standoff between the royalists and the reformers.


    The two camps gradually heat up. The neutrals are gradually distancing themselves from the two camps that are creating a disquieting atmosphere.


    Each of you, let''s settle down first. You may have some words to sell, but this is disrespectful in front of His Majesty.


    With a pang and a clap of hands, a man at the head of a different group from the Duke of Daraam interrupted.


    He was separate from the Duke of Dallam, so he must be a bigwig of a neutral figure, but I didn''t know his name.


    ''''Lord Temma. That man is one of the main neutralist figures, the Foreign Minister, Count Alan Van Kromfel.


    Viscount Mustang, who was moving beside me, told me in secret.


    Count Cromfel is not the strict and stern-looking person I had imagined, but rather a meek and good-natured person. It''s hard to imagine him as someone who is a foreign minister.


    The Count of Cromfel, when he saw that the surroundings had gone quiet.


    ''Lord Treasurer, Lord Warrant Officer, it is not a good idea to interfere with your personal affairs in your reports. Lord Home Affairs, I understand that you are uncomfortable with being suspected, but the mismanagement was caused by someone from your faction. I would ask you to forget that and refrain from speaking in a quarrelsome manner.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. You''ll be able to see that he doesn''t like the Duke of Durham very much, even though he''s smiling and laughing.


    I''m not sure what to make of the punishment of the Podro quasi-consultants, Your Majesty.


    The vizier asked the king about the punishment of Podolo and his men, without regard to the sour atmosphere. The king pretended to think for a moment.


    "Quasi-Consort Podr�� il Chloride has been stripped of his title and confined to a dungeon. He will be confined in a dungeon, to be dealt with as soon as the results are in. As for the other prisoners arrested here, those with convictions for first offenses and misdemeanors shall be sent to the mine or the settlement after being stripped of their titles, and those with convictions for serious crimes shall be put to death. And let the people know of this. This is a royal decree.


    The moment the word "death penalty" came out from the king, the audience room became noisy. After all, even though there had been disputes among the nobles in the last few decades, there had never been an execution in the royal capital, ostensibly (........).


    This is partly because there were no criminals who had committed that many crimes, but also because the successive kings did not want their people to know that they were being executed.


    Even in a world where human life is light, there are a certain number of people who are opposed to the death penalty, and they do not want to create a conflict. Moreover, some of the opponents of the death penalty are aristocrats, so their quality is poor.


    But this time is not something that can be overlooked, and it''s probably because they are confident that those who oppose the death penalty will have no choice but to make it public, and that Podolo will almost certainly be executed as well, says Viscount Mustang.


    ''I suppose it would be more convenient for the reformers to put Podolo to death, too.


    ''Well, the death sentence is a crossover to prove they weren''t involved in the coup, and Podolo isn''t a very influential nobleman, and he''s a small guy who can be replaced.


    As for the reformers, since Podolo was the one who originally betrayed Viscount Almeria, who was his main family line, to come in, they would think that he wasn''t there from the beginning, so it should be just right for the sacrifice.


    While Viscount Mustang and I were talking, the standoff between the royalists and the reformers seemed to be over, and the only thing left to do was to discuss the details and dismiss the matter.


    ''''Temma, Viscount Mustang, you and the others may step back. I''ll have some light food prepared in another room, so you can rest for a while.


    The king told us to leave ahead of him, which would mean that we should wait in another room.


    We bowed and left the audience room, and Mr. Cliffe and Aina were waiting outside to show us in.


    In the room we were led to were Tida, Luna, and Lady Isabella. And for some reason, Amour and Blanca were there as well.


    When Amur noticed me coming into the room, he flew up to hug me, but I held Amur''s head to prevent him from doing so.


    I then looked at Mr. Kryfe and he immediately told me why the two of them were here.


    They came to the castle, but the gatekeeper refused to allow them to enter. There was a dispute, and when Blanca mentioned Aina''s name, Aina was summoned to the castle and Isabella gave her permission to enter the room.


    "We were so worried about Tenma that we came here!


    Amur was struggling to hold onto me while I held his head down. Two cold stares pierced me from behind, but I pretended not to notice them and ignored them.


    After that exchange, I was sitting in front of Isabella-sama and the others, making small talk.


    Amour, who was desperately trying to hug me, was being forced to sit upright away from me by Blanca, who was angry with him. And near them, Jeanne and Aura were also sitting upright in the same way.


    In front of the two of them, who are suffering from numbness in their legs, is Aina standing in front of Niou-sama (Aina).


    The two of them, who were being stared at by Niou-sama (Aina), went straight into sermon time after being forced to confess the reason for such a commotion.


    Incidentally, the story of how they were kidnapped by Podolo''s gang is simple: my grandfather and I were cleaning the kitchen after we had gone out, and we noticed that our stockpile of food was low, so we went shopping to replenish it as soon as possible, and we were kidnapped in a less popular place.


    If that was all, it would have freed me from Aina''s sermons early, but there were a few things that Aina found particularly problematic.


    The first was that she acted without permission while I (her husband) was away.


    But this was an extension of that, since I had allowed a certain amount of freedom, and Aina reluctantly limited herself to a light warning.


    Secondly, I didn''t ask Namitaro for an escort.


    They knew that they would be the focus of attention in many ways (........), and because they didn''t take Namitaro, who is treated as my subordinate, this is what led to this mess. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. I''m not going to be able to get rid of it, but I''m going to be able to get rid of it. I agreed with her on this one.


    And the third was, in a way, the cause of Aina''s anger the most. It was the fact that the two of them hadn''t taken their weapons with them and had forgotten about the scorpion-type golem.


    They both thought that they wouldn''t need the weapons because they were a little over there, and the golem was out of their minds until the last minute.


    It''s too faint-hearted to not carry even a minimal weapon for self-defense, even though Aina and I taught him how to handle weapons and how to fight, and Aina said that such slackness was the main reason for the commotion. I only half (...) agreed with this.


    The reason why I half disagreed with Aina is because I thought that even if the reason was because of slackness, it was because I was noticed by people who make a living out of crime, so there was a side that could not be helped. But my opinion was not listened to. Aina says, "Even if you are the follower of the man of the hour (the winner), it''s just fine to be too cautious.


    Aina continued to point out other details, and even started lecturing me on things unrelated to this case.


    As a result, it was a long sermon, and there was still no end in sight.


    The small talk with the backdrop of Aina''s sermon was surprisingly lively, and we were enjoying our tea while picking up the new sweet potato yokan that was mentioned in the conversation.


    An hour had passed since we started talking when the king and his friends finally arrived.


    As soon as he entered the room, the king came up to me with a big sigh and threw the sweet potato yokan into his mouth over my shoulder.


    Albert and the others stood and saluted as the king entered the room, and were about to step back, but the king made them sit down as he did.


    The king sat in front of me, where Isabella-sama was sitting, Maria-sama next to her, Caesar-sama and the others sat down a little further away, Isabella-sama and Tida, Luna moved to the other side of Caesar-sama and the others, and Aina, as expected, interrupted her sermon (...).


    ''''I''m tired........ugh!


    Maria next to me elbowed the king, who was sitting in front of me and was about to get sprawled out, to straighten him up.


    ''I know. Ooh-oh-oh! Temma, Lord Merlin, thank you for preventing the coup from happening. I am pleased that Albert von Sangha, Leon von Hust, Cain von Sammons and you also acted quickly and helped to put down the coup. Rewards and other rewards will be announced as soon as the captors'' sentences are confirmed.


    The king''s unusual tone almost blew me away, but Albert and the others were hurriedly kneeling down and bowing their heads.


    ''Well, so much for the stiffness. But Temma, you''ve done really well. Now the reformers will be quiet. It will be temporary, though.


    They say that the people will be informed of this event. The nominal reason for this is because it is a very serious crime in the history of the kingdom, but no matter how you look at it, the purpose is probably to reduce the power of the reformers.


    He said he''s going to inform me, Grandpa, Albert and the others and Viscount Mustang and their activities along with that, so he asked me to forgive him for the increased trouble.


    I agreed to this, thinking about the future, but inwardly I was hoping that they would remove my name alone (...). Well, I don''t know what to think...


    After that, as I was confirming what was to be announced, Zain-sama called out to me.


    ''''Temma, could you sell me a few of your battle golems?''''


    The sudden words caused everyone in the room to stop moving.

 111-Chapter 6-10 Camp!

    Does Lord Treasurer want an army that can spare your life?


    Grandpa replied to Master Zain''s words as if he were in tow. His face is smiling, so depending on how you look at it, he may be joking, but he''s more than half angry.


    ''''Grandpa, calm down. Let''s just (...) hear the end of it.''''


    I quieted my grandpa for a moment and turned to Zain-sama again.


    Zain-sama looked at me and my grandpa in turn without changing his expression for a moment before continuing his story.


    ''''I''m sorry to say that. I''d rather have something for protection (...) than for combat. We were able to prevent this one from happening, but the royals may be the next target. We have our own bodyguards, but we want a handout in case of emergency. I''m not going to say it''s on par with the scorpions those two have. Of course I want a certain amount of combat power, but I''m not going to treat it as a military asset. It''s only (...) something in the category of personal use.


    It seems that they don''t intend to incorporate it into the military, but it''s just a case of... I felt that from Zain-sama''s words.


    ''''You say it''s for guards, but isn''t a royal guard sufficient?


    At my question, Master Zain was quick to respond.


    Not enough.


    I said. It was so immediate and assertive that most of the people in the room were surprised.


    ''What does Temma imagine when she hears of a royal guard?


    ''''Konoe. And then there''s the private army, and then there''s the trained butlers and maids like Mr. Cliffe and Aina...


    Those are the three types that come to mind in a flash. Maybe there are others, but not many.


    I think that''s about it. There are other times when they hire adventurers and so on, but that''s not common for royalty. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. The remainder is assigned to us in that order. So there are not many of them, and they are not always with us. As for the private armies and stewards, it''s hard to find one that meets the requirements of royalty, and it''s hard to find one that can provide enough to cover all the royals.


    He took a break and wanted a cup of tea.


    "Does Temma know how many royalty there are now?


    I thought for a moment about what Master Zail said, and then


    Ten people?


    I replied. I wasn''t quite sure how much was good for royalty, so I said the number of people I''d met so far: Maria-sama for the king, Caesar-sama, Isabella-sama, Tida and Luna, Zain-sama, Misalia-sama, Lyle-sama and Ernest-sama.


    Well, that''s pretty much it. Who is in line for the throne?


    ''Seven of them, minus Maria and Isabella and Miss Misalia... what?


    I didn''t realize it until I put it into words, but it''s not much by any stretch of the imagination. This would mean the destruction of the country''s royal family if something happened.


    ''''The correct answer is fifty people. As expected, there is no such thing as seven. And other than the seven here, the forty-three heirs to the throne are, in a sense, even more troublesome than the reformers, and they are people we need to be more wary of than our enemies.


    Zayn, let me take it from here.


    With that, the king took over the conversation. The king looked a little reluctant to speak, but after a few moments, he slowly opened his mouth.


    My father, in the days of the previous kings, there were more than a hundred people who were called ''royalty''. My aunt and uncle also had more than ten.


    At the last ''apparently'', Master Ernest''s mood, which had been quiet as air, changed slightly.


    ''This is a bit of a digression, but do you know what Tida and Luna call my uncle Ernest there?''


    I thought it was strange that this was suddenly off topic, but I tried to remember what Luna had called me before.


    ''Great Uncle''........hmm?''


    Isn''t that funny? I can''t believe my grandson called my uncle great-uncle.


    Normally, it would be the King''s children, the Caesars, who would call Master Ernest their great-uncle. I don''t know what they call my great-grandfather''s brother, but it''s a bit odd, then.


    I am the adopted son of my brother, the former King," he said. "I''m the adopted son of my brother, the former King, so it gets more complicated, but that doesn''t mean I''m wrong.


    The question about Master Ernest disappeared, as it had happened in Japan in the past that a younger brother was adopted by his older brother, but I was more concerned about the way the king''s aunt and uncle said it in the past tense, which even the king himself didn''t seem to grasp.


    I''m the youngest child born to His Majesty the King''s predecessor, but even I don''t know the exact number of siblings I have. I don''t know the exact number of his siblings, but I don''t know the exact number of his siblings, and I''m afraid that they have increased or decreased without my knowledge.


    Ernest-sama says something outrageous in a straightforward manner.


    I glanced at the kings to see if it was okay to say such a thing, but they didn''t seem to be particularly bothered by it. Rather, aside from the royal family members, the faces, with the exception of Grandpa and Viscount Mustang, were more upset.


    ''''Well, it''s a known fact among those of some age.


    Viscount Mustang, who wasn''t upset, explained the situation to me, but apart from that, I was surprised that the three incoming powerful nobles didn''t know about it.


    The three of them whispered, "We didn''t hear about it," or "That''s a first," or "d*mn dad! I''m not sure.


    ............................Rion really isn''t a nobleman.


    Well, leaving those three aside, the other two I''m worried about are Tida and Luna. Those two also seemed to know what Ernest-sama said and listened calmly. As for Luna, I can''t deny the possibility that she just doesn''t understand....


    As I observed the two of them while thinking about this, I met eyes with them as if I noticed that they were watching me.


    Tida gave a small nod to me, but Luna tilted her head.......It''s settled.


    ''Well, that''s why Zain wanted Temma''s golem. Most of all, it''s not so much for our safety as it is for the sake of our lovely, lovely Misalia.


    At the king''s mischievous words, everyone looked at Zain-sama in unison, and Zain-sama turned away to escape everyone''s gaze. Zain-sama''s face, which was only visible for a moment, was dyed bright red, so the king was probably right.


    ''''Then it''s understandable that you would suddenly say something like this. If that''s the case, I understand. You can''t blame me if it''s for the sake of Missalia-sama. However, making them from scratch will take time, so let''s prepare a modified version of the medium-sized golem we have now. Is about three for each of us?


    The medium size is roughly the same size as a person, and I will choose a relatively recent creation from among them.


    As expected, we can''t put them all out here, so when I put one out as a sample, the kings looked a little troubled.


    The kings looked a little troubled when I gave them a sample. How much do you want to sell it for? With all this stuff, one of them could easily be worth more than a thousand gold coins.


    One gold coin is 10,000 g, so one is 10 million g, or more than 100 million yen in Japanese yen. That''s three billion yen for thirty of them... Wow, that''s a lot of money, I''ve got over a hundred left in my bag, and if I have the materials I can make them myself, that''s a lot of money in one night!


    No, I don''t need that much money but....


    ''''Ugh there''s nothing I can''t get out but it''s tough. We''ll leave it one at a time....


    No, that''s not much and you don''t need me, so get someone else.


    I don''t have much time to live.


    In response to the king''s muttering, Ernest-sama replies, and Grandpa makes a tea break for it. And then the cursing begins................the usual scene. It even feels somewhat nostalgic.


    The first thing to do is to say, "Fine, Temma. I''ll take thirty of them. The price is 10 million Gs per piece, 300 million Gs. But since we can''t pay the whole amount at once, how about 100 million Gs. for three years, plus 120 million Gs. for the interest, 20% more? If you have any other requests, I''ll make good on them.


    As if to counteract the atmosphere of goofiness (caused by a certain two people), Maria suggested a method of payment. For me, I would have been fine with a discounted sale, but it was difficult to suggest in this place where people other than royal family members were present, so it was good that Maria-sama suggested it, but I also think it was a little too favorable a deal.


    ''''I''ve heard about that golem''s performance, so I think it''s an unbeatable bargain at that price. Besides, Temma is going to sell that golem just to us (...), right?


    As if she had read my thoughts, Maria-sama spoke to me with a smile. I shook my head at the power of that, and this time she turned to Viscount Mustang and Albert and the others and smiled at them.


    Although I hadn''t said the words, I guess I put my intentions into it, "Don''t ask me to sell you a golem, too.


    Seeing Maria-sama''s smile, Viscount Mustang shrugged his shoulders to show his approval, and the three of them shook their heads like red-bellies. Behind Maria, for some reason, even the kings sat up straight and sat back neatly (with some exceptions).


    Isabella, Tida, Luna, you guys need to step back now.


    I''m sorry, Mother-in-law. Father-in-law, I''m sorry.


    Excuse me.


    I''m sorry.


    As soon as the three of us left, Mr. Cliffe began writing the contract. The king and Maria-sama first checked the multiple contracts that were written up in a small amount of time, followed by the king and Maria-sama, and then they handed them to me and my grandfather.


    However, when I checked the contracts, I noticed that for some reason there was a blank in the place of my terms and conditions.


    When I look up to ask about the blanks, for some reason, Mr. Cliffe holds out a pen to me.


    ''Temma, write whatever condition you want in that blank space. You can have more than one condition.


    And I''m being fatuous, but I don''t have the courage to write as many (...) as I want in this situation where Maria is watching me.


    So I''ll think about it for a minute and then


    1. Help the people involved (Jeanne Aura), including yourself, when they are involved in aristocratic affairs, to the extent (.......) that you can.


    2, If something happens to you, you must take responsibility for protecting Jeanne and Aura''s custody in the royal family.


    3. If you have a good reason to condemn someone who has harmed you, you must treat them fairly, no matter what their position is.


    He added.


    Frankly, I have no problem with the third one being refused. However, the first and second are not unreasonable and I want you to drink it considering what happened this time.


    ''Yeah ... you, here.''


    Well I don''t see the problem. All right.


    The third one seemed to be accepted without any problems, and the king signed the contract.


    Caesar-sama and the others also looked over the contract and smiled bitterly at the contents written in the third.


    ''''........Isn''t this including us in the subject?''''


    Lyle-sama, who was peeking at the contract that Zain-sama was holding from the side, blurts out.


    It''s true that if there is a legitimate reason as Zain-sama says, even if the king is the other party, he will be treated fairly even if he condemns the crime, but that''s not possible.


    I''m not sure if I''ll ever be able to find a way to get a job as a professional.


    In this case, the king or queen who admitted to this is the one who judges the "justification" in this case, so it''s difficult for my sense of justification to be reflected.


    It''s hard to apply this to other high-ranking nobles, for this reason. Therefore, to be precise, it is necessary to have a sentence that says, ''However, it is only for nobles who can be punished by the king''s discretion.


    Since it''s the kings, it seems that they would not mind using this as a reason to change the head of a rebellious nobleman.......


    The most clever nobles, higher nobles, etc. will at least read the king''s thoughts, so they''ll be hesitant to mess with me just because of this... or rather, I''d be grateful if they did.


    However, if I can hold back the lower nobles alone, it will be a lot easier in the future.


    This is the end, isn''t it? Come on, Temma, let''s go home and get some sleep!


    Grandpa saw me put the contract in my bag and stood up, standing tall.


    ''Yes,''


    I wanted to take it slow, too, so I agreed with my grandfather. My voice sounded a little bouncy, probably because of the fact that Maria''s pressure had eased, but no one noticed that.


    Because there was one person who was more pleased than I was.


    The guy was pulled out of the room by Aina after he had the room''s gaze all to himself. You''ve decided to stay up all night and go into preaching mode... well, good luck with that, Aura.


    ''Temma, you''ve really helped me out this time. I know it''s going to be noisy for a while, but I''ll make this deal public soon enough to shut you up, so you''ll have to be quiet in the meantime.


    I nodded at the king''s words and was just about to leave the room when I heard two grunts. The moaners were Jeanne and Amour, whose legs were numb from sitting on their haunches and they couldn''t seem to move very well.


    I approached them to see what I should do.


    "Temma, Temma, help. Temma, take her!


    And then, interrupting Jeanne''s words, Amour opened his arms and tried to hug her, but he couldn''t leap up on his numb legs and dove face first into the floor.


    ''Ahhh, I''ll carry the young lady, Temma, do something about Jeanne.


    Blanca sighed at Amour''s odd behavior and lifted Amour up as he struggled on the floor.


    When I say lifted up, I don''t mean carrying it on my shoulder.......or anything like that, but grabbing Amour by the back collar as if he were carrying a kitten.


    ''''Fu-nya!''''


    Amour let out a short scream-like voice and was carried out of the room by Blanca, swaying and shaking her body.


    ''Temma, this is so embarrassing...''


    Patience. It''s all you could''ve done.


    Ugh....


    Jeanne must be really embarrassed. She is being slowly carried (...) down the corridor, hiding her reddened face with her hands.


    ''I feel sorry for her, but I suppose it can''t be helped.


    I suppose so. I''m sure the way the young lady is carried is also an embarrassing part of it, but she''s not bothered by it at all. I''m sure that''s why people are looking at Jeanne, who is embarrassed, and that''s why they are looking at her....


    Supi~


    Blanka''s dumbfounded voice was answered in his sleep, and Amour, who had fallen asleep as soon as he was picked up, was now being carried like a load on his shoulders.


    ''Well, never mind. Besides, what the hell, you think it feels good or something, don''t you?


    I mean, it does feel nice, but it does feel nice.


    Jeanne is blushing and floating in the air. Yes, Jeanne is being held up now. And a girl''s dream? s princess cuddles.


    Except, I''m not the one holding her, though.


    "Slarin'', don''t drop Jeanne or hit anything.


    As I said, it''s Slarin who''s holding Jeanne up, who''s body is about two meters in size.


    The reason why Slarin is holding her in a princess hug is that when I first tried to get Jeanne to stand up, her legs were so numb that the slightest vibration caused her to almost cry out.


    After some thought, I asked Slurring to carry Jeanne, who seemed to be able to absorb the vibrations the best. And just as I expected, Slarin is carrying Jeanne without suffering.


    When she does so, she is carrying Jeanne on her side, so it looks like she is being carried by a princess from the side. And with the added bonus of being seen by people passing by in the corridors of the castle.......


    That makes Jeanne blush, but she knows she can''t walk on her own, and she knows that Slarin is helping (and annoying) her, so she can''t say anything strongly. Moreover, Slarin, whose body is mostly made of water, is like a moving waterbed, a gem that far surpasses the one in its previous life in terms of softness and comfort.


    In fact, I''ve spent some time in the comfort of a Slarin'' bed when I was camping and on hot nights, so I know exactly how good it feels.


    Ignoring Jeanne''s blushing, shy face, we were led by Mr. Cliffe to the entrance, and from there we each got into our own carriage to head home.


    Jeanne was recovering to some extent by the time we got on the carriage, but her face was still red for a while.


    I''m sorry, Temma. Are you sure you want to leave Aura behind?


    Before I knew it, Namitaro was in my bag, and I''d give him the name of Aura, who isn''t here, but


    Well, maybe it''s important to have the two sisters together once in a while...


    I feel a little sorry for myself, but...


    Grandpa seemed a little sympathetic, but I shook my head.


    ''Grandpa, can you say that to Aina in that state?''


    You can''t. I''d be terrified.


    Grandpa''s ending was a bit creepy, but I agree with him. It''s been a while since I''ve made something........


    I was such an escape from reality, but I didn''t miss the fact that Jeanne and Namitaro were shaking their heads in agreement. I watched the moment when Jeanne''s face changed from the red of shame to the blue of fear, especially as I watched closely.


    In Jeanne''s case, one wrong move and she could still be sitting next to Aura, and in a way, Jeanne had Aura to thank for that.


    Just like that, the carriage went on, and we hurriedly crawled into our own sleeping quarters as soon as we reached the mansion.


    However, Aura didn''t come back that day or the next, and she didn''t come back until two days later when she had an audience with the king.


    Aura came back exhausted and with skinny cheeks, and I heard that Aina made her do all sorts of manners and etiquette, cleaning and washing from morning to night, and she also trained for battle in between.


    The dreaded "Aina''s Boot Camp"! Maybe it''s going to be all the rage in King''s Landing from now on.......why not? You were useless for a few days, Aura.....

 112-Chapter 6 Status after the end

    No change in Temma Shilomar.


    Name...Slarin''


    Age...9


    Race... emperor slime


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP...6000 (20,000)


    MP...14,000.


    Strength? ...C+ (B+)


    Defensive Power...B+ (A-)


    Speed...B+ (C+)


    Magic... A


    Mental capacity... A


    Growth Potential...B


    Luck... B


    Skills....giantization 10, space-time magic 8, magic manipulation 8, anomaly resistance 8, patience 6, martial arts 6, all magic attributes 4, fire magic 4, water magic 4.


    The Gift... a blessing from the God of Magic.


    Notes....The numbers in parentheses indicate the status of the giant.


    Name--Solomon.


    Age...0


    Race... the dragon.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 7,000.


    MP...12,000.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power...


    Speed...B+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...D+.


    Growth Potential...S+


    Luck... A


    Skills....Abnormal Resistance 6, Light Magic 5, Wind Magic 5, Magic Manipulation 5, Life Force Enhancement 5, Recovery Enhancement 5, Destruction Enhancement 4, Fire Magic 4, Night Eyes 4, Water Magic 3, Lightning Magic 3, Magic Enhancement 5.


    Gift... the blessing of the beast gods.


    Name, Jeanne.


    Age...14


    Race... human race.


    Titles... saint, former baroness, slave of the Temma


    HP... 4000.


    MP...10,000.


    Muscle strength...C


    Defensive Power...C+


    Speed...C+


    Magic...


    Mental capacity... b-.


    Growth Potential...A+


    Luck...D


    Skills....light magic 5, swordsmanship 5, patience 5, life force augmentation 5, water magic 5, resistance to abnormal effects 5, resilience augmentation 4, magic augmentation 4, fire magic 3, earth magic 3, stick art 3, growth augmentation 3.


    Blessing...blessing of the goddess of love, blessing of the goddess of earth, blessing of the goddess of life


    Her name... is Aura.


    Age...16


    Race... human race.


    Title: Maid Temma''s slave.


    HP... 7,000.


    MP...6000.


    Muscle strength...C+.


    Defensive Power... B-


    Speed...B-


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...


    Growth Potential...A


    Luck... B


    Skills....Cooking 9, Patience 8, Spearmanship 5, Martial Arts 5, Fire Magic 4, Water Magic 4, Archery 4, Swordsmanship 4, Abnormal Resistance 4, Earth Magic 2, Light Magic 2


    Name-- Aina.


    Age... 23.


    Race... human race.


    Title: Maid and former adventurer.


    HP...12,000.


    MP...6000.


    Muscle strength...B+.


    Defensive Power...


    Speed...B+


    Magic...


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 113-Chapter 7-1: School visit part 1

    "Oh, hello there, TenmaSama.


    The voice I heard first thing in the morning was like a machine made voice with no inflection. The owner of the voice was Aura. She had just returned alive from Aina''s lashing (...) a few days ago.


    When she first returned, she couldn''t even speak properly, and she always pretended to be concerned about her surroundings, and when she heard a sound like clapping her hands behind her, her expression instantly disappeared and she became upright and immobile.


    It''s probably better to be able to produce a voice that sounds like a synthetic sound.


    After a few more days from that, I talked to Aura, who finally began to return to normal, and found out that Aina''s squeezing was quite a terrible thing.


    The menu, after she left us, was a review of basic skills as a maid, followed by instruction.


    The next day, we chopped wood first thing in the morning. (For chopping wood, he was only allowed to use a heavy object that he could use with both hands. (I heard that they were only allowed to use heavy objects such as those used by both hands to chop wood, and that they had to use their entire body, or else only the muscles in their back would develop and their body shape would be compromised.


    The chopping of firewood continued until after lunch, and after a light lunch, we dusted the hallways. (We were taken to a corridor in the castle which is not used much and kept polishing. No mopping. Every once in a while Aina would do an unannounced inspection and if there was any dirt left on the floor, she would tell us to extend our time. (Incidentally, the first day ended earlier than Aina expected, and she was taken to a different hallway.


    Finally, one-on-one combat training by Aina, from the time the sun starts to set until about the time it crosses over the sun. (Chris joined in at the end, and in some cases it was one-on-two.)


    Then, after being given a few hours of sleep, they trained first thing in the morning, running and mingling with the Knights.


    The training was joined by the First Order of Knights, the Second Order of Knights, and the Kingsguard in order, so it was usually around snack time when they finished, and then they were finally released. Along with the words "I have to think about the next menu........" and a smile....


    Well, well what can I say, you''re still alive.


    No matter how much I''m enhanced with cheats, this is a menu I don''t want to do. Rather than doing that, it might be easier to go hunting two or three earth dragons. Mainly in a mental sense........


    That''s right! Totally! He''s an ogre, ogre! That''s why those two are missing out on a marriage!


    One of the two would be Chris. Aura is biting into the cookie placed in front of her like a cracker, biting into it like a crispy cracker, while loudly talking about dangerous things.


    But you know, Aura, in a past life, there''s a saying: "If you talk about Cao Cao, he''ll come to you. You wouldn''t understand even if I told you....


    ''So, sir! Those two, ugh!


    I shove a few cookies into Aura''s mouth, interrupting the conversation. Aura suddenly stuffs a mouthful of cookies into her mouth, and she accuses me with tears in her eyes, but the next thing I know, her face turns blue and she goes quiet.


    ''Hello, Temma-kun~''


    Sorry to disturb you, Lady Temma.


    It was Cao Cao after all........but the two rumored people came together. Aura turned around to check on them, but they didn''t seem to hear Aura''s bad words and didn''t seem to be particularly bothered by them.


    ''What''s wrong, Aura?''


    ''Aura, are you slacking off again?''


    Chris looked curiously at Aura, who had a frightened expression on her face, but Aina thought she was frightened because she''d been caught slacking off, and there was a bit of anger in her voice.


    ''No, it''s time for a break now. I was just hearing from Aura about the two of you training.


    As expected, I can''t say, "I just heard Aura saying bad things about the two of you". That''s not because I''m defending Aura, it''s simply because I don''t want them to think I''m one of their own. If Aina and Chris-san were to incur your wrath and make me go along with them to boot camp, that would be unbearable.


    Aura seems to have misunderstood my self-preservation and is looking at me with glittering eyes.


    I''m not sure if that''s true. Well, when you think about it, no matter how much you think about it, there is no way that Aura is going to skip out in front of her master without a care in the world.......right?


    Between the last two, you can see how little trust Aura has in her. Perhaps it''s because they''re sisters, but Aina''s opinion of Aura seems to be very harsh.


    ''So, about the special training, I''m thinking of making it a bit tougher this time, what do you think, Tenma-sama?


    Aina''s shocked comment made Chris draw back with a drawn-out face. I probably have the same look on my face. And when it comes to Aura, she''s standing there with an expression of despair, not moving even slightly.......she''s not dying of shock, is she?


    ''About that, Aina you need to lighten up a bit. I''m happy for Aina''s feelings, but as expected, it''s hard for us to be useless for a few days...


    Aina looked apologetic when I told her that Aura had been unable to work for a few days due to muscle aches and other problems (...).


    ''I''m sorry I didn''t pay attention to that much. From now on, I''ll be more careful about following up after the training.


    I bowed my head, but I didn''t say I was going to lighten the menu. Aura didn''t notice this and gave a small gut-punch behind me so that Aina couldn''t see me.


    ''So what can I do for you two?''


    Putting aside Aura for now, I decided to ask about the two of them coming together.


    Actually, it''s a rare thing for them to come to this mansion alone. Aina is basically a maid for the queen and Chris is a member of the king''s bodyguard, so the only time both of them come together is when they are accompanied by the king or queen.


    However, since Aina is also the head maid of the house (provisionally), she comes frequently, but I sometimes wonder if she is good enough to take care of Maria (the queen).


    I''ve been off duty for a long time and I had some free time, so I just followed Aina. Aura, may I have a cup of tea? And also, the tea cakes.


    Saying that, Chris-san sits down on a nearby chair and starts to get covered up. Chris-san is popular among the juniors (both men and women) in the Order, but I wonder if some of them would be disillusioned if they saw him like this.


    Aura, can you help me with mine?


    Aina, in contrast, bowed to me and then sat neatly in her chair. Then she took out three bags from the magic bag in her pocket and placed them on the table. There seemed to be coins inside as I heard a clatter when I put them down.


    ''Temma-sama, this is the money for the auction. Earlier, the person in charge of the auction said that Tenma-sama did not come to receive it, so I brought it for him. Please check.


    When I checked the contents, there were three hundred gold coins in one bag, and in all there were nine hundred.......nine million Gs.


    ''''The final bid was ten million G, but the amount received is the amount subtracted by ten percent as tax. And, although it''s our own decision, we used ordinary gold coins instead of large gold coins for payment. We thought it would be easier to use, but if there is any inconvenience, we will exchange them for cash without a fee.


    ''''Ahhh........Come to think of it, I''m putting it up for auction. I had forgotten all about it after the Jiryuu matter and that coup d''��tat fiasco... or rather, the person in charge of it should have brought it directly to my house, too.


    Oh, that''s impossible. After all, by His Majesty''s direct order, it is forbidden for any unacquainted nobleman or person from the royal castle to contact Mr. Temma.


    Chris-san, as he brings the cookies to his mouth, tells me information I don''t know. That''s why, when I went to visit the king''s castle recently, only the knights I trained with before spoke to me... To be honest, I thought they didn''t like me when I was too familiar with the kings.


    As I was randomly shoving the bag I had received into the bag, Chris-san with a cookie in his mouth was looking at me blankly. At that moment, I thought I heard him mutter something like, "I think I''ll get a permanent job with Temma-kun..." but I pretended I didn''t hear anything.


    Chris-san, who must have muttered casually, is writhing as Aina pokes him in the armpit (presumably power, strong).


    ''Speaking of which, what are your plans for the two of you after this?''


    I''m just gonna hang out here and mope, okay?


    ''There''s nothing in particular, so I''m going to see how Aura and Jeanne work.


    Chris-san, who has become less reserved lately due to someone (...), seems to want to relax at home and is already demanding more tea and tea snacks from Aura.


    Aina seemed to intend to train them as usual, and got up from her chair while looking at Chris-san with white eyes. He''s done the same thing every time he''s come in for this matter before, so I lightly nodded my head and allowed it.


    Aura had overheard Aina''s comment on the way to bring Chris-san a refill and almost dropped her tea and tea snacks.


    ''That''s fine, but we''re going to have guests soon, and then I''ll go out, but... well, no problem, right?''


    Even though they are guests, they are people who don''t have to be particularly reserved, so they won''t complain if Chris-san is riddled with them. Besides, even if I left Chris-san at the mansion, he would be fine because Grandpa and Jeanne and the others would be there.


    Hearing my reply, Aina quickly dragged Aura out of the room, and Chris-san began to get to work on refilling his tea and tea snacks, even though he looked curious about who his guests were.


    I was chatting with Chris for a few minutes when Jeanne came in with her three guests.


    ''Sorry I''m late, Temma,''


    Sorry to bother you.


    Hey!


    Jeanne led me to the three incoming heads of the family. We were told that they wanted us to accompany them to a place today, and we were waiting for them.


    Well then, let''s go right away........Miss Ane-san!


    Rion, who came into the room, passing Jeanne, who had led the way, froze in surprise when he saw Chris-san. I mean, what do you mean, Miss?


    Ignoring Rion, who froze, I looked at the rest of them and saw that they were just as surprised as I was. But not as much as Rion, merely surprised to the extent that I ran into someone I knew in an unexpected place.


    ''''It''s been a while, Chris-senpai (...)


    It''s been a while.


    Following Albert''s words, Cain also bowed his head and greeted him. Although the three of them are higher in rank and position, Chris-san seems to be higher in terms of power.


    ''What? You mean you guys were guests? It''s been a while, I''ve heard a lot (...) about the three of you. They say you haven''t grown up much since you were in school.


    The three of them went quietly, as if in in inverse proportion to Chris''s happy voice. Their faces appear to be blue.


    ''''Hey, why is Miss Smith here?


    Rebooting, Rion pulled me to the corner of the room and asked me in a whisper.


    The rest of the two of them seemed to want to hear about it too, but they couldn''t move out of the way as Chris got involved.


    ''Why, because you''re not busy, right? I''ve known Chris for that long.


    We met when the Orc King attacked us, so it''s been five years now. Even though there are a few years of vacancies in between, the encounter was impressive (because of the King (...)), and she is one of the people I have been close to since I came to King''s Landing.


    If you think about it, this is the first woman I''ve ever met in a proper way outside of the residents of Kukri village... If we were the same age, it would be like a setting for a romance novel, but since we''re eight years apart, we don''t have that kind of relationship. It''s like a sister who knows each other well.


    Besides, originally he only came to the house as the king''s escort, but since Aina started coming, he came to the house more and more often, even by himself. And, inspired by the loose atmosphere of the house, she became less and less reserved. The result was a sluggish Chris who demanded tea and tea snacks.


    Aina had warned him many times, but he didn''t care about me and his grandfather, so he didn''t get too picky these days. Well, the most slackers are the kings (and lately, Lyle-sama and Luna), so it''s a decent category compared to that.


    The story went off topic, but when I explained such things to him in general, Rion''s face was pulled back. Perhaps it was wrong to tell him about the king. In a way, it''s like a top secret (aka shameful part).


    ''''So, where are you taking me today?''''


    While returning to Albert and the others, I asked him where he was going today, and for some reason, Leon began to answer in a happy voice.


    ''It was! I was in a bit of a hurry! I forgot, I forgot! So, Miss, I''m sorry, but I''m going to have to go now.


    And he was about to leave the room, pushing me on my back. Albert and the others followed us as well as being saved, but the wholesaler wasn''t so wholesale.


    ''I doubt it ... I''ll follow you! Monitoring ... leading ... no, we need a guardian, too!


    While saying something casually awful, Chris poured down the rest of the tea and got up from his chair with a big smile on his face.


    ''''Haha, sis, no matter how much you say you''re a pre-adult, you''re still dealing with Temma. She doesn''t need a guardian.


    Rion is laughing and tapping me on the shoulder when he hears Chris-san''s words. I was a little bit annoyed with Leon, but my annoyance subsided a little bit when I saw Cain looking at Leon like he was looking at something pitiful, at Chris-san and Albert.


    ''Well, let''s leave the idiots alone, I can''t argue with you guys, can I?


    "Yes!


    Chris looks satisfied when he hears Albert and Cain''s complete replies. Really, it''s a sight that makes me want to know why such a hierarchical relationship was created. Rion was also nodding with a feeling of reluctance as the two of them turned in favor.


    ''''So where were you going to go? You don''t think you''re going to start hiding in the colored streets at this hour, do you?


    Chris looked at the three of them with cold eyes.


    ''No, no perishable! I was just trying to show Temma to the school.


    The headmaster had asked me to show up once, so I figured it was just as well.


    That''s right, miss. It''s not that we''re going to a suspicious place. Besides, even if you go to the Color Street at this time of night, most of the shops are closed.....


    Rion laughs caracara, but he doesn''t realize that he has dug his own grave.


    The other two immediately distanced themselves from Rion and maintained a self-conscious attitude.


    It''s not about me, since all three of them are now adults, but I''ll just report it to Maria-sama. If Temma-kun gets a bad bug on him, we''re in a lot of trouble.


    At Chris-san''s words, they looked as if they had received a death sentence, but Rion was still oblivious to it.


    ''''Well then, let''s go. But the school is in the middle of a long vacation right now, what are you going to do by going?


    ''''No, the headmaster says that today is a school day, and that all the students from all faculties, except for the youngest ones, are in school.


    Mostly just students in or near King''s Landing, which isn''t too many.


    ''Oh, so that''s why Rion is so uptight about it. Mostly, you want to show them that the Temma and the Haust frontier county family are on friendly terms or something. He''s going to show the kids first, and then he''s going to let their parents know through their mouths.


    At Chris''s point, Rion turned away and started whistling. I don''t care what it is, but there are people in this world who have that kind of deception. Most of all, though, the only people who do that kind of deception in their past lives are cartoon and anime characters.


    ''It''s a lousy way to cheat. It''s all right. It''s not my place to tell you what to do. But if you do it too much, you''ll attract the attention of Maria. Be careful.


    After nailing it down firmly, Chris-san walked to the front door.


    Rion exhales in relief that he was missed, but he doesn''t seem to understand how scary the Rathbone (Maria-sama) is. I''m not going to tell you because it sounds interesting.


    Chris-san went out the front door and got into the carriage that the three of them had been riding in without any hesitation. By the way, the carriage was for four people, and Chris-san, me, Albert and Cain got into the carriage in that order, and Cain, who was the last to get in, had the door strangled by his hand.


    ''Huh?''


    Rion cocks his head at the closed door. The plan was for me to be the only one to take him, so the four-seater carriage was just fine, but because his guardian was with him, Leon, who came out late, was left in the lurch.


    ''Miss, what about me?''


    There''s a vacant seat. You can share a seat. Or do you want to run over here, there, or do you want to run in?


    Chris said that place (...) is the coach seat, and if we packed it in, there could be at least one more person sitting on it. Incidentally, this place is on the roof, and that is the step you step on when you get on the carriage.


    ''''..............I understand. I''m sorry, but I''m going to ask for a ride.


    As expected, among the options, Rion chose the Emperor''s seat. This carriage seems to belong to the Sangha family, and they seem to know each other, so Leon didn''t hold back.


    The school is built relatively close to the royal castle, and if it were not done well, it would have a sturdier and wider structure than the royal castle.


    According to Chris, the school has four faculties, from the elementary school to the high school, and each of them are designed to be used for holding off-campus classes at the same time, as well as to be used as a shelter or a fort in case of emergencies, so the school is quite large and sturdy.


    By the way, the four faculties are the four: the Elementary School (ages 7-9), the Elementary School (ages 10-12), the Middle School (ages 13-15), and the High School (ages 16-18), and are said to be the educational institutions of the lower and upper grades of elementary school, the Middle School and the High School in the previous life, and are run by the state, or in other words, the national government.


    There are no restrictions on the admission of both commoners and nobles, but because of the high cost of tuition, it is said that more than 70 percent of the students are nobles.


    However, it seems that this is not fair to the commoners, so they set up a quota for them (tuition exemption), and nearly 20% of the students are recommended by the commoners. There are also groups of nobles who are recommended by the aristocrats, but they make up less than 10% of the total.


    There is no upper limit to the number of students that can be recommended for admission, but only the middle and high school students can be recommended, and only tuition is exempted, so the purchase of equipment used in classes is not exempted.


    For this reason, every year, even if students are recommended to the school, some students give up enrolling in the school because they cannot afford the cost of equipment and lodging.


    However, it is said that if a student graduates from high school with excellent grades, even if he or she is from a commoner''s background, it is not a dream to get a high salary, so some parents will be willing to borrow money to admit their children. Well, it is said that less than half of the students who are admitted in this way will graduate....


    In addition to this, it seems that boys do their best to get hired by their aristocratic peers in the same year, and girls appeal fiercely to the aristocratic family members who want to be concubines or concubines, and so on.


    It seems that Albert and the others have experienced this kind of thing, and they have actually recruited a number of worthy classmates.


    Incidentally, Chris was more popular with girls than boys, so he didn''t seem to have any kind of masculine life at the school.


    By the way, Rion, who leaked this information to me, got off the carriage and was beaten up by Chris afterwards.


    You see, I was the high priest of the school. Because of that, boys don''t come near me, and I was selected to join the Kingsguard as a candidate before graduation...


    He said. Incidentally, Chris is the daughter of a quasi-baronial family, but she is no longer in contact with her parents. The reason for this is because she planned to suck the juice through Chris-san.


    While talking about such things, we headed from the school''s carriage yard to the headmaster''s office.


    On the way, every time we passed a group of girls from the middle school and above, there was a yellow cheer, and if I''m not mistaken, half of them were Chris, forty percent were the group of three, and the rest were me.


    Every time there was a yellow cheer, Chris-san moved to my side, probably on the queen''s orders to keep the girls away from me... I guess I can''t help but feel a little disappointed as a man.


    ''''You have a strange look on your face, Temma-kun.......................Oh, you''re worried about the popularity of those three!


    Chris, who looked into my face, seems to have misunderstood something. As for me, I don''t think it''s strange that those three are so popular.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    They are duke, marquis, and incoming head of the frontier earl. In front of those titles, even if the three of them were ugly, it would be inevitable that they would be more popular than the average person.


    But Chris has a different opinion.


    He said, "Those three are, in a sense, shadow idols. The people in that line of thought... oh, but I think the people who were watching me and Tenma-kun are the decent ones. And in Temma-kun''s case, his name comes first, and his face is still not as well known as it should be. By the time we get back, it''s going to be a mess of women who are looking for him. At that time, let''s sacrifice those three and go home.


    Chris-san saying something so plainly horrible... or rather, a shadow idol, that makes more and more sense!


    Moreover, I felt a chill run down my spine as Chris-san treated the three incoming great noblemen like they were his minions and called the girls girls women.


    It seems that they had been eavesdropping on Chris-san''s story, and when the shoulders of the three who were going ahead of me dropped delicately, I met up with a group of elementary school-age girls who appeared from the side.


    I almost bumped into the three of them in a panic, but the three of them immediately avoided me, so they didn''t seem to be injured.


    ''''All three of you! That''s dangerous! I''m sorry, it was okay........what?


    Chris-san scolded the three of us and apologized instead, and then he seemed to notice something.


    When I looked out from behind Chris-san to see what was going on....


    ''Huh? Chris ... and your brother? Why are you here?


    At the center of these girls was a familiar girl.


    ''''Oh, so it was Luna. No, those three took me on a tour of the school.


    My words startled the three of them who were about to apologize, and they poked their knees and bowed their heads. Chris-san also bowed his head while putting his right hand on his chest, so the four girls, including Luna, and I, a commoner, were the only ones standing normally in this place.


    The girls who were walking with Luna looked at me curiously for not bowing their heads, but they seemed to be silent as Luna didn''t say anything in particular.


    ''''Heh~ That''s right. Those three are Albert-sama, Cain-sama and........Reno(-)-sama? Oh, please lift your head. The three of you avoided me, so I''m not hurt.


    And at Luna''s words, which were uncharacteristically ladylike, the three of them stood up as they once again spoke the words of apology.


    However, two of the three of them were subtly trembling. Looking next to them, Chris-san was also trembling.


    ''''Luna, not Reno(n), Rio(n),''''


    At my correction, the three of us, who had been trembling, finally couldn''t take it anymore and blew out.

 114-Chapter 7-2, School Visit Part 2

    ''What? Really! I''m sorry!


    Luna immediately apologized to Rion and bowed her head. Rion didn''t seem to be particularly angry about being misnamed, but he seemed to be a little concerned about it.


    Luna, who was bothered by his appearance, seemed apologetic.


    We haven''t seen much of Master Rion, so...


    He said. The three of us, except me and Rion, agreed with those words.


    When I asked Chris about it, he gave me an unexpected answer.


    ''Rion, you don''t come to the back of the castle very often. The three of them have already decided to take over the governorship in the future, but their titles are just ''the next head of the family'', so the three of them now are actually nobles without a title. That''s why they can''t easily enter the depths of the royal castle. The only exceptions are those who have an invitation, like at the recent party, or those who are accompanied by the current head of the family. Albert and Cain, the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samos often come to the capital, so they have many opportunities to meet Luna. On the other hand, Count Haust, on the other hand, is not able to leave his domain so easily. They don''t come to the castle as often as they should. It''s been about three years since the last time I was here........


    He explained in detail.


    ''''I mean, even the incoming head of the family can''t meet royalty that easily, but isn''t it strange that me and my grandfather, a commoner, get an almost free pass?


    It is. I''ve been showing my face to the king and the others from time to time, even though I didn''t have anything of that magnitude to do (because I was free, because I was lending them a place to dismantle something, because I made a new pastry, etc.).


    The one who responded to my words was Luna, with a very strange look on her face.


    If you ask me, that was true. Especially those two, I found myself relaxing in the living room of the house.


    When I was almost convinced like that, Chris-san gave me a dumbfounded earful.


    ''No, it''s not something that would normally happen. I don''t mean to say this, but some of His Majesty''s thoughts also have political implications. Well, I guess the main reason is that Temma-kun is the son of His Majesty and Maria''s best friends.


    It was indeed. It''s easy to forget because the kings are so friendly, but in the Japan of the past life, it would be like going to meet the Emperor without permission. Normally, the mere act of approaching them would have you detained or even killed on the spot.


    In retrospect, we are very fortunate to be here. When you think about it, a little political use can''t be helped... at best, it''s probably just a check on the other factions, like ''Temma is like a royalist faction,'' and I''ve threatened several times that I''ll go to another country if I''m going to push too hard. As for that matter, Maria-sama was on my side, so it should be fine.


    By the way, I don''t think there''s any, but if it''s as much as ''I''m being attacked by an enemy country, so help me out,'' it''s safe, but ''I''m going to start a war, go!'' I think I''ll be out of the picture if I''m not. At that point, I''ll have to go into seclusion somewhere or leave the country.


    ''Well, if the kings say it''s okay with them, why should I particularly care?


    Yes,


    You come to my house, and you eat and drink your own food.


    Yeah, yeah.


    Luna had to go through all the snacks I made for her.


    ''Well ... eh!


    Luna fell for my leading questioning (laughs). She didn''t seem to realize that she''d been found out a long time ago. In fact, Luna was the second person to fall for this lead-in questioning (laugh). The first, of course, was Aura. She was also accused of picking and choosing, and had to admit her guilt right in front of Aina. Aina''s chastisement at that time was amazing.


    ''Don''t worry, I won''t tell Lady Isabella or Maria if Luna is a good girl.


    Luna shakes her head in a country.


    Anyway, I''ve given my advice, so I''ll be quiet for a while (...) now. The sad part is that I can''t say that I''m going to (...) from now on.


    "So, Luna is going home now?


    Luna shook her head as she visited the girls behind Luna, looking at them.


    Apparently, Luna had to wait for Tida, and she was just here to see her friends'' girls off.


    The truth is that Luna was going to see them off a little further, but she was apologizing to the girls as she left here. It seems that she is determined to follow us.


    ''Bye~ I''ll go out with you next time~...............................then let''s go.


    Luna waved off the girls and tried to stand at the front of us. Rion looked a little unhappy at that. Perhaps the fact that Luna is here means that Tida will be joining us in a little while, and she''s worried that her plans will be exposed and the royal family will have a bad impression of the frontier county family.


    However, the kings would not be that badly impressed. After all, it''s in the royalists'' best interest for the House of Hoost Frontier Countess to be on good terms with me.


    I was about to tell him that, when Cain suddenly turned around and winked at me with one finger in front of his mouth. Maybe it''s a matter of ''it looks interesting, so keep it quiet''. It certainly looks more interesting that way, so I quietly gave him a thumbs up and agreed.


    ''Look, look Rion, your walking speed is slowing down. We have to get to the headmaster''s office quickly. That''s why, Luna-sama, I''m sorry, but before you head to Tida-sama''s classroom, please head towards the headmaster''s office.


    Okay....okay.


    Luna is Luna and she seems to be desperate to wear the cat since she''s in front of the three of them. Well, I think the three...well, two of them found out a long time ago, but they didn''t point it out.


    The Dean''s office was on the fifth floor, the top floor of the central building, and it was hard to get up the stairs. So I used levitation magic to make it easier on myself along the way, but when I finished climbing the stairs, Luna found me and complained about it a lot.


    I''ve heard that only students are allowed to use the method I used, except in special cases, so even if Luna notices my method in the middle of the stairs, if she takes advantage of my magic, she will be punished by the school. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing. But even with a light punishment, if the number of times is too many, it could result in expulsion from the school in the worst case, so be careful.


    It''s a good idea to make sure that you have the right kind of information to help you find out what you''re looking for.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more than a few of them.


    It seems that the total number of students in the whole school is about a thousand every year, with about forty students per class, with four classes for the elementary and junior high schools, eight for the junior high school and ten for the high school.


    Most of the classes in the elementary and junior high schools are randomly assigned, but from the junior high school onwards, students are placed on a merit system, with the higher grades being assigned as A, B, or C. The grades include practical skills. The grades include practical skills, and the students are selected from the top of each class.


    When we arrived at the headmaster''s office, Albert and the others announced their arrival, and then they asked permission for me, Chris-san and Luna to enter the room.


    We sat down on the sofa and met the headmaster.


    The headmaster was a man in his 60s and said he was a graduate of the school. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to find out what''s going on in the world. As a result, he had many opportunities to befriend people from commoner backgrounds, and after finding a job, he was popular among students and other teachers as a teacher who understood both nobility and commoners.


    Thanks to this, he steadily rose through the ranks and became the headmaster of the school just before fifty. This was partly due to the fact that he was recommended by his student, the then ministers, the crown prince (the current king), and many other aristocrats, but he was accepted with no problems.


    Since the headmaster had a grim face, the five of us, excluding me, were quite nervous. However, as soon as the headmaster opened his mouth, two of them began to relax their shoulders, since it was something that had nothing to do with them, and they began to relax. The content of the conversation was........about the ''rotten girl coma incident'' that happened at the party hosted by the royal family.


    There were several inquiries about the dismissed daughters because of the similarity in age, being from the school, and staring at Albert and the others, which may have had something to do with the three of them.


    In the beginning, the headmaster blurted out the information, but in the end, he had to tell the parents who didn''t agree with him about the vices of the girls.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the marketplace. He convinced them by half threatening them by saying that they would not be able to become a part of it. It is said that he called the three of them to the school to warn them to be careful.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about, but it''s also a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about.


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.


    I''ve been told that there are many aristocrats in this school, and that there are aristocrats who behave arrogantly and condescendingly towards the common man. It seems that, from their point of view, they are the chosen ones who are born into the aristocracy, and the lowly ones have to serve them.


    It is said that there are quite a few students of the nobility who think like that to varying degrees.


    They want to encourage the commoner students by showing them my precedent, and they want to teach the aristocrat students that a person''s talent doesn''t depend on their birth. It''s a good thing that you''re able to do that, because you can''t do it by yourself, and you can''t interfere with the power as well, because the royal family is behind you.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good deal more than you think.


    The headmaster looked very disappointed, but it seemed to be a no-go solicitation, so he withdrew quietly.


    After the conversation was over, we left the headmaster''s office to go pick up Tida, and with Luna leading the way, we rushed to the meeting place.


    The meeting place was Tida''s classroom on the third floor of the primary school building, which is located a short distance away from the central building.


    The elementary school building is right next to the elementary school building, and when you put the two together, it looks like it has an area of land about the size of a small high school, but even this is less than half the size of the middle and high school.


    We walked through the elementary school building with such explanations. The teachers we pass occasionally are smiling at us, so it seems that the conversation is already going on.


    However, the students don''t seem to be informed, and they stop and look at us, as if the presence of an outsider is unusual. As expected, they didn''t talk to us unnecessarily, but a few kids who seemed to be acquaintances of Luna came up to us and their eyes were shining when they heard about us.


    The conversation seemed to spread from there, and we were almost surrounded just before we reached Tida''s class, but the teachers who heard the commotion managed to contain it.


    ''Brother, here you are,''


    You''re late, aren''t you, Temma?


    Tida, who was talking to a few classmates, had just turned her head in response to Luna''s voice when she noticed me behind her.


    Later, I noticed Chris-san and Albert and the others, and after exchanging light greetings, I explained the situation, and when Luna asked to follow me around, it was decided that Tida would join us.


    Tida told Chris to wait for me in the carriage to pick her up.


    Let''s get going then. I don''t think it would be interesting to visit the elementary and middle schools, so let''s go around the high school and the school facilities.


    What would Tida say to you at first? Rion, who had been freaked out, began to tautly lead the way. Apparently, from the attitude of Tida and Luna, I didn''t feel like I had made a bad impression, so I seemed to realize that there was no problem. Tida seems to think that I came to the academy as Albert and his friends'' companion, and she doesn''t seem to be dissatisfied with the fact that Leon is leading the way. However, Luna seems to be a little dissatisfied when she hears that Leon doesn''t show her where she is studying.


    However, there is no way that Rion would notice such an attitude of Luna, and she quickly left the elementary school building.


    ''''Let''s start with the school cafeteria down the street. I''d really like to show you the student dormitory over there as well, but the inside is basically off-limits to anyone not involved. The cafeteria is behind the central building where the headmaster''s office was located.


    The cafeteria, Leon says, is located on the second floor of a two-story building behind the central building. And it seems that the ground floor underneath is used as a shop and rest area.


    The dormitory, which is off-limits to the public, is shaped like a long convex shape when seen from above, and the lower part of the convex shape is the entrance and waiting room.


    In the middle of that explanation, Chris-san was grinning and looking at Rion in the bathroom section, so I thought there was something going on, but then Rion blatantly started to go off on a tangent. Well, let''s save the fun for later. Even if I don''t ask, Chris-san would be happy to talk about it.


    The school cafeteria is quite large, and apparently there''s plenty of room for six hundred people at a time. However, it seems that the cafeteria has fixed priority seating, with one hundred seats for the elementary and junior high schools and two hundred for the high school and middle school, and even if there are no seats available in other departments, people are accused of violating manners if they sit without permission.


    The taste is reasonably good, and the prices are quite cheap. The food is reasonably good, the prices are cheap, and as a school facility, it''s available until late, so it''s often used by non-dormitory students and teachers for dinner. But the menu isn''t much, and it changes from day to day.


    I heard that the most common pattern is bread (two pieces), soup, and one dish, and sometimes a salad is added. It''s only 50g, which seems to be popular not only among students but also among teachers.


    You can buy bread at the downstairs shop, prepare it yourself, or bring it in from outside. The only way to get bread from outside is to go downstairs and buy it early in the morning. Most of them are commoner students who commute from home.


    Cain says it''s early in the morning because students are not allowed to come in and out of the school except during school hours and when they go home, and if you live in a dormitory, the only way to get out of the gate is to slip out and buy something while it''s still open, or ask a commuter friend to get it for you.


    The cafeteria wasn''t open today because I was on vacation, but I bought some food from the store instead.


    They were selling hard black bread, unsweetened jam, dried meat, and chicken or fish in oil. Since this is also on vacation, they are only selling things that can be preserved.


    We ordered jam and chicken and fish in oil from among them, and it was surprisingly good.


    There were two kinds of jams, apple and citrus, and although there was almost no sugar used, they had the natural sweetness and sourness of fruits. The so-called ajillo, a dish of chopped chicken with the aroma of garlic and spices, was very appetizing. The fish was not as salty as the chicken, but it had a nice taste to it. The fish seems to be a member of the sardine family, and is said to have been brought to the restaurant after being marinated in salt.


    However, that wasn''t enough for me, so I took out the fish I had stored in my bag and we all ate it.


    With our bellies full, we headed for the high school, and on the way, Cain was in a sickeningly good mood. He was humming and even seemed to be skipping.


    I looked at Albert to see if he knew anything about it, but he didn''t seem to know either.


    ''Hey, Cain. Why are you in such a good mood?


    The man (Leon), who doesn''t read the air, asked Cain directly, but Cain just laughed and didn''t answer, saying "ehehehe~".


    While I was wondering about such a Cain, I heard footsteps from somewhere. It was a sound that was barely audible to my ears, but it sounded as if it was running towards us.


    When I turned around in the direction of the sound, I saw a familiar girl approaching, only five meters away. The distance between them was only five meters.


    "Sha~~~


    I stepped in as hard as I could and jumped at the girl, and when I threw her away so as not to kill her momentum, the girl spun several times in the air and landed on her feet.


    ''Temma, look!''


    It''s Amur. The sudden appearance of Amur caused everyone to freeze in surprise. Except for me, Chris was the only one who was able to move, standing in front of Tida and Luna and drawing his sword as if to protect them. Then, after confirming their identities, he quietly put his sword away.


    ''What''s Amur doing here?''


    I''m here with everyone. I''ll be here soon.


    We tilted our heads at the word "everyone" and we all turned in the direction of Amour''s pointing.


    Then, from that direction, I heard a voice calling Amur''s name. They were all very familiar voices.


    ''''There he is~!


    Primera, there''s Amur!


    There it is! There it is! ........and Temma was there too~!


    ''Huh? And Mr. Temma?


    The three sisters, Lily, Millie and Nellie, appeared out of the corner, looking a little tired, as usual, with the three sisters, Lily, Millie and Nellie.


    ''It''s odd. It''s so nice to see you here.


    I called out to the four people who ran up to me while holding Amur''s head as he tried to stick with me.


    Then I''ll see you!


    Stop! If all three of you speak at once, I don''t know what you''re talking about!


    In truth, all three of them were breathing perfectly together, so I was able to hear most of it, but since they were all three coming gingerly forward, I stopped talking to calm them down a bit.


    ''So, why are the Primera''s here?''


    ''Oh, yes my brother? You were all together, right? Eh! Lady Tida, Lady Luna!


    Primera, who had been so distracted by the three of us, didn''t seem to notice that it was Albert at my side, and was surprised to be approached. Then she looked around and noticed Tida and Luna, and hurriedly poked her knee and tried to take the retainer''s thanks.


    ''''Oh, it''s not supposed to be like that in the school, so please stand up.


    ''''That''s right. This is the academy, and Primera-sama is our senior.


    As usual, Tida urges the Primera to stand with a gentle voice, and Luna speaks to her with a voice that even has a different grace to it than usual. Little by little, Luna''s level of catnip seems to be increasing. For some reason, seeing Luna now reminds me of the first time I met Aura. His catnip was also amazing........


    While I was lost in such thoughts, I seemed to be able to convince Primera and explained the situation to Albert and the others.


    At any rate, Primera has to return to Gunjo City in a little while, and the three sisters must return with her because they were allowed to accompany the knights on their way to and from the city on the condition that they were allowed to help out with miscellaneous duties and so on.


    So I invited them to visit the school on their last day off, and the three of them said they would invite me as well, so I went to the mansion, but I wasn''t there.


    So I invited Amur, who also came to the mansion and swung a blank, to come to the academy, but as soon as he passed through the gate, Amur ran out and here we are.


    While listening to Primera''s story, I was very busy dealing with the four of them. And while looking at me, for some reason, Rion has a regretful look on his face. Furthermore, Cain is making fun of Rion.


    The first thing to do is to be quiet. There are other students in the room too, you''ll get in trouble.


    When things got too noisy for good, Chris-san began to clap his hands and warn me.


    ''''Yes, Chris-senpai is right. So, let''s go back to the visit. Let''s go to the high school quickly.''''


    For some reason, Cain, who is in a good mood, began to partition the situation and quickly walked out to the high school. Everyone followed Cain''s sudden start and followed him.


    Hey, hey, Albert. Why is Cain''s guy so hyped up?


    I''m the wrong person to ask, I don''t know.


    Albert answers Rion''s question curtly. If the two of them can''t figure it out, everyone else won''t be able to come up with a reason at all..........


    ''As I recall, isn''t Brother Cain''s brother a student at the school? Maybe he''s looking forward to seeing you...


    And the Primera joined in the conversation with reservations. I thought that might be it, but Albert and Leon immediately denied it.


    ''I don''t think so,''


    ''''Well the brothers aren''t that bad over there, but that doesn''t mean they''re good, and Cain was angry at what his brother did...''''


    Rion looks at me while calling it something he''s done.


    ''''Oh, that one....not that I care about it anymore, but.......it''s all over.


    I think Leon is referring to the dispute with Gary at Seigen.


    ''No, wait. Could it be that Cain is trying to tease Gary about Tenma?


    When we heard what Albert had said, we couldn''t help but think....


    ""Could be!"


    I agreed under my breath. Luna didn''t seem to understand, but Tida didn''t say anything beyond that, saying, "That can''t be....... Little by little, she must have begun to understand Cain''s true nature.


    Does the Marquis of Samoens know Cain''s true nature? Or do they think it''s okay to know?


    Well, it is said that there are some noblemen who have various s*xual proclivities that they can''t tell others about, yet they still manage to govern their domains, so maybe that''s acceptable, but.......


    I watched Cain start to move like a musical character and gently tucked the questions that came into my head to the back of my mind.

 115-Chapter 7-3, School Visit Part 3

    Eww, brother.........


    Hi, how are you? Oh, this is my new friend. He''s been a good friend of mine in many (...) ways.


    The second son of the Marquis de Samoens, Gary, is the one who began to retreat while shouting like a military commander who fell for some scheme.


    In contrast, the one who is tapping me on the shoulder with a big smile on his face is Cain, also the eldest son of the Marquis de Samoens.


    And standing between them (by Cain) and lightly injured by being screamed at the moment Gary and I met eyes, is the C-ranked adventurer, Temma-kun.......


    How did this happen?


    Things happened far enough back.


    When we arrived at the high school building, we went to the staff room to talk to the high school teachers about our visit. There, the person who responded to us was the dean of the high school, someone who knew the five graduates in our group.


    He also knew Gary, Cain''s brother, and politely told us where he was now.


    Upon hearing this, Cain happily moves to where Gary is.


    This dean must have a clear understanding of Cain''s character. He had a look on his face that said there was no point in stopping him. And then he glanced at Chris, but Chris shrugged his shoulders and returned the pose as if to say ''no more''.


    We left the staff room as if we were chasing after Cain and went to the training ground where Gary was said to be, and Cain, who had found Gary, put me on his shoulders and took me away.


    Then back to the beginning.


    ''Nah nah nah nah.''


    ''What! Why am I here? That''s because I came to visit the school. You''re an alumnus, so it''s not surprising that you''re here, right?


    Dodo-dodo-dodo!


    ''Why do I have Temma with me? That''s because my people and my friends got him into trouble. I invited him over to apologize for that as well.


    Cain read Gary''s indecipherable words with precision and happily replied back to Gary, who was all flustered.


    There were a number of classmates in training around Gary, but since Cain was the heir to a senior nobleman and they were surrounded by celebrities who were as famous as or even more famous than Cain, none of them were able to ask why, even though they were intrigued by Gary''s attitude.


    ''Meh - it was tough. Not only did Gary act like an idiot towards Temma. It''s not only that Gary behaved like an idiot to Tenma, but also that he saved her life twice, even though she did something she couldn''t tell anyone about, and she didn''t even apologize or thank him directly, so I had to bow down to her instead............................and she was rude to Mr. Merlin, too? I heard from my dad that he said he was asking why he had to bow down while he was helping me.


    The students around me who have heard Cain''s line that doesn''t sound troubled at all are looking at Gary as if they can''t believe what they''re seeing.


    Mostly because it''s not about me, it''s about being rude to my grandfather.


    Some of the students seemed to know me, but their surprise was even greater than mine when they saw a more famous "wise man".


    I was surrounded by Gary, who was pale in the face and said, "What! Seriously! Isn''t he an idiot? The students began to talk among their peers, "I admire you for being able to say such things to a wise man, on the contrary~".


    Hearing such voices, Gary, who was pulling and shaking, said


    ''I didn''t know about the wise man! I''d never seen him before, and there''s no way I''d know it was him if a being I''d only known from books suddenly showed up!


    ''''But that''s not true after all the help you''ve given me! I think you''re a person before a nobleman, don''t you? Also, if Dad was bowing down and you, my son, were behaving like that, it would be like you''re a disgrace to your father''s face as well. Of course, not only on my dad, but also on the sign of the Marquess family.


    Cain is the one who drives Gary to the bitter end. After hearing Cain''s words, the students accuse Gary of not saying thank you when they have to even if the person is not a wise man. His reputation is plummeting.


    Gary has been ragged on by Cain and accused by the school students. He''s starting to feel sorry for himself, so he''s about to offer a helping hand, when he gets backup from an unexpected source.


    ''Cain, that''s about as far as I can go. I don''t know how the wise man feels about it, but if something were to happen, he would at least send a protest through the royals or Temma to the Marquess family, right? It''s the same with Temma.


    What a relief it was Rion who came in to help. Then he looked at me and said, "Right? He asked for my agreement. When I nodded to that, Leon continued.


    It''s not fair to Temma any more.


    I concluded. The first time I''ve ever seen Leon, who seems to be an aristocrat, I said, "Who is this guy? I thought. And as I looked around, I saw Tida and Luna, Chris-san, Albert and Primera had the same look on their faces as I did.


    Cain was surprised by Rion''s words, but he looked somewhat unconvinced. For a while, Cain and Rion were staring at each other.


    ''Well, that too, that was an exaggeration. Sorry, Temma, and thanks, Leon.


    And Cain broke off. However, seeing that he didn''t speak out against Gary, I guess he''s still not completely convinced.


    ''I''m sorry for making a scene. I''m sorry Gary interrupted your practice, too.


    And Albert apologized to the students of the school and pushed Cain back to leave the practice field.


    Cain seemed to walk off with Albert meekly, but then suddenly, as if remembering, he turned back to Gary


    I''m sorry that I got all hot and bothered about this, too. But, you know, if you do anything else to disgrace the Marquise, I''ll turn it off, and I''ll put my father on.


    Cain reveals a ruthlessness that is unimaginable from his usual appearance. Gary is sitting down as if he has lost his backbone and shaking his head desperately at such Cain. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with the people you are looking for.


    ''''Oh, I''m sorry~ I showed you something weird. I guess I was more exasperated than I thought I would be~. Then let''s go, there''s still more to look around.


    Cain, who started walking again, didn''t show the ruthlessness of earlier, and was sounding cheerful as usual.


    However, Amour, the three sisters, and Luna seemed frightened by the earlier Cain, so they went around behind me and kept their distance.


    Among them, Amur''s fear is unusual. As if he was traumatized in some way, he was trembling with empty eyes, clutching my clothes tightly.


    When I saw Cain seeing this, he said, "I won''t do anything~" and the light finally returned to his eyes, but from then on, Amour did not try to approach Cain.


    ''But Cain. Even if I were to give you some advice, couldn''t you be nicer?


    I think you''ve been nice enough, don''t you?


    Cain replied to Leon''s words with a twist of his head.


    ''''No, for all intents and purposes, there wasn''t an ounce of kindness in it. If you''re too strict, she could go off the rails, you know.


    ''''Haha, don''t worry, senpai. He doesn''t have the guts to do that! Well, it''s possible to be inspired, but at that time I''ll take care of it responsibly.


    As expected of Cain, who answered in a light tone, Chris-san was also dumbfounded. And I can''t tell you the truth, I''m also a bit of a don''t-buyer.


    Seeing me, Cain chuckled.


    I''m the heir to the Marquis'' family," he said. As the future head of the Marquess of Samoens, I have to protect many of my subordinates, the nobles under my banner and the people of my domain. Therefore, he has to get rid of anything that harms them, or may be done to them. Even if it''s my own brother.......or myself.


    The mouth is smiling, but the eyes are not smiling at all, and it has a power that is somewhat similar to that of the kings. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what I''m talking about.


    Because of this exchange, a heavy air began to flow between us.


    However.


    But what''s the point in dying, right?


    And Luna suddenly opened her mouth. He probably didn''t think too much about it, but when Cain heard it, his eyes widened and he was surprised. And.........


    ''Pfft! Cooch, hahaha, that''s for sure! No, no, yes, yes! There''s no point in dying! We need to keep them alive while they''re worth it!


    What''s so funny is that Cain is laughing so hard. Then he misunderstood the meaning of what Luna had said and said something plainly horrible at the end.


    ''Okay, I''ve decided! I''ll have to give my dad a heads up at night!


    Cain was in a good mood again as he seemed to have an idea, and the heavy atmosphere from earlier had dissipated. However, I feel that a new concern has arisen, but everyone was silent so as not to mention it. From that Cain''s demeanor, it doesn''t seem to be something that would cause us any harm, so by God it''s a touchy subject.


    After that, we went back to Cain as usual and were shown around the school in turn, but to be honest, what happened in the training grounds had the strongest impact on me, so the other things didn''t leave much of an impression on me.


    It seemed to be the same with the four people Primera had brought with her, and the three sisters seemed to have gotten bored along the way and moved around on their own, with Primera searching for them every time, and Amour dexterously walking and boating.


    It''s a good thing that we''ve gone through all of the important places in the high school, but how did it go?


    When we returned to the purchase, we settled into a seat by the window and were fancying up an afternoon tea time with a break. Most of all, though, it was me who provided all of that.


    I was seated in the middle of a long table-like seat, with Chris on my right, Amur on my left, the three sisters who had lost the battle, and Rion in front of me, Cain on my right, Albert on my left, and Primera next to him. By the way, Luna and Tida left in tears because they were just in time to get home (mainly Luna).


    ''''Umm........To be honest, it wasn''t much, I guess. Especially the class level.


    The upper school classes we observed (remedial) were combat arts, magic, history, and math (...).


    As for the combat arts, most of them have abilities (...) lower than the three sisters, and even the students with the highest abilities are a bit higher than the three sisters. However, if they fought in a real battle, they would almost certainly lose to the three sisters. Of course, in a one-on-one fight, that is. Many of them only learned the techniques (...) and didn''t know the basics.


    In witchcraft, we went from basic theory to practice of magic. But in terms of content, it was less difficult than what my mom and grandpa taught me when I was a kid. It''s a good thing that the students seem to be more interested in flashy, good-looking magic than in highly efficient magic, and this one, like the fighting techniques, seems to have neglected the basics.


    I''m not that confident about history, because I don''t study that much detail, but I was a little surprised that I was at a level where I could answer the question. Moreover, there seemed to be a lot of bias in terms of content (convenient history of the aristocracy), so I think it would be better to have more neutral books written in a more neutral way, or more genre books.


    And finally, math (...). It''s not math (...) by any means. Of the four rules of arithmetic, there is a large proportion of addition and subtraction and less multiplication and division. Moreover, there are not many problems using sentences, and the students have to solve the formulas given by the teacher.


    I heard that there were a few other classes that I wasn''t able to observe, but I''m sure the ones I was able to observe were disappointing.


    ''It''s jarring to my ears. But most of the students who were in that class are kids who are in the quickest position to be counted from the bottom up.


    Yeah! As expected, the Royal Academy isn''t going to be at that level.


    Following Chris-san, Rion is also following the school. However, from the side of the


    ''I was a regular at that (remedial) place when it came to Leon. The academic ones.


    I was easily dismissed. Then they started to struggle, so Chris sent them to the end of the table, and Albert moved to the front of me.


    ''Call it this way, but most of the students in there were either failing or under-credited, so it may not be helpful. And students with excellent grades don''t go out of their way to attend make-up classes during the holidays. Well, even so, it''s still a cloud of difference compared to Temma.


    Albert explained that the students who were taking the remediation were the lower-achieving students, separated from the higher-achieving students, and the class content was dropped considerably. Apparently, the classes for the higher-ranked students are two or three degrees of difficulty higher.


    Otherwise, the students who excel in one skill - in other words, brainiacs - would be in a rush to be expelled from the school. By the way, Rion is by far the best in martial arts, but in academics he was at the bottom of the pack. That''s why he made it into the A class, so he was, in a sense, the most conspicuous student.


    ''''Well, there are other reasons why Rion stood out, though~''''


    Chris seems to be enjoying himself. He really wants to talk about it.


    Hey, sir!


    Albert leaned forward to cover Chris''s mouth, but Chris quickly dodged his hand and kept his distance.


    ''To tell you the truth, Temma-kun. At that time, these three men were so effeminate that rumors began to circulate that they were the male chauvinists. And since they were the heirs of a high ranking nobleman, they were even more conspicuous. There was even a fan club...behind the scenes.


    Chris had a very nice smile on his face, but Albert had a very dark look on his face. The other two were still struggling.


    Primera seemed to know this, of course, and smiled bitterly.


    ''And there''s more to that story. In order to show that he is not a male chauvinist, Rion asked a lot of girls to come to him, but none of them were taken in by him. There is a theory that the fan club had their hands in the background.


    Albert had calmed down a bit, as if he wasn''t involved in this story. But the hand holding the cup of tea was shaking. There''s still something going on. And out of the mosquito net, the two men were pulling each other''s cheeks with their hands on the other''s cheeks. They''re like children.


    ''Ne-need-need! Rion, impatient and impatient, now tried to break into the women''s bathhouse. Maybe he was trying to impress me with the fact that it was a woman he was interested in or something, but I was in the women''s bathhouse at the time. I kicked him out as fast as I could and knocked him unconscious. Oh, it was before I got undressed at that time, so they didn''t see me naked. If they had, Rion wouldn''t be a man anymore.


    ''''Chris-senpai, that''s enough of that.......even if we''re talking about it, he''s a heir to a frontier county family.......''''


    Albert tries to stop Chris, but Chris doesn''t stop.


    You must have done that on purpose!


    Albert''s cry echoed through the purchase. Hearing his voice, the two men who had been having an ugly fight earlier finally noticed us.


    Both of them are pulling their cheeks too much and have very funny faces.


    ''''Chris-san, in case you''re wondering, these three are the heirs of a high ranking noble. Is it okay, you''re teasing me so much........''''


    Normally, Chris-san would have been cut off for insulting them, but he didn''t seem to mind doing it to them. So I asked him about it, but he didn''t seem to mind. Then the three of them quietly looked away.


    ''Don''t worry about it. This much is known to anyone involved in those days, and with a little research... and these three guys did a lot more than that. Every time they did that, they got angry at me too. You''re in charge of these three, aren''t you? If I hadn''t been there, the three of them...or rather Leon would have been expelled from the school.


    I don''t know what else they had done, but it seems that these three guys were quite problematic kids at the time. The three of them didn''t seem to be able to get their heads around Chris-san, who was taking care of them.


    I don''t know if my thoughts were on my face or not, but Albert and Cain started making excuses as if they were in a hurry.


    ''No, wait a minute, stop that eye! We just got caught up in Leon!


    ''Yes! We''re the victims! It''s Leon''s fault, we''ve always been treated unfairly!


    The two men sell their friends as fast as they can. Rion tries to argue something, but Cain covers his mouth and Albert instantly blocks his movements. In that state, he begins to reveal the story of how he got involved with Rion, but I think the reason why these three are so popular with the rotten ladies is because they have a lot of this kind of skin in the game on a regular basis.


    The two of them don''t realize that, and they have naturally built up a rotten relationship with Rion.......but in the brain of their fan club.


    ''Isn''t it about time for you to have some free time (cousin)?''


    When the jostling between the three of them had come to an end, the primera started to hesitate.


    It''s a good idea to have a few more hours of daylight, but the time to call it evening is coming.


    It''s definitely that time of day. As Primera says, it''s time to go home. It has been interesting to see the three of you for the first time in a while.


    Chris was the first to agree and stretched lightly. His expression is very sunny.


    In contrast, the three people who had been played with seemed to be very tired, but still, seeing that they didn''t complain to Chris, they seemed to have their hierarchical relationships firmly in place.


    ''Temma, I''m hungry.''


    Amur was mostly asleep while the three of them were being played with by Chris-san. However, he seemed to have become quite uncomfortable with Cain after just one day, as he opened his eyes and was immediately alerted whenever he occasionally felt Cain approaching him.


    ''Well, that was more fun than I thought it would be,''


    ''But I don''t think I''m going to bother enrolling in the school to study.


    It''s a waste of money.


    The three sisters seemed to enjoy themselves there, but they couldn''t seem to see the point of enrolling in the school. It''s true that the three of them are earning a decent amount of money as adventurers, so there''s no point in paying money to reduce the amount of time they spend earning. Well, I agree with me on this, and I think it''s true for most adventurers.


    After we left the purchase, each of us saying whatever we wanted, we greeted each other by the headmaster''s office, and then headed to grandpa''s mansion.


    When we arrived at the mansion, everyone came in together. They seemed to be eager to ask for dinner.


    The number of people suddenly became large, but Aina seemed to have anticipated this to some extent, and a considerable amount of food had been prepared. Although he had returned to the royal castle, the contents of the special training he had Jeanne and Aura do were written in the note, and as for the amount of dinner, since there will probably be a lot of guests coming, I made a lot of food. If there is any left over, please save it properly. And there was.


    I was grateful to Aina as I checked the quantity, but as expected Aina didn''t seem to think that Primera and the others would be joining us, and it was quite unwilling.


    So I decided to prepare a few simple pasta sauces and take a bath before the meal.


    Preparing a bath is easy enough to do with magic, so I got ready immediately and then called out to everyone and they all went in. Well, a few of them seemed to be expecting a mixed bath, but our home bath was rebuilt when I came here, so it''s divided into men''s and women''s baths.


    Moreover, each bathroom has no open-air baths, but is equipped with a white hot water bath, a bath tub, a sauna, a water bath, a reclining bath, and an all-volunteer bath for Shiroumaru and his friends. To be honest, they are even more magnificent than the royal baths, so much so that the king once asked me to build one for him.


    But because there is no suitable place to build it, and because it''s difficult for anyone other than me to maintain it due to the lavish use of original magic tools, the king cried and gave up.


    When I get out of the bath, it''s a mess. Moreover, this time Aina, a powerful stopper, isn''t there, and instead, the guys who love to party are all here. Rion, Cain, and the three sisters.......Rion.


    In addition, Aura has escaped from Aina''s spell, and Namitarou is even more excited than usual.


    ''''I feel like Wai''s time has come somewhere in the world!


    He said. I''d like to say it was just my imagination, but I wouldn''t be surprised if he was receiving radio signals beyond the world, as far as that guy was concerned.


    However, Chris-san left immediately after the bath, due to the convenience of the Kingsguard. The fact that Chris-san left made me worry that the king and the others would not be able to hear about the banquet.


    So I sent a letter and a bribe (shampoo and rinse) to Maria-sama-te and asked her to take care of the kings.


    This would prevent the kings from breaking in. Well, I don''t mind if they come, but I''m sure the other members won''t be able to enjoy it.


    That plan seemed to work brilliantly, and today''s party continued until late into the night.


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.


    The only problem is that the amount of alcohol he drank was not very much, and we immediately treated him with magic (we used water system recovery magic to dilute the alcohol in his body and at the same time activated his liver''s function), so he didn''t suffer from acute alcohol poisoning.


    By the way, the culprit is Namitaro (in this case, a criminal fish?) It was.


    The reason for this was that a flushed out Namitaro had poured some sake into the glass of the primera in a joke. Namitaro said, "I thought you could smell it or taste it, but I didn''t expect you to chug it. I didn''t expect you to chug it down in one gulp...


    As expected, Albert protested and Namitaro was found guilty, wrapped up in a fish tank and hung from the ceiling. Only, "You''re like a rough-rolled carp! And since I had plenty of time to spare, my magic (stun) then forced me to sleep.


    Furthermore, it was then that the man (Rion), who didn''t read the air


    They might take you home someday for drinking and getting drunk!


    I was looked at white by the men as well as the women.


    Well, there were some happenings, but after everyone enjoyed the feast, they all went home.


    The three girls and the drunken Primera, Albert drove them to their quarters, while Cain and Leon went to their respective mansions.


    Amur had intended to stay at home, but he reluctantly walked back to the inn, getting fist-bumped by his guardian (Blanca) who came to pick him up.


    We went back to our respective rooms as well, but on the way there we decided to collect Namitaro firmly and throw him outside to sleep.


    ----------------


    In the middle of the night, the head of the house, Carlos von Sammons, returned home to the Marquis de Sammons'' residence.


    Because it is a separate residence in the royal capital, Carlos himself only stays there about three to four months a year, but the mansion is always kept clean.


    Because when he is not there, his sons mainly use it. His sons, on the contrary, don''t often return to their family home in Samoens territory. It''s not that they are independent, the second son is a student at a school in the royal capital, so he basically lives in a dormitory, but occasionally he uses a separate residence.


    Therefore, it is the eldest son who is most often at the villa. The eldest son will eventually become the next head of the family, so even after graduating from the academy, he remains in the royal capital and is still studying as a nobleman. However, depending on how you look at it, there are aspects of hostage taking.......


    But even if it is a hostage, the royal family''s confidence in the Marquis de Samons is high, and even if they had sent their eldest son back to their own fiefdom, the royal family wouldn''t think the Samons had any animosity. However, some of the other nobles might not think so. That''s why the eldest son still lives in the royal capital.


    It''s a good idea to have a good friend in the same year, and since they also live in the royal capital, they don''t seem to have any feelings about it. It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.


    I''ve been waiting for the return of Carlos and his eldest son, Cain von Sammons.


    His second son has not come back. However, Carlos is not worried because the second son seems to have a dislike for Cain, who is said to be better than him, and he rarely comes back when Cain is around. In fact, it is more often than not worried that he will do something strange against Cain.


    ''So Cain. What''s the important thing to talk about?


    Cain, who was waiting for them to return, had something important to say to Carlos, so they moved to Carlos'' study. Here, the servants don''t have to worry about being overheard since they don''t get near much, so they don''t have to worry about being overheard.


    ''''I met with Gary at the school today. So I''ve been thinking about a lot of things there, and I''ve been thinking that we should either adopt Gary into another family or decide on a fianc�� right now. And I''d like to find my fianc�� as well.


    What''s going on? You weren''t on board when I told you about my fianc�� before.


    Carlos looks surprised. Cain is currently twenty-two years old, and it''s very unusual for a powerful nobleman to be single until that age. If this was the second or third son, it would not be surprising, but if it was the eldest son, it would be normal for him to have at least a fianc��e.


    However, Cain, annoyingly, had a childish streak and kept putting off talking about it for all sorts of reasons, saying that he enjoyed spending time with his friends more.


    Fortunately, the Samons have the rank of marquis, so if you look for one, you can find a fianc��e in less than a day. But I think it''s time for me to stop being so selfish, so I''m going to order Cain to look for his fianc��e as head of the family in the near future. It''s just a matter of crossing over.


    But Carlos thought that Cain would object again and imagined that he would have a hard time, so on the contrary, he might have something in his heart. I braced myself.


    ''Don''t be so alarmed. I just realized. That I have to make good use of my value. And that Gary still has a lot of value to use, too.


    Carlos was more than a little surprised. He wondered how he could make such a face at Cain.


    He knew that he usually did stupid things with his friends and sometimes said and did foolish things, but he still thought that he was very capable of being a nobleman. However, the son (Cain) in front of me now is growing up to be more aristocratic than I imagined he would be.


    If this was an attempt to use only Gary, you would think they would have had a sibling rivalry, but the way he tries to use even his own future is truly aristocratic.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with the Samos family in the near future, even if something happens to you. However, it was at least a few years away.


    ''I understand why. Tomorrow I''ll start looking for a potential fianc��... what do you hope to find?


    In response to Carlos'' question, Cain thought for a moment, then


    ''Firstly, I want the adoption to be for the good of the Samons, secondly, he''s not an idiot, and thirdly, his relatives are not idiots. The second and third are selfishness on my part, so that''s the extent of it, if possible.


    I replied. At this point, Carlos has several candidates in his mind.


    ''Okay, let''s do good on the second and third. So what about Gary?


    Normally this is the role of Carlos, the head of the family, and it''s not for others to interfere, but when it came to this point, Carlos decided to ask Cain what he thought, so he asked Cain a question.


    ''Well I don''t ask Gary''s fianc��e for family status. We only want to know if it is beneficial to the Sammons family. If it''s beneficial, then that''s exactly what I''m willing to give him to a merchant for a son-in-law. Gary is an aristocrat in his own right. Even if his son-in-law is a commoner, it would be possible to give him the rank of a nobleman with the power of the Samons family. On top of that, I''ll keep him in check. I can''t let him go to a place of power poorly, and I can''t let him be seduced.


    Carlos made a bitter face at Cain''s words. After all, Gary had a criminal record. Not only did he pick a fight with someone who could have dealt a major blow to the Sammons family, but he also had a criminal record of almost creating a situation that could turn an entire city against him if he was not good enough.


    ''''That''s certainly true. We don''t want you to have any ambitions. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. There will be those who will look askance at that. And from those people''s point of view, Gary is very easy to use we might as well get to that first.


    Cain nodded, as if there was nothing more troublesome than his useless and stupid relatives.


    ''So. I said Gary first, but there''s one guy who would be a perfect candidate for your fianc��...


    ''I don''t think you should do that, Miss Primera.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.


    ''''The First Duke of Sanga will not let go of Miss Primera. He loves her the most out of all his children, and she has a man near her who is more valuable than me. And, perhaps, the royal family won''t think well of you.


    Carlos seemed surprised by this answer. The matter of the Duke of Sanga is the same as Carlos''s thoughts, but he didn''t expect it to come up to the royal family.


    ''''I think it would be most convenient for the royal family to have Miss Primera marry into Temma. Because the only way for Temma to marry Miss Primera is for Temma to raise her to nobility or for Miss Primera to descend to commoner status. If she were to step back, the Duke of Sangha would not look good, so the royal family would inevitably make Temma a nobleman. Even if Temma doesn''t like the rank of nobleman, if he''s in a relationship with Miss Primera to think about marrying her, he''ll at least receive a knighthood. And although Temma''s birthplace is unknown, if her parents are former noblemen, there''s no problem in awarding her a title, and her accomplishments so far have made her a solid count. Well, it''s probably a baron at first, but it''s only a matter of time.


    So Cain took a break and looked at Carlos'' condition. Carlos also listened to Cain''s story and listened quietly since there was nothing strange about it at the moment.


    After confirming this, Cain continued to speak more.


    ''''And after I make Temma an earl, I will marry Princess Luna to Temma. In this case, the princess has a higher family status, but the royal family will take care of Duke Sanga-sama and will treat both of them as regular rooms. Temma wouldn''t refuse to marry Princess Luna, and the same goes for Miss Primera, so I don''t think this would be a problem. As for the child, I don''t see any problem with this, as long as the Primera''s child is the official successor, and the Luna girl is given a grand duchy or a royal family that has been cut off. As an added bonus, if you make Jeanne, who is Temma''s maid, a side-chamber, some neutral nobles might switch to the royalists. Of course, this is my own imagination, so I''m not saying it''s the right answer, but since it''s His Majesty, it''s not surprising that he''s thinking about this much. Besides, if I went to the Duke of Sanga to ask Miss Primera to be my fianc��e and he refused, I''m concerned about the deterioration of our relationship because of our reputation. Therefore, you should not do that with Miss Primera. The risk to us is too great.


    At this, Carlos couldn''t laugh it off as being delusional. If Cain''s idea was right, it wouldn''t be a good impression from the royal family as well as the Sanga dukes. The Marquesses of Samoens were close enough to both families to say why they couldn''t think of that idea.


    ''''It will be my son''s generation at the earliest that he will be related to the Duke of Sangha''s family.


    When Carlos saw Cain (his son) talking in a slightly dim manner as usual, Carlos felt a little frustrated because he thought he was over his own thoughts.


    Afterwards, Carlos enjoyed the conversation between father and son for the first time in a long time as he stewed over the story.


    This night was going to be a night full of surprises for Carlos, but also full of joy and rewards.

 116-Chapter 7-4 Request Failure

    Two days after the school visit, Primera and the others left the royal capital.


    Originally, the Fourth Order of Gunjo City led by Primera was composed mainly of noblemen, so the send-off was also quite a grand affair.


    When I say grand, it''s not that the royal family hosted it, it''s just that the people involved gathered and made a lot of noise of their own accord. But even so, when more than a hundred people of noble birth gathered, it is only natural that people with bad ideas will appear. Because of this, the guards, under the orders of the royal family, formed a heavy atmosphere around the nobles.


    However, thanks to this, more than a dozen people who tried to pickpocket or kidnap were captured, enhancing the name of the guards. But unfortunately, we weren''t able to prevent the crime completely, with a few victims from the nobility and several times as many from the commoners, but all of them were only minor crimes.


    And of course, there were criminals who had their eyes on us, but we fought them off and didn''t cause any damage.


    Beside me were my grandfather, my family members (including Aina and Namitaro), the Duke of Sanga and Albert, the Marquis of Samons, Cain, Leon and Chris-san, as well as Blanca and Amour. I couldn''t help but stand out because of that.


    Normally I would run away without hesitation, but as expected with Primera and the three sisters seeing me off, I couldn''t run away and was exposed to curious eyes.


    The three sisters were planning to stay in the king''s capital until the very end, but they were half-heartedly following the knights, and were admonished by Primera many times.


    ''You''ve gone,''


    What''s up, Temma? Are you really that sad that you don''t have them anymore?


    Namitaro responded to my mutterings as if he was trying to be mischievous, but I nodded my head honestly.


    As I nodded, everyone around me was surprised (except for Duke Sanga and Albert, who made a small gut pose), but I explained before the misunderstanding spread. In addition, the reason why I don''t say ''before the misunderstanding spreads'' is because Amour has already pinched my right arm. It''s cute if it''s just a light pinch, but it''s an unfashionable pain because it shows the full power of a beastman.


    It''s a good thing that I''ve known the three sisters for a good amount of time, and I''ve had a lot of problems with Primera. There is a difference in the length of our relationship, but all four of them are my few friends.


    I say sincerely as I pull Amour away. It makes me sad to say this to myself, but for all intents and purposes, I don''t have many friends. Even if my first friend is Namitarou, the three sisters are my first human friends, and the next in my age group is Primera.


    When I told Chris about it, he said, "What about me? He was pointing at himself as if to say, "Chris-san has been leaving me alone and playing with Shiroumaru all the time..." and then he turned his face away.


    ''''Well then, let''s go home, shall we?


    At Grandpa''s words, everyone started to move in unison, but after a short walk, Amur pulled his sleeve.


    ''Temma, do me a favor. Fix this.


    Amur took out of his bag the magic item he wore during the tournament, commonly known as the ''Bandit King''s Armor''. Well, it''s more like a ''full-body fur suit'' than armor, but apparently it''s called armor because it doesn''t look quite right.


    When I unfolded it, I found that Jin''s blow had torn about eighty centimeters from the bottom of his chin to his right leg, and it had been carefully sewn in place to seal it up, albeit poorly.


    ''''.........Is this not good enough?''''


    I used the appraisal on the Bandit King''s armor I received, but the appraisal was inhibited just like before, and apart from the seams, it seems to be fine.


    Amur took the armor from me and began to put it on in place. The armor had some sort of zipper on the front that allowed me to get in through it, but it was torn in the middle, so even though it was sewn together, it was still caught in the middle, so it took me a while to get it on.


    Then Amur entered the armor and pulled up the zipper, and the armor swelled up as if filled with air, giving him the same ''Bandit King'' physique as when I first saw it.


    I, Namitaro and my grandfather were surprised by this, but with a slight movement of Amur''s armor, it began to deflate as if the air was leaking out, and finally, Amur was dragging his armor around like a twelve-piece suit.


    We were all stunned by this strange sight. Blanca explained that this armor was given to Amur by his great-grandfather who died when he was very young, and that his great-grandson Amur was quite fond of it and wanted to do something about it.


    It is said that originally, it had the effect of increasing the ability needed for hunting and the like, but since magic power fills up the gaps in the armor when it is strengthened, a petite person like Amur will temporarily look larger in stature when he uses it.


    It''s the stuffed toy of a yuru-chara! Fu-ching! Or G- 00''s mordor-scithem!


    Everyone except me nodded their heads at Namitaro''s words, but since it''s not uncommon for Namitaro to say something incomprehensible, everyone seemed to lose interest immediately. But as someone who knows that stuff, I was struggling to hold back my laughter. After all, I liked them both.


    I received the armor again, but I didn''t know how to repair it, so I decided to keep it with me after preamble that I might not be able to.


    Amur seemed to have no other choice, and he said he was fine with that.


    I don''t know, Tenma. I''d like you to make something for me, too.


    Nami Taro, who once again stops me as I try to leave. I don''t think it''s necessary to wait until after I go home, but it seems that I''m going to say this now while I''m with Amour.


    If you have a knife and a fork, you can eat most things, but it''s still inconvenient. And it''s not easy to peel tangerines. That''s why I want you to make something like the ''Gigant'' of Tenma. A human-sized version.


    ''Ah! My hands are the hands of a drummer.


    The question was cleared up in an instant. ''Then a knife and a fork would be a piece of cake.


    ''There''s nothing you can''t do, but you can''t use them in combat. If it''s for that, it''s going to take a lot longer.


    It''s all right! If you try to use it in combat, you''ll have some weird gaps! So I hope it''s as strong as possible and doesn''t rust.


    Then it wouldn''t take much time, since it would be like making a golem.


    That''s why I decided to take Nami Taro''s request, but for now, I decided to give priority to Amur''s, since he had a prior commitment.


    So, after trying to restore it for a few days...


    That''s impossible.


    I almost failed on the first try. I don''t know how many needles I had to sacrifice, because the fur was so hard that it would bend without sticking a single millimeter into the fur with a normal needle. So I talked to Kelly and she got me some needles for such leather armor. Priced from a hundred g per needle........


    A needle that costs 1,000 yen each, in Japanese yen! The material is made of mithril, which is expensive due to the scarcity of the material and the cost of processing technology. By the way, there is no hole in the needle to thread, but it is a type of needle that can be tied like a fishing hook.


    When I tried it in Kelly''s workshop, the tip of the needle bent like a charm.


    Kelly and the other workers in the workshop were amazed at the results.


    According to Kelly, "This is the first time I''ve ever made a fur that didn''t go through a mithril needle.


    In the end, it was decided to use orichalcon needles (priced at 1,000 G per needle), which are used for dragon skins and the like, to sew the fur. When Amur was shown the needle he used later, he found that it was also made of Orihalcon. Amur was scolded by Blanca for forgetting to tell her this information.


    Well, the bent mithril needle was re-hammered by Kelly, so it wasn''t as much of a loss as it could have been.


    With the needle problem solved, the next step was to get to work on the sewing technique. I had to try a different way of sewing because Amour was trying it out.


    So, to make the skin tighter, I made the stitches overlap and weave in more, but this would have increased the thickness of the skin by four times, so it would have taken a long time to make one stitch. Moreover, the layers of fur would be shortened by the amount of overlap, making it awkward, and the zipper would not close.


    ''I guess I''ll just have to say that I honestly couldn''t do it...''


    Amur also had a sense of hopelessness, but since this was unexpectedly the first time I had failed in a request, I was more depressed than I expected.


    In addition, I finished repairing the armor of the King of Bandits with the item Namitaro requested. If Namitaro is happy with it, I''ll finish the final adjustments and operation checks and it will be finished. This one was easier than I thought it would be, probably because I''ve made a similar item once before. At any rate, the thing that took the most time and effort was gathering the materials, which I was able to get from Kelly in no time at all.


    The materials for the arm were mithril, magic iron, and magic stones, and the main shape was created with magic iron mixed with crushed magic stones, and a thin coating of mithril around it. However, in order to facilitate the passage of magic power, about 10cm from the base of the arm, the magical iron is exposed.


    It is about a meter and a half in length and 15 centimeters in diameter, and looks just like a mannequin''s arm, and its joints are modeled after those of a mannequin, so it has a high degree of freedom. However, its joints are made in the same way as those of a human, so it can''t bend too far in the opposite direction.


    In addition, by making the inside hollow, it was made lighter, and a wire-like cord made of mithril was threaded through the hollow, allowing it to act like a nerve, allowing it to make fine movements. However, it is not suitable for ordinary people because of the complexity of its operation, but it should not be a problem for Nami Taro.


    By the way, it took me two days to make it.


    That''s it, Nami Taro!


    I called out to Namitaro, who was basking in the sun in the garden. The sun is mild today, so it''s perfect for sunbathing. Beside him were Shiroumaru and Solomon.


    ''Oh, so it''s already done. You''re early.


    Gawd!


    Coo!


    Namitarou said, and tried to crawl over to me. A beat after he moves, I hear Shiroumaru and Solomon scream.


    Having learned a lesson from his near-mummification when he once basked in the sun on a sunny day, Namitaro now basks in a special wooden vat of water and basks in the sun, which tipped over when he moved, soaking Shiroumaru and the others who were standing beside him.


    As if to protest to Namitaro, Shiroumaru and Solomon were biting and scratching him, but Namitaro didn''t care. As expected, Shiroumaru and the others don''t seem to be taking themselves seriously, but Namitaro''s scales seem to have as much or more protection as a ground dragon.


    ''''It hurts, though, you two.......so how does it feel?''''


    The Namitaro, with a spare look on his face, while being bitten around his waist and neck, holds out his pectoral fins to me. I held out the arm I created to hold the pectoral fins, and Namitaro lightly shook his arm to check the weight.


    ''So it''s lighter than I thought. So how do you use it?


    You''ll be able to move it by channeling magic power through the base of it. It will take a while to get it to move correctly, but with practice, you should be able to move it just like a human being. And this is a bonus. It''s just like a reference book.


    Saying that, I held out a book on the art of summoning written by the Marquis of Sammons.


    Namitaro takes the book and rolls up the pages with one fin. You can''t help but feel like you''re reading a book while lying down, but that''s the limit of Namitaro, who can''t open the book in front of him.


    ''It''s interesting, but how will you learn the summoning technique (summon)?''


    After rolling up a few pages, Namitaro gave me a strange look. There are several reasons why I gave you this book, but the main one is.


    ''With this, you can temporarily have four arms, just like my ''Gigant''. It will be much more difficult to operate, but having your own hands free will be very useful.


    In fact, my ''Gigant'', I didn''t understand it at first, but I was using a combination of space-time magic and summoning techniques.


    When I first started using it, I used space-time magic to connect the bag where the "Gigant" was stored to the place I specified, and then used space-time magic to hold the "Gigant" out there.


    But when I read the Marquis de Samoens'' book, I found out that this method of connecting the bag to the location I designated is almost identical to the method called ''Summoning Technique (Samon)''.


    In other words, the summoning technique is an application of spatio-temporal magic, so if you''re trying to learn the method I''m using, this is the best book to use as a reference book.


    I''ve thought about writing my method in a book before, but I gave up writing it because it''s too dependent on my senses to put it into words, and also because it seems to be influenced by creation magic (magic that makes imagination easier to form).


    ''''Hmm... well, I don''t know if I''ll be able to remember spatio-temporal magic, but I''ll try it anyway!


    Namitaro says so, but my guess is that Namitaro should have already learned space-time magic. After all, he has ''Concealment 10''. There is no doubt that he has many other hidden abilities.


    But as long as he doesn''t mention it, there''s no need for me to point it out to him. There is nothing to gain or lose by knowing this. In fact, if I''m not good at it, my relationship with Nami Taro might go bad.


    Well, good luck with that. It''s worth remembering, and since Namitaro will probably live for a few thousand years, there''s plenty of time for that, right?


    It would be best to say. We may be fish in shape, but we''re from the same Earth. And for what it''s worth, you''re my first friend... I''m going to miss saying that my first friend is an outsider (carp), but I''m going to miss saying it myself...


    ...That''s right. I''ll do my best! Besides, it''s probably easier than you think when you try it.


    Namitaro knew that I was onto him, and he responded with a firm precaution.


    The first thing you need to do is to hold it in your hand (pectoral fin) and move it around freely. So, since Wai''s is ready, then the tiger girl''s is ready too. How did it turn out?


    Nami Taro casually changes the subject, but when I tell him that I haven''t been able to complete Amour''s request, he looks sullen and corrects his posture.


    You should say a few words to the young lady before you make your own. It''s late, but I''m coming now!


    I took a lecture from Namitaro and headed for the inn where Amur and the others were staying while getting my ass (physically) beaten. Behind us, Shiroumaru and Solomon were following us. I thought Slarin was staying at home, but before I knew it, he was on Shiroumar''s back.


    The inn where Amur and the others are staying is not a high-class inn in the royal capital, but it is a top-class inn for adventurers to stay at, and it is a popular inn that is cheap in comparison to its quality...or rather, it is an inn run by Aunt Martha.


    Welcome. If you''re staying overnight, I''m sorry, but it''s fully booked.......or is it Temma, what''s going on?


    ''Hello, Uncle Mark. I need to talk to Amur and Blanca....


    It was Uncle Mark who was at the reception desk. This inn was opened by Aunt Martha and employs a few villagers from Kukri village as her employees, so there are always some familiar faces at the reception desk.


    However, it is impossible to hire many of them, so we increase the number of holidays on a rotating basis so that they can earn money by imitating adventurers on their free days.


    She also asks her aunt to take care of our jubees and provide them with milk from a white wild cow in exchange for the milk, which is enough to keep them happy as long as they don''t overindulge.


    There are several other inns run by people from Kukuri village, and they seem to be helping each other in various ways.


    Oh, I understand. But since there are rules and regulations, I''ll show you to the front of the room.


    Since this is a crime prevention measure that is always done if the innkeeper, I asked for guidance to the room.


    The inn is a room for employees and a dining room on the first floor and the first floor in three floors, the second and third floors are twelve guest rooms.


    The room is a little small because one to two people are kept clean and clean, the price is 500G per person for one night with two meals. This is about two-thirds of the average price, plus 400G for double occupancy (but 600G for single occupancy), and there is a discount for longer stays.


    This is the place. Mr. Blanca, you''re a guest.


    Uncle knocked on the door and called out for Blanca, and Blanca seemed to sense someone approaching the room beforehand, so she knocked and came out without a pause.


    ''Well, I''m not going back with this, then.


    The uncle went back to the reception desk as Blanca came out. He seemed calm, but I saw the surprised look on his face the moment the door opened, so I''m sure he''s really in a heartbeat.


    ''I knew it, Temma, because the young lady was fidgeting strangely. So, what''s the matter? I see you''ve completed your daughter''s commission....


    Before Blanca could finish speaking, Amur pushed her away and kept her to the edge.


    ''Temma, is it ready yet?''


    I told Amur, whose eyes were shining, that I felt guilty and told him it was no good. Amur hugged the "Armor of the Bandit King" that I offered him, and he looked down sadly.


    ''''Can''t you just fix it?''''


    It''s impossible. At least not with my skills. I''ve asked Kelly about it, but she says it''s impossible. If you want to use it as a material, he says he can remake it into a different armor, but...


    Before I could finish, Amur looked up and handed me the Bandit King''s armor again.


    ''Then rebuild it. Old Kay will be more pleased if you rebuild it and use it than if you leave it there without knowing if it will be fixed or not.


    Who is old Kay? But then he told me that Blanca was Amur''s great-grandfather. And also that he was the first (...) bandit king...


    ''Seriously! You said Aina was a hundred years old or something, but how old was that old Kay?


    From what I''ve heard, he was about one hundred and twenty years old but I don''t know exactly.


    Blanca replied as she put her hand to her chin. As a further precaution, he said that he could speak up to the point where the Bandit King was a relative (ancestor) of Amur, but he was not to spread his real name as much as possible. Old Kay himself didn''t want to become famous, so he wore the armor of the Bandit King to hide his true identity. A few days before he died, he jokingly said, "That''s my last will and testament! I heard that he said something like that. The cause of death was probably senility. When Amur''s father went to check on him, he found that he had died asleep on his bed, and since no one had ever heard of him having any illnesses, it was thought to be due to old age.


    It''s a good thing that the old man is more and more prosperous... After all, Amour''s father and I were beaten up by that man who was over a hundred years old all the time... It''s not simply that he''s strong, it''s that he''s strong in battle I was better at it.


    The only person who could beat old Kay was your mother.


    Beside Blanca was speaking sincerely, Amour made a surprising statement. In other words, it''s ''Blanca < Bandit King (Grandpa Kay) < Amur''s mother''. I wonder how strong Amur''s mother is........


    By the way, Branca can''t even beat his wife.


    Furthermore, it seems there is a fierce man of the bandit king class. Blanca turned away, scratching her cheeks.


    ''''Putting that aside........Temma, what kind of things can you make in the future?''''


    This was the armor of a bandit king. I thought about it for a bit, and listed a hooded cloak, gloves, cuirass, shin guards, chest pads, and trousers.


    It''s impossible for a person of normal build, but with a petite body like Amur''s, plus the size of the Bandit King''s armor, it''s a calculation that could be made with some ingenuity. The only problem would be the cutting of the skin.


    Hmm, that''s it then. But you have to make it a little bigger. You are in a growth period, so your height and chest should be large.


    Well, it''s true that if you''re Amour''s age, you''re supposed to be in the middle of your growth spurt, so making it a little bigger would be just fine. Then I''d need to find a way to make it a little more flexible in size, using belts and straps. Even if you don''t grow, as long as you wear clothes underneath, there''s no problem.


    ''Okay, let''s make it easier to adjust your size to a certain extent.


    When I said that, Amur put his hand on his clothes and started to take them off in front of me.


    I stopped her in a hurry, but Amur looked at me curiously and said, "I can''t measure your size until you take your clothes off.


    I convinced him that I was going to consult Kelly about the armor, so I would ask her to measure it for me. Afterwards, Amour''s head developed a large, cartoonish bump. The creator is Blanca.


    ''So, if you''ve got time, I''m going to go to Kelly''s now... what do you think?


    He asked Amur, who was rubbing his head painfully, and he quickly nodded and went back to his room to start getting ready. Blanca, who had been listening beside him, was also getting ready to come with him.


    ''I''ll be waiting for you in the dining room on the first floor, come down as soon as you''re ready.


    After saying that, I went downstairs and headed for the dining room.


    The dining room here is unusual for the innkeepers of this world, it is basically not open to non-guests, and there were no customers ahead of us other than Namitaro and the others.


    This is because it is difficult for the number of employees in this inn to serve even outside guests, or the food menu is not stable since it is run in shifts. Therefore, the inn does not make more money than the number of guests, but it does not lose much money instead.


    The basic profit of an innkeeper is from lodging fees and sales of the tavern, but in order to run a tavern, you have to pay for the alcohol and foodstuffs.


    If this were a normal village or town, everyone in Kukri would have opened a tavern, but in this royal capital, there are many business rivals and it''s not easy for newcomers. And of course we are inferior in many ways to the large inns, and even on a smaller scale than this inn, we can''t compete with the stocking routes of the places that have been running (and surviving) for a long time.


    After taking all these things into consideration, the inn does not run a bar, but specializes in running an inn.


    However, it is difficult for an innkeeper to survive if he just focuses on running an inn. So they tried to differentiate themselves from other innkeepers by lowering the cost of accommodation and not opening the dining room to the outside world.


    Thanks to this, they succeeded in attracting guests who wanted a quiet place to stay, those who wanted a cheaper place to stay, and those with special needs, and now the inn is said to be very popular.


    Moreover, some merchants who took notice of the innkeeper''s business condition started to open restaurants and bars nearby to attract customers, so there is less friction between them and the surrounding area, and it is one of the reasons for the synergistic effect.


    This is a bit of a digression, but in such a quiet diner, a creature (a freak) was having trouble.


    "Temma I''m sorry, but please take care of the money.


    As I was stunned, Uncle Mark put a hand on my shoulder and told me to take responsibility for the devastation in front of me.


    ''Temma, this is harder than you think,''


    Nami Taro is practicing, wagging the palm of his arm that I gave him.


    On the table in front of Namitaro, the main culprit, there is a pile of crushed fruits and vegetables. It seems that he was grabbing and moving the vegetables and fruits as an exercise for his arm manipulation. And it seems that he failed at everything.


    Uncle, it''s...


    For now, I handed Uncle Mark a single gold coin as payment for the vegetables and fruits, I gently summoned ''Gigant'' and grabbed Namitarou up.


    ''Namitaro what do you have to say?''


    ''No! Temma''s s*x!


    These words snapped me out of it, and I used my gigantism to slam Namitaro to the floor a few times, and then I magically iced him as it was and threw him into my bag.


    Then I came to myself and in front of me........


    Temma you''ll have to pay for the repairs to the floor.


    Uncle Mark made a blue streak on his forehead and asked for the money.


    In addition, it was said that it would cost about one large gold coin (100,000 G) to repair the floor, and I handed him five more gold coins as a nuisance fee for the repair. If the floor was made of stone or earth, I could have repaired it with my magic, but since it was made of wood, there was no other way but to replace it with a new board.


    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to have the same thing happen to me as when I was at home, but from now on, I made up my mind to make sure I had a proper check of where I was before I summoned the gigantism.

 117-Chapter 7-5 Big Tiger

    ''Oh, I didn''t know that happened. No wonder I thought it was so noisy downstairs.


    On the way to Kelly''s workshop, I was telling Amour and Blanca about what had just happened.


    They had just come down when we were kicked out of the cafeteria, so they hadn''t seen the devastation in the cafeteria.


    ''So Namitaro is in the bag ... alive?


    Amur was worried about Namitaro, but it was useless to do so. After all, I can hear a small voice from the bag from a while ago saying, "Let me out, it''s cold. I can''t wait to get it out...." from the bag.


    When I told Amur about it, he said, "It''s okay if you''re okay," and stopped worrying about it. It seems that he sensed from Nami Taro''s voice that there is still room for improvement. I agree with him. After all, I had covered my face with ice at first. The fact that you can still hear his voice means that he has melted at least some of the ice on his face. I haven''t checked, but he may have already finished melting the ice all over his body, and he may just be acting. In that case, the best punishment would be to leave him alone, since dealing with him would only make Namitaro happy.


    ''Ah, here we are. Kelly, I''m going to interrupt you.


    I was talking to them and before I knew it, I was in front of Kelly''s workshop. There were a few customers inside the workshop, but the employees were dealing with them, and Kelly was propped up on the counter looking bored.


    ''Hmm ... oh, Temma, what''s up?''


    "You don''t look very motivated, Kelly...


    Kelly, who looked more unmotivated than bored, turned her head languidly... though she was still propped up against the counter.


    Shiroumaru and the others, apparently unhappy with the narrowness of the sales floor, went into the back workshop on their own accord. But there was no one here to pay attention to them. Rather, it was just that the female dwarves in the back began to prepare the sweets.


    ''''No.... we''ve been getting more and more stupid customers lately, and I''m just getting tired of dealing with them... to the point where I''m thinking about changing my base...'''' ...


    What a dumb customer Kerry says is a dumb customer, give me a better weapon! And build an original weapon! Or give me a weapon with special effects! And when Kelly recommends a weapon of her stature, she says, "You''re a woman, you''re so cocky! He says he''s going to get out of it.


    He''s not motivated by the fact that such things keep coming up.


    "Even if we have good weapons, who is going to make weapons that the user can swing around with? Totally!


    The patrons around him nodded at an exasperated Kelly. Apparently the people here were patrons of Kelly''s weapons and were worried about Kelly being at the mercy of an idiot.


    ''Well, I''ll take this one and this one, please. Kelly, don''t worry about the idiots.


    Nandan.


    If Kelly goes out of business because of a fool, we''re in trouble. I''ll do what I can to help, so don''t hesitate to tell me!


    The regulars left the workshop, calling out to Kelly, who started complaining to me.


    The last customer to leave had turned over the business bill that was hanging at the door, but none of the employees put it back, instead they locked the door and began to take a break.


    I guess everyone was worried about Kelly. I came along and started to act as an outlet for Kelly, and they seemed intent on imposing on her.


    ''That''s a disaster Kerry so what''s causing the idiots to boil over?


    I was about to ask Kelly if she had any idea what the cause was when her eyes flashed sharply.


    ''The cause ... you! It''s the Temma!


    Kelly grabs both of my collars and starts swinging them back and forth like a shake.


    But I didn''t know what I was talking about, and I tried to stop Kelly anyway, but it was difficult to stop the arm strength of the excited dwarf. Eventually, with Amur and Blanca in between, Kelly''s excitement finally subsided.


    ''I''m sorry, Temma this was a total take it out on you but I''m not sure Temma was the cause of it.


    The weapons I used to win the tournament and dismantle the dragon were also made by Kelly, according to Kelly.


    The more foolish you are with your tools, the better you are at using them, and if you don''t, you''re a clown.


    ''That''s right! Well, if it''s the same exact thing, I''ll get it for you! But if you die because you can''t use the weapon you have prepared, the bad press will not only come to you, but to the person who prepared it! That''s not good for me!


    At Blanca''s muttering, Kelly starts to get excited again. If this was a mere arms dealer''s doing, there would be less of a problem, but for a ''blacksmith who makes weapons tailored to his client'' like Kelly, it''s a huge blow.


    Even if you say that the ultimate responsibility lies with the injured or dead self, it doesn''t stop there, it''s a human emotion. Some percentage of people will say, ''It''s the weapon''s fault!'' And they make a lot of noise. And peers and strangers who hear this may believe the story. Even if they didn''t believe the story, they would try to avoid any workshop that had any concerns. In other words, it is ''reputational damage''.


    This may not be a problem if it is a large blacksmith shop, but in a small individual shop like Kelly''s, it could even be fatal.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.


    ''That''s why I don''t want to do anything for a while...''


    I was worried about Kelly, whose emotions have been up and down since a while ago, but I was impatient to see what I would do.


    Amour''s request is to make armor based on the bandit king''s armor, but even repairing it is too much for me to handle. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    "So, after all this time, what''s Temma doing here?


    It was really too late now, but Kelly asked me why I was visiting, and I answered honestly, though a bit hesitantly. Then......


    "Oh...


    The light came back into Kelly''s eyes. I thought this might be the case, and when I told her about the Amur armor I was thinking about, Kelly''s expression gradually began to come alive.


    The employees who were hiding behind the door and peeking in on Kelly''s situation are making gestures of support.


    ''''That''s pretty funny... but this isn''t enough material... oh! You''re going to use that too!


    When I told Kelly, who was getting better, what materials I was planning to use, her excitement increased even more and she started drawing on paper at an incredible rate.


    ''Nice, nice! That''s a job worth hundreds of times more than all the requests we''ve been getting these days! Temma! Take the materials to the workshop! Oh, and someone should go to the warehouse and find some decorations that might be suitable and usable! If you don''t have a good one, go buy one!


    At first I was only going to ask Kelly for advice and help, but before I knew it, the roles seemed to be reversed. Well, it would be better if Kelly, who is in her day job, took the lead on this one, and since it''s based on my ideas, I guess I should think of it as a subcontractor, but I''m not sure I can explain.


    ''Alright, we''ve got it! It''s based on Temma''s ideas, with my own improvements!


    That''s Kelly.


    Oh.


    Oh!


    When we were ready, Kelly''s drawing was completed at the right time.


    All of us, minus the rest of us, exclaimed in unison in admiration.


    ''The question is, will you like it, missy, and what do you think? As far as I''m concerned, it''s the best I''ve ever seen.


    ''All clear!


    As if pulled by an excited Kelly, an equally excited Amour immediately bowed his head in OK.


    ''Then let''s start with this!


    Fully revived, Kelly headed to the workshop with a tongue licking force. Of course, I, too, was dragged by Kelly to the workshop.


    "I''ll finish it in a few days, so look forward to it~


    "Blanca~ I''m sorry, I''m sorry, but please send a message to Grandpa and the others - ''I don''t think I''ll be home for a while''...


    As Kelly dragged me away, Blanca raised her hand to answer me and began to negotiate with a nearby female dwarf.


    Three days later, a set of armor for Amur was lined up in front of me and Kelly, who had been cutting down on their sleep time. There was still some adjustment work to be done, so it couldn''t be called complete, but Kelly and I couldn''t stop grinning at the results from earlier. In addition, my leather armor is also lined up, but it doesn''t look particularly noteworthy, so it''s somehow inferior to it.


    It was just the right amount of work to get rid of all the resentment I''ve been feeling... and while I''m at it, I was able to finish Temma''s, so there''s nothing to say about it!


    Don''t say it''s an afterthought in front of him but I understand the temptation to say it.


    For now, I''m going to tweak Kelly, but I can''t help but feel like saying it. After all, this leather armor isn''t much different in shape from the one I''ve been using for some time. The previous one was very convenient for me, so I just took it apart, made a mold, and made another one just like it.


    Well, even though I said I only made it, I added new twists to each part of it, and the quality of the materials is far superior, so I had to go through a certain amount of trouble when making it, but even so, Kelly felt it was sometimes boring because she knew what the finished product was.


    The material used for the armor is the skin of a ground dragon, and the lining is made from the elastic skin of the wyvern subspecies, which is the most ingenious part of this armor. Other than that, the only other thing I''ve done is to make the metal parts of the armor into strings and belts. The reason for this is because using the skin of a ground dragon or wyvern subspecies is sturdier than using poor metal, and is easier to care for and replace than using metal such as orichalcon or mithril.


    ''''No~ I''m sorry to say it, but it was like replicating the same armor... by the way...''''


    Compared to my armor, Amour''s equipment was almost as original as the form of my armor, so Kelly''s enthusiasm was different.


    You can''t blame Kelly for her attitude, because I, as I say, even thought it was more interesting than my own armor.


    I was going to let Amur know as soon as it was done, but it was still too early in the morning, so I started making adjustments to my leather armor for the time being.


    ''''When I say adjustments, it''s not really anything special since I''ve hit it against my body a number of times in the process of making it... it''s a little stiff, but I''m sure it''ll get used to it as I use it.''''


    So I finished about ten minutes after I started. The only thing I did was to shorten the length of the belt and strap. But even to shorten them a bit, we had to use Orihalcon''s Mino, which is just as good as you''d expect from an earth dragon.


    In the time it took for Amur to arrive, we had finished cleaning, bathing and eating, and we were writing down the modifications and improvements on paper and preparing materials for future reference.


    As we were finishing up our documentation, one of the employees brought Amur and Blanca over.


    ''''Oh!


    As soon as Amur saw the armor on the desk, he started flailing around excitedly.


    Blanca grabbed the back collar and lifted it up so that the excited Amour wouldn''t jump around.


    ''''Get settled in, we still have some adjustments to make, so I''ll let you put it on once first.


    Kelly received Amour being lifted by Blanca and took him straight to the back. A few female dwarves followed behind her.


    ''Does it suit you?''


    You look better than I expected.


    Surely that''s the right equipment for a young lady...


    That''s how I honestly felt about Amur, who asked us what we thought in front of us.


    The armor that Kelly and I made this time consists of a hooded cloak, breastplate, waistcoat, armor, and Kyahan. All of them have the "Bandit King''s Armor" on the surface, so they are almost entirely tiger-patterned. It''s the perfect equipment for Amur, the tiger beastman.


    If it were just a tiger pattern, it would look good on Blanca, but the reason Blanca said it was "perfect for the young lady" is because of the cloak.


    The hood of that cloak is made from the upper part of the head of the "Armor of the Bandit King" from the upper jaw up.


    The head of the Bandit King''s Armor is made to look like a masked wrestler''s mask and is larger than Amur''s head, so if you use it as is, Amur''s face will be hidden. So I stuffed the inside of the head and made it shallow.


    And I adjusted the head so that the upper part of the head is at Amur''s forehead, so it doesn''t interfere with his vision, and the furry head works as a helmet. Moreover, the hood is removable, so it can be used as a normal cape when it''s in the way.


    The lining of each piece of equipment is also made from the skin of a resilient part of the wyvern subspecies, making it much sturdier and more durable than ordinary metal armor.


    A belt made from the skin of a ground dragon is attached to the waistband, and the trapezoidal fur protects the sides and midway down the backside of the thighs, so that most of the back side is covered with the cloak and leg bonds at the same time.


    ''How does it fit?''


    Amur, who had been spinning around when he heard my words.


    Large feet!


    And posed like a masked rider. Perhaps he liked it so much that even after the fine tuning was done, Amur was still equipped.


    ''''Ah! Temma, here.


    Amur, who was in a hurry, suddenly remembered and came to me and took out a bag from the bag.


    I checked the contents of the bag and found that it contained gold coins, and when I counted the coins, I found that there were a total of two hundred coins (two million g).


    Isn''t that a lot? Most of the materials are repurposed from Amur''s possessions, and I''m guessing the combined cost of materials and production that I put up is less than half of this, right?


    I asked Kelly about it just to be sure, but she said the market price is roughly around 600,000 g, which is 300,000 g of material costs and 300,000 g of production costs, excluding the amount you bring in.


    It''s fine. It''s a token of my gratitude. Besides, this is the money I''ve earned thanks to Tenma.


    Amur said that he made money betting on my winning the team match in that tournament. Apparently he didn''t bet too big at first, but he poured all of his profits into every ''Oration'' match, and before he knew it, he had won a lot of money.


    ''''So give back,''''


    He tried to accept only the regular price, without pointing out that he was using the reduction wrongly, but he didn''t point it out.


    But Amour was also stubborn that he wouldn''t pull back once he gave it out, and the reversal occurred as the buyer raised the price and the seller lowered it.


    It was finally settled by Kelly saying that he was happy to buy his arm for a high price, but his blacksmith''s pride wouldn''t allow him to sell it at a price that was too high for his reputation, and Branca dropping his fist-bone by saying that Tenma would hate him if he was too persistent.


    However, since Amur insisted that he wouldn''t make less than a million G''s, I agreed to that price.


    Incidentally, Kelly''s words were followed up with something like, "If you were an idiot with no discernment, I''d sell it with no problem, even if you paid a high price.


    I don''t care if the idiot loses a lot of money on his own, but I heard that if you rip off customers like Amour, you lose the trust of your fellow blacksmiths. Well, he says he''s going to warn the idiot at least once, but he''s not going to take responsibility beyond that.


    I split the payment I received with Kelly and halved it, and then gave Kelly another 300,000 G from the reward to me.


    This was for me accepting the request from Amur and asking Kelly for support (well, I was more supportive than her since I did most of the work, mainly Kelly), and for my armor.


    It was a price that included a bit of a nuisance fee, but it wasn''t as excessive as Amour''s, so I was able to get them to accept it easily.


    The best thing about this is that it''s not a bad idea to get paid even more for the interesting work you''ve done.


    In a good mood, Kelly shoved the reward she had received carelessly into the safe. Kelly''s skin was strangely lustrous and foggy, a lie of what it had looked like a few days ago, and she exuded a certain peculiar s*xiness, but a lot of things were ruined by the large mug of ale pouring down her jaw and pouring it full of ale.


    Aside from Kelly, the female dwarves who worked in the workshop had also begun to drink, and the shop was closed for three days in a row. We poured ourselves a mug of booze and joined the feast and toasted for the umpteenth time, when an uninvited guest appeared in the shop.


    When the guest saw us in the restaurant, he tried to open the door, but since the door was locked, he crashed into the door with all his might and shouted an order to his hoodlum-like bodyguard to break it down while holding his reddened forehead.


    "You''re in good standing for refusing my request, ''an?'' Wha........


    The ones who threatened while covering the intruder''s lines were Blanca, who was exposed to the broken door fragments, and Kelly, who was in a bad mood at once when she saw the intruder''s face.


    The power of the two men was so powerful that not only the intruders, but also their guard-like goons were consumed by the two men''s fury and froze.


    The owner of an up-and-coming and much-talked-about business association can''t seem to read the closed-off letters on the door... even the neighborhood kids can read them, but totally... hey, go get the guards. They said there was a break-in, and ten of them will be there in no time.


    But first, my fist is going to roar...


    Blanca, who has a moderate amount of alcohol going around, started walking towards the intruders.


    The intruders don''t seem to understand the person in front of them, but they seemed to feel that the power of the intruder was not just any person, and summoned the guards (goons B, C, D, and E) who were waiting outside.


    In the first place, the bet had been settled before the bet was even mentioned.


    ''''Gippy!''''


    What''s the point?


    The moment the goons entered through the entrance and overlapped the five in Blanca''s path, Blanca body slammed into Thug A, who was in the lead, and flung them all together outside.


    Blanka seemed somewhat dissatisfied as he finished without using his fists, saying that his fists were roaring.


    However, we laughed out loud at the sound of the five of them being hit and the way they flew out collectively, and sent a big round of applause to Blanca.


    The interlopers, whose guards had been easily wiped out, froze with their eyes darting and mouths crunching.


    ''So, what do we do with this guy?''


    Almost at the same time as Blanca''s words, the female dwarves surrounded the intruders with their weapons hanging on the wall.


    The intruders came to their senses the moment they were surrounded and tried to push the female dwarves away in an attempt to escape, but they were kicked in the opposite direction and rolled in front of Kerry. The intruder still tried to crawl away, but Kelly stepped on his back and he was unable to move.


    ''We''ve got the goons outside tied up!


    The goons who were sent to Blanca seem to have been promptly tied up by the female dwarves and gathered right by the entrance.


    Perhaps that''s why a crowd is starting to gather around the workshop from earlier.


    ''Get your feet out of the way! Who the hell do you think I am?!


    The intruder, who is being trampled by Kelly, is yelling at her while she is lying down, but Kelly is completely ignoring him. In the meantime, more and more words of abuse are being said to Kelly, and by the end she is uttering threats, but Amour''s, who can''t stand the loudness of the situation, has been


    Shut up. Shut up.


    I was lightly kicked in the temple area with the voice of "I''m sorry, I don''t know what happened to you," and then it became quiet as if the battery was dead.


    I thought it would be dangerous to kill someone, so I examined him lightly, but since he was only fainting due to concussion, I tied him up and put him outside with five thugs. In addition, because it would be troublesome if they woke up on the way and made a lot of noise, I tied their hands and feet, gagged their mouths, and tied all five of them up with beads, so it would be impossible for them to escape without some help.


    As we were having a drink while keeping an eye on the five of us, the guards finally came running and Kelly explained the situation.


    Me, Blanca and the others thought it would be troublesome to get involved with the guards, so we told Kelly beforehand and hid in the back of the workshop, so the guards don''t seem to have noticed us yet.


    At first, the guards listened to Kelly unwillingly, but the moment they saw who was tied up, they were clearly upset and began to wake up the intruders.


    After that, he started to listen to only the intruder he noticed, and I thought there was something fishy about it, but to my surprise, the guards cut the intruder''s rope and started trying to catch Kelly in reverse.


    ''They''re in on it!''


    Me and Blanca tried to run out almost simultaneously to stop the guards before Kelly was caught, but an object jumped out of the way to slip past us faster than that.


    ''''Amur Kick!''''


    "Puget Sound!


    The object''s true identity is Amur.


    Amur drop kicked the guard without killing his momentum. After taking a decent Amur kick, the guard was blown away while spinning vertically, and after a few rotations, he rolled on the ground.


    ''I got in his face decently but do you think he''s going to live?


    I don''t know, but can you cast a recovery spell? But can you cast a recovery spell, just in case? I''ll go stop the girl.


    I''ve decided to split up the handling of the dying guards and Amour, who is warriors against a few guards in front of us, and Blanca, who has a bad start.


    The reason for casting a recovery spell on the guards, besides the purpose of questioning the actions of the guards just now, is because there is a need to make Amour''s crime as light as possible. Although the other party is a suspicious-looking guard, he is a regular guard, a kind of guard hired by the state. In other words, when Amur messes with the guards, he''s a guilty person.


    However, this case has too many weirdnesses in the behavior of the guards, so if our testimonies match with those of the witnesses around us, it is almost certain that the relationship between the guards and the intruders will be investigated (even if they refuse, I''ll use my powerful connections to help them), and the result will change the severity of the crime. . In some cases, he could end up with a lighter punishment, such as a fine, if not acquittal.


    But at this point in the investigation, he''s a criminal who messed with the guards, and if the guards are dead, he''ll be pulled as a felon who committed murder. In order to avoid that, the guards need to be kept alive.


    ''''Well yeah, it looks like he''ll be fine. There might be some aftereffects, but........


    The first guard that was kicked away was suffering from a broken nose, a broken orbital bone, a broken tibia, a broken femur, and many other bruises and scrapes, and it seemed a miracle that he was still alive, but he worked his magic with every fiber of his being until he didn''t fully recover.


    ''''Alright! It''s over!


    I rolled the guard I''d dragged up from the brink of death onto the spot and went to the next patient.


    None of the other guards were in danger of dying, as most of them had simple fractures, bruises and dislocations. However, it would be troublesome if they moved to capture him again after he recovered, so when giving him treatment, the bones were deliberately displaced and connected, and dislocations were forced into the ground, so unless you give him proper treatment, it should be difficult for him to move properly.


    ''Ah, that''s what happens when you drink and act out. You ought to feel a little sorry for yourself, young lady!


    The main reason why Amur acted like that is because he was drunk by the secret brew of the booze-loving dwarves (the level of fire).


    Furthermore, since Kelly was in danger right in front of Amur in such a state, Amur must have jumped out of bed on instinct and launched an attack to protect his benefactor.


    ''''So where are you going to go?''''


    I took up the rear of the intruder who was trying to escape from the scene in the midst of the hustle and bustle, and guessed the cause of the commotion while capturing him again.

 118-Chapter 7-6 Attack on Business

    That''s what caused the whole mess.


    The one taking a statement in front of me was Mr. Jang, who happened to be passing by and heard the commotion.


    He was tapping his finger on the desk with a very unhappy expression.


    Because he was off-duty today. What''s more, he had been off-duty for a long time for family service and got caught up in this mess.


    His face, which could have been mistaken for a bandit if he made a mistake, grows grim every time he hears me speak.


    However, fortunately, Jean-san is not angry at me or Amur and the others, but at the guards who freed the intruders and tried to capture Kerry on the contrary.


    The actuality of the situation is that Temma and Blanca are not at fault for this matter, and as for Amur, although it is too much, there are extenuating circumstances... but as for Amur, you will be prepared to be detained for about two days. Even if they are that guy, they''re still the guardsmen approved by the government.


    Normally, Jang-san, who is a member of the Kingsguard, would rarely get involved in a problem like this, but he couldn''t say that when I was involved, so he became the chief executive without a break.


    It seems that all the noise about me goes to the Kingsguard, so Mr. Jang, who was there just in time, was like drawing a lottery ticket. Moreover, since he has the title of vice-captain of the Kingsguard, he couldn''t run away, so he had to bow to his family.


    The reason why the commotion about me is under the jurisdiction of the Konoe is because the Konoe are the best and most elite unit of the King''s Army, and in addition, their royal family members are close to me and I have many acquaintances in the unit, so it''s much safer than leaving it to the guards. I don''t feel like I''m being treated like a dangerous person, but I''d rather have someone I know be in charge of it than someone I don''t know, so I decided not to think about it too much.


    ''''Ha~ you can go home, Temma. After this, you''re going to search the house.......


    I didn''t miss the last words that Jean-san blurted out. I couldn''t miss the last words, because they sounded so interesting.


    "Mr. Jang, can I follow you in that?


    No, of course not... no wait...


    Mr. Jean was about to immediately dismiss the idea, but halfway through, he cut off his words and started to think about it, then called out to a nearby guard to bring him a piece of paper and began to write something on it in a smooth manner.


    ''Alright! Temma, I need you to sign here.


    The paper that Mr. Jang asked me to sign had the words "Request for Cooperation" written in bold letters at the top. It is titled "Request for Cooperation in the Search of George Hyland, Representative of Highland Trading Association". It is said that "George Highland" is the name of the intruder who caused the trouble.


    I''ve been told that the Highland Chamber of Commerce is a medium-sized chamber of commerce in the capital, but until a few years ago it was a small chamber of commerce.


    It''s not that unusual for an association to become large in a few years by successfully riding the wave of the times or by the wits of its master, but the highland association does not fit into the two, it is said that it is a black rumor that has risen around the center of the forceful trade.


    If it is a normal house search, they almost never ask adventurers for help, but when they search a place where you can''t know what will happen like this Highland Society, they seem to ask adventurers to be support staff for the search.


    According to Jang, "The adventurer who has no problem with the ability and is related to the case, and whose identity is clear, is the perfect candidate for the request.


    In addition to the basic fee of 10,000 G, he said, the reward will be increased according to the level of activity.


    Jang said he wanted other reliable matchmakers, so he introduced Blanca and "The Sword of Dawn" to me, and the request was immediately submitted. However, since Blanca is being taken in a separate room in the same building, it seems that the approval was obtained within a minute. As for the ''Sword of Dawn'', the young kinsman immediately flew over when I told him the inn I was staying at.


    ''''It''s past noon now.......I''d like to step in before it gets dark if possible.


    It seems that at the same time Mr. Zhang went to call for the Sword of Dawn, he also sent a message to Wangcheng to get permission to search the house.


    It seems that hiring us is arbitrary, but it seems that he originally planned to raid the Highland Trading Company whenever he had the chance, and since he had marked them for a long time, he had no problem getting permission to do so, so he didn''t have to worry about it. Besides, Jean-san is the second-in-command of the Konoe Guard, so he''s allowed to carry out this level of operation on his own.


    ''Oh, Temma. It''s getting a little weird, isn''t it?


    As I moved to the conference hall for a meeting on the mission, Blanca appeared from behind me with an amused smile.


    It seems that Blanca went to Amur''s place before coming here and told him about the raid. When Amur heard about it, he told the guards on guard that he wanted to participate because he was also involved in it. However, he was refused, saying he couldn''t participate, so he hid in the futon and slept unfaithfully.


    In addition, although Amur is treated as a criminal on paper for now, the behavior of the guards who were obviously victimized is strange, so until the existence of the relationship between the Highland Trading Company and the guards is confirmed, we are not in the dungeon of the knight''s branch where we are, but are confined to a single room used by knights.


    Although it''s gray and almost black no matter how you look at it, although it''s gray to say whether or not there is a relationship between the Highland Chamber of Commerce and the guards, but Jean-san said that he would be innocent, but I want to say that he had caught them because they messed with the guards, so it was decided that Amur would stay in the room.


    However, if it is clearly confirmed that there was a problem on the part of the guards, the next time they might say that the Knights had unjustly captured Amur, so Jean had asked Amur to give us a break as he would pay a reasonable fee when he was released.


    Amur agreed to it and was put under house arrest, but he was not allowed to participate in the operation.


    The fact that Amour is being held at the knight''s branch is necessary. We can''t let him out.


    That''s for sure.


    As we took our seats, looking at each other, a strategy meeting began as if we were waiting for it.


    The strategy is not particularly unusual; it is divided into three groups: search, siege, and raid, and while the search group is investigating, the siege group prevents the escape, and the raiding group is mainly responsible for capturing or neutralizing the fugitives.


    The search (raid) squad is fifteen people selected from the Kingsguard and the Knights, and the leader is Chris.


    The siege team consists of one hundred men selected from the knights and guards, and their leader is Edgar.


    The raiding team consisted of fifteen members of the Kingsguard and an adventurer''s group (us), and their leader was Jean.


    The Highland Trading Company is a three-story building located a short distance from the main street, built independent of the surrounding buildings, and stands on a square of land surrounded by passageways.


    The search teams rush in in a single mass, but the siege teams form pairs of five men each, which are placed in groups of five on all sides. A total of seven groups, including five groups of three members each from the Konoe Guard and the Sword of Dawn and Temma Blanca groups, will be waiting around the Chamber of Commerce building to monitor the entrances and exits of the Chamber of Commerce.


    There are four entrances and exits to the Chamber of Commerce.


    The first one is the doorway in front of the shop. This is the largest, but since the search team will be entering from here, it''s expected that there will be the fewest number of escapees. Two groups, including Mr. Jan, are in charge.


    The next largest doorway, the entrance for goods. Since this is the most likely place for people to escape, the "Sword of Dawn", which has the largest number of people, and another group will be in charge.


    Then there is the back entrance to the kitchen. This is a small place, but it''s not the most popular, so you can''t be too careful. Two groups of the Kingsguard are in charge, but one group stays away from the entrance so that it can go to the other group to support them at any time.


    Lastly, my group is in charge of the entrance to the roof. To be honest, it''s unlikely that this doorway will come out, but since it allows us to look around, it''s up to me and Blanca to take charge because of our mobility.


    I''ll carry Blanca up to the rooftop with my flying magic, and if something happens down there, I''ll just jump down.


    And my team will be joined by the trusty "Three Servants" as well as Surarin, Shiroumaru and Solomon. Namitaro is not good at this kind of terrain (according to him) and will not be participating. When he said he wasn''t good at this kind of terrain, he also said, "You don''t know how many buildings will collapse if we go into a crowded area. After all, I will be the one to pay for the damages of the broken building....


    ''Oh! I think we''re going in. Solomon, go up in the air. Slarin, set up a trap in the doorway. Blanca, Shiroumar, be ready to jump at any time. I''ll cover you from here.


    We''ll each take up positions under my direction.


    Soon after that, some people began to flee from the loading door and began to engage the ''Sword of Dawn''. Then, a little later from the loading door, heavy sounds began to be heard at the back door as well.


    ''''Blanca, go cover the back door! Shilomar is a loading dock! There''s a lot more resistance than I thought, I''m sure it''s okay, but if we keep it up, it could do more damage to us.


    "Yea!


    Gawd!


    Since both are in a state of turmoil, there was a risk that my magic would cause damage to my allies as well. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    Without the slightest hesitation, the two fierce beasts ran down the wall like a reverse drop with their eyes on the battlefield below them (........).


    The two flamboyant appearances startled the people who had escaped and stopped moving. The rifle team didn''t miss the opportunity and defeated the enemy, capturing all of them in a matter of minutes.


    It looks like a battle has begun inside the store as well. Whoa! Slarin, there''s a visitor coming our way!


    As we unfolded our search and examined the inside of the store, it seemed that a battle had started downstairs and we could hear the angry voices up here.


    Then, from the group that seemed to be fighting Chris and the others, five responses began to move in the direction of where we were.��We began to hear a clattering sound from the doorway. It''s probably because they are running up the stairs in a hurry, and the arrows in their quiver are making noise.


    However, they don''t realize that I''m here, and all five of them seem to be holding only a bow and arrow. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time here.


    I''m sure the enemy is waiting for them outside as well! I''ll shoot you from above!


    The five of them came out without warning, kicking in the rooftop door.


    And they fell into the trap beautifully. It seems that they came up to provide cover outside, after all. Thanks to that, they were easily neutralized.


    As a matter of fact, when I found out that the five of them were coming to the rooftop, I sprinkled water just outside the door beforehand to wet it down. It was also generous enough to create a puddle.


    Then, when the five of them stepped into the puddle, he released a lightning magic stun to round them up.


    ''You won''t be able to move for a while. I''ll have the golem keep an eye on you just in case.......Solomon, you can take a break. Slarin, follow me.


    Chris and the others are struggling downstairs, but the enemy seems to have taken up positions on the stairs, and they are struggling against the attacks coming from above them.


    However, if I attacked them from above, they would be caught in the crossfire and the situation would be reversed. But if you don''t approach them without being noticed, they will lock you up in a room on the second or third floor, which makes capturing them a bit of a hassle.


    ''Slarin, I''m going to run into the middle of my opponent and flail around, so please neutralize the shotgun leaks.


    I didn''t have time to make a detailed plan, so I chose the simple and most effective method. It''s a very simple method called exhaustion.


    Then charge!


    I took out a training stick from my bag and ran down the stairs like a flight of stairs in one fell swoop.


    There were eight enemies, each of whom seemed to be quite skilled, and they took up positions on the second floor landing and used their advantage of height to return fire with spears and bows, keeping the search team led by Chris-san at bay.


    However, they weren''t paying attention behind me and didn''t seem to have noticed my approach. Even if they had noticed, though, they weren''t thinking of changing their plans.


    They''re not home in the back, sir.


    He rushed between the eight men and first popped the first one with his body. Then I swung my stick around and defeated the two on either side of me.


    By this time, the remaining five people notice me, but before I can start moving, I kick off the two people in front of the stairs. Two or three of the knights were caught up in those two, but they were quickly seized by the other knights. Three people left.


    One of them tried to confront me, but the other two ran up the stairs in a flash.


    ''''Slarin! We''re both going!


    When I call out to Slarin, who was supposed to be coming after me, the two who escaped are taken in by Slarin''s emperorized body and are unable to move.


    ''''So, lasttttt!''''


    The last one standing in front of me was surprised that his companion had escaped and that he had been caught in an instant, leaving him defenseless in front of me. So I stuck my stick out at his chin and the man collapsed off his knees and stopped moving.


    ''It''s over, Chris,''


    When I called out to Chris-san, who was coming towards us, he made a bitter face. After all, it''s like he took the most credit for me. Since it was Chris-san, I guess the problem was not so much the fact that I had taken the credit for him, but the fact that Jean-san might say something bad about him afterwards. So.


    ''Thanks to Chris and the others for getting those guys'' attention, we were able to take them down without causing any victims.


    I said, and he had a great smile on his face. I guess he knew what I was getting at.


    ''Right!'' You''re on a mission!


    I don''t know when they came up with the plan, but that''s what they want to do.


    ''Well, let''s get to work then! As we discussed, I want you to split up into three groups and check them out. And be careful, because there could be more lurkers out there. But first, someone needs to get these guys out of here.


    When Chris-san clapped his hands and gave his support, the knights began to move crisply and scattered in a flash.


    As expected from being chosen for an important squad, it seems that the skill level of each individual is quite high.


    And, Temma-kun. What do you think is suspicious?


    Chris asked me from the side, folding his arms in a pompous manner for some reason, and I couldn''t help but ask him


    ''All these stores. Good luck with that.


    And then he was about to leave the place. He wants me to join him in his search, but if that''s how he sees any yucky materials related to the aristocracy, it''s definitely going to be a hassle.


    ''''It''s just for a moment, you know? Come along for a little while, just a little bit!


    Chris clasps his hands together, bows his head and asks me to do so. If this were the reverse of the s*xes, it would be the kind of line that would undoubtedly make you suspect an ulterior motive at first.��Well, I''ve heard that the pattern is often reversed these days, but.......


    ''Then it''s just a little bit. And that''s just to look around the ground floor and the warehouse for a bit.


    If I look around the warehouse at random, I can point out one or two suspicious items that seem to be normal. With that in mind, I headed towards the warehouse and immediately found a suspicious place.............................it''s also the stairs to the basement.


    When I happened to pick up a medicine bottle that was on the shelf, I dropped a weight that looked like a weight that was placed there. After investigating the floor where the weight had fallen, I found the entrance to the basement. It seems that the entrance to the basement is politely set up with some kind of device that interferes with the magic, and the first ''search'' did not catch it.


    ''''As expected of you, Temma-kun! Good job!


    Chris-san wanted to rush into the basement immediately, but for the time being, he had Jean-san, who was outside, report to him to ask for instructions. It''s not a good idea to break in without reporting, and above all, it''s because there were ten people who reacted to the ''search'' I used for the second time. And the appraisal results of those reactions were bad.


    Race...Elves.


    Title... slave.


    State... debilitated.


    The ages were all different, but this was the information that the ten people in the basement had in common.


    When I saw this, it was enough to make my head hurt, ''''It''s a tricky one.


    It''s not that there are no elven slaves in this country or anything, it''s just that there are elven slaves hidden (.......) in the underground.


    Elves are often common in many tales as being ''brow-eyed'' and ''proud'', ''good at magic'' and ''fond of the forest''. And that''s true in this world as well.


    Some stories are sometimes exclusive to other tribes, but as far as I know, I''ve never heard of it.


    Rather, they are in the friendly category. Well, I''ve heard that they don''t show any mercy when it comes to destroying the forest, but this is something that, if you put it in our context, it''s like ''we don''t show mercy to those who destroy their own homes'', so we all recognize that it''s a normal behavior.


    Such elves can also fall into slavery in human society if they commit a crime or have incurred a debt, for example.


    Elves are basically a peaceful people who like the beauty of the forest and the quietness of the place.


    In the past, it has been very difficult to find a way to make a living out of them.


    It''s a good idea to have a few of them in your life. The most common is kidnapping.


    And the elves in the underground are more likely to have been kidnapped or otherwise enslaved as long as they were hidden. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. It''s not a trade, but rather a ''slave transfer'', it''s a rule that you have to go through a slave trader, town hall or guild.


    I heard they found a cellar.


    After receiving the report, Jean-san came over to me and Chris.


    Mr. Jan started to prepare for the raid while listening to the detailed report.


    But I waited for him.


    ''''Jean-san, if a large number of people rushed in and the enemy was hiding, there is a possibility that we could be seriously injured as well. So I think it''s best to have Slarin go check on them first.


    ''That''s true but are you sure you''re okay with just Slarin?


    Mr. Jean doesn''t seem to understand the true power of Slarin.


    So I made a serious face and


    If Slarin were to make a serious assassination attempt, even Grandpa would be beaten hand and foot.


    I said. This is true. After all, in Grandpa''s case, he''s always defenseless in front of us because he believes that ''me and Slarin would never do such a thing''. Therefore, if he wanted to assassinate us, it would be like twisting a baby''s hand. Well, such a thing would not be possible even if the heavens and earth were turned upside down.


    The knights around me seemed to be half-believing those words...or rather, they hardly believed them, but Jean-san and Chris-san seemed to have an idea of what I said, and their faces were drawn together.


    ''Well then, please. You don''t have to push yourself, okay?


    Okay. Okay, Slarin, please. If you have any problems (...) let me know right away.


    Slarin bounced his body once as he nodded, and then quickly went down the stairs.


    I said that to Slarin before Jan-san and the others, but it is a definite matter that something is going on, so I gave Slarin instructions beforehand to turn back as soon as he reached the elves'' place.


    The basement is almost the same area as the building and only has one floor, but there are four prisons and three rooms, which shows that the Highland Chamber of Commerce was quite focused on the slave-trading-like business.


    ''Welcome back Slarin I understand. Mr. Jean, it seems that Slarin has found something very important.


    About five minutes after Slarin went into the basement, he pretended to have heard Slarin''s report when he returned and told Mr. Jean about the slaves in the basement.


    ''My God! We''ll be on our way to the rescue in a heartbeat!


    Mr. Jang, just a minute.


    When Jean-san heard my report, he immediately tried to rush into the basement, but I stopped him again. The knights around me looked a little uncomfortable at that, but I didn''t mind and continued to talk.


    ''According to Slarin, the majority of the slaves in the underground are women, and some of them are dressed almost naked. What would these women think if a bunch of men came in there to kill them? I think this is a good place to have Chris-san and the ladies of The Sword of Dawn precede us and get them clothed and settled before we go to the rescue.


    ''Well, I think that would be better for me, too.


    The men obeyed without a word, as Chris, the only woman in this group, agreed. Ms. Jean, who is also married, did not object to my idea.


    Then let''s get some clothes right away. Bring every piece of clothing you can find around here! Also, get one of the ''Sword of Dawn'' ladies outside to come and tell you why.


    The knights who received Jean-san''s instructions started to fish out the costumes in the sales area. Since they don''t know the body shape of the enslaved elves, they are gathering clothes at random, like a break-in robbery.


    In the midst of all this, I made a suggestion to Jean, and instead of joining the knights in collecting clothes, I was scouring the other merchandise racks.


    ''''For someone who''s been doing this extensively, there''s some rather good quality stuff on there.


    I''m scavenging the food and medicine racks, and I figured I''d make a meal for the elves, who are probably debilitated.


    I''d have to see them in person to understand the extent of their condition, but as long as they were on the shelves, I didn''t think they were in such bad shape, so I began to prepare a kind of soup that would be good for their bodies and their digestion. However, if she was too weak to eat, even ordinary soup could be dangerous, so I would have to examine her before eating.


    The ingredients we prepared were herbs for poisoning and wound healing, mushrooms (dried foods) for nourishing and tonic properties, and rice.


    I couldn''t find any rice, so I used the rice I had stored in my bag.


    What I''m planning to make from these ingredients is "Shichikusa porridge-style heavy water". Originally, Shichikusa porridge was made to invigorate a weak stomach, while shikuyu is also used as food for the sick. I thought that if I could make it with herbs and other ingredients, the effect would be outstanding.


    I choose herbs and mushrooms that I know are harmless to eat raw, so there is no danger.


    The first thing I do is grind the mushrooms into powder, throw them into a pot of hot water, add the chopped up herbs and a pinch of salt, take out the scum, take out the scum, take out the scum, take out the scum, put in the rice, and put in the rice. I''m going to stir it up and then I''m going to stew it up. Does it taste a little bitter?


    While I was removing the acu, Chris and his friends went down to the basement. Shortly after that, we heard voices from the basement, and Jan and her friends went down there too, as I was pouring the rice into the pot and stirring it.


    The rice had thickened nicely and as I was stirring the contents of the pot and letting it cool, the first one came out of the basement, supported by Chris.


    The elf seemed to be a woman, and although she was disheveled, she was as pretty as most people who heard the word elf would imagine, with a well-rounded face.


    The elves that came after them were also beautiful, though they differed from one another, and I think I understand one part of the feelings of those who wanted to be elven slaves.


    If testimonies could be obtained from these elves, most of the people involved in George Highland and the Highland Trading Company would fall into slavery.


    But first.........


    ''We have prepared a heavy water that is gentle on the stomach and good for digestion, try it. We will treat you at the same time.


    We have to help the elves recover, both physically and mentally, first.

 119-Chapter 7-7 Announcement

    Bite me!


    It''s not bad, but it''s not very good.


    And it has a distinct smell. I''m a bit of averse to it.


    It''s not the elves who are complaining, but Chris-san, Menace and Lina who are tasting the heavy water left in the pot.


    These three, I said politely, "Maybe it has some beauty benefits? I picked up a small voice muttering to myself as I tasted the heavy water, and then I picked up a handful of it, taking advantage of the fact that the elves didn''t eat much.


    Incidentally, the elves loved it. The bitterness of the herb is not a problem for the elves, who often live in the forest.


    Jan and the others pretended not to see the three of them. Apparently, they can''t afford to pay attention to the three of them, even though their heads are already hurting over the elves.


    ''''Good work~''''


    ''Oh! What a great meal!


    Garratt and Jin join them and look into the pot, but the pot is already empty.


    The two of them look at the three of them sipping heavy water with resentment, but the three of them don''t show the slightest bit of concern as they hand back the empty bowl to me.


    ''Temma-kun, this is bitter! Does this really have any beauty benefits?


    ''Mr. Chris, it''s not ''there'', it could be? So, you know. It''s good for digestion, and the fibers of mushrooms and such might help with bowel movements, so maybe it''s good for your skin, so don''t get your hopes up.


    Well, in the case of these three, it doesn''t look like they don''t have skin problems due to constipation or anything, so it might not matter much...


    The three of them seemed a little disappointed after hearing my explanation. The men are looking at them as if they are looking at something strange. There are men in every world who can''t understand the efforts of women. I''m not sure I can say with confidence that I understand it either.


    I''ve been thinking about this and handing over the bowls and pots I retrieved from the three of us and the elves to Slarin.


    Slurin takes the handed bowls and pots into his body and cleans off the food particles and dirt from the surface. Slime is, in a sense, a professional at ''dissolving (...)'', so with a little training, he can remove only the dirt (...) on the surface. Well, it was necessary to rinse the surface with water at the end, but it was still a big labor saving.


    When we finished cleaning up, the djinn asked for food for themselves as well. I had no choice, so I pulled out some ''food I forgot when I bought it'' that had been sitting in my bag and handed it to them, and they immediately started eating it. It looks like Shiroumaru was about to come in with the djinn, but the elves spooked him, so he''s waiting outside.


    We had no choice but to go outside and put Shiroumar in his dimension bag to eat. Of course, Solomon was with me.


    They both seemed to be quite hungry, and they ate every single thing we offered them. But they were throwing up all the vegetables, so we decided to make it vegetable week for a while.


    By the way, I myself got away with a little bit of leftover meat, seared and sandwiched in a bread sandwich with the vegetables.


    ''Oi~ Temma~''


    Jean-san called me over, so I headed over with Shiroumaru and the others in my dimension bag, and Jin and the others had gathered as well. It seems that the mission is over for now, and the reward will be paid at a later date.


    However, since my accomplishments have become quite large, the gap between me and everyone else has become too wide. So, it seems that the balance will be adjusted by including Slarin''s and others'' portions as well. If you don''t do so, the financial people will be unhappy with you due to the budgetary constraints of the Konoe Guard.


    For my part, I don''t have anything to worry about, so I just said I''ll leave it to them and decided to leave. Otherwise, I had a feeling I would be forced to do something else about the slave relationship.


    ''It was a pretty fruitful job there. No one was too strong.


    Jin seems to be satisfied with the work he''s doing this time around and is thinking about what he''s going to do with the reward once he receives it.


    "By the way, Tenma, how long do you plan to stay in the capital city? How long do you plan to stay in the capital city?


    ''We''re talking about going back to Seigen soon and I was wondering if you''d like to come home with us?


    ''If you''re in charge of the food, Temma, we''ll take care of everything else.


    Come to think of it, my stay is taking longer than I originally planned. Well, I can move my base to King''s Landing since my grandfather is here, but since the dungeon is halfway through, I want to proceed with the attack there as well... besides, I have to go to secure food for Jouveye and the others.


    When I told him that, he said he was going to be in the capital for another ten days, so he said to let me know when my schedule was set.


    I have to go to Seigen at least once anyway, so if the destination is the same, it''s easier to come along with me.


    For now, we''ll decide on the future as soon as possible, and we parted ways with the "Sword of Dawn", promising to keep in touch no matter what our plans are. Blanca is going to show up at Amur''s place, so I decided to head with her.


    Is that interesting?''''


    I''m new to Seigen''s dungeon, so I can''t compare it to others, but it''s pretty interesting. It''s quite good.


    ''Well but now that the tournament is over, I have to go back to the village for once. And my wife is waiting for me.


    As we talked about this, we headed to the place where Amur was under house arrest, but who was there....


    ''Ah! Welcome back, big brother.


    Welcome back, Temma.


    For some reason, Luna was having dinner with Amur. I was wondering why she was here.


    ''Oh! Looks like it''s over!


    Lyle-sama appeared from behind me. I guessed that he probably came to check out the situation because it looked interesting (by these two''s standards).


    The two of them had met each other at our house a few times, so they must have gotten to know each other reasonably well. I asked the two of them why they were here, and Luna replied that she was worried, and Lyle-sama replied that it looked interesting. Aside from Luna, Lyle-sama seems to have just shown his wild spirit completely.


    ''''Well, Temma is here, so let''s go home quickly!


    As Lyle-sama said this, he boldly opened the door and released the door. With those words, Luna and Amur scraped up the rest of their food and began to prepare with their mouths puffed wide open.


    ''Can we take Amur with us?''


    ''''No problem. You''ll have to pay a fine, but it''s hard to say that the Knights are not at fault in this case. And since I''ve already paid that fine, I''m free to go free. And by the way, I didn''t make this decision on my own, it was the royal family''s decision. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.


    So we all went out together. Blanca seemed to think that Amur wouldn''t come out until at least tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and she was somewhat surprised that we could leave so soon, but she said that this made it easier to make plans.


    For some reason, Amour was trying to follow me, rejoicing in his release, but Blanca told him that he had to talk about this time and the future, and he was dragged to the inn with no resistance.


    ''So, Temma, come to the castle now. Your mother is calling for you. Perhaps it''s about the golem.


    The golem I asked for has been made, so it''s a good time to hand it over.


    ''''I understand.''''


    I nodded at Lyle-sama''s words and climbed into the carriage that had been prepared for us.


    After that, I was rocked in the carriage while talking with the two of them for a while, and it was difficult because Luna repeatedly demanded that the golem be handed over to her along the way, and Lyle-sama joined in on the flight, but she became amusingly quiet when I told her that I had to show Maria-sama first.


    ''I''m sorry, I''m sorry for calling you out on such short notice,''


    When we arrived at the castle, the two of them led us straight to the guest room where Maria-sama was waiting for us. It seems that the king and the others still have some work to do, and here are Maria-sama, Isabella-sama, and the two people who led me and I to them. I''m sure you''ll be able to see that the work is still not done. Incidentally, the job assigned to you is for the purpose of protecting and breeding the animals that live in the vicinity of the royal capital, and they are working hard to create an ordinance and make about half of the areas that were previously allowed to be hunted a protected area.


    ''''I''m sorry to be so quick, but can you show me what you''ve done with it?


    I nodded at Maria-sama''s request and took out a few golems. By the way, none of the kinsmen who would be my guards are here, and that alone shows how much they trust me.


    I nodded at Maria-sama''s words and took out a ring, bracelet and necklace from my bag and poured my magic power into them and placed them on the floor. Then, as if swallowing the ornaments on the floor, three golems appeared.


    The three golems are of three types: a defensive type, an offensive type and a speed type. Among them, the defensive and offensive types are improved versions of the golems we''ve been using for some time, so they''re both similar in shape, but the speed type is newly made, so it''s one of the shapes is very different.


    ''''These two aren''t too different from the ones we saw before.


    Is the difference between wearing a shield or a two-handed sword?


    Lady Maria and Lady Isabella gave their impressions of the two bodies as they compared them. However, Lyle-sama, the military lord, paid attention to the finer points.


    ''The defensive type is truly a ''moving wall''. It is thicker overall than the attacking type and can be equipped with shields on both hands and shoulders, and the shields can be used as both a defense and a blunt instrument. But since it''s heavy, fast movement is unlikely to be expected. Does the attacking type have pointed shoulders, elbows, fingers, knees, toes, etc.? And the sides of their arms are lightly sharpened, so even if they''re unarmed, just swinging their arms around seems to be able to do a lot of damage. If the defensive type is a heavy warrior holding a shield, the offensive type is more like a swordsman who can also fight. And the problem is the speed type, but...


    As expected of Lyle-sama, who is responsible for the military, he seems to have grasped the general characteristics of the defensive and offensive types just by looking at them. However, he doesn''t know how to evaluate the speed type, which is the first one he''s seen, and he''s not sure how to evaluate it.


    This velocity type is quite slender in appearance and has a shape similar to a human. But while it is 170 centimeters tall, its arms are more than two meters long when they are spread out. And its face is lop-sided. It looked like a misshapen mannequin in motion, and the four of us were grimacing when we saw such a velocity model. As the creator, if this was standing in the corridor in the middle of the night, I might be startled and run away from the scene.


    But that''s one thing I''m trying to do.


    ''It looks like this, but this guy has the most troublesome performance. This guy''s main feature is that it can not only move like a human, but also move on all four legs like a beast. This allows it to move more lightly and quickly than a bipedal walker. Also, the reason it''s so slouchy is because I expected my enemies to be alerted by its appearance.


    The image of this speed model is exactly that of a "monkey". You may think that we should just make a monkey-shaped machine then, but without a certain size, it would be difficult to escape with an escort in the unlikely event of an emergency (to pick up or carry a target), and on the other hand, if we keep the monkey-shaped machine as large as it is, it would be heavier and more difficult to move. That''s why I made its arms longer and its body thinner to reduce its weight, and also made its legs longer so that it can walk on two legs at a faster speed, and as a result, I ended up with a golem that looks a bit spooky. This is also due to my lack of artistic taste, but I don''t need to tell you that.


    I see.............................I see. The material is........mithril?


    I nodded at Lyle-sama''s words.


    The first thing that came to mind when it comes to light and durable materials is mithril, so I made a speed mold by wrapping mithril around magical iron, referring to the arm I made for Namitaro. The slender nature of the Speed Titan makes it less durable than its predecessor, so the use of mithril is expected to improve its durability and speed.


    When I see Lyle-sama listening to my explanation and being constantly impressed, it makes me feel somewhat strange. Normally, his joking behavior stands out, but this is the moment when I realized again that he is a real ''military service lord''.


    ''''Temma, can you confirm this guy''s performance?''''


    Lyle-sama asked me as he touched the speedometer, his eyes shining as if he was a child getting a new toy. Next to him, the real child seems to be very interested in it. It seems that the velocity model, which had looked eerie a moment ago, changed to an object of interest as they got used to seeing it.


    ''''I can do it, but.......it''s just not possible here.


    When I said that, they were both booing while making disappointed faces, but Maria-sama''s coughing quieted them down. Besides, this golem was originally created as a trump card when the royals were attacked, so it''s not something that should be unnecessarily exposed to the eyes of others. Therefore, it should not be used in this room or even in the training facility in the castle.


    The two of them were quiet for a while, and then Luna gave a big smile, as if she suddenly had a flash of inspiration.


    ''''Grandmother! I''m sure you can do it in the audience chamber. It''s big and sturdy up there!


    Luna! Good idea! Mother, since that''s what''s going on, I''ll have to leave the room for a moment.


    Luna quickly agreed with Lyle-sama, and he got up from his seat and walked away before Maria gave him permission to do so.


    Maria-sama gave her permission with a sigh, as if she thought that if she stopped these two now, she would only do it elsewhere this time when she didn''t know.


    As they listened to the permission, they stood in front of the golem with great enthusiasm, but then a problem arose.


    ''By the way, Temma, how are we going to carry this thing?''


    At these words, Maria-sama let out a deep sigh and Isabella-sama smiled a little dumbfounded.


    ''''At the moment, I''m in a state to listen to anyone''s orders, so let''s just register Lyle-sama and Luna for now, shall we?


    In fact, if I go straight to the golem and tell it to return to its original ornaments, the golem will return to its original ornaments, but if I''m going to take it out of this place, I''d rather register the two of them as masters so that the others can''t use it. Well, eventually we are going to register the royalty other than the owner as the second and third Lord. By the way, only the creator, me, can register the masters. If I don''t do this, if someone steals it, it will be a big problem.


    The registration process is completed when I pour my magic power into the nucleus, attach the master''s blood to the nucleus, and activate it with the magic power of the person who attached it. By repeating this method, any number of other people can be registered as Lord. However, the order of priority of the Lord is recognized in the order of the earliest registration, so if the first and second registered person gives a command at the same time, the order of the first registered person takes precedence and the order of the second Lord is discarded.


    After I finished explaining the registration procedure, I returned the golem to its original ornaments and let the magic flow. Now all that''s left is for one of the two of us to attach blood to it and activate it, and the registration is done. So I held out the knife to make the blood adhere to it, but Luna hesitated when she saw the knife.


    When Lyle-sama saw that, he took the knife and pressed the blade against his own finger to draw blood, which he attached to the nucleus and activated it to register as the master.


    As expected, Lyle-sama wasn''t afraid to cut his own finger, but the knife seemed to have cut his finger deeper than he thought, and I had to treat him.


    ''Then I''m off!''


    Off I go!


    The way they ran out of the room in a friendly manner made them both realize that they had the same blood in their veins.


    ''So, if Temma is still here, can I assume that she wants me?


    After seeing them off, Maria asked me as she straightened up her residence. It seems that Maria-sama saw that there was a reason why I did not accompany them.


    ''So, would it be better if I wasn''t there?''


    Lady Isabella was about to get up from her chair to get my attention, but I stopped her and asked her to stay here. It sounds bad to say that I was alone in a secret room with Maria-sama. If this is not done properly, there will be those who suspect that they are in a relationship with a man and a woman. Mainly from around the reformed people.


    ''Well, there will be people who will want to make things difficult for you, so Isabella had better stay here too. It''s not really something that you need to hear, is it? For example, regarding Temma''s marriage.


    He seems to have a good grasp of why and what we''re going to talk about. You really don''t have to go around.


    ''Yes, that''s right. I heard from Aina that I need Maria-sama''s permission to marry me and that my mother is involved in that.......is it true?


    At my question, Maria didn''t change her expression.


    Yes.


    I replied.

 120-Chapter 7-8 Guardian

    I was surprised to hear her admit it so matter-of-factly. And Isabella-sama, who was listening to the conversation beside Maria, also opened her mouth in surprise, as if she had never heard of it before.


    ''''Mostly, I''d say half of it,''''


    What''s the half?


    There seemed to be more to Maria-sama''s answer, so I pulled myself together and decided to listen to what she had to say.


    ''First of all, you can''t marry someone unless I''ve given my permission to do so, that''s mainly a countermeasure against nobility. And I don''t think it''s limited to Temma, but it''s also to make sure you don''t get stuck with a woman who can really only be harmful. If she only wanted to use Tenma, she wouldn''t try to rub it in my.......or rather, she wouldn''t try to rub it in until she got the attention of the royal family. If there was, it would only be a pretty big guy or a real idiot. So, if it''s the kind of woman Temma really wants to be with, I''m not going to complain (...).


    When you say you''re going to keep it in mind, you''d better expect them to basically put their foot in their mouth. I don''t know how far that goes, but I can only assume it''s better if you don''t feel like pushing them.


    ''So, about Shelia''s letter........here. Read it.


    Maria rifled through her bag and presented me with a letter in an envelope. The envelope was much faded, but she seemed to take great care of it, and it wasn''t stained or torn.


    ''I''ll take a look.''


    I took the letter out of the envelope, being careful not to tear it, and began to unfold it and read it.


    And when I saw the letters on the letter, I felt very nostalgic. I also used the ''appraisal'' to be sure, but it seemed to be my mother''s letter.


    The letter started with a greeting, followed by some trivial talk, my daily life, and the fact that I hadn''t been feeling well lately. I think it was half a joke, but I think they were worried about educating me with only my male parents. I somehow felt such a nuance from the written text.


    ''It''s like my mom ... or rather, my dad and grandpa don''t seem to trust me very much.


    ''Well, those two are top-notch adventurers, but when it comes to educators... right? I think that''s why Shelia wrote to me, who can look at things objectively, asking me to be her guardian. To keep Temma away from unwanted bugs. Well, as expected of Shelia, I''m sure she didn''t expect Tenma to grow up to the point where she could fight the country.


    I was tempted to argue with Maria-sama''s last words, but after thinking it over, I realized that we possessed forces that weren''t necessarily wrong (me + Slarin-Shiroumaru Solomon + Namitaro + Nami Taro + many golems, and in some cases, even my grandfather), so I decided to shut up. If Maria and the others hadn''t been my moms'' best friends, I might have been in a pretty bad position.


    We talked about a lot of things after that, but the situation I''m in right now is, ''''The royal family was the first one to set their eyes on me. Moreover, the queen has become my guardian (provisional) at the request of my parents,'''' he said. If she ignores this and tries to get me to join her, it''s the same as putting up a fight with the royal family, and it''s going to be a very bad situation for her. I guess the reason he asked Maria to be his guardian was because he thought he was using the biggest connection my mom had to insure me.


    ''So don''t worry too much about what Aina said. If it still bothers you, think of it as a contract. We take Temma into the royalist camp under the guise of guardianship, and Temma uses the power of royalty with our backing to do as he pleases. Use and be used, isn''t that enough? Forget about that, if you ever decide to get married, you can introduce me to a partner. If you want, I can go find you a partner. In the meantime, Luna that''s a lot of things to be ashamed of. How about the Primera in the Sangha''s room? That girl could get engaged in a heartbeat.


    I don''t know if you trust me that much, but you''re saying some pretty risqu�� things. I have no intention of betraying the trust of Maria-sama and the others, but I would like you to think about how you say it a little more. It''s a statement that might cause both parties to lose their reputations if someone else heard it.


    Moreover, Maria-sama, who has turned into a meddling aunt who seems to be in the neighborhood by treating an important conversation like that, is somewhat happily giggling, but I''m having trouble rejecting her outright. I glanced at Isabella-sama to ask for her help, but she too looked interested and was happily watching the proceedings. Apparently, Isabella-sama was the enemy.


    There was no one to help us, and we were wondering how we were going to get through this on our own, when there was a loud vibration with a loud thud from one floor below, and the royal castle became noisy. The knights and servants began to wonder if it was an accident or an attack of some kind.


    However, the three of us quickly realized who the source of this commotion was, and at the same time, held our heads in our hands. However, about half of my mind was occupied with the joy of getting through this situation, but....


    You ready to go, Temma? I''m sorry, but you''re going to have to be my bodyguard. I''m sure it won''t do you any harm, but I need a formal escort to get to the site.


    I''ll take care of you, Temma.


    I understand. It looks like I have a little...well, a little bit of responsibility...well, at least a little bit of responsibility, so I''ll gladly accept that responsibility...


    To show them that I''m guarding them well for once, I got Slarin and Shiroumaru out and had them go around behind Maria and the others. Solomon is waiting in his bag, as the corridor is a little too narrow for him to fly over.


    As it was, me, Maria-sama, Slarin, Isabella-sama, and Shiroumaru came to the audience room, the source of the sound and vibration, but the knights were frozen in front of the door. Apparently, the door would not open.


    It took several knights to push it, but the door did not seem to open at all, and the buzz around it gradually grew louder and louder.


    ''''All of you, stand back!''''


    At Maria''s words, the knights at the door jumped back in unison and saluted.


    ''What was that sound!''


    We were followed by the king and the others, and there was a bit of confusion at the door.


    The king looked around and spotted me, checked to see who wasn''t here and sighed as he realized the cause of this time.


    ''The knights and servants, with the exception of the Konoe and Temma, can return to their posts. Perhaps the Warlord has done some kind of experiment. I''m sorry for the disturbance.


    As the king apologized, the knights and servants bowed their heads in a panic and moved away from the door area.


    It is a good idea to have a good time with them, but it is also a good idea to have a good time with them.


    ''Since Temma is with Maria, did Lyle use the golem inside?


    The king seemed to know what I was here for and asked me to make sure.


    I nodded and told him what had happened. It''s possible that Caesar and the others may not know about the guardianship, just as Isabella didn''t know what Maria told them, so I''ll just blurt out the details.


    It''s a good idea. You are the best card in the game, and you''ve been trying to make yourself look good... my son and grandson, who do you think you are?


    The king was lamenting about the two of them, but the hearts of the people around him, other than himself, would certainly be united. ''''It''s you........''''


    ''Your Majesty says those two are like me and I''m sorry about that.


    As everyone resisted the urge to shove it out of their mouths, Maria apologized in a cold tone and bowed her head.


    The king noticed the gaffe there and was about to say something with a pale face, but Maria-sama ignored it and turned to me.


    ''Temma, I''m having a hard time with two people who look like me (...) doing something stupid, can''t you do something about it?''


    At the same time Maria asked me if there was any way to solve the problem, sarcastically shooting the king in the mouth.


    The door is still closed tightly, and Jean and the others are working hard to push it shut, but it seems that a golem is holding it from the inside, and it''s just as still as before. Moreover, there was no way to break down the door of the audience room for nothing, and Jean and the others didn''t seem to have anything else to do.


    ''''Perhaps we can do it. However, will you give me permission to restrain Lyle-sama and Luna? Of course we won''t do anything to hurt you.


    My words were answered by Lady Maria faster than the king could open his mouth.


    ''I don''t mind. As long as you don''t cause serious injury, I''ll turn a blind eye to some injuries. I''ll take all the blame, the main cause of the injury.


    Maria is sarcastic to the king every single time she speaks to him. It seems that those words really pissed her off. It''s true that if the character of those two people are not like the king, then they are more like Maria than any other person in the room. If the king doesn''t apologize properly at some point, it will be a problem for him later on.


    Well, now that you''ve given me permission Slarin, please. Help us catch those two.


    I called Slarin over and gave him a brief explanation and then waited with him at the door.


    ''Slarin, it''s only a moment, so don''t miss your timing it''s a golem! Open the door!


    When I shouted out a command to the golem through the door, the force that was holding the door in place for a moment became slightly weaker, and when I pushed the door to meet it, a small gap was created. However, the gap also closes up as the golem immediately carries out the orders that Lyle-sama seems to have given. However, that momentary gap seemed to be enough for Slarin, and he had succeeded in smoothly breaking into the audience room.


    Probably this gap was created because I was unsure which order to prioritize, my order, which was provisionally registered but registered first, or Lyle-sama''s order, which was the main registration but registered second. And the golem finally gave priority to Lyle-sama''s order, which was registered as the main registration. If this hadn''t gone through, they would have asked Slarin to take a little detour.


    In the meantime, those golems have the ability to learn easily, so they won''t be able to use this method next time, but I want this kind of thing to happen only once, and I plan to make it work this one time, so there''s no problem.


    I waited in front of the door for a little while and the noise inside became noisy and then quickly quieted down.


    So I ordered the golem to open the door again, and the door, which had been tightly closed up until then, slowly opened.


    ''''It''s open. Come in.''''


    The door was opened completely and then shifted aside, and Mary was the first to enter the audience room at a quick pace.


    ''Lyle! Luna! ...... Not here.....


    Maria was stunned as she shouted as she entered, and was stunned as she shrugged her shoulders as she couldn''t see the former evildoers anywhere in the audience room.


    Slarin, who had entered earlier, approached in front of Maria-sama, who was looking around, and spread his body as if he were opening his mouth, spitting out the two ex-agents.


    ''Ade.''


    Hell, yeah.


    ''Yikes! Hey Slarin, you scared the hell out of me!


    They were both spat out and rolled at Maria-sama''s feet, each hitting her ass and face, looking pathetic. Then Maria-sama was surprised to see them suddenly appear, making a cute little noise and blaming Slarin, as if to cover it up. Slarin bounced his body once, as if to apologize, and then came back to me.


    It''s a good job Slarin. I''m sure you''ll find that the orders are reset when the contractor is separated from the golem.


    What I asked Slarin to do was to capture Lyle-sama and Luna in the space inside Slarin''s body. That''s why, with Lyle-sama separated from the range of the golem''s sensing range, the golem moved up my orders to the first. If this was ''hold the door all the way down'', there is a possibility that they wouldn''t have listened to my order, but Lyle-sama would have simply ordered them to ''hold the door'' or something like that.


    While I was thinking about such things, Lyle-sama and Luna were surrounded by all of the royalty. The sermon will probably start as it is.


    ''''Maria-sama, it seems that we''re not in a position to set up the golems today, so we''ll leave it at that point. And those golems, I''ll bring them back once to make sure there are no broken parts before I bring them back again.


    Since the sermon was going to be long, I decided to leave for now. I don''t think I''ll be able to calmly explain the golem to her, and if I waited until the sermon was over, it would be late at night before I could leave.


    As if she understood my thoughts, Maria-sama had an apologetic look on her face.


    ''I''m sorry Temma. These idiots made me do a double-take. ''Tida, go and see Tenma off. After that you''re free to go as long as your work is done. And Isabella, take Luna to my room. I''ll leave Luna in your care.


    ''Yes, mother-in-law. Luna, let''s go.


    Yes.....


    Lady Isabella walked out of the room with Luna''s hand in tow. Luna was laying face down the whole time and Tida and I just watched her get donned off in silence.


    ''Temma-san, let''s go too,''


    ''Yes. Now, gentlemen, if you''ll excuse me.


    When I greeted the kings surrounding Lyle-sama, they all looked at me for a moment and raised their hands in greeting, then quickly turned to Lyle-sama.


    I couldn''t see them because of the kings'' hiding, but I guess the current situation is like a bad boy being scolded by adults. The people who are scolding them are the top-ranked people in this country, and the ones being scolded are similarly powerful, but... well, in the case of Lyle-sama, he is so powerful that there are few people in this country who can go against him, so I can say that the quality of this case is even worse. And it''s an added bonus that it''s the result of playing with something that''s so close to being classified.


    ''''In the future, Tida will have to scold Luna like that too... and since she has no other siblings or cousins, it will be hard for her to do it alone.


    ''''Hahahaha...........................Don''t tell me. Just thinking about it now makes my head hurt......................Should I call you Temma-san too when I actually scold you?


    No, thanks.


    I''m already talking about Luna deciding to get something done, but when I think back to my usual behavior and see someone who looks even more like Luna getting pissed off, I can''t help but assume it. But I don''t know what Tida is thinking to get me into this. It''s a good thing that you''re not an ordinary commoner when you''re dealing with the future king (as well as the current and next king) in such a carefree manner, but I don''t want you to get involved in something so troublesome.


    When I left the royal castle while talking about such things, there was a carriage prepared for me. It seems that they want you to ride home in it. When I checked with Tida, she said that Maria-sama had arranged it.


    Well, even if it''s obvious that she''s going to take me home, I''m wondering when Maria-sama arranged it. Since she was working with me most of the time in the castle, she may have been preparing for it from the beginning.


    I asked Tida to tell her that I was thanking Maria-sama, and I remembered that I had just gotten into the carriage.


    ''Ah! I forgot, but I''m going to be leaving King''s Landing in a little while, so tell the kings that. See you later!


    As I told the carriage as it began to move forward, Tida didn''t seem to understand what I said at first. But when I called out my name, the speed of the carriage had begun to increase, so I didn''t do anything to stop it, I just stood there in a daze. If this were Luna or Lyle-sama, they would have stopped the carriage while shouting loudly and come running.��Well, they would be called to the king''s castle tomorrow, or they would charge into the house, so it would be fine to talk about the details then.


    The king and the others may be fine with that, but the problem is with Grandpa. It''s not that I''m not interested in this, but I''m almost certain that he''ll follow me...I''ve never had an adventure with my grandfather, so it sounds fun, but it feels like an adventure with a guardian, so I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to be honest.


    At any rate, we''ll probably have to talk late tonight.


    As I was rocking the carriage, I was trying to come up with some plans for how the conversation would turn out.

 121-Chapter 7-9 Aging

    Oh, I see. I''ll have to make a quick workout.


    When I told my grandfather that I would be leaving the capital that night, he seemed to be eager to follow me and began to prepare for the trip. It''s a good thing that you have a big magic bag and a dimension bag with you, so you''re going to need it.


    Then, we''ll start getting ready too! Jeanne, let''s go!


    Aura also looked lively and ran off to her room. For the most part, she''s probably happy to be away from Aina. I was wondering if Jeanne would follow Aura, but why did she come towards me...


    ''Temma, do you think Aina will let you off the hook honestly?''


    He asked. It may sound rude to Aina, but it''s a perfect expression for Aina in front of her prey (Aura).


    If Aura is following me and I don''t say anything, then I think Aina will follow me too.


    Yeah.


    Aina thinks that Aura and Jeanne are not competent enough as maids, and she''s gone out of her way to make time to teach them in person, so I don''t think she would interrupt them for something like this. At the very least, he''ll keep Aura at least within earshot and beat the maid''s acumen into her. In that case, it''s hard to imagine Jeanne following him alone, and there''s a high probability that both of them will remain in the royal capital. It''s also a matter of needing someone to manage the mansion.


    ''''That''s why Jeanne doesn''t have to prepare yet. I''ll lend you a bag if you need it, and you can throw it in there.


    Okay. I''ll tell Aura that, too.


    Jeanne tried to rush after Aura, but I held her back.


    ''You don''t have to tell Aura yet. It''ll be more interesting if you tell her right before you do.


    Jeanne gave me a dumbfounded look at my words, but she didn''t disagree. I''ve seen Aina tinkering with Aura a lot lately, so I somehow thought it would be better to do so. I asked her if Jeanne was the same way, and she told me that a slave cannot disobey her master.


    Jeanne had a clear face, but the corners of her mouth were trembling, so it seems that she thinks the same way. I guess it''s a good thing that Jeanne is becoming less reserved these days. At least it''s much easier to get along with her than when we first met.


    ''Jeanne! We need to get ready as soon as possible!


    All right.


    Jeanne stifled a laugh at Aura''s words, which she knew nothing about, as she ran to Aura, who beckoned her to come to her.


    ''So you''re basically lifting and dropping...''


    What are the basics?


    Nami Taro, who was approaching us before I knew it, used his prosthetic hand to tsukomi me. As expected of the fake Kansai fish, his comebacks were very effective. He looked so vivid and alive.


    He said, "What a devil you are today, Tenma! Is that it? The kind that makes you want to be mean to the girl you like...sorry, forgive me, chompers.


    I started to run off with some strange things, so I got up from my chair to stop him, and for some reason Namitaro turned over, showing his stomach like a dog, and apologized to me in the old-fashioned language. He doesn''t look very sorry.


    I don''t think I''m going to leave the capital," said Merlin''s grandfather. There is no river in or near the city of Seigen, is there?


    Recalling the geography of that vicinity, I told him that there was something like a lake in the dungeon, but not in or near the city. Then Namitaro said.


    I''m going on a trip. It''s been a while since I''ve seen Hi-chan.


    Who''s that? I asked him about it, but he only told me that he was a friend of mine. Since Chi-chan was a little bird, she might be a friend in that direction. Or maybe it''s a creature that makes you feel astonished.


    I had a slight bad feeling about this, but I decided not to ask because he wasn''t going to tell me any more than that.


    ''Okay, be careful. In the meantime, I''ll make sure that the golems in the mansion don''t attack Namitaro, so you can use this mansion at any time.


    Thanks, Tenma. And can you do me a favor and make the sweet potato jelly? I''ll provide the ingredients.


    I don''t know if she likes the sweet potato yokan so much, but Namitaro asked her to make it more poorly than I''ve ever seen her do before.


    I''ve made the potato yokan once, so it''s easy to mass-produce it if you have the ingredients. It wasn''t particularly difficult to make, and since I have a magic bag, I can make it in a few days when I have free time, so it won''t be a problem. And then they headed outside to the pond.


    Each of us began to prepare for the trip in our own way. I basically have everything I need in my bag so I don''t have to get ready for the trip. So my preparations are limited to making Nami Taro''s sweet potato kettle, countermeasures for royalty, and what to do with Joubae and the others. Come to think of it, Juubae reminded me that I still had some white wildebeest left untouched in my bag. I''d forgotten about it because of the mess that followed, but one of the cows was either going to be offered to the royal family or Tida was looking forward to it.


    I took a quick look around the house to make sure I hadn''t forgotten anything, and then I got under the covers early today. I''m sure the messenger or someone from the royal family will come charging in from the castle first thing tomorrow morning, so I want to make sure I''m in good shape. There are many people in that clan who are tired of dealing with them...


    A pleasant drowsiness hit me as I crawled under the covers, thinking about the future, and I fell asleep without resistance.


    ''Temma, are you ready for this! We''ll be out in a minute!


    Loud voices echoed through our house first thing in the morning. Fortunately, all the residents of the mansion were awake, so we didn''t experience an unpleasant awakening, but I wanted them to be quiet, at least during the meal.


    The owner of the loud voice was Lyle-sama, as expected, and behind him were Chris-san and Aina.


    ''Maria-sama was worried about you. She wondered if she''d done something to get her mind off of leaving such an important matter to you on the way home.


    ''I''ve followed up with her to make sure that''s not the case with Tenma-sama, but she still seems to be concerned about it, so Tenma-sama would like to ask Maria to explain it to her directly. Also, Merlin-sama, please come with me. And while you''re at it, Aura and Jeanne, too.


    It was like a favor to me and my grandpa, but as far as Jeanne and Aura were concerned, it was a complete order. And the two of them can''t resist it.


    I understand. Please wait for me as I will get ready in a minute.


    Oh!


    Hearing Lyle-sama''s words with authority, I went back to my room, grabbed the bag that held my clothes and other items of clothing and took out the clothes I wanted.


    The clothes were clothes that Maria-sama had bought me before. I haven''t had a chance to wear them very often, and since I''ll probably meet Maria-sama at the royal castle, it''s just as well.


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    ''''Well then, let''s get going as soon as possible!


    Lyle-sama, looking somewhat impatient, took my hand and hurriedly got into the carriage. Aina got into the driver''s seat, Aura was beside her with a disgusted look on her face, and inside the carriage was Lyle-sama, me, grandpa, and Jeanne. Chris-san seemed to be going on horseback, and when the carriage started to move, the waiting knights started to run as a harbinger of things to come. The purpose of the harbinger is to let you know that the carriage in which Lyle-sama is riding will pass. If you intentionally ignore the harbinger and block the road, you will be punished very seriously. The exception to this is carriages transporting doctors and the sick, which go unpunished. It''s like the procession of lords in a previous life.


    We are able to arrive at the castle earlier than usual thanks to the harbinger. Mr. Cliffe was waiting at the entrance of the castle, and as soon as we dismounted from the carriage, we were ushered into the room where the kings were waiting for us. However, Jeanne and Aura were taken away by Aina on the way and separated.


    ''Oh, sorry to call you out, Temma. I was surprised to hear from Tida that you would be leaving the royal capital in a few days.


    As soon as he was shown into the room he was brought into on his first day, the king opened the door and immediately opened his mouth.


    The king and all the royals were in the room, all sitting on the couches. The two empty places would be where my grandfather and I would be sitting. Grandpa found it and without refusing anyone, he sat down on the sofa and demanded tea from the king. The king very naturally stood up and approached the wagon with the pot of tea on it and began to prepare the tea.


    I''m sorry...so what are you looking for today?


    After receiving the tea, Grandpa waited for the king to take his seat before he tried to get the requirements for today''s call. His expression was as powerful as if he were facing an enemy.


    ''I''ll get to that subject first.


    Turning to the king, who was frightened by the seriousness of his grandfather''s gaze, Maria, who was sitting next to him, opened her mouth instead.


    ''Yesterday, Tida was in a hurry to see Tenma off, so I asked her why, and she said that Tenma was leaving the royal capital. We were worried because of the suddenness of the situation, and we wondered if we had done something to displease her. We should have asked you about it, but we couldn''t barge in with all of you for any length of time, so we ended up calling you out to hear what you had to say, but it looks like our fears were unfounded.


    The king looked at Maria as if she was convinced. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city. By the way, I asked him later why he was acting in such a manner. The reason why Grandpa had a grim expression on his face was simply to make fun of the king. By the way, the reason why Maria-sama immediately thought it was a mistake was because of the clothes I was wearing. It''s a good thing that you can''t get away from the fact that you''re not a bad person to declare your differences with the royal family by wearing the clothes that were given to you. .


    After that, I explained and transferred the golem, confirmed that I was able to activate it without any problems, and moved on to the dinner party. At that time, the two of them, who hadn''t learned their lesson, tried to withdraw from the dinner party, but Maria-sama''s one look at them made them quiet. In the meantime, even the king became quiet because of their power relationship.


    The menu for the dinner party is all made of white beef. It was served with thin slices of meat wrapped in hot water and wrapped with vegetables, tartar steak with lean meat and roast beef, hamburgers and steak. The tartar steaks and roast beef and hamburgers were the ones I taught them, and I only gave them to them verbally when I handed them the meat, but as you would expect from a chef who serves the royal family, the level of perfection was quite high.


    However, since there were only hearty dishes lined up, I thought it would be too hard for the ladies, let alone the men, but surprisingly, it wasn''t so bad. Maria, in particular, was quite a daredevil. Maybe it''s because she''s under a lot of stress, but....


    ''''As expected of a white wild beef... Temma, I think it''s better than the last one I had, what did you do?''''


    The king would ask such a question over a steak. Maria-sama, Caesar-sama and the others nodded in agreement with that. However, Luna didn''t seem to sense any difference in taste between Lyle-sama and Tida, and she subtly twisted her head.


    ''If the taste was good, it must be because of the aging. It was my first time trying it, so I''m glad it worked.


    ''When you say "aging" you''re supposed to be putting liquor and other things to bed... what does that have to do with anything?


    After hearing the king''s words, I knew that in this world, there is no or rare thing to age meat.


    ''''Yes, it''s roughly the same thing. By storing the meat in a cool, dark place, being careful not to freeze it, the meat''s flavor was increased.''''


    I tried to use a method I remembered from long ago, and I was worried because I had a hazy memory of it, but I was relieved to see that it worked well.


    We used a dimension bag to cool the inside of it beforehand with ice and snow magic, made shelves and put the meat wrapped in a clean cloth to mature. It was stored for roughly ten days, and during that time, the temperature was stabilized by placing ice in the corner, but there didn''t seem to be any problems.


    Still, even though this meat has been subjected to an experimental method, does the fact that the kings haven''t said anything about it show that they trust us?


    Well, I decided that there was no problem because I and my grandfather had seen how things were going, and I''d gotten permission from Cleif and Aina. By now, Clef and his friends are probably in another room eating the same thing with Jeanne and the others.


    It''s a good idea to have a little bit of meat damage because the people of this world seem to have a stronger stomach than the people of the previous life, so maybe they think it''s okay to have a little bit of meat damage. Although, even in the unlikely event that it does happen, it''s probably okay because it can be magically cured.


    ''''That''s all it takes to make the meat good.......I''ll let them try it right away.


    When the king said that, Maria-sama and other Lyle-sama and Luna, who didn''t seem to understand the difference in taste, agreed.


    But with cured meat, I think it''s better to cut off the parts that have been exposed to air before cooking. This was the first time it was aged, so I cut out more of it, just in case. If you include the amount of water that was removed, we ended up cutting down more than 40% of the total amount of meat.


    I said be careful, but the meat was magically sanitized before it was cooked, so I''m sure it wasn''t inedible. In addition, my children were responsible for the cut off portions, and they enjoyed it.


    ''I''m against it if it reduces the taste by forty percent. Even if it''s a little less tasty, we should be able to eat that too.


    No. It''s a waste of time to throw it away!


    When they heard my warning, Lyle-sama and Luna were the first to object. For the two of us who choose quantity over quality if it''s only a small difference, 40% of the meat seems to be inexcusable.


    Well, even if it''s true, it''s not a good idea to throw away something that can be eaten, even if a large portion of it is funded by taxes from the people.


    Maria seemed to be on the opposite side of the fence, and she expressed her theory with some regret.


    ''But I think there is room for a little research. For example, if we served it to guests from other countries, it would have some effect.


    ''Yes. If we could make better use of the parts that are thrown away or eliminate them, we would be able to eat good meat with a reasonable frequency, if not every day, and chefs would be more motivated.


    "And if you are entertaining guests who can''t afford to eat a lot, this meat will be especially appreciated.


    King-sama, Caesar-sama and Zain-sama were in favor of it, each citing advantages. Most importantly, the word ''guest'' that came up in Zain-sama''s words seems to be correctly converted in my brain as Missalia-sama. It seems that Missalia-sama hasn''t fully recovered yet, so she''s recuperating at home this time.


    After that, the king, Caesar and the others began to talk with each other in the middle of a meal, and when they realized there wasn''t any food left on the table (the culprits were Maria and Luna) they became depressed, but they decided to experiment with the aging process a little at a time.


    ''So when does Temma leave? If you haven''t decided, you should let us know before you leave. Absolutely!


    I nodded when Maria reminded me to do so. If I forgot, it would be very frightening, so I added it firmly to my mind''s notepad and drew multiple red lines to make it stand out. If you don''t want to be like the king, never forget it! Along with the letters of .........


    Incidentally, Grandpa had barely managed to control the fierce battle for prey with Master Ernest, who was sitting next to him again, and was rubbing his belly with a tired but satisfied look on his face.

 122-Chapter 7-10 Rewards

    The meal was over and each person was enjoying their after-dinner tea when the king suddenly remembered and opened his mouth.


    He said, "I forgot about it. Temma, come back to the castle tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You''ll be dressed for the occasion!


    I was wary of the king when he spoke like this, as it was usually not a rogue thing to do.


    ''Well, don''t be alarmed. For what we''ve done so far, as a royal family, we forgot to formally reward Temma, so we''ll just give it to him before we leave the royal capital.''''


    I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.


    I heard the king''s words and declined without a pause.


    The king looked a little surprised when he was told he didn''t want it before he could finish his words. As expected, this is too rude, and just when I was beginning to regret it a bit, I heard a laugh from next to the king, wondering if the king would be angry.


    ''''You, as expected, I will refuse Temma in that way. The way you cut it out when dealing with the usual nobles, you''d think they''d give you a fief or a title as a reward, and Temma has long said he doesn''t want such things.''''


    Mmm....


    The king, who was softly chided by Maria, looked a little embarrassed and scratched his cheek.


    ''''I''m sorry I refused without hearing the end of your story. If it''s not a fiefdom or a title, then what is the reward?''''


    If it''s the way the king just said it, it''s usually a fiefdom or a title, but if it''s not, is it some kind of gold and silver treasure? As for me, I''d rather have a rare metal like the baboon cane than something like that, but...


    Hmm. The reward for Temma is a family name and family crest!


    I was a little surprised by this reward. However, it was not the family name that surprised me, but the family crest. As for the family name, it''s not that unusual, as it''s given to adventurers who have been active enough to catch the eye of a high-ranking noble, or it''s something that powerful merchants and others have to distinguish themselves from other traders. In the extreme, there''s no particular problem with ordinary people calling themselves that. Well, it seems to be unusual for a person to be recognized by the royal family and be given a name, as is the case here.


    However, the family crest is different from the family name. This one is stored in the royal castle''s records room, so it is not possible to make one''s own family crest. Those who have a family crest are powerful or historic nobles (smaller or newer nobles more often than not don''t have one), those who have contributed greatly to the country, or those who have made extraordinary achievements. However, since the latter two examples usually become noblemen as soon as they receive the family crest, it is safe to say that few ordinary people have them. It is safe to assume that those who do have it are the descendants of those who did not become nobles in the two examples.


    Since Temma doesn''t seem to want to be a nobleman, I hope he''ll at least accept this. This is what I ask of you as king.


    The fact that he went out of his way to say the king means that he''s going to make me accept it at all costs. I''m not going to be the only one who has a problem with it, but I''m not afraid to accept it, if I decide that it''s something that will show that the royal family has given me a reward, and I don''t mind receiving it. If I accept this reward, it will show that I''m on good terms with the royal family, and if I don''t accept it, people will think I''m disrespecting the royal family and making fun of them, and my reputation will decline. It''s a good thing that the name of the royal family will not be harmed in either case.


    ''''That''s a pretty bad move.


    We need to show him what a king looks like from time to time.


    My sarcasm is met with a hateful smugness on the king''s face. This is a complete defeat for me.


    "I will be grateful for the prize.


    Mmm!


    I kneeled ostentatiously and thanked him, and the king nodded his head with a great deal of pride. But it was frustrating to leave him beaten, so when I stood up.


    It''s not a reward, but I would like to offer you a pudding for dessert after dinner. However, I don''t want His Majesty to get sick from what I''ve offered him, so I''ll have Mr. Cleife, the poisoner, check on His Majesty''s portion.


    I''m sorry, sir.


    Before the king could say anything, before I knew it, Mr. Cliffe, who had come right behind me, held out his hand to me. Even though it was something I had expected, I was a little, or rather quite surprised by his sudden appearance, but I handed the king''s portion of pudding to Mr. Cleif-san as if nothing had happened.


    ''You all can have some too.''


    ''No, Temma, my "Thank you brother! Pudding "Thank you, Temma-san," is....


    As I handed the pudding to everyone while ignoring the king''s words, the pudding disappeared when it went to everyone except the king.


    ''''Then let me have a look at the poison......................Mmm, this is not right! It''s poison to Your Majesty! So I will take responsibility and let this me handle it!


    Cliffe! What is poison! Give it back! My pudding, "Thank you for dinner, Temma-sama." ooh.....


    The king tried to take the pudding from Mr. Cliffe, but Mr. Cliffe quickly but elegantly ate all of the pudding while ducking the king''s hand with a flutter. The moment the container of pudding was empty, the king fell to his knees on the floor with no strength, as if he had broken down crying.


    ''''You''re so disgusting,''''


    Then I''ll have your pudding... "Thank you for the food.


    Maria ate the remaining pudding quickly and elegantly the moment she realized that the king had spotted her pudding.


    Seeing this, everyone hurriedly ate their respective puddings, thinking it would be a disaster if the king caught their attention. With the exception of two people, it was only elegantly done.


    The king thought that everyone had finished their pudding and was about to sit down in a chair without effort when he noticed that some of them still hadn''t touched their pudding.


    ''Zain, if you don''t want it, it''s for me!


    "I''m sorry, Your Majesty. This is a gift for my wife........she was looking forward to this dinner party, but because she is not in the best of health, she has decided to be absent in tears. So I wanted to at least let her eat this dessert...


    Master Zain pretended to wipe his eyes and told them why he was leaving the pudding behind and said, "If His Majesty still needs it, I will be happy to offer it to you. My wife would be happy if His Majesty would enjoy it too," he said with an exaggerated gesture, and everyone looked at the king in unison. Of course, they are only teasing you, but Luna, who did not seem to understand the situation, held out her container with a little bit of pudding left in it to the king.


    ''Grandfather, you can have mine, and let your aunt eat the pudding!


    He said. And with tears in her eyes........if this Luna''s behavior is an act, then I''m quite worried about her future.


    With these words of Luna, the king gave up on the pudding (by Maria-sama''s cold gaze to be exact) and sat back down in his seat quietly.


    ''''Well, let''s leave this man out of it... Temma, about the family crest, you''re allowed to use a special dragon. Normally, this would only be allowed for families close to the royal family, but in the case of Temma, since he has defeated the dragon twice and also used it, it''s a special case. Well, it''s not like there haven''t been examples in the past, so it''s not like it''s an exception to the rule. You decide on the design yourself, and submit it to the royal family once. Well, as long as you don''t use the dragon and lion, which is the family crest that symbolizes the royal family, there shouldn''t be much of a problem.


    It''s a pretty outlandish explanation, but it would be a problem if it resembled other nobles, especially powerful ones. It''s not easy to find a dragon, but even so, there are animals and patterns that symbolize the aristocracy, so even if they are similar, you need to think of a reason not to make a problem of it, or come up with something that doesn''t look like them at all. It''s a surprisingly, or rather troublesome thing to do.


    And those three things represent me right now.


    The more I thought about it, the more troublesome it became, so I decided to make the dragon look like Solomon, and add Shiroumaru (wolf) and Slurin (slime) to it. Other noblemen may have used the wolf, but it was decided that no other nobleman would use the slime as their family crest. I''m sure the people who know me will be convinced by these three, and even noblemen who already use wolves will not be able to say they are imitating me if I tell them that I used them because I myself use wolves as my family members.


    ''''For someone who says it sounds troublesome, you''re quick to decide... well, all right. There are several family crests that use the wolf, but there is no use of it at the same time as the dragon, and moreover, there should be no one I know of that uses slime as a family crest. I don''t think there will be any complaints from anywhere. So now all that''s left is the design, do you have any ideas?


    The king, who had recovered from the pudding shock, asked in an amused voice. Maria and everyone else seemed to be the same, with a curious look on their faces. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the same shape as the one used in the royal family crest, so you can''t change the shape of it.


    Well, the dragon is placed in the upper right corner, and the wolf is placed diagonally across the lower left corner of the dragon, and the circle that represents the slime in the form that encompasses the two. In the center of this circle, between the dragon and the wolf, we place another small circle. It''s the core of the slime. How about this one?


    I roughly write down my thoughts on a piece of paper. I didn''t think too hard about it, I just put the slarin'' in place, but I think I''ve done a rather good job of it. In fact, I''m going to decide on this one, even if people say it''s strange.


    ''I think it''s good! And it''s easier to understand when you''re my brother!


    Luna, who loves Solomon, was the first to agree, and everyone else followed suit. The main reason for agreeing to it was because, as Luna said, it was easy to understand. It''s important for the new family crest to be associated with the person who will be using it, so my idea is, in a sense, an ideal one.


    The design is good, and it doesn''t look out of place with the others, so there''s no problem. It''s not a problem because the design is good and it doesn''t conflict with any other ideas. You can choose from among them.


    It is said that there is a department in the castle that handles registered family crests, and one of the department''s duties is to create a family crest. Those who are allowed to have their own family crests can choose to create them themselves or ask the department to create them for them, so they don''t have to worry about sharing their family crests with other nobles.


    By the way, many people who create their own crests are very stubborn, and sometimes they become so disciplined that they don''t know their exact crests, so they end up going back to the department several times to check and correct them. It seems that this may be the reason why lower class aristocrats and commoners, who have to go through complicated and time-consuming procedures to enter the castle, tend to simplify their family crests. Instead of a circle and a ten, a batten in a circle.


    Please. It would be better to leave that to the professionals.


    As I''m not artistic enough to do detailed designs, I would welcome a department that would do it as long as they have an idea.


    But aside from dragons and wolves, the people in the department might be surprised to hear that you''re going to be using slime as your family crest. As expected, I don''t think anyone would make fun of you for asking who it belongs to.


    People who only know ordinary slime would certainly be surprised. That''s how weak slime is.......with a few exceptions.


    ''''I did a little research on that, and it seems that in terms of the percentage of slime types, the weaker slimes are actually less of a type in themselves.


    The words are Tida''s. With those words we wait for Tida to continue. Although she was a little embarrassed that everyone was paying attention to her, Tida took some time to organize the conversation in her mind and began to continue.


    I''ve heard that slime can be roughly divided into ordinary slimes, slimes with special abilities and slimes that can use magic, ordinary slimes are the ones you see often and their different colors, and slimes with special abilities are the ones that have various poisons and can create strong acids inside their bodies, and those with magic. What you can use is what it means as it is. Special abilities are often found in poisonous slime, and the poison varies from ordinary poison to bleeding poison, paralyzing poison, hallucinogenic poison, and so on, and some of them are compound poisons that have the effects of several poisons. One theory is that there may be as many poisons as there are in the world. It is said that just like poison, some magic has only a single attribute and others have multiple attributes.


    It is said that they are the most common. Moreover, since each of them has its own subspecies, they are also, in a sense, the most numerous types of monsters.


    Then, Slarin must be a ''subspecies of slime that can use magic''. Or ''a sub-species of slime with multiple special abilities''.


    "You are learning fast, Tida. There''s a big difference from two generations ago.


    Grandpa, who knows about the king''s past, said teasingly.


    ''Tida is like Maria, she can study...''


    I said. He seems to be taking his past reflections into account. Maria-sama also nodded with satisfaction after hearing the answer.


    Tida looked a little happy because her grandfather had given her a passing grade.


    ''''So, do you think of your own family name as well?''''


    ''No, this one is to be given to me by me to decide. And I have already decided on the family name to be given to Temma. I''m sorry to Temma, but since I (the king) will give him the name of the family I will give him directly, he cannot change it, even if he dislikes it. At that time, you don''t have to use it unless it is absolutely necessary to use it.


    Well, that''s just as it should be. I''m sure it''s the same as it was given to me directly by the king, and I''m not going to change it based on my own feelings. It''s a good idea to have a name for the family that I wouldn''t like, since it''s attached to Maria-sama. However, it''s okay according to Maria''s standards, so there''s still a small chance of a house name that I wouldn''t like.


    So in the small amount of time it took for the king to announce that family name, my heart was beating a little faster.


    ''Temma, the family name I''m giving you is ''Ootori''. From now on, you may call yourself Temma Ootori. Of course, you don''t have to use it if you don''t like it.


    I haven''t heard my family name in my previous life in fifteen years, and it makes me feel nostalgic.


    I am grateful for that family name. Therefore, I ask that you allow me to inscribe the family name and family crest on my parents'' graves.


    This ''Ootori'' name was given to me personally, so I decided to ask for permission to let my spouse and children use it, but I thought it was too subtle to use it for my parents.


    ''That''s a given. Naturally, I''ll be pissed if you don''t inscribe it.


    ''Yes. It''s the family name I gave you, so you can do what you want with it. I''m sure Shelia and the others will be very pleased.


    The king and Mary agreed with me.


    "Then may I take on the name of Otori?


    My grandfather would ask me about it, too, and he''d be very reserved.


    Of course, Grandpa.


    He looked very happy when I replied.


    And, Temma," he said, "the family name ''Ootori'' is similar to ''Audrey''. The family name "Otori" is like my "Audrey", and I''m sure there will be some prying eyes. And when that happens, we will be here to help.


    When Master Ernest said this, Grandpa''s face instantly turned alert.


    What do you think you''re doing?


    I''m not planning anything! I''m just saying that we are responsible for giving you the family name and that you should come to me if you need anything!


    The two of them fight all the time, but like Grandpa said, I don''t think Master Ernest is up to something, and I''m sure he''s not wrong. At least, I don''t think he''s saying it with entirely good intentions alone.


    ''No matter what you think of the way he says it, it''s suspicious!


    What?


    Leaving the two of them alone as usual, I looked at the other faces who would have known the meaning of Master Ernest''s words. When I stared at them with zit eyes, the king''s face was slightly drawn up.


    I was about to focus my aim on the king when


    It''s nothing to be concerned about, it''s just a matter of letting the other noblemen think that the royal family and the Temma are connected, as usual. It''s a good idea to make people think that the other noble families are connected to the Temma, and in return, they say, ''If the idiots give you trouble, just tell us and we''ll take care of the problem.


    The kings looked surprised at Lyle-sama''s simple revelation, but Lyle looked at them and said


    ''It''s a little late for that, isn''t it? I''m sure you''ll find that since the royal family (us) and Temma are going to be in a relationship, there will be a certain amount of use involved, so it''s better for both of us not to hide it. These things get sullied because you try to hide them in a strange way.


    He said.


    Hearing Lyle-sama''s words, the king and Maria looked a little bummed out.


    You''re right. Temma, I''m sorry.


    ''Well, it wasn''t the kind of thing a parent would do to say he was like a son and then try to take advantage of him unilaterally. I''m sorry, Temma.


    They both bowed together and apologized to me. In that vein, the king suggested that we should not give them the family name.


    ''''No, I have received your apology and I''ve heard the reasoning behind it and it makes sense. To put it bluntly, it''s not much different from what I''ve been doing, and I''ll be grateful for the family name.


    And I decided to get the name of Ootori as it is. It seems that the gods originally reincarnated me as Tenma Ootori (Houtenma), but I didn''t need a family name when I was living in Kukri village, and even after I went on my journey, I was just a tenma, so I honestly forgot about half of the Ootori name.


    To be honest, I''m not that attached to the Ootori name right now, but if my dad and mom (and my grandpa) are allowed to use it, I''ll take it no matter what.


    The only connection between me and my dad and mom now is that we were father and son, and that''s on the level of ''people who know''. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it, but it''s also a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.


    That''s why I want to carve the name "Ootori" on their graves, so that people who don''t know us can understand that we are parent and child. I know it''s completely self-satisfying, but I still wanted to create a new bond between my mom and dad.


    ''So, what do you want me to do the day after tomorrow?''


    At first I was thinking of asking you to come to the castle to tell us that the royal family gave you the family name and crest as a reward, so that it would remain in the castle''s official papers, but the design of the family crest was almost decided in an unexpectedly short period of time, and I''d like to announce it formally, preferably in front of the castle''s senior officials. It''s going to be a last-minute decision, but I''ll send the design of the family crest to the department right away and have them prepare several different patterns before noon tomorrow. If there is a design among them that Temma likes, he will officially adopt it and cleanse it from there. But there was no need to compromise if there wasn''t one that Temma liked. At that point, you can postpone the announcement, or you can just give him the family name first.


    He says it''s important to announce it anyway. The royal family gives out the family name and family crest as a reward and I receive it in an official capacity. If you write it down in a document, it ends with that sentence, but when the words ''in front of the vassals'' are added to it, the situation changes a bit.


    The most common overlords in the castle are the royalists, but there are still some neutrals and reformers to some extent. When they see and hear the exchange between me and the king directly, the conversation will automatically spread to their faction mates. In other words, it seems that me and the royalist faction have strengthened the relationship. That''s probably what Maria-sama meant by ''one-sided use''.


    It''s really a new thing. I''d rather he came to my house in a carriage and was free to relax in my living room than worry about such things.


    While talking to the King about such things, we began to make arrangements for the day after tomorrow.


    I heard that the busiest people were the members of the family crest management department who had come to give the king his orders, and since the order came directly from the head of the country, they mobilized all of their staff to work on the job, since they were short on time.


    One of the few saving graces was that I had already decided on the most troublesome part (the main design of the family crest) and left the other parts to them.

 123-Chapter 7-11 Family crest, Namitaro and flute

    This family crest, please.


    I was shown several designs of family crests first thing in the morning, and I chose one of them and handed it to the man in front of me.


    The staff member who belongs to the family crest management department is an aristocrat, but he has circles under his eyes from being up all night and wears soggy clothes that make him look like an invalid.


    Thank you for your quick decision.


    The man bowed his head lightly and carefully tucked the design I''d chosen into his bag, drawing a large batten on the rest of the design and crumpling it up on the spot.


    ''I''ll take my leave then,''


    After bowing again, the man jumped into the carriage that was waiting for him in front of the mansion and rushed back to the royal castle in a great hurry. It seems he still has some work to do.


    ''''Temma, what kind of family crest did you choose?''''


    Namitaro emerged from the garden pond and approached me, seemingly curious.


    I held out the copy of the family crest I had chosen earlier, and Namitaro dexterously took it with his prosthetic hand that I had made and held it in front of his face.


    ''Oh!'' That''s pretty good! That''s so cool! But the slarin'' looks a little different from what I heard yesterday.


    In the family crest I decided on yesterday, it was a perfect circle to represent Slarin, whereas this one was more like a triangular shape, rounded like an onigiri.


    The guy who brought me a sample of the family crest said, "If it''s a circle, it won''t fit Solomon, but it won''t fit Shiroumaru, or it''ll be distorted, so I''ve prepared two versions: one stuffed into a circle and one made into a triangle.


    I checked the round version too, just to be sure, and sure enough, the Shiroumaru was either oddly shaped or much smaller than Solomon''s.


    The triangular version, on the other hand, fit in nicely as Shiroumaru sat down.


    By the way, I''m not in it, what''s going on here?


    No, Namitaro isn''t my family, and there''s no way I''m letting him in.


    When I immediately interrupted him, Namitaro''s eyes widened into a full circle (although they were round to begin with) and he began to rasp and shudder.


    What the hell?


    He exclaimed. Grandpa and the others, startled by his voice, ran out of the house, but Namitaro didn''t care and started to roll and splash around the yard and flail about.


    ''Terrible! Oh, Temma, that''s terrible! So you just use me, and when you''re done with me, you just toss me out! Onion! You''re a devil!


    Nami Taro yells loudly and unintelligibly. People on the street were shouting "What''s going on! And he was peeking out from the gate.


    However, when most of the people found out that it was Nami Taro who was rampaging, they disbanded, as if to say, "It''s always the same thing. The only people left at the gate are those who like to watch Namitaro. They must be people who like to watch animals behave in interesting ways.


    ''Okay I know you won''t have time to put Namitaro in the official one, but I''ll make one with him in it for my personal use.


    When I made a compromise that came to me on the spur of the moment because Namitaro was too annoying, Namitaro stopped moving with a snap and


    You''re right. I told you. You''re not allowed to lie. If you lie, you''ll have a Harisenbon.


    And then he reminds me with a zit eye. But Namitaro. If you say it that way, you''re either a fish or a comedian duo. If it''s the former, you can enjoy it depending on how you cook it, but if it''s the latter, I''d rather not.


    Then cut your finger off! Come on, man, if you lie, it''s like Harisenbon.... I cut off my finger!


    Namitaro forced the little finger of his prosthetic hand to intertwine with my little finger and began to sing, shaking his hand up and down vigorously. I hadn''t done a finger-cutting in decades, and it hurt so bad I thought my little finger would break off.


    The grandfathers, who had been dumbfounded by Namitaro''s behavior, began to look into the family crest when they realized that the story was about the family crest.


    "Oh, this is good work!


    Really good work! Looking at it this way, it''s the perfect design for Temma.


    ''I''m also a maid for Lady Temma, and I''m snooty! ........By the way, where can we put Namitaro?


    For some reason, the proud Aura casually pokes at my point of concern. Where should I really put it........


    With this in mind, I looked at Namitaro, who was blasting through the garden, and before I knew it, Shiroumaru and Solomon were chasing after Namitaro. Apparently, they have mistakenly thought it was a game or something to snatch away the ''victory'' cloth that Namitaro is holding up.


    ''Hmm? What?


    As I looked at Namitarou and the others, I felt a choppy tug on my cuff. When I turned around, I saw Slarin with his tentacles outstretched.


    Slarin was stretching out and trying to peer at the paper with the family crest on it. Normally, he would have made his body bigger to peer in, but with his grandfathers around him, he couldn''t make his body as big as he wanted.


    ''Since Slarin is also a model, you were wondering about the family crest. I''m sorry I didn''t notice.


    With a word of apology to Slarin, I bent down and brought myself back up to show him the family crest. Slarin shuddered once, as if to say he didn''t care, and then looked at the family crest.


    ''''This outer frame is Slarin!


    When we explained the meaning of the family crest, Slarin traced the outer frame that we were told represented him with his tentacles and turned his body into a triangle similar to the family crest.


    We were soothed by seeing Slarin like that, but he thought it was doing something fun, so Shiroumaru and Solomon stopped chasing Namitarou and rushed towards us.


    They peeked at the family crest, as did Slarin, and the three of them began to face each other in some way. And then.


    Oh, no, not the human script, but the Military Seal... or the Military Seal.


    As Grandpa had said, the three of them tried to recreate the family crest.


    Shiroumaru sat facing right, in a howling posture, and Solomon waited in the air diagonally to his right, his body moving up and down a bit as he flapped his wings, which was probably a charm. Then, behind the two, the emperorized slarin'' changed its body shape into a rounded triangle.


    ''''All three of them are amazing!''''


    When I praised them, the three of them looked somewhat proud (Slarin was in the mood).


    ''''Wait a minute~!''''


    Then the big carp (Namitaro), who doesn''t read the air, bursts in. He drifts to a stop underneath Solomon, as if to avoid me. It seems that this is where Namitaro wants to be.


    I''m here! Get in position! ........or rather, it''s the only place that looks like it could go in!


    It''s typical of Namitaro to make a strong declaration and then add a punchline at the end.


    For now, I''m going to write down the location of Slarin'' and his friends on a piece of paper I had in my hand, and then I''ll add a profile of Namitaro (or something like that) to it... I''m almost depressed at my own lack of artistic ability, but I''ll get over it by convincing myself that this is a draft.


    I put the poorly written draft away in my bag so that everyone can''t see it, and check my plans for today... or rather, I finished checking my family crest, which was my biggest plan, so I had nothing to do even though it was before noon.


    ''''Since there''s nothing to do, let''s make Namitaro''s sweet potato yokan.......


    The large amount of potatoes I steamed in my spare time were sitting in my bag, so I decided to finish the kneading process today at the very least, and headed for the kitchen with the necessary tools and ingredients in my head. A few hours later, with Namitaro''s expectant gaze at my back...


    ''Sorry, Namitaro I failed. To be exact, it turned out a little different than a potato yokan.


    Since we had a large quantity of ingredients, I didn''t want to mix in a little rice flour to reduce the amount of time it takes to harden the yokan, but I guess I shouldn''t have done that. The resulting sweet potato yokan was a bit sticky, like a pseudo-uirou (sweet potato pancake)... though it was delicious in its own way.


    What the f*ck...


    Namitaro looks more desperate than ever before. And then he gently puts a piece of it in his mouth...


    What, it''s good. I''ll take this one.


    The smile turned into a smile. As long as it has potatoes in it, he doesn''t seem to care about whether it''s a yokan or a uirou, as long as it has potatoes in it.


    Well, the taste isn''t all that different, so don''t worry about it. Besides, if you are going to eat it in water, this one is easier to eat because it doesn''t fall apart easily.


    Namitaro holds out a gold coin to me as he says this. It''s probably the reward for this time.


    ''No, I don''t want it. In the end, you failed, and the cost of materials is owned by Namitaro, and this is just a thank you for the help you gave me at the tournament.


    After some pushing and shoving, Namitaro reluctantly put the gold coin back in his pocket... there (between the pectoral and pectoral fins), Namitaro seems to be equipped with a magic bag. I''m sure there must be more.


    As I was thinking about this, Namitaro suddenly pulled out his scales.


    "I''ll do this.......and that''s it! Temma, take this!


    With a beep, Nami Taro''s scales fly off like shuriken. It wasn''t very fast, so I took it as if I were picking it with my thumb and forefinger.


    ''''What''s this?''''


    The one Namitaro gave me was a palm-sized kite shaped scale, with a gap as if it were two identical pieces piled on top of each other, and a hole at the tip.


    That''s my reverse scale!


    Gyakutei, you''re a carp! And three times....


    I swallowed the words I was about to say at the tweaked whistle. Because I didn''t want to hear something that would show up once and twice.


    ''Ah! By the way, don''t worry, I''m sure it will reach me once or twice.


    I was annoyed by Namitaro''s thumbs up with his prosthetic hand, but I managed to hold back from hitting him with my attack magic.


    ''''Well, it looks handy, so I''ll keep it for good measure.


    Until the day you use it, this whistle? will become bag fodder.


    ''Honestly, take care of it!


    There was an exchange like this, and nothing more impactful happened that day than that.


    The next day, I dressed up early in the morning and was brought to the castle by Mr. Cliffe.


    I had to come early for a detailed meeting, and it''s about seven o''clock now. I was brought here for a breakfast, so my stomach clock is about to start beating.


    Then, please wait in this room, Temma-sama. I''ll prepare something light for you in a moment before the meeting.


    In the meantime, I have food in my own bag, but they say that they will prepare the food over there as a courtesy. Since that butler said he would prepare it immediately, he''ll bring it right away as he said.


    But apart from that, I was wandering around the room for no reason, as I was attacked while I was sleeping and I felt sleepy if I was not careful.


    When I somehow moved to the window of the room, I heard the sound of metal clashing from outside, so I opened the window and looked in the direction of the sound.


    The sound was coming from a space a little off the patio, and it was two people I knew were making the noise. I concentrated for a bit.


    ''Aina still has a lot of muscle. That''s quite a nasty attack.


    ''Thank you for the compliment. Would you be willing to take a blow for the compliment? Captain of the Kingsguard!


    It''s an unusual combination. It''s a rare combination, or rather, it''s the first time I''ve seen it, and when I see those two at the same time, there''s always someone around.


    It seems to be a practical form of training, and Aina''s halberd is wielded with considerable speed and power. However, Din-san is using only his one-handed sword and continues to judge Aina''s attacks. Looking at the expression on his face, he seems to still have a lot of energy left in him.


    ''''Temma-sama, do you care about those two?''''


    Woohoo!


    Suddenly, he whispered in my ear and I jumped back from the spot, making a strange sound. The identity of the voice was, as expected, that (...) butler, and he was holding a tray with sandwiches and drinks on it with both hands... I can''t help but wonder how he opened the door in that state, and how he crept up behind me, as he does every time.


    ''No, I opened the door normally and walked up behind Tenma-sama normally, but so what?''


    A butler who mumbles about how good he is. If this butler were an assassin, how many times would I have been killed by him? A chill ran down my back as I thought about that.


    ''I''m not thinking of harming Tenma-sama. That said, those two, when their time is right, they often train there. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re looking for a job.


    As far as explaining that situation to me while reading my mind quickly, this man must really be an excellent butler.


    ''''Huh, I see........But even so, Aina is stronger than I expected. We received a few requests together before, but you hid your abilities a lot at that time. With the way she looked, even if she had participated in this year''s martial arts tournament, she could have gone pretty good, right?


    Well, depending on your qualifying group, you could have qualified for the finals. Even if you couldn''t win because of Tenma-sama''s presence, depending on the combination, you could have finished in the top tier.


    I continued to watch the two of them train as I talked to Mr. Cliffe and munched on the sandwiches he brought me.


    ''I guess that''s it,''


    I''m here.


    Mr. Dinh slammed the halberd that Aina had thrust out a little too forcefully into the ground, stomping on it with his foot and thrusting his sword into Aina''s neck with the returning sword. Aina surrendered, breathing on her shoulders, but Mr. Din was only slightly breathless.


    Mr. Dinh was talking to Aina in some kind of advise, mixing in some movement. Aina nodded, occasionally making the same movements. Is that face red because she was moving so violently just now?


    ''''They''re both skillful, but as expected of Dinh here, he''s better. Aina is doing her best, but her ground power is too different.


    As expected of Mr. Cleif-san, he also praised Mr. Dinh honestly.


    I don''t think he heard Mr. Cleif''s praise, but Mr. Din found us and raised his hand lightly, looking a little embarrassed.


    I bowed my head in response and then closed the window.


    ''Din''s embarrassment is quite rare, isn''t it?


    Mr. Cleif looked at Mr. Dinh and the others with the happiest expression of the day. In addition, Aina didn''t seem to notice us and was looking at Din-san''s face with a serious expression throughout.


    ''''Well then, leaving the story of those two aside, today''s plan is........''''


    After being briefed by Mr. Cliffe on the whole thing, I spent some time in a meeting with the King and Maria.


    Then we went into the show........


    It was surprisingly stunned... I didn''t think it would end that easily.


    Within thirty minutes of entering the audience room, the talk of rewards was over.


    The flow is as follows: enter the audience room where the royal family and castle officials are waiting, wait at the designated place, then the king and Maria enter, then the king explains my accomplishments (saving the king, saving Tida and the others, preventing a coup from happening, etc.), then the reward is announced, then leave... ...is. Honestly, I don''t think we needed to have much of a meeting. I barely spoke up and...


    However, the moment I left the audience room, it was quite noisy inside, so that meeting may have been more of a backchat for the occasion.


    After that, I was ushered into the first room where I was made to wait for the kings to arrive.


    ''No - sorry. I''m sorry you had to wait.


    It was about an hour after I left that the king and Maria arrived, looking a little tired.


    ''''The reformed aristocrats have been making a lot of noise. Even now, the Duke of Sanga and the Marquis de Samoens are taking the lead in explaining things to them.


    ''For the reformers, it''s as if the deciding factor for Temma''s reward could be taken as ''for putting down the scandals of their faction members''...........It''s really silly. We''re not like the culprits, so I hope you''ll show enough degree to acknowledge Tenma and not object to the reward.......


    Both the king and Maria seem to be stingy with what they do, and it''s not funny. They are both unusually uptight at the same time.


    ''Well, well, Your Majesty and Maria, please calm down. You can see from the top that they are not very generous. There''s no point in getting angry at every single thing.


    Mr. Cliffe soothed them both while making fun of the reformers. Under the influence of Mr. Cliffe, as usual, the two of them gradually regained their composure.


    ''''Well, it''s certainly something that can''t be helped. Besides, even the reformers weren''t all against it.


    The king nodded several times at his own words, as if to convince himself. You will find that you will be able to get a lot more information about the company.


    ''''That said, I wonder when Temma decided to leave the royal capital?


    Maria-sama asked as if she was going to change the subject.


    ''''I''ll discuss it with the members of the ''Sword of Dawn'' before I decide, but I don''t think I''ll be here for another ten days... and I have a favor to ask you...''''


    I decided to talk to both of them about something I''d been thinking about for a while.


    Both of them, especially Maria-sama, leaned forward and listened to my request and readily agreed.


    ''I think it''s time for me to leave. I need to talk to my grandfather and the others about the future.


    ''What? Before you know it, it''s been quite a while.


    Maria, who had been complaining while picking at her sweets, sounded surprised as she put the cup she had been holding close to her mouth back on the table. The king was probably tired of Maria''s company, and before he knew it, he was rowing the boat.


    ''''Guffaw!''''


    The king woke up jumping as Maria delivered a blow to the king''s side. The elbow strike, which the king seemed to be used to, was tame, but could do just the right amount of damage, so that the king wouldn''t get hurt.


    ''You, Temma is about to leave, so make sure you keep up appearances. At the very least, please wipe the drool off your mouth.


    Hearing Maria''s words, the king hurriedly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, but he wasn''t drooling to begin with. It was just a little prank by Maria-sama.


    ''''Mm. You''ve really done a lot for me. I can''t say too much in public, but I consider Temma like a son to me. You have to understand that it''s not just because he''s Ricardo and his friends'' son. Temma has done so much for us. If you''re in any trouble, don''t hesitate to turn to the royal family for help.


    The king looked at me kindly and said those things to me but....


    How much longer are you going to be out of bed? Temma isn''t going to leave King''s Landing right now. Are you going to say the same thing again when you part ways with Temma?


    Maria-sama pointed out zealously that I was stuck too.


    ''''Your Majesty it''s obvious you''ve been asleep.


    And the stop is a blow by the butler. The king''s HP seems to have been reduced to zero.


    ''''Well, let''s leave that man aside........Temma, you have to be careful about many things. The current Temma is not the same as the Temma of a few months ago. There are not necessarily people who are looking to leave the King''s Capital, so if you feel the slightest change in anything, even in the middle of the night, come to us and let us know. We''ll take care of it right away.


    He left the room while talking to Maria, but the king''s steps were heavy and soon the distance was so great that he had to stop several times before he reached the entrance. The king''s face was still red when we parted, and I think I''m going to drag that thing out for a while.


    After that, instead of going straight back to the mansion, I visited the djinn and the others to talk about the day of our return, and we were going to leave the royal capital five days later in the morning. The djinn say that tomorrow is fine, but as expected, that would make me angry with.......Maria-sama.


    I blurted out the part about ''what will be said'' by ''who'', but in a strange place, Leena, who has good instincts, guessed right away. Well, she seemed to have intended it to be a joke, and was quite impatient to see my reaction, but.......


    I returned to the mansion, but there was a disturbance at the mansion as well....

 124-Chapter 7-12 Day of leaving the royal capital

    Yes~yeah~!


    On the morning of the day we left the capital, Aura''s voice echoed in the mansion. I told her that it''s only me and my grandfather who will be leaving the capital, and that Jeanne and Aura will be entrusted with the management of the mansion in the capital, but this commotion has been going on since the early morning. Well, more than half of the reason why Aura is so reluctant to go this far is because the person in charge (the main deputy) is Aina.


    ''''It can''t be helped.......phew!


    Ugh.....


    Aina, her temples twitching, dropped Aura, who was clinging to the stair railing, with a strangling motion to quiet her.


    ''Temma-sama, I believe His Majesty will be here soon. It''s too conspicuous at the entrance to the King''s Landing, and he said it wouldn''t be too obvious here.


    Aina had bound and gagged Aura''s fallen limbs and awakened her to life in a gagged state. For a while after she regained consciousness, Aura didn''t seem to know what had happened, but the moment she saw Aina''s face, she seemed to remember what had happened and tried desperately to get away from the scene, but it was impossible to get away from the stone, and before she had gone more than a meter, Aina had caught her.


    ''Aura, this is for your own good. Worst case scenario, you and I will be put to death for treason. The only way to avoid this is for you to become a full-fledged maid!


    Aina scissored Aura''s half-confused face with both hands and began to say something f*cked up at close range. If this was a normal state of affairs, even Aura would have realized that it was a lie, no matter how much Aura was confused, but on top of being confused, Aina''s masterful acting seemed to have mistakenly thought that she was in a crisis situation.


    ''''Uh-uh-uh.''''


    ''You understand. I''m glad.


    You can find a lot of people who have been in a state of half-crying and blushing, but Aina smiled a gentle smile that she doesn''t usually show and stroked Aura''s head. It looks like brainwashing is complete.


    Hmm? I see that Her Majesty and the others were just there.


    Aina muttered, and a little later she heard the gate open, and a carriage came to a stop in front of the front door. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, the front door was opened and Luna was the first to jump in.


    ''Brother! What about Solomon? Ouch! Solomo~~!


    Swoosh!


    As soon as Luna came in, she sought out Solomon and charged at him. However, Solomon seemed to be startled by Luna and flew away from the window just before he was caught.


    ''Solomon wait, puffer!


    Luna followed Solomon and was about to jump out the window when she was suspended in mid-air by Aina.


    ''Lady Luna, it''s not a bit of a stretch to get out of a window,''


    Aina didn''t hang herself because she grabbed her back part instead of her back collar, but it still seemed to be quite a shock, and Luna was coughing in pain. Then Luna was carried to Maria-sama like a kitten being carried by a cat''s parents.


    ''Aina, thank you for your help. Isabella, please.


    Yes, ma''am.


    Luna is pissed off as usual.


    Well, let''s leave that one aside and just take it, Temma!


    The king looked sideways at Luna (and Isabella-sama who was preaching) and then handed me a small box he took out of his pocket. I checked the contents there and found that it contained the family crest of the Otori family, made of palm-sized orichalcon. Naturally, it''s the one without Namitaro.


    On the back of the crest, along with my name and the royal family crest, is engraved a sentence attesting to the House of Otori. I''m sure that the nobles will not bother with the Temma unless they have something to show for it.


    The Otori family itself has no political power, but thanks to this one sentence, it''s as if the royal family has given them a modicum of power.


    Thank you. I will put it to good use, but I swear to my Heavenly Father and Mother (........) that I will never abuse it.


    I heard that the king and the others don''t have any particular gods to believe in, so I decided to swear to my dad and mom, who both the king and I hold dear.


    The king and grandpa''s faces broke into tears when they heard my words, and Maria nodded with tears in her eyes.


    After talking to the king, I talked to Maria and then said goodbye to Caesar and the others. Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama thanked him for taking care of the children, especially Luna, and Zain-sama thanked him again for treating Missalia-sama. By the way, Missalia-sama did not come here. She wanted to come, but it seems that moving the carriage was difficult for her, and she would soon fall ill, so Maria-sama decided to stay at home. Lyle-sama and Ernest-sama told me that next time I come to the capital, I''ll take you to a nice restaurant, but Maria-sama heard that comment and misunderstood the nice restaurant (...) as an ''adult restaurant'' and pursued it quite persistently. By the way, Lyle-sama and the others say that a good restaurant (...) is a place that serves good food and drinks.


    Afterwards, I talked with Tida and Luna, but Luna seemed to be half-hearted. So when I called Solomon, she thanked him and ran towards him.


    ''Excuse me, Temma-san........''


    Tida looked at her sister''s behavior and looked really sorry. The kings who were talking with her grandfather were also sighing when they saw Luna''s condition, and even Maria-sama and Isabella-sama were discussing it with some serious expressions. Perhaps they are discussing Luna''s education policy in the future. Incidentally, Luna was about to be run off by Solomon again, but he had succeeded in touching her with his secret weapon (a snack)... as an added bonus.


    Once we were done talking, we moved outside to talk to the members of the waiting kinsmen. Mr. Din tries to master the joint the moment we shake hands, and Mr. Jang says, "Next time you come, I''ll invite you to my house. But don''t touch my daughter (who is six years old)," with a serious look on his face, and Chris muttered something like, "The problem is our age difference..." after he spoke, and we couldn''t continue our conversation with Sigurd because we didn''t have much contact with him. The only person who was able to talk properly was Edgar-san.


    The king and his men stayed in the mansion until just in time to say goodbye to each other again before returning to the castle. After this, Grandpa and I will be heading to the entrance of the royal capital. We''re going to meet up with Jin and the rest of the Sword of Dawn there.


    After checking my room to make sure I hadn''t forgotten anything, I went to the backyard to check on Jube''s group. It''s because we can''t take three of them with us, so they''re on a stay-at-home basis. The people of Kukuri village, led by Aunt Martha, are supposed to take care of the Jubees. I have asked Aina, Jeanne and Aura to help, but the three of them have other things to do, so they are going to assist the aunt and uncle.


    The three cows were grazing in the corral as usual, but Tama-chan got physical when she saw me. It''s not because they don''t like me, it''s just Tama-chan''s way of expressing his affection... except he only does it to me.


    As usual, after dodging a few body blows, Tama-chan slid his head in. I had just finished checking the feeder and water troughs while petting Tama-chan when I heard a voice from my grandpa, who had finished getting ready.


    I headed toward the direction of the voice and found Jeanne, Aura, and Aina waiting there, along with Tida, Luna, Chris, and Edgar, who I thought had left.


    I knew that Jeanne and the others would be coming to the entrance of the King''s Landing with me and Grandpa, but I''m sure Tida and the others had said they wouldn''t be coming to the entrance.


    When I asked Tida why she was following us to see us off, she told me that Maria had told her just before she left. She said that Chris and Edgar were their escorts. Probably it includes appealing that me and Tida and the others are on good terms, but if that''s the case, I wanted them to at least say so beforehand. Well, there''s no point in complaining about it, and it''s not something that I''d really care about, so I kept my mouth shut.


    Anyway, we all decided to get in my carriage and move around. It was more efficient to move in one carriage and easier to escort, but the two people who suggested it (Luna and Chris-san) each seemed satisfied with the idea. In contrast, it was Shiroumaru and Solomon who had a puzzled expression on their faces. The two animals are currently stuck in a tight hug, so they are unable to move. Tida, the usual tweaker, had a look of resignation on her face, and Edgar-san was outside, moving on his horse, so there was no one to stop them. By the way, I dared to pretend not to see them, because if I stopped them here, it would make things messy.


    When I arrived at the meeting place, there was a small crowd of people there. The majority of them were people from the village of Kukri, the rest were the royalist faction, including the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samons, and the Viscount Mustang and the neutralist nobles I had met during the coup d''��tat fiasco. They all came this way because they said that the royalty was coming to the mansion. They decided that it was impossible to talk to us with the royalty.


    We got out of the carriage and started to talk to everyone, but as soon as we got out, we felt a sharp look from behind us. The same thing happened to my grandfathers, but they were all ignoring us. The owner of our gaze seemed to have lost his patience with our attitude.


    Hey, can we get some help?


    He spoke to me. The owner of the voice was Namitaro, who had taken up his position on the roof of the carriage as before, and his body had dried up and attached itself to the roof. In fact, he had been attached to the roof even before the kings came, so he had been in that state for several hours now.


    ''''........Waterball.''''


    After getting everyone to back off, I fired three shots at Namitaro, who, having regained his moisture, slid off the roof under his own power. Namitaro stretched out and then joined the conversation as if nothing had happened.


    Namitaro''s plan for the future was to travel with us to the middle of the road and then split off at a river on the way. Then he said he was going to go down the river and meet someone he knew after he got out to sea.


    The djinn didn''t seem to have arrived yet, so we continued to talk about saying goodbye to everyone for a while. Aunt Martha and some of the villagers wanted to go with us, but were chastised by Uncle Mark and the others. I couldn''t leave my current life behind, and they all agreed with me when I told them that Uncle Mark was going to get in my way. However, they made me promise to write a letter to them once every few months about my current situation and where I was, and send it to them.


    And the nobles...well, mainly Albert, Rion, and Cain, but these three are ready to come visit Seigen. Even though they are heirs, all three of them are not yet working in earnest, so they have more time on their hands than the other sides. Viscount Mustang seemed to get along with his grandfather, and they talked quite a bit after talking with me, but he ended up greeting the other neutralist nobles in a normal manner. Thankfully, the neutralist nobles here seem to care about Jeanne and Aura, who remain in the royal capital.


    The Duke of Sanga and Marquis of Samoens are chatting with the grandfathers about something. Since they occasionally glance at you, they may be planning something.


    They are spending time like that, but the Sword of Dawn still hasn''t shown itself. When it was almost past the appointed time, a carriage finally arrived.


    I''m sorry to keep you waiting but you can complain to them.


    Jin pointed to Blanca and Amur. Blanca had an apologetic look on her face and caught Amur as he jumped off the carriage and tried to jump on me. Amur, dangling in the air, was flailing and struggling with his arms and legs.


    At any rate, I asked Jin to explain it to him. According to the report, Amur caught him just before we left the inn and has continued to do so ever since. It seems that Amur had been watching Jin and the others, who seemed easier to persuade than me, and had been waiting for me at the inn since yesterday. According to him, it was a ''surprise'' success.


    I checked with Blanca, but she said it was not a big problem because we had to go home soon anyway, and the direction was right even if we stopped at Seigen. If you take a return trip without stopping at Seigen, there is a high possibility that Amur will be gone before you know it on your way back, and this is more of a problem. They plan to stay in Seigen for around ten days.


    It''s a lot of fun, but it''s time to leave. I haven''t stayed in King''s Landing for three months, but it may have been the most intense time of my life. The kings, the people of Kukri village, and the reunion with my grandfather, the people of the royal family, Albert and his heir trio, Branca and Amur. On top of that, I got to know some neutral, trustworthy nobles.


    It''s sad to say goodbye to such people, but it''s not a lifelong goodbye, so we''ll see them again eventually.


    ''''Then Temma, it''s time to go.


    At Jin''s words I climbed into my own carriage and grabbed Tanikaze''s reins. Grandpa sat down next to me and nodded that we could go whenever we wanted. It was the same for Jin and the others, who got into the carriage and waited for us to leave.


    ''Everyone! I''ll be back!


    With those words, the carriage started to move and a distance began to form between us and everyone else.


    Every face we saw from the carriage was smiling and waving to us. This is the second time we''ve been seen off like this, but we''re still sad to say goodbye. It''s far enough away that we can come any time we want, but maybe it''s because seeing the people of Kukuri village again reminds me of my childhood.


    While I was lost in such sentimentality, I began to feel a sense of commotion behind me. I turned around to see what had happened.


    ''Hey, don''t leave me again~~! Sis is no~~~! Ugh.....


    Aura''s brainwashing seems to have worn off. She''s desperately trying to chase after the carriage, but Aina and Jeanne have caught her about ten meters in. And they''ve been locked down again.


    Aina, noticing my gaze, bowed towards me and carried Aura as if she were carrying a load on her shoulder. Jeanne, walking next to me, looks very embarrassed.


    Sadly, that''s the last thing I thought of in King''s Landing....

 125-Chapter 8-1 Parting and Encounter

    Temma, that''s enough.


    Namitaro said this as they approached the river on the road to Seigen, and he got out of the carriage. Then he went straight into the river and began to swim with great speed.


    ''It''s been a long time since I''ve been in a river..............................ho ho ho ho.


    Namitaro, who was in good shape, was jumping repeatedly on the surface of the water, spraying a tremendous amount of water around him.


    ''Namitaro! The water is flying over here!


    I''m sorry about that one. It''s just that it''s been so long since I''ve been in contact with you that I don''t know how hard to push.


    As the excitement subsided, Namitaro came slowly up to the carriage.


    ''So, are you going to go now?''


    Yeah. This is the biggest river around here, right? Then this is where we say goodbye.


    As Namitaro said this, he held out his right pectoral fin. I grabbed it and Namitaro moved it up and down vigorously.


    I asked, "Are you going to leave now, Namitaro? I''ll miss you.


    It''s not a farewell to this life, so we''ll see each other again... well, that is, if Merlin is alive by then!


    He also talks to his grandfather with a laugh. He stayed at our pond while in the capital, and moved around the mansion brazenly, acting like he was part of the family, so that he had become accustomed to talk to Grandpa in such a light manner.


    Temma, use your whistle to let me know if something happens. So long, goodbye!


    Namitarou said, and swam downstream at a terrific pace. As I stared off at Namitaro, who was quickly becoming smaller and smaller, the djinn''s carriage, which had lagged a little behind, caught up with him, but by that time he was out of sight.


    ''You''re a thin-skinned bastard. You could have at least said a few words to us.


    Perhaps Jin and the others are feeling a little sad that they didn''t send their own goodbyes, since they had interacted with Namitaro in their own way.


    It''s a good time to take a break from the water, so let''s take a break here, shall we? This one''s good, but we should give that horse a break, right?


    My carriage is Tanikaze (in Slarin), a horse-shaped golem, so it''s tireless (Slarin consumes magic power, but that''s not a problem as long as I replenish it), so it''s possible to go to Seigen non-stop like this. However, that''s not the case with the horses that Djinn and the others are borrowing. Even though the horses have been modified for carriage pulling and have more strength and stamina than ordinary breeds, they still tire when they get tired.


    ''''That''s true. Then I suppose I''d like that place over there where it''s a step higher. If you are too close to the water''s edge, you might be attacked by strange demons.


    Normally, it would be better to rest by the water''s edge, but in places with a certain depth and breadth, such as the river in front of us, there is a possibility that large, carnivorous demons like the crocodile shark we defeated before are living there. So we need to get away from the riverbank to some extent.


    I''ll do that. As promised, I''ll be in charge of the food, so please be vigilant during the break.


    This is a condition we discussed beforehand, so instead of me (+ Grandpa) being in charge of preparing all the meals, Jin and the rest of the "Sword of Dawn" will be in charge of vigilance (including at night)... and also Blanca and Amur.


    For now, we''ll cook a simple meal, and I asked my grandfather to prepare a fish meal. After all, when it comes to cooking, Grandpa is not a force to be reckoned with except for simple things.


    ''''Let''s see ... since we''re halfway through the day, something a little lighter would be good.''''


    I pulled out of my magic bag a flour, an egg, some shreds of beef, a few vegetables like onions and lettuce, oil and salt and pepper. I made the crepes.


    The baked and chopped ingredients are placed on a plate by type, and the thin batter is ready to be baked. The baked dough is then wrapped with the ingredients of one''s choice and eaten. For Slarin'' and his friends, I prepare a separate dish of fried meat and vegetables. I''ve made a lot of crepes, so if there''s any left over, I''m thinking of leaving some for a nightcap... but


    Temma, I need another.


    Instead of staying, it was going to be insufficient. The biggest miscalculation was Amour, who was chewing on a crepe beside me. She had eaten so much crepe that it made me wonder where she fit in, the smallest of the bunch. Incidentally, in terms of the amount she currently ate, it was Amour, Blanca, Garratt, and a little further away, Jin. The others were almost side-by-side, with the exception of Leena, who was at the bottom of the list. Stunningly, the three beastmen occupied the top spot.


    ''''How well they eat........''''


    I couldn''t help but mutter to myself as the three of them ate their fill. The three of them seemed to hear me muttering and stopped their hands together.


    ''''Is that so? That''s about as normal as it gets.


    A lot of beastmen eat out of cups.


    Temma doesn''t like to eat a lot of food?


    Garratt, Blanca, and Amur, in that order. It seems that beastmen have a habit of being close to beasts, so they tend to gobble up food when they can, and because they have a higher physical capacity than other races, they consume more calories than other races.


    That''s why there aren''t many full-time farmers in our village. Most families are also hunters and adventurers and are also full-time farmers.


    Incidentally, it is said that Amur''s family has been ruling class for generations and he has never farmed at all. I heard that Blanca had a little bit of farming experience.


    ''It''s like a kukri village.


    My words brought the conversation to a close, and we all resumed eating together. After that, the meal was over after two more additions of ingredients and dough, and we decided to take a food break before leaving, but for some reason, some of them got into my carriage.


    ''Menas, Leena, Amour, why did you come here?''


    These were the women riding in the carriage prepared by the Sword of Dawn.


    ''''No, it''s too small over there.''''


    It''s a bad ride.


    "Bath.


    The reason was really easy to understand. The carriage the djinn and the others were riding in was not narrow or ragged, but it was not as good as the one I had made. In fact, the ride was so comfortable that the king asked me to sell it to him. However, I couldn''t sell the one I''m using now, and I didn''t have time to make a new one, so I drew a blueprint of a similar one and gave it to him. Of course, I''m getting paid for the design, and we''ve also signed a contract for a fee in the form of a patent fee for the second and subsequent units.


    ''I understand why, but what do the Jinns say?''


    I don''t mind moving over here, but the problem is the djinn. The carriage over there is different from this one, where a person has to give instructions to the horses all the time, so less people means more burden.


    ''''Don''t worry, we''ve talked about it.''''


    She says she''s more comfortable with men being together.


    Blanca shut him up.


    They say they''ve been talking through it, but the way Leena said it, what will happen to me and my grandpa? Later on, I''m wondering how Amour silenced Blanca.


    ''Branca''s weaknesses are his wife and my mother the mention of these two names makes Branca quiet.


    ........maybe it would have been better not to ask. Well, it looks like I got permission to do so, so I let them through to the carriage. Grandpa felt sorry for Jin and the others when he heard why the three of them had come.


    ''Temma, I''m sorry to be so quick, but can I use the bath? I''ve been wondering what a bath on a carriage would look like.


    Let''s get right to it!


    Do you want Temma to join us?


    ''You can take a bath, but that''s for one person only. You''ll have to wait for your turn before you can take a bath. Also, the bathrooms are in the same building as the bathrooms, so you''ll need to take your clothes off in the bathroom. If you don''t, you will be deported to Jin''s place and you will not be allowed to use it again.


    I nailed it before Amur went off the rails. Menace and Leena seemed to have planned to do so from the beginning, but Amour seemed a little unhappy............................I guess I was right to make the first move.


    While the three of us were deciding on the order of the bath, I started preparing dinner. Speaking of preparations, all I had to do was to stew the chicken and vegetables in a pot. I suggest that we plan on making something warm and hearty for the evening.


    ''Temma, what''s for dinner?''


    Menace, who seems to have lost the most hot water battle, asked me from behind. Since Amur is behind her, the first hot water seems to be Leena.


    ''''I''m thinking of making a stew.


    "Stew?


    Neither of them seem to know what stew is.


    ''It''s more like a soup of meat and vegetables stewed in milk.


    Menace is nodding his head at my explanation, but Amour is tilting his head.


    ''''They tend to come out in cold areas and such, so maybe it''s rare in the south.


    At Menace''s words, Amur nodded that it might be so. The area where Amur lives is warm throughout the year, and it is said that he has never had a single snowfall. Incidentally, I''ve heard that the snow can pile up to nearly one meter in the winter in the royal capital. In Kukri, it may snow half as much or half as little as the capital in winter.


    They both shook their heads in response to my question, so I threw a generous amount of vegetables into the pot. Shiroumar and Solomon looked a little uncomfortable, so I decided to add more veggies after seeing that.


    By the time the white sauce was ready, Leena and Menace got out of the bath, and Amur, who was the last of them, went into the bathroom, but soon came out half naked.


    Leena hurriedly put a blanket over them, but it was awkward to see them for a moment, and it was awkward to see the quicksilver.


    ''''Because of the previous two, the hot water is low......plus, it''s lukewarm.


    That makes it sound like I''m heavy!


    The way Leena said it, I sound like I''m the only one who''s heavy.


    Mr. Menace is taller than I am and...


    Menace seemed a little annoyed by Leena''s words, but I ignored them and headed for the bathroom.


    ''How about this?''


    I used water magic and fire magic to add hot water and asked Amur behind me. Amour stuck his arm in and checked the temperature. I saw Amour nod and immediately went to the bathroom door. As soon as I opened the door, hot water flowed to my feet, but I had my back to him, so I didn''t have to be awkward this time.


    A few hours after the break, it was getting dark by now, so we decided to make camp on top of a small hill. Jin and the others were in charge of the perimeter, but just in case, Grandpa and I set up a warding around the carriage. There are two kinds of wards, one to prevent the enemy from detecting our presence and the other to warn them of our intrusion. However, wards are not a panacea, so I''ll make sure that Jin and the others remain vigilant.


    ''''Djinn, here''s the evening meal. I''ll put them in the carriage over there. There''s enough for all of us, but you''ll have to be patient if you don''t have enough.


    Oh, thank God. I''ll wake you up if anything happens to you while you''re on alert, and you should get some rest, Temma.


    After dinner, he handed the evening meal to the djinn in charge of the first vigil before returning to his own carriage after the banter. This vigil was said to be divided into three groups, the first being Jin and Amur, then Blanca and Menace, and the last being Garratt and Leena. This one was divided into men and women and the order was decided by lottery, and they each took turns for three hours. Blanca and Menace, who were in charge of the hardest time zone, went to sleep soon after eating dinner.


    I''ve been wondering if it''s a good idea for adventurers to sleep in the same bedding as the men and women, even though they are adventurers, so the women are sleeping in the carriage that Jin and the others are using, while the men are sleeping in the shadow of the carriage. Incidentally, my carriage is the only one in which I, my grandfather, Slarin and the others sleep. I''m not going to be able to get out of the carriage, and I''m not going to be able to get out of the carriage, and I don''t want to be woken up every time we take turns being on guard. By the way, since this kind of thing is a common occurrence when requesting an escort, the djinn didn''t complain about it. However, Grandpa and I, who aren''t in charge of guarding, sometimes have to deal with things if something happens in the middle of the night, so there''s nothing better than going to bed early.


    ''''Hmm?''''


    I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, feeling the presence of something. Almost at the same time I woke up, Shiroumaru got up, and then Slarin, Grandpa, and Solomon, in that order, got up from their beds.


    The owner of the presence that I could feel even through the wards seems to have a lot of strength.


    As I was getting ready to walk out at any moment, there was a quiet tap on the door.


    ''It''s Blanca. Temma, I see you''re awake. I''m sorry, you need to come out.


    When I walked outside, I saw Blanca standing there with a serious expression on her face. Menace seemed to have gone to wake everyone else up, with Jin and Amour rubbing their eyes behind him.


    ''So what happened? Does that mean Temma''s there too, which is pretty nasty?


    Djinn, who looked sleepy but was carrying his sword, ready for action at any time, asked Blanca.


    ''Yeah, we were a little bit outside the wards when we felt the presence of a demon with considerable power. I don''t know if it''s coming this way, but if it does, I think it''s going to be a handful if we''re alone.


    According to Blanca, the demons seem to be a flock, and although Blanca and the others might be able to deal with them on their own, they''ll probably cause some damage. That''s why he wants me and my grandfather to stay on standby as well.


    Then we might as well get ready for battle. "Then we might as well get into battle formation right away.


    Using ''search'' extensively while listening to Blanca''s story, the swarm of demons had approached to a distance of about five kilometers from us. At this rate, we''ll be in contact with them in another two to three minutes.


    ''''Seriously! Then we have to hurry!


    Garratt slapped his face with his hands and got fired up, and they all followed suit, each getting fired up.


    I think it''s best to fight outside the wards to intercept them. Since the enemy may not notice us, they may change their course by revealing themselves to us. Do you know the exact number and type of enemies, Temma?


    Looking at everyone who was a little flustered, Grandpa said that in a calm voice. I tried to use ''appraisal'' while counting the enemies that I''ve been capturing with ''search'' from earlier.......


    Number eight, kind of a unicorn.


    It was the first demon I had ever seen. Unicorns in the previous life are sometimes depicted in stories as sacred animals and the like, but in this world, they are a type of demon. However, it is a high-ranking demon, and because they are quite few in number, it was said that they were more difficult to find than to defeat.


    I''ve only seen a unicorn once or twice during my time in the service. I''ve only seen one or two of them in my time of service. If they knew of our presence, they wouldn''t be likely to attack us. If they show a willingness to fight outside the wards, they will probably go away to avoid trouble. But don''t try to attack without a fight. But don''t try to attack without a fight, because then they may choose to fight rather than run.


    I followed my grandpa''s advice and went outside the ward and took up a position facing the unicorn.


    At the front of the group were Shiroumaru and Solomon, with ''Sword of Dawn'', Blanca and Amur right behind them, and me and Grandpa at a slight distance on either side of them.


    This means that the unicorn''s natural enemy, a large carnivorous beast, and a child, but a superior dragon, will be shown in order to restrain it, and if it doesn''t back off, Grandpa and I will attack it from the left and right with magic, and then Jinn and the others will charge at it. By the way, Slarin is in Tanikaze, and will be useful in the chase.


    ''''They''re here.


    As Blanca stared into the distance, she spotted a herd of unicorns. All of the unicorns seem to be adult individuals, and although they are about one size smaller than Tanikaze, they are probably larger than normal horses. In particular, the one running at the front of the pack has a stocky build, and the horn on its forehead is longer and thicker than the others. It''s probably the leader of the pack.


    We''re on a small hill, but the unicorns don''t seem to have noticed us yet, perhaps because we''re stationed downwind from them.


    When the unicorn flock was about a kilometer away from us.


    Waroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


    Shiroumaru, who was in the lead of us, howled at the sky. Shiroumaru barked with all his might, causing the air around him to tremble and Leena and Amur to hold their ears at the volume of his voice.


    ''''U~.......Shiroumaru, shut up!''''


    Amur complained to Shiroumar in a tense voice, but no one took it up.


    ''''Vulu~''''


    Shiroumaru''s howl made the unicorns aware of our presence, and with a leading whine, all of them came to an abrupt halt. Then they began to glare at each other. Normally, unicorns are said to be rank A demons, but as for the lead unicorn, there was an atmosphere that it might have reached rank S. If we were to take on all eight unicorns, it would be a more troublesome opponent than the ground dragon I defeated a while ago. We wouldn''t be able to lose, but depending on how things unfold, we could take a lot of damage.


    The first half of the unicorns are about half way away from that rock, so use magic to attack them. You must prioritize the number of hands over the power of the blow, so that they are able to break apart. Djinn aim to destroy each one of them, being careful not to get caught in the crossfire. I''d like to see the first one down, but don''t go overboard.


    Grandpa''s words brought the tension level up a notch. The unicorns seemed to sense our nervousness and became more cautious, and they began to slowly move forward without taking their eyes off of us.


    After a hundred or two hundred meters, we were about to attack, when the unicorns in front of us suddenly disappeared, and all the unicorns changed directions and ran off together.


    ''''The horse meat is running away...''''


    We were too dumbfounded to respond to Amur''s mutterings, but we quickly remained on alert until the unicorn was out of sight.


    ''Looks like he''s gone,''


    ''Yeah, we''re out of the scope of my ''search'' too. I''ll have to keep my guard up for now, but by the looks of it, I don''t think they''ll come back.


    In affirmation of Blanca''s words, I told everyone about the results of the ''search''. That made the djinn lose their minds, and they each started yawning loudly and stretching.


    ''''Shucks, why do those things show up in a place like this?''''


    I don''t care. Think you''ve seen a rare monster! I''m going to bed!


    Garratt''s words were answered by a slightly bad-tempered Jin as he headed for his bed.


    ''Blanca, can you eat that (unicorn)?''


    Amur seems to see unicorns as just food. He has been calling it horse meat, horse meat since a while ago. Maybe he''s hungry.


    Hm? Yeah, I''ve heard they''re pretty good. But with a unicorn, it''s worth more than the meat, the horn and the oil on the forehead, one thing at a time. I hear it makes a very effective potion.


    A thing?


    The symbol of a man.


    I see... ouch!


    I threw a loaf of bread out of my bag to Amur who was staring at my crotch. The bread hit Amur in the face and fell directly to the ground, but the bread is wrapped in cloth so the quality is fine.


    ''I understand the horns, but is the oil and that (...) worth it?''


    It is, sir!


    I thought I''d asked Blanca and Grandpa, but for some reason Leena interrupted me with a smile.


    ''The forehead horn, when decocted and drunk, has a fever-reducing, detoxifying and nourishing effect, and as far as detoxification is concerned, it''s almost universally effective. When drunk, it is a stomach remedy, when applied, it is a wound remedy, and when applied, it is effective against blemishes, wrinkles, and freckles, among other things! As for that one(...), when dried in the sun and seared and crushed, it becomes an energizer. They are all expensive, high performance, and extremely rare, so the moment they appear on the market, all of the high ranking nobles will buy them all the moment they appear on the market.......ouch!


    Menace poked Leena''s side lightly, probably irritated by the smugness of her explanation. I went back to my carriage before I could get caught up in any more of the weird midnight tension, but when I opened the door, I saw my comforter puffed up. I flipped it open and there was Amur, sleeping with crumbs around his mouth.


    I invited his guardian (Blanca) to collect the crumbs, because if I touched the crumbs, Judge Amur might convict me later. When they took me away, I thought I heard a little tongue lashing from Amur, who was supposed to be asleep, but I decided to go to bed without worrying about it... but I ended up spending a lot of extra effort before going to bed because the crumbs were scattered inside and outside the bedding.

 126-Chapter 8-2 Arrival in Seigen

    It feels like it''s been an awful long time since I''ve been home...


    A day and a half after the encounter with the unicorn, we were able to reach the city of Seigen. Since that encounter, we hadn''t seen any powerful monsters; on the contrary, we had so much time on our hands that we didn''t have any time to spare. That''s why I often stop by to collect medicinal herbs and the like for a change of pace. So now we have enough medicinal herbs to be able to do herb peddlers.


    ''But the way things are going, it''s going to take some time.


    Jin blurted out as he looked at the line in front of us. Originally, adventurers of C rank and above could enter through the exclusive entrance, but to my surprise, there were two of us who were outside of that privilege.


    ''''I''m sorry...''''


    I''m sorry, I made a mistake.


    The ones who apologized were Amur and Grandpa. Grandpa hadn''t been active as an adventurer for quite a while, so his guild rank was suspended, and until he finished the process, he was no different than a normal person, and as for Amur, he wasn''t old enough to register with the guild in the first place (he was currently fourteen).


    That''s why he was quietly standing at the end of the line. The Sword of Dawn has gone out of its way to accompany us since we came all the way here together.


    ''''I''m not blaming you, please raise your head!


    ''Ugh I made Master Merlin bow down, this guy...''


    Are we free to go too, or...?


    Mr. Temma! Please intercede! He said it had nothing to do with me, Mr. Menace and Mr. Garratt. He said the only one to blame is Jin-san!


    Whoa!


    Jin hurriedly tells his grandfather, but the other three are teasing him behind him. Jin, unable to contain himself, shouts out in protest at the three of them'' betrayal. Seeing the four of them, Grandpa starts laughing, followed by Blanca and Amur.


    ''It''s about time you stopped playing miko. People are looking at you.''''


    The people who were looking at us around them all looked away in response to my voice. Jin and the others, as expected, didn''t want to draw any more attention to themselves, so they became more docile and mature.


    After everyone had quieted down, I decided to prepare a tea made from the medicinal herbs I had collected. The tea is a simple matter of lightly roasting and boiling several kinds of dried herbs.


    It''s a shame we don''t have any sweets, but it''s better than nothing. It also has a calming effect, which is just right for Jin right now.


    We handed them a cup of tea, and we all took a break to drink it. Then, after about an hour of waiting, we safely set foot in the city of Seigen.


    We all got together and made our way to the guild, but for some reason the people coming in front of us unnaturally veered off the path. And there are generally two kinds of people giving way. One is the person who looks at you as if he or she is looking at something unusual. The other is the person who looks away and avoids them as if he or she has found something dangerous. Incidentally, many of the former were ordinary people, and many of the latter were dressed like their peers (adventurers).


    When they arrived at the guild, the djinn first went to return the carriage. Although the djinn''s carriage was borrowed from the guild in King''s Landing, there was no problem in returning it to Seigen''s guild. This is because there are many adventurers who travel back and forth between Seigen and the capital, which is why this system has been established. In addition, if a carriage is over-subscribed, it is sometimes sent out as a request from the guild, which is popular as a reasonably priced job. However, since the guild trusts him more than a certain level, the number of adventurers who can accept his request is limited because it requires a certain amount of strength and experience.


    ''''We''re going to sell you some medicinal herbs.


    Me, Blanca and Amur left Grandpa, who was going to process the adventurer''s return, and headed to the guild''s purchase counter.


    The medicinal herbs will be divided into three equal parts for me, Grandpa, Sword of Dawn, and Blanca and Amur, and we will receive our share of the highly effective herbs. However, the highly effective herbs are also very valuable, so we will have to balance our share with the other two groups'' shares after checking the selling price of each.


    ''''Here are the purchase results. Here''s the purchase price for each of them.''''


    The total sales price of the herbs was about thirty thousand g, of which the most effective herbs were about twenty thousand g.


    ''''Thank you. I''ll talk with everyone for a bit before deciding how much to sell.''''


    We decided to talk it over once for all and left the buyback counter.


    We''re done here. I''ve heard that you''ll be returning to your old rank without any penalty. It seems that Alex has made a move. Normally, this would be from the beginning.


    It''s done. So, Temma, how much did you get for it?


    At the right time, Grandpa and the ''Sword of Dawn'' came to us at the same time. We immediately talked about the purchase price, and then they brought chairs and desks that were nearby and started discussing what to do... but within five minutes, we came to a conclusion.


    ''''Then you can sell all the regular ones and I''ll add 30,000 G to that amount and give it to Jin and the others and Blanca and the others.


    After thinking about it, I remembered that I was richer than those nobles now, so I proposed it to everyone and they immediately agreed.


    My share of the herbs was worth more than 20,000 G in the market, and if I could make and sell a potion with it, my profit would easily exceed 30,000 G. So, even if I paid 30,000 G to the djinn and the others, I would still be able to make a profit. Therefore, even if they paid 30,000g to Jin and the others, they wouldn''t lose anything.


    Since the conversation had been settled, it was decided to finish the sale procedure at the purchase counter and disperse on the spot.


    Then, if we have a chance, let''s accept the request together again!


    Don''t attract any more dragons then!


    Next time, we''ll ask you to join us.


    Please make some more sweets for me!


    The ''Sword of Dawn'' then returned to the inn that they had secured. It is difficult for an ordinary adventurer to secure an inn for a long period of time, but when you have the money and trust like they do, it is not so difficult, apparently.


    ''''Oh, see you later!''''


    It''s been so good to me, you know, having a drink with me.


    I parted with them, but the problem was Blanca and the others.


    ''I didn''t think there was any room at the inn...''


    It really doesn''t count.


    After separating from the djinn and the others, we went around to the inn together, but there were no vacancies anywhere. The reason for this was due to the fact that the martial arts tournament in the royal capital was over.


    After the tournament was over, those who participated in it but ended up with nothing to show for it, those who lost bets and lost their money, and those who spent too much money at the auction, flowed to Seigen, which is rather close to the capital and has a dungeon in the city.


    Because of this, they filled up all the lodgings in Seigen, which had few vacancies to begin with. Moreover, some of the adventurers who couldn''t get in even went so far as to sleep in the square and dungeons.


    According to the townspeople, there were many who visited Seigen after the tournament every year, but this was the first time there were so many of them. It''s a blessing for the innkeepers and adventurers, but for the rest of us, it''s more of a disaster. There are some adventurers who are almost criminals, as long as they have the power (money) to do what they want, or are allowed to do what they want.


    Perhaps that''s why some of them were looking at us with glaring eyes.


    I''m sure all of them will be wiped out if they don''t have this much. It''s no use, let''s go to the place I''ve got it. At worst, even if there''s no room, I''ll try to negotiate a room for you to sleep in mine.


    I''m sorry, thank you.


    Live together! Live together! Ugh.....


    Blanca held Amur''s head down as he bowed to me, flailing next to me. The pressed down Amur seemed to bite his tongue with the bounce of it and was holding his mouth with tears in his eyes.


    I cast a recovery spell on Amur''s mouth and he almost took my lips away the moment I got close, but Branca had caught me and protected my lips.


    ''You''ll see me soon, or I''ll tell you I''m going to borrow you since you''re not there! Ra?


    I was almost to the apartment when I heard shouting coming from the direction of the apartment. I hurried over there with a bad feeling and found Arie-san and Karina at the entrance to the property, where the men were confronted by a group of men.


    ''So I''m telling you that the tenants of that room have paid us in advance. That means we have a resident! If you understand, go somewhere else!


    You old hag!


    One of the men, as it happened, tried to put his hand on the sword at his waist.


    ''Shiroumaru, protect them both!


    I took out my training stick and ran off at the same time as I instructed Shiroumaru, spreading the mouth of my bag.


    ''Grrrrrr.''


    Huh!


    Okay, that''s enough. You can take it from here, I''m the tenant.


    Shiroumaru, who has returned to his original size, moved in between them and the men and threatened them, while I moved behind the frightened men. Incidentally, the tip of the stick in my hand is thrust against the neck of the man who tried to put his hand on the sword.


    ''''Teeeee, don''t think you can do this in the city and get away with it for free!


    What''s wrong with you? All I did was save a good townie from a bunch of thugs. If you want to turn me in to the MPs, give it a shot. I can''t wait to see what kind of results you get.


    I warned the man who was talking about the joke in as low and scary a voice as I could muster.


    ''I''ll let you off the hook this time. But if you do this kind of joke again don''t think you can leave this city in one piece.


    As soon as I finished my words, Blanca came up to me in an amazing way. The men left, shaking, probably because they saw Blanca after my words.


    ''Those guys looked like they thought Blanca would kill them more than me.


    If that''s the case, they''re rude. No one is as nice to me as I am to them.


    ''Blanca, have you ever seen your face? There''s a mirror, do you want to see it now?


    Amur gives a wry tweak to Blanka''s lighthearted comment. Blanka''s forehead seems to be twitching, but he seems to know that his comment is the cause, and his fist bone didn''t fall on Amour. Incidentally, the look he made when he approached was made out of air. By no means is Blanca''s normal face the kind of face that would make a crying child cry and pee even more.


    ''Welcome back, Temma-san,'' she said. And I''m sorry for coming back so early. Thank you for that one as well.


    No, I''m glad Arie and Karina are okay. And we just got back. This is my grandfather, and these two are the two adventurers I met in King''s Landing.


    My name is Merlin. My grandson was very helpful to me.


    When Grandpa greeted him, Arie was surprised to see him.


    ''''I''m Blanca. I''m a tiger beastman who met Tenma at the tournament in the royal capital and accompanied her here.''''


    ''Amour. Tenma stole something important at the convention, and now I''m playing a lover!


    "What!


    Arie-san and Karina-san looked very surprised at Amur''s outburst. Then they looked at me all together, but I shook my head and denied it.


    ''''Mmm,''''


    I''m sure Amur is not happy with my attitude, but I can''t be vague about it because if I don''t deny it exactly, troublesome people might fly in from the royal capital.


    So, are there a lot of guys like that recently?


    There are a lot of them. I''ve heard from the innkeeper I know that there are more adventurers than usual who act like they own the place and cause problems for others. Moreover, I''ve heard that they''ve been fighting with other adventurers who have been active in Seigen for a long time.


    The security situation is getting pretty bad. Military police are increasing their patrols, but they haven''t been able to keep up with them. It''s not only dangerous to go out at night, of course, but it''s also dangerous to go near unpopular places even in the daytime.


    Arie-san and Karina-san told me about their peers and the recent state of the city.


    ''''Ahhh.......maybe I''m not unrelated to the increase in the number of idiots in the city.


    I told them both of the possibilities that I had sensed in the thin air.


    That someone who had caused a huge stir by winning the individual and team competitions in the King''s Capital tournament and who had lost a lot of money on a bet by helping the King''s Capital crack down on criminals, or who was trying to do bad things in the King''s Capital, might have chosen this city of Seigen as their next place of operation.


    ''But even so, Temma-san is not responsible for this. After all, it is wrong to gamble to the point of destroying oneself, and criminals deserve to be punished in the first place. If you''re afraid of punishment, then you shouldn''t commit crimes. And Mr. Temma has no obligation to catch criminals. That''s the job of the state and the rulers.


    The words to Arie-san made me feel a lot better. As it was, I was about to talk into it, when I saw Blanca at the edge of my vision as if she wanted to say something.


    ''''And what''s more, is it possible to use a room with this many people? These two had to stop by Seigen in a hurry, so we couldn''t get a room.


    ''Let''s see, do you mean Temma-san, Lady Merlin (...), Blanca-san and Amur-chan, and Slarin, Shiroumaru and Solomon will use it?


    ''I think it''s a bit difficult. Originally, that room was designed to be used by two or three adults, so four people would be at the very limit, and with three more animals, it would be difficult to secure a place to sleep.... I can be warned by


    Karina says in a roundabout way, but it doesn''t seem to be possible to use it with Blanca and the others. However, this is what we have predicted so far in advance. So I''ll make the next move.


    Then, can you rent the space next to the room you are renting? I''ll put my carriage there and use it as a room. Of course, I will pay for the place, just as I would pay for a room.


    At my suggestion, Arie-san and Karina-san were discussing it a bit.


    ''That''s possible. But once we have to submit the paperwork to the union, we''ll have to have a contract written for that.


    What I suggested is actually a method I learned about in King''s Landing.


    There are several parking lots in the capital where noblemen and merchants park their carriages, and I heard that servants and guards sometimes sleep in carriages, so I thought we could use that method here as well. It''s also the method I had considered as a last resort when I came to Seigen before.


    However, according to Arie-san, in order for an innkeeper to accommodate guests in the same way, they need to submit a report to the union. Some guests come by carriage, so they can get a permit without any problems, but if they don''t report it, they will be cautious or even fined in the worst case.


    I''m sorry, but please sign this form with the purpose of use of the place and the last column.


    I wrote down what I was told on the paper that was handed to me, and at the end I wrote my signature ''Tenma Ootori''.


    ''Ootori you had a last name, Temma?''


    Ms. Carina looked at me curiously, and she agreed when I told her that I had won and that I got it as a reward.


    Then we got the keys from Arie-san while Karina-san went to deliver the papers to the union, and arranged a place to put the carriage.


    ''Speaking of which, where are Aimee and Eee-chan Shieh-chan?''


    Amy has gone to the schoolhouse. Eee-chan and Shi-chan are with her. They don''t have it every day, but they''ve been studying more diligently lately than before.


    As we were talking about this, Amur jumped on my back. Amur himself is light, so it''s not a big deal to be jumped on, but he''s hugging me pretty tightly, so my body was sore in places.


    ''Who''s Amy?''


    Amur said something in a blaming way, but when he asked Blanca to collect it and explained that Amy was Arye''s grandson and Karina''s daughter, and that she missed him for teaching her how to tame more, he agreed with her in a manner.


    Later, as I was about to lightly clean the room and let Blanca and the others use it, Amur didn''t put his bags in the room, but instead started trying to get them out into the carriage that was left outside. I hurriedly grabbed the back collar and lifted it up and carried it outside, and he gave me a very strange look.


    ''Why? I don''t understand.


    Amour, who felt like he wasn''t saying anything wholeheartedly convincing, became more mature with Blanca''s persuasion (including physical language). Arie-san only smiled as she watched him.


    Just as she finished packing up her things, Karina-san returned and told me that her papers had been accepted successfully. She also told me that she was told by the union to not let them cause as much trouble as possible.


    ''Sir~! Welcome home!


    As I listened to the warning from Karina, I heard Amy''s cheerful voice. Behind her, followed by Eee-chan Shih-chan, who has grown up from before. The two birds don''t seem to be able to fly for long yet, and they are flying and running, flying and running.


    ''''Wow!''''


    Shiroumaru barked a single bark when he spotted I-Chan Shih-chan, and they all landed on Shiroumaru''s back.


    I''m home, Amy. Here''s a gift for you. This is Amy''s, and this one is for everyone. And here''s one for you, shhhhhh.


    I gave him some small items that I bought in the royal capital, as well as some magic stones and magic nuclei that I had saved for Eee-chan and Shi-chan. The magic stones and magic cores are small but there is quite a bit of them, so they should not be a problem for two to three months.


    ''''Thank you! So, what about Jeanne and Aura? And who are your people?


    Amy looked at Blanca and Amour, who were behind me and had a hatena mark on their heads.


    ''''I left Jeanne and Aura at the royal capital. I have to take care of my grandfather''s mansion, and Aura''s sister works in the royal capital, so I can rest easy. So, these are the adventurers I met in King''s Landing, Blanca and Amur. I heard that they''re going back in almost the same direction, so we''re going to stay in Seigen for a little while.


    ''I see. Aura, it''s nice to meet your sister. It''s nice to meet you, Blanca-san, Amour-san, my name is Aimee. This is my family members, Eee-chan and Shie-chan!


    ''Wow, you didn''t freak out at the sight of Blanca!


    Amur was surprised that the kid wasn''t afraid of Blanca on his first visit. And he was getting fist-f*cked, as usual.


    ''Since we''re going to dive into the dungeon tomorrow, we''ll finish dinner early today and get some rest. It''s more like free time until dinner, okay?


    Grandpa and the others nodded at my suggestion and we were free until dinner... but...


    ''Well, that''s what happens when you''re new to a place...''


    Since I was the only one who had never stayed properly in Seigen, we all had to move around. It was a bit embarrassing to move around with everyone else, as we were all moving around together, and we got a lot of attention from people on the street.


    First we looked at the shops selling medicines, then we looked at the foodstuffs, and finally we went to look at the armor.


    ''''As expected, there''s a lot more armor-related stuff here than in the royal capital.


    Weapons and armor sold in each city are very distinctive. For example, in the case of the royal capital, there are many aristocrats and so on, so many flashy things, and weapons sell better. In Seigen, there are many highly functional items with little decoration, and there are many blacksmiths who focus on armor.


    This is because many people in King''s Landing are vain and the surrounding grasslands are wide open, so a variety of weapons can be used, but since Seigen has dungeons, many people assume they will be attacked as a result of attacks from blind spots, so armor is more important.


    Did you find anything good?


    No! The one I had Temma make for me is a few steps better!


    You didn''t find me either.


    Amur said as he spun around to show off his equipment, and Blanca answered immediately.


    ''''Well, I''ll take you to my friend''s place next time. But do you think we have most of what we need for the dungeon?


    I bought the medicine that was running low, vegetables to eat in the dungeon, and things I needed to take care of my armor, so I''ve accomplished my goal. In addition, today''s dinner is being bought by Amur... well, I bought more than I could eat in the stall, and it was left over... but because of that, today''s dinner was all about strong flavor!

 127-Chapter 8-3 Gold and Silver

    It''s pretty easy around here.


    Yeah!


    Blanca muttered as she smashed the goblins that jumped at her. It''s the same with Amur, wielding a short spear and blasting the goblins together. I put a stop to the goblins they had defeated and bagged them one by one. Grandpa was behind us, alert for a back attack. Slarin and the others are not on the scene at all and are resting in their dimension bags.


    ''With this, can we not go further?


    Yes.


    Currently, we are warriors at the tenth level, but since Blanca and Amur say this is their first dungeon, they are hunting in a shallow area to get used to it and prepare for it.


    However, the way things are going, there is no problem in fighting in the dungeon, so there is no problem in moving on to the lower floors.


    Then, shall we have dinner soon? As I recall, there was a good place over here to take a break.


    I proceeded to the nearest dead end. My actions caused Blanca to ask, "Isn''t there a way out? He said, but when he saw that Grandpa didn''t say anything, he followed him quizzically.


    ''It''s okay,'' he said. First we''ll use earth magic to build a wall, then we''ll make an air hole and voila, a simple resting place.


    Oh!


    Well, that''s certainly a safe bet. And on this floor, only goblins would be able to come out of it.


    This is what I used to do when I dove into dungeons.


    Blanca and Amour let out an exclamation and Grandpa looked nostalgic.


    ''But Blanca, nothing in the dungeon is against demons alone.


    ''Well, in a way, the person you have to be most careful about is your peers (...) who are hiding in the dungeon.


    That''s not what I meant.


    The bandits are back! I''m going to wrap you up in the opposite direction!


    The most common cause of death in the lower levels of the hierarchy is looting by peers and thieves. Incidentally, the second most common cause is illness and infection (poison) due to injury, and the third most common cause is demons. That''s how dangerous it is to run into a competitor in a dungeon.


    So like Amur said, if you repel an attacker, if you properly report it to the guild and it''s acknowledged, you can take all the possessions of the person you defeated as your own. Well, it can be said that there are some people who attack others with a plan to cheat by making a false report to the guild, so there won''t be no more idiots forever.


    ''''There''s Slarin, Shiroumaru, and me, though, so we won''t be attacked by surprise so often. Well, better to be cautious, I suppose.


    Wow?


    Out of the bag, Shilomar, covered in a hunk of meat, said, "What did you say? But he nodded his head as if to say. That made me feel a little uneasy, but Slarin seemed to have heard me correctly, so he would remind Shiroumaru later.


    ''Temma, I''m hungry!


    Amur tugged at my sleeve, holding his own stomach. I heard a small noise, let''s keep it quiet.


    I made two simple hearths in the center of the room, filled them with coals, lit them and put a net on them. All that was left to do was to grill the meat and vegetables.


    In addition to the meat and vegetables, I have some rice balls and bread to grill and eat as you wish.


    Four people and two animals sat around the two hearths. I had to laugh at the sight of Shiroumaru and Solomon sitting there with drooling, expectant eyes.


    ''When we''re done with the break, let''s dive further down. You''ve gotten pretty good at fighting in the dungeon, haven''t you?


    Yeah. It''s not easy to compete with all the goblins. But Temma, it seems like there aren''t enough goblins, is this always the case?


    The number of goblins I''ve killed after diving to this point is roughly around thirty. This is a smaller number than usual, just as Blanca felt. But there''s a bit of a reason for this.


    ''''Ah, it seems that the guild has been buying goblins as materials recently. That''s probably why there are so few goblins.''''


    According to the information I acquired before diving into the dungeon, the guild has recently bought the corpse of a goblin in the guild. Moreover, the client is the government office in Seigen. It seems that this is an effort to buy goblins that they normally wouldn''t buy as part of the countermeasure against the overflow of adventurers in Seigen, and give them some wages in an effort to suppress the riots as much as possible. The aim is that if they have a little money, they can eat and drink, and they might save up their money and flow to other cities. However, the purchase price is only fifty G per unit, and if you sell ten more units at once, fifty G is only added to the price, so even if you buy the demon nucleus together, it won''t even reach a thousand G. Even so, if you have a lot of experience there, you can safely hunt them with your bare hands, so it''s said that they bring in quite a lot of them.


    ''''By the way, I heard that the goblins you bought said that you were going to experiment to see if you could use them as fertilizer.


    If they can be used as fertilizer, then goblins will be in reasonable demand in the future. Maybe in a few hundred years, goblins will be listed as an endangered species.


    After that, we took a break for about an hour, and we started moving downward. We avoided the battle as much as possible until we reached the fifteenth level, but we were still blocked by some demons. Well, we took care of them with a touch of armor sleeve.


    On the way, we passed a few peers, but they were all decent adventurers, so we didn''t have any trouble.


    We''ve arrived at the fifteenth level, right? I''m sure you''ll be surrounded by insect demons on this floor as well, so if you''re not careful, you might end up being surrounded by them before you know it.


    Sure, that''s the scary part about bugs.


    Best to ignore the bugs!


    The two of them said that their hometown has a lot of forest and they are used to dealing with insects.


    For now, they decided to hunt in this area (although Amur seemed to be bothered by it) and continued to hunt while each of them paid attention to their surroundings.


    Because the shells of insect demons are often light and strong, depending on their condition, they can fetch quite a high price, so they all dealt with the demons they defeated in a serious manner. Well, in my case, all I had to do was throw them into the magic bag from the edge of the defeated, but Blanca and Amur seemed to be bad at the detailed work, and they were having a hard time. At the end of the day, it seems to have become a hassle to deal with, and he asked me to keep it in the bag in the form of a request. However, the act of entrusting your prey to others often causes unnecessary trouble, so it was decided to lend me a spare magic bag that I had. I don''t think the two of us would ever complain about it, but the line needs to be drawn.


    However, it''s not that common to encounter high-value demons around here. As for me, I''d rather have the white caterpillars that are often caught one floor below this one. However, I had decided to stay on this floor for today, so I decided to concentrate on getting rid of the bugs in silence.


    ''''I don''t have a good one... hmm?


    The moment I used my search, I noticed a few of them reacting to the ceiling a little further away. I sneaked closer and looked at that ceiling and saw that there were golden and silver spiders sticking around.


    Species ... the Golden Silk Spider.


    Species.........Silver Silk Spider


    These spiders have names that seem to be golden. In addition, there was one gold-colored one and four silver-colored ones.


    I''ve never seen them before, so I''d like to catch them alive as much as possible...


    They are each about 50 centimeters in size and look like a larger version of the flytrap spider. They have a vaguely charming face.


    ''As I recall, there''s one that I could use.


    When I was looking around yesterday, I remembered that I bought a tool that emits smoke that bugs hate. It was a ball about 5 cm in size and smelled like mosquito coils. It is harmless, but when you use it in a camping trip, it repels insects, and when insects are hit by the smoke, they can''t move as if they were numb. I decided to give it a try for now.


    Slarin, stay on the other side of those spiders. If this doesn''t work and the spiders escape, grow up and catch them.


    As I instructed, I saw Slarin move to the other side of the spiders, and I set the ball on fire and threw it right below the spiders. The lit ball immediately emitted a large amount of smoke and covered the spiders. The spiders were swallowed by the smoke and moved to get away at first, but soon ran out of steam and fell to the ground.


    ''Okay, it worked!''


    I quickly ran over to the spiders and put them one by one in an insect cage I had made with earth magic. None of the spiders showed any signs of moving when I approached, so I wasn''t sure if it would work, but I tried Heal (recovery) and Resist (increased resistance).


    ''What smoke is this!''


    The smoke seemed to have spread to the other corridors, and my grandfathers came over to help. If there is a fire in the dungeon, if you don''t take measures immediately, the damage may spread to the next two or three.


    I just used smoke bombs to keep the insects away, it''s not a fire!


    Oh, my God, I thought the place was on fire and I panicked.


    It startled me, it made a big mess...


    I''m glad you didn''t start a fire, but you could have told me if you were going to use a fire.


    Sorry.


    It seems that the fact that he silently used a smoke ball in the dungeon was a bit of a lack of consideration for everyone. He wasn''t that angry, but as Amur said, he even ignored the state of the materials of the monster he was dealing with in order to check on us.


    I was remorseful that I was rash and apologized to everyone and asked for their forgiveness.


    I''m sure you''ve been wondering why you needed to use that thing. Tenma wouldn''t have any enemies to use around here, would he?


    ''I found a demon I hadn''t seen before, and I wanted to capture it alive as unharmed as possible, so I used a smoke ball... partly because I wanted to use it to see what a smoke ball felt like.


    I put the spider I caught in front of everyone and showed it to them. Two of the spiders were dead at that point, but the rest seemed to be on the way to recovery.


    Hmm, a very unusual spider, I''ve never seen one before.


    ''It''s covered in a harder shell than I thought. It''s too small to be a full body, but it could be used for partial armor.


    Tenma, are you making your debut as a freak?


    Sure, it''s a beautiful color, and it''s hard enough to be used for armor, but I''m not going to use such fancy armor, and as it stands, my armor is sturdier than poor metal armor, and I think it''s the highest quality leather armor available. In other words, like Amur said, there is no need for me to debut as a Leaner.


    ''''What''s a Leaner?''''


    ''I''ve never heard that word before, what does it mean?''


    Grandpa didn''t seem to understand the meaning of what Amur said about the ''inclined person''. It was the first time for me to hear it in this world, so I followed his words and asked him.


    "Old man Kay says it means a ''show-off'' who likes to show off.


    It also says something like, ''A person who is not influenced by the surroundings, but follows his or her own path. It may be a word from another country, since it was first used locally by that man (old man Kay), but the details are unknown.


    Hearing Blanca''s words, I knew that there was a high possibility that this old man Kay was the same kind (...) as me. I don''t even know if he is a foreigner or a countryman, a person from the same period or a person from the Warring States period, but somehow I felt a sense of affinity with Grandpa Kay and his great-grandson, Amur.


    ''Well, I''d like to see Temma in gold and silver, but as an adventurer, I''m not sure I''d be able to use the color.


    Shame.


    Amur doesn''t know what''s disappointing about it, but if you wear something of a prominent color when you hunt in the first place, it''s easier for your target to find you out, so I''ve never seen an adventurer wearing gold and silver armor, as far as quicksilver is concerned... most of all, nobles, knights, etc. are the opposite. They often use flashy colored armor to show off themselves.


    It''s a good idea to get out of here for now. I''m also curious about the identity of the spider Temma caught.


    With a word from Grandpa, we started to prepare to leave. We''ve already confirmed the location of the warp zone on this floor beforehand, so we all went back to the ground.


    Then let''s finish the purchase at the guild and then go home for a meal. It''s going to be dark soon.


    That''s all well and good, but what about that spider Temma caught?


    ''I''m going to ask someone I know about it, since a guild would see numerous people and I don''t have time. Besides, if I put it out in the guild badly, I might get spotted by some idiots.


    But I''m sure Tenma would turn the tables on such an idiot to line his pockets... for sure!


    Although Amur was quite rude, he couldn''t argue with it, since he had earned his allowance that way many times before. However, it seems that it was the same for Grandpa and Blanca as well, and the moment Amur said it, they looked away a bit.......because it''s a pretty efficient way to earn money, so it can''t be helped.


    ''''I understand what Temma is trying to say, but who are you going to ask?


    ''First of all, Aguri and the others, the Tamer''s Guild, I guess? Or the djinns, and if that doesn''t work, I''m going to ask the kings in a letter.


    I said acquaintances, but I''m not a people person, so the only people I could think of who knew Seigen were Aguri and his friends, Jin and his friends, Amy''s family and Master Ganz. It''s not like I''m the one who talked to them and got to know them.


    ''Temma I feel sorry for you.


    Maybe it was because of the small number of people I mentioned by name, but Amour gently put his hand on my shoulder and said in a heartfelt, sympathetic voice. For some reason, Grandpa and Blanca were also looking at me with kind eyes, which was very rude.


    ''Can you tell me who you know who has spoken to you from Temma?


    "...Jeanne, Aura, Tida, Luna, Kelly, Albert, Leon, Cain and.............oh! Later, kings who came to the village of Kukri!


    I don''t know a lot of people, but I''m talking to a lot of people! I was just wondering....


    ''Jeanne and Aura were just protecting the two of them from being injured, right? The same goes for Tida and Luna, and also for Alex and the others. I heard that the three idiots were following her, so it was probably her who approached them. Kelly ... isn''t it normal to talk to the shopkeeper when you go shopping?


    Tenma I''m sorry for your loss.


    Temma, I don''t think that''s a good idea.


    The people I mentioned were dismissed by Grandpa. Moreover, Amur had even more sympathy for me, and Blanca was quite serious about it.


    ''''That''s enough. I''ll take ''narrow and deep'' over ''broad and shallow'' as my motto.


    ''Broad and deep'' is fine, Temma, isn''t it?


    ''Hmm, since Temma seems to know more women than she does, does ''narrow and deep'' include ''male and female''?


    ''Temma, I''m a Temma first.


    These three want to mess with me no matter what. At a time like this, if you argue poorly, you''ll get hurt. So I decided to ignore the three of them and head to the guild on my own first.


    "Temma, wait!


    I''ve never seen Temma sulk like that.


    It''s a bit much.


    I could see the three of them coming after me from behind, but I continued to ignore them until I walked through the guild door.


    ''So that''s why Temma was in such a foul mood.


    I''ve always been a bit of a mature person, so it was unusual to see Temma like that.


    ''You were so grumpy when you walked into the guild that I wondered what happened... pfft!


    I know what you''re thinking, but that''s not...................


    Menace, Leena, Jin, and Garratt, in that order, are talking about the time I came into the guild... As for the last two, I''ll have them come along to relieve their gloom eventually.


    Right now we''re at a tavern near the guild. When we went to the guild, Djinn and the others had just finished their purchases at the guild and were about to go out to eat. They were talking about where to go to eat when we arrived, so they waited a bit and came to the tavern with us. Even though the number of people had just doubled, our table was lined with an amount of food that was clearly more than thirty servings.


    ''It''s cheap and there''s a lot of food here. If you''re looking for a full meal, this is the best place in town.''''


    When I was surprised at some of the food in front of me, Jin said that as he reached for his food, but that''s not what I''m talking about. If it''s only a quantity, this is as much as you can get with Shiroumaru and Solomon. By the way, you can''t send Slarin and the others out to the tavern, so the three of them are eating together in the bag. At first, Shiroumaru and Solomon were desperate to eat outside, but they became more docile when they ate only meat. I''ve been feeding them only meat lately, so it''s time to get them to get some vegetables. And since my meat stock is getting low, I need to go hunting orcs in the dungeon.


    ''''No, what I''m trying to say is that if we ask for it all at once, the food will get cold and not taste as good.


    ''No, that will be fine. Here.


    Jin said, "What is this guy talking about? I made a face like that and pointed to Amur beside me and Blanca beside him. There were two tigers there, emptying their plates at an amazing rate.


    ''''Hmm?''''


    It''s nothing.


    I couldn''t say anything to the two of them as they looked at me together. Indeed, Jin was probably right, it might have been an unnecessary worry. On the contrary, I''m not going to be able to eat to my satisfaction at this rate.


    I decided to go ahead and save some for myself before the two of them ate it all up, and then eat slowly.


    In addition, as I had feared, because of Amur and Blanca, the meal was not enough for even thirty people.

 128-Chapter 8-4 Date?

    Didn''t the Djinn know that?


    Maybe it''s a very rare spider.


    After we left the djinn and the others, we returned and me and my grandpa took the carriage out to the side of the apartment and watched the three spiders inside. Not long ago, Amour and Blanca had come to bathe, but now they were gone. Blanka-esque, it seemed he was going to stay a little longer, but Amur was trying to crawl into my bed to sleep, so I forced him out.


    ''The djinn are the deepest party in Seigen, so I thought I''d at least seen them before... If we can''t ask Aguri and the others tomorrow, then we''ll have to ask the kings for the rest.


    Yes.


    I''m the only one who knows the exact name of the spiders from the appraisal, but I haven''t told anyone that I can use the appraisal, so I''ve named these spiders "Golden Spider" for gold and "Silver Spider" for silver... It''s about time I did. I may not be able to tell you all of the magic I can use, but I may be able to tell you all of the magic I can use, only if you think that you can trust the It''s especially hard to keep it a secret from my grandpa forever.


    "So, Temma, can''t these spiders ''tame''?


    ''I almost did, but these spiders seem to be wary of me right now, and I can''t seem to make the pass connect.


    If I''m feeding him a piece of meat as food, he''ll eat it, but if I do it by hand, he won''t eat it, but if I keep it in front of him, he''ll eat it after a while.


    I''ll try letting him loose in the bag first, since he doesn''t seem to be able to talk to me without letting his guard down. So I''m going to try letting him loose in the bag. As long as he''s properly fed, he won''t be able to eat each other.


    I suppose we must wait and see.


    Yes.


    I chose a slightly smaller one from my spare dimension bag and released the spiders into it. I put more meat to feed them and more vegetables to rehydrate them, so they''ll last for a few days.


    ''Good night then,''


    I tried to sleep with the lights off in my room, but I was extremely cramped in my bed with three animals that hadn''t had much of a chance to get out today.


    ''So Temma won''t be diving, then? If that''s the case, Merlin-dono will have to go too.......you too, Amour?


    After a light breakfast, Blanca heard my plans and guessed what Grandpa and Amur were planning to do. Grandpa said when I told him my plans first thing in the morning that there was no point in hiding in the dungeon if I wasn''t going, and that he was going to spend the day at leisure. Amur seems to want to follow me, and as soon as I told Blanca of my plans, she moved to my side.


    Temma, introduce me to a blacksmith you know. I haven''t been able to find any good weapons in King''s Landing.


    ''If that''s the case, I''d better go with you. He''s the one who looked at my swords and armor, and although he can be a bit difficult to deal with, he''s a sure hand.


    Please.


    Well, let''s get going. Grandpa, just lock the door when you go out, okay?


    Oh, all right, all right, I''ll be safe.


    Grandpa saw us off and the three of us (plus Slarin and the others) left the apartment. It was still in the morning, but some stalls had finished their preparations, and some of the early ones had begun to sell their wares.


    ''It''s a bit of a distance to my master''s workshop, so let''s take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.


    With us, perhaps it would be faster to run, but running through people in the city would be a problem, so we opted for the passenger carriage that was parked nearby.


    After about forty minutes in the carriage, we arrived at the stop near the master''s workshop. It was only a ten minute walk from here to Master Ganz''s workshop.


    Is Master Ganz here?


    You''re back. I''ve heard of your exploits. I hear you did pretty well!


    The master emerged from the depths of the workshop and gave a dynamic laugh as soon as he met her.


    ''''I heard you were pretty violent, so I guess you''ll have to take care of your equipment. I''ll take a look at it for a bit, let me get it out here.''''


    Before I could introduce Blanca to him, the master asked me to take out my equipment. Since disobeying the master would only be a hassle, I decided to meekly take out the equipment I have stored in my bag, but I''ve been taking good care of it, and since it''s all new to begin with, it shouldn''t be a problem.


    I''m sure you''ve got a new equipment. You look like a pretty good hand..........................could it be that Kelly made it?


    You know Kelly?


    What''s with this girl? Some of them are big.


    Amour''s response to Kelly''s words, the master finally seemed to notice Blanca and Amour.


    ''This one was made by Kelly and Temma too!


    Amur fluttered the Bandit King equipment he was wearing in front of his master.


    ''''This too, that guy seems to have raised his arm. It''s still a bit naive, though.''''


    The master lifted my leather armor and tapped it lightly to examine something. And when he was done, he turned Amur around and looked at the equipment.


    ''First of all, it''s the Temma guy. As far as leather armor goes, it''s probably one of the best I''ve seen. But if I were you, I wouldn''t get hung up on the lump of leather armor, I''d put something with the scales of a ground dragon between the surface and the lining. It''s a good idea to have a single piece of thinned down armor to the very last minute to increase the strength of the armor without changing its weight. Well, if it''s something the Temma uses, I''d put at least two or three pieces in between, not just one. With you, it doesn''t matter if it''s a little heavier. If it''s hard to move, you can just adjust it in parts. If you''re going to have difficulty moving, then you can adjust the parts, like two for the chest and back and one for the abdomen.


    The master, who had put down his armor, then turned to Amur.


    ''I don''t have much to say about this, but you should still take care of your abdomen, too. If you can make a jacket or trousers out of wyvern leather, it won''t let a few attacks through.


    My master''s words make me feel a bit depressed. Since I was involved in the creation of these equipment, I must have compromised somewhere.


    ''But I''m not going to rework your armour. But I''m not going to alter the armor, because that would be bad for Kelly. If you want to do that, you''ll have to say no to Kelly. Not that there''s anything wrong with that. But this is an impressive weapon. The materials are nice, but the technology is just as impressive.


    The adamantine sword seems to have passed the test. However, the master wasn''t sure what to call the "big body spear", but in the end he called it the "big body spear" that I mentioned.


    It''s an innovative weapon. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work for you. However, this is something that can be used as a main weapon depending on the user. It''s pretty hard to handle, though.


    The master muttered something like, "I''ll try to make one of those sometime," and looked at the large spear as if he were licking it, but it didn''t look like Blanca would be able to talk to him at this rate, so he fixed it in his bag and got down to business.


    As it turns out, Branca''s weapon was going to be made. And at a reasonable price. Before Blanca ordered the weapon, the master said he would make it cheaply if it was a spear. It seems that he felt a rivalry with Kelly''s "large body spear" that I showed him. I heard that Blanca had originally planned to order a spear, so as soon as she heard her master''s conditions, she agreed. Amur and I have already been left out of the mosquito net.


    ''''Well, we''ll be going then,''''


    There was no reply from the two of them to my words, but me and Amur didn''t care and walked out, heading for the guild where Aguri and the others were supposed to be.


    ''Date, date!''


    At first I tried to ride in a carriage, but Amur rejected me and we had to walk to the guild. When Amur tried to link arms with me, I firmly refused, but I had no choice but to walk like that.


    It''s a good thing that we''re in a good mood all the way to the guild, buying and eating at the food stalls and chilling out at the shops, which looks like a date from the side, and Amur seemed very happy with it. However, the smell of the stall had taken hold of him, and he had pushed Shiroumaru and Solomon back into the bag, forcing them out of the bag. Well, there was no protest from the two animals as Amur had put a lot of food from the stall in his bag after pushing it back.


    ''This spider I remember seeing somewhere but hold on a minute.


    When I arrived at the guild, I found Aguri busy in a corner of the first floor, and when I showed him the spider and talked to him, he left his seat as if to remember something. I was to help him with the work left there instead of Aguri. Amur doesn''t seem to want to get involved in the work, so he checks the request form on the bulletin board.


    ''So what''s this pile of papers, Ted?''


    This is a request to join the Tamer''s Guild.


    I''ve heard that the number of applicants to join the Tamer''s Guild has increased dramatically since the tournament in King''s Landing. To put it simply, when I first got to know the guild, there were no applicants for membership, but now there are about two hundred. However, there are people who want to join the club because I did well at a tournament, or because they want to get close to me, even though they are clearly unqualified for the job, so they are asked to fill out a paperwork before the interview.


    But if you''re dealing with a civilian, that might be fine, but won''t it be awkward if they''re a nobleman?


    ''That part is all right. The representative is Mr. Aguri, but the Marquis of Samons is the deputy, and the guardian is His Excellency the Grand Duke of Audrey. So if a problem arises, one of the two of you will be notified and asked to take care of it.


    This is a fact I''ve never heard before, but perhaps this is the generosity of the kings. The Marquis of Sammons could be involved because he''s a tamer himself, and it''s not surprising that he''s a high-ranking nobleman, so even if he can''t come very often, he could still fit in as a deputy representative. As for Ernest-sama...........................Perhaps it''s also a warning. To a nobleman who knows about the relationship between me and the royal family, it''s like, ''Don''t think anything strange.......''


    That''s why I have to help out on behalf of Aguri with this job that can''t be said to be unrelated to me.


    ''But I don''t see anyone who looks disgustingly decent... what''s with this ''I have no tame experience, but the guild should let me in''... are you stupid?


    The owner of the papers is the second son of a certain nobleman, a man in his mid-forties. It''s obvious that he''s looking for me. Because in the remarks column, it says something like ''Daughter available, good caliber''... Of course, I immediately threw this document into the box with the batsuit written on it, with an immediate decision. I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that I''m not the only one. By the way, I''ve heard that so far less than ten people have gone on to an interview. It''s a little tough, but apparently Ernest-sama has told me to make the screening process tougher. The candidates who have passed the screening are those who have had experience with taming, and those who have had a hunch that they can be tamed. The Marquis de Samoens will attend the first interview without telling the interviewer.


    ''''Temma''s dropping off some paperwork I haven''t read it well, but is it okay?


    ''No problem. The ones I''m dropping are all aristocratic ones, all of them marked as inexperienced... and they''re clearly trying to get a match. It''s the same kind of stuff you threw away earlier.


    I only look at my name, the introductory section, and the remarks section, and I only touch the ones that look like they might be a problem. I''m in the process of turning all the non-aristocratic papers over to Ted.


    ''There it is, Temma.


    Aguri brought an old book from the archives.


    ''I had only read it once, so I couldn''t quite recall it, but it was written in a little bit in this book. Let''s see ... here it is.


    According to the book Aguri brought, the Golden Silk Spider and Silver Silk Spider are both C-ranked demons, and if you take into account how little they are found, they are comparable to S-ranked demons. Their main method of attack is thread and bite, and they have a paralyzing poison, though their toxicity is weak. The threads can produce a color similar to their appearance, and can be soaked in acidic water for long periods of time to remove the stickiness. If caught in a spider''s web, even a human being can become unable to move, and in some cases, other demons have attacked the spider''s web and killed it. The sticky thread is more lustrous and breathable than ordinary silk, and is tens to hundreds of times stronger than ordinary silk. There have been about a hundred nests found in the last few decades, but only about a dozen individual nests have been found, and no live ones have been captured, with one dead one being brought in.


    This is how the book is written. The book that Aguri brought was a book written by an old tamer, and it was a book with rare demons that the author had seen in various places. It also contains other things like earth dragons, unicorns, and bicorns, and it''s a book that''s still relevant today.


    ''It must have been at least sixty to seventy years ago. By the way, it was more than thirty years ago that I read this book. It was a lot older then.


    The djinn said they hadn''t seen a spider''s web in that area in over a hundred years, so it''s possible that there are even fewer of them than in the past.


    Or maybe he''s just trying to keep them from building a web. Just to reduce the chance of detection.


    After that, I discussed it with Aguri, and it was decided that the information about finding the spider in the dungeon would only be passed on to the guild leader. The head of the Adventurer''s Guild in Seigen seems to have an understanding of the Tamer''s Guild, so if we bring the story to him from Aguri, he will at least listen to what we have to say. However, I don''t know what the guild leader will conclude after hearing this story. Maybe he might decide that it''s better to make it public, but it means it''s better than us making the decision on our own.


    ''Temma, here.


    As me and Aguri were discussing it, Amur, who had been away from us until then, came in with a request form. The content of the request was to help move and bring in wood that had been placed outside the city. The client is a few craftsmen, and it seems that they will be paid for the amount of wood they carry, but they have not gathered the number of people, perhaps because they have decided that it would be more profitable to hide in the dungeon.


    ''''What''s the matter with this?''''


    "Tenma, I''ve got a magic bag. We''re going to have fun and make a fortune if we carry it all.


    It would certainly be a request that I would be able to make an easy buck on. However, it''s a request that has no merit to Amur at all.


    So what do you really think?


    "Suburban Date with Tenma!


    Amur reveals his true purpose without showing the slightest bit of offense. Indeed, even if he asked me to go on a normal date, I''d say no. So it looks like he''s going to make a request and take me out.


    I''m not sure what Amur''s intentions are, but it''s certainly a good request, but it''s also a request that I don''t need to accept.


    You can go ahead and do it. It''s a good thing for the guild that a celebrity like Tenma receives a request like this, as well as for Seigen. And having a craftsman on your side is also good for Temma. After all, artisans are very well connected to each other. The more allies you have, the more trouble you get into, the better.


    Well, you''re right it would be a good way to pass the time.


    After listening to Aguri, I decided to take this request. Behind Aguri, Ted''s grinning is bothering me, but since I''ve decided to accept it, I have to hurry up a bit. From now on, we''d only have about five to six hours to get there, even with travel time. If it takes longer than that, it will be nightfall.


    Let''s run a bit.


    Oh!


    Amur and I went to the counter to complete the procedures for the request and rushed to the designated area.


    The west gate is the designated site and the timber must be carried from the west gate to the collection point near the east gate. However, if you try to go through the West Gate to the East Gate, you will not be able to go through the slums near the West Gate with the wood in its unprocessed form, as the streets in the slums are very narrow. Therefore, it was written in the explanation column of the request form that there were three different routes to take: carry it to the north or south gate, and from there go through the main street to the east gate, or bring it directly along the wall to the east gate.


    ''But I could go through the west gate and point straight to the east gate. If you''re going to focus on speed, you can also run outside the wall with a tanikaze.


    ''Yes, yes. By the way, I think I''d rather be Tanikaze.


    It took me roughly an hour to get from the guild to the west gate. I arrived earlier than the time I had planned, but this was because I naturally competed with Amur while running alongside him on the road.


    ''I''m Temma, as requested. Is this the meeting place?


    I spoke to a dwarven man who was roaring something just outside the west gate. He seemed to be the representative of these clients, and there were a few craftsmen in front of him.


    ''''Yes but why would a big man like you take on this task?''''


    The dwarf man seemed to know me. I told him it was just a way to pass the time, and he laughed out loud.


    That''s all well and good. I''m sure you''ll be happy to spend your free time adding strength to the war effort. It''s just that....


    Something about the man made it hard to say.


    ''Quite a bit of weight, but is it okay? Pretty hard work, huh?


    According to the man, some adventurers came before me, but most of them were newcomers who had just started adventuring, and more than half of them didn''t become a force.


    ''''Well, it''s a request for forcefulness.


    Then I looked at the pile in front of me. The request form said only lumber (...), but in front of me was a pile of posts and boards that had probably come from when the building was torn down. Obviously, it wasn''t an amount of one or two houses, but clearly enough for twenty to thirty houses.


    ''Why so much?''


    Hearing Amur''s words, the man pointed to the West Gate.


    ''This came out of the demolition of an illegal building that had been built inside the West Gate, and one that was too old and in danger of collapsing. We demolished it and we were supposed to take it back, but we couldn''t get the wood through the slum roads to get it out. So you got it out of there once. But we''re way behind schedule because very few of the guys who can use it have come.


    After saying that.


    So you''re going to take the job?


    I confirmed that I was not the only one. The craftsmen behind the man looked at me, too.


    ''I''m fine! Temma would be a piece of cake!


    ""Ohhhhhhh!"


    For some reason, the craftsmen shouted expectantly at Amur as he declared on my behalf, "Then get on with it.


    Then you can get right to it. You can take care of everything. If you go to the east gate, the guy waiting over there is supposed to weigh the weight and write the amount of money on the certificate of order completion. It''s a rough estimate of 2,000 G for 100 kg, but depending on what you carry, it may be colored a little bit, but it''s supposed to be. I''m counting on you.


    ''Before we do the work, I have a question for you. I have the means to haul a lot of stuff at once, but just because one person hauls a lot of stuff doesn''t mean the other guys can''t complain about it, right? I hear there''s a set quota for each of them.


    I asked the other adventurers if they had a contract with other adventurers about how much they had to carry, but they told me that they didn''t have such a contract. One of the terms of the contract was that each time I carried from here to the east gate, it seemed to mean that I had completed the request once each time, and that I didn''t have to worry about the adventurers who weren''t here.


    ''''Then feel free to help me Slarin, help me out.


    I asked Slarin, who was resting in his bag, to come outside and carry the wood into the empty dimension bag. I needed Slarin''s help to get all the wood in here to the edge of the dimension bag if I was going to carry it efficiently.


    Slarin is equipped with a magic bag and a dimension bag inside his body, so the first thing he does is give the wood to Slarin to store in his body. Then he goes into my bag and fills it with wood from the corner. While Slarin works in the bag, I use the Guardian Gigant, the Guardian of Giants, to sort the wood. Amur was in charge of supporting me near me.


    After repeating this over and over again, all of the several empty dimension bags were filled.


    ''''I''ll go then. Just in case you need to remember how many bags I used. I''ll have them counted over there as well, so you can check them later.


    Saying that to the surprised craftsmen, I pulled the Tanikaze out of my magic bag and activated it, making sure the slarin was in and then straddled it. I checked the rest of the wood on top of the Tanikaze and saw that it was down to less than half of what it was when I first arrived. It looks like we can carry it all in one more time.


    ''Touche!''


    Amur waits for me to straddle him, then jumps up and lands behind me. Then he puts his hands around my waist.


    ''Just as I calculated,''


    I realize now that this was why Amur was pushing Tanikaze, but I felt bad about leaving Amur alone here, so I let Tanikaze run as it was. I could have taken either the north or south route, but I somehow started running along the route through the south gate. Since the perimeter of Seigen is supposed to be about 100 km, it would be about 50 km from the west gate to the east gate by simple calculation. Tanikaze could get there in fifty minutes. If there is something out of the calculation....


    I''m drunk... ugh.


    It is probably the endurance of the person who is riding. It seems that it was impossible to ride the vehicle that exceeds 60km per hour for a long time. If this was just a normal car on a well-maintained road, it wouldn''t be a problem for an hour or so, but the vibration is intense like a horse, and because it was running on a barely maintained place, Amour couldn''t take it anymore after about 30 minutes. In my case, it didn''t matter because I had a tolerance, but we had to take a break past the south gate to let Amr rest. However, Amur''s physical condition did not return to normal after a short break. In the end, Amur ended up moving in the dimension bag containing Shiroumaru and his friends.


    He arrived at the east gate about 20 minutes later than planned, but the craftsmen who were waiting for him were surprised at how long it took, and were twice as surprised by the amount of wood they had brought with them.

 129-Chapter 8-5 Raven Raiders

    ''Temma, next time I want to take the north gate route...''


    After receiving my certificate of completion at the east gate, I had just decided to accept the request again, even though I was running out of time, when Amur asked me what I wanted to do next. As for me, I agree with Amur''s wish because it''s more interesting to drive a different route than to go back the way we came. And Amur is behind me, hugging me again. He seems to have recovered a little bit after resting in the bag. However, it is only a little, and Amur''s face is still pale.


    "For now, slow down from before, but if you feel uncomfortable, don''t hesitate to tell me.


    "Yup.


    Wow!


    Cue!


    One and two of them reply back to my words. Shiroumaru and Solomon were looking a little stressed out from being used as pillows by Amur in the bag, so I''m letting them out to vent with exercise.


    ''Okay, we''re off!''


    Oh.


    Shilomar, Solomon, don''t stay too far away!


    Oh, Shiroumaru got the rabbit.


    Shiroumaru is happy to be able to run around. He has been moving around a lot since a while ago, chasing and catching hornbills that have escaped. Solomon seems to be finding more prey than Shiroumaru, but he''s not very good at catching them, and he hasn''t been able to catch any of them since a while ago.


    Cue!


    Wahhh.


    Squeak!


    The horned rabbit that Shiroumaru had just caught was the one that Solomon had found and intercepted. However, since it was after Solomon failed to capture it, Shiroumaru seemed to be saying, "It''s your fault for failing," or something like that. Incidentally, the first thing Solomon said was, "That''s not fair! And the next voice was, "I''m so frustrated! And so on.


    After that, the flow continued: Solomon found, Solomon failed to capture, Shiroumaru interrupted, Shiroumaru captured successfully, and so on. But after ten times, the flow of events would come to an end.


    "Kyu~! Squeak! Kyu~!


    Finally, Solomon had succeeded in his hunt. He was so pleased with his success that he proudly brought his catch to me. However, the catch that Solomon brought had a serious flaw. It was.........


    Grog!


    Gross!


    Solomon''s prey was in such bad shape that my voice and Amur''s overlapped. If we were to compare it to a small animal that was hit by a car, it would be like a small animal that was hit by a car.


    In the past, Solomon has tried to catch his prey with his mouth and failed to do so. This may have been an imitation of what Shiroumaru had done with his mouth, but it was not a method that suited Solomon. So Solomon thought it over and came to the conclusion that ''it moves so it can''t be caught, so let''s make it immobile and then catch it. So Solomon first hit it with his body and then stopped its movement (its breath) and then caught it with his mouth. There is certainly nothing wrong with this method. If there was a mistake, it was in Solomon''s failure to take into account the power of his own body hit.


    ''Solomon, it''s great that you came up with this method, but this will only make your meat worse,''


    Coo!


    Solomon was very shocked when he heard me say that the meat would go bad.


    The rabbit had bled out of its eyes, mouth, ears and nose, its eyeballs had popped out, and it was vomiting what looked like internal organs (.......) from its mouth, and its stomach had burst. This kind of rabbit meat couldn''t possibly be good.


    When Solomon heard my explanation, he became quite depressed, and from then on, he let Shiroumaru know of the prey he had found. His appetite won out over his pride. Incidentally, the horned rabbit that Solomon had caught was later enjoyed by Slarin.


    ''Temma, take a break. My butt hurts.


    Amur said that his ass was at its limit and appealed to Tanikaze to stop.


    "Shiroumar, Solomon, take a break. Come back.


    I called them back from a bit of a distance and sat down on a rock that was nearby. Amur was also sitting next to me. The sun was much lower in the sky, but it looked like we had at least another hour to spare, so I decided that it would be okay to slow down a little bit. I decided to use this time to draw blood from the horn rabbits that Shiroumaru and the others had hunted, and although I couldn''t draw much blood from the already dead horn rabbits, I figured the taste of blood wouldn''t be too bad sometimes if I ate the meat while it was still fresh, so I put it back in the magic bag in the right place.


    While I was working, Amur, Slarin and the others were sipping on water and what they had bought from the cart.


    ''Don''t eat too much, Amur. You''ll feel sick again. Oh, and don''t worry, we''ll start moving in a little while.


    Okay.


    Amur had taken my advice and handed the rest of the several skewers he had in his hand to Slarin. Shiroumar and Solomon didn''t complain because it was Slarin who was handed the skewers, but they still seemed to want their own, staring at me. I gave him a look and handed him the skewers and he quickly lined up in front of me. These two animals are very well behaved at times like this.


    Let''s go then. In another 30 minutes, we''ll be at the west gate.


    After the break, Amour''s complexion is better than the first. He''s still hugging my back, but I''ll leave it at that as long as he doesn''t do anything weird. Shiroumaru and the others were curled up in their bags, probably intending to take a post-dinner break. I look around before we leave, and the sky is getting much darker, so we might as well hurry up a bit.


    I said no to Amur and let Tanikaze ride a little faster than before. Amur was getting used to the ride, and although it looked painful, he didn''t get drunk.


    It''s time to see the destination, when a flash of lightning ahead, followed by a violent sound. After the thumping sound, a fire broke out and black smoke rose into the sky.


    ''Amur, I''m going to fly you down here. Shiroumar, follow with Amur. Solomon went ahead and alerted the others. After that, if people are slow to flee, buy us some time! Never take it easy!


    Okay. Shiroumaru, please.


    Wow!


    Coo!


    Amur jumped down from behind me and began to equip his armor. Solomon flew off as instructed and I made sure Amur got off and let Tanikaze run as fast as he could. The full force Tanikaze was gutting the ground with every step, sending a large amount of dirt up into the grass.


    ''''GANG!''''


    I heard Shiroumaru''s cries behind me, but I didn''t have time to check it out, so I went straight to where the fire was rising. It took about three minutes for me to reach my destination, but during that time I saw several flashes of light. I used ''Search'' and ''Appraisal'' on the way to explore the area around my destination. Then, the one who was rampaging was an opponent I hadn''t expected. Solomon is boldly attacking that opponent, but to say the least, it''s quite a bad minute. However, thanks to the fact that Solomon was dealing with him, the artisans who were waiting at that location seemed to be able to evacuate to the inside of the gate. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.


    Solomon, get back here now! It''s the other guy''s fault!


    Coo! Kyu~........


    It was still too much for Solomon to bear, and as soon as I came, he let out a cry. Immediately Solomon reversed and tried to come to me, but he wasn''t the one to miss the opportunity.


    ''Cwow!''


    The moment Solomon turned his back, he was dropped to the ground by his opponent''s attack.


    ''Solomon! d*mn you, Heel! Aqua Heels!


    I managed to catch Solomon before he fell to the ground, and I quickly cast a recovery spell to evacuate him to my bag. Although he was hurt pretty badly, Solomon raised his voice to let me know he was okay.


    However, my relief was short-lived, and this time Tanikaze suddenly stood up on his hind legs and bounced me backwards.


    ''''Nah........''''


    Almost at the same time I was sent flying, this time Tanikaze was engulfed in a flash of light. I was sent flying further in the aftermath of the flash and rolled on the ground, and when I looked up from where I stopped, it was just as Tanikaze crashed to the ground.


    ''Slarin''!''


    I rushed to Tanikaze, but there was no light in Tanikaze''s eyes and both of his legs behind him were shattered. Just as I thought my survival was doomed, the door to the back hatch popped open and Slarin crawled out from inside. Slarin was a little weakened, but not as bad as Solomon. I hurriedly picked up Slarin and jumped back from the spot as fast as I could, and lightning(...) struck the spot where I had been a moment ago. I can''t dodge the aftermath of the lightning just by jumping back, so I quickly took out an iron spear from my bag and threw it away.


    The spear seemed to have taken the place of a lightning rod, and the path of the lightning was deflected away from me. That gave me time to cast a recovery spell on Slarin and evacuate him to the bag.


    The one that appeared in front of me was a bicorn, a horse-shaped demon with jet-black skin, a physique comparable to a tanikaze, and two horns on its head like a deer. I threw my spear at the bicorn''s body, but the bicorn dodged the spear with a nimble movement that didn''t match its massive body. That was the signal, and the bicorn began to rush forward. I take out my sword to intercept it and aim at its front legs, but the bicorn easily dodges this as well.


    I''ve been able to defeat huge monsters until now by using my legs to fight them, but the bicorn is a huge, hard, and fast opponent for the first time. And since they use lightning magic, they have to move around constantly. I didn''t feel it so much when I used it myself, but there is no magic as troublesome as this when you turn it against an enemy. Moreover, the bicorn fights with lightning sometimes clothed in its body and horn, so if you''re not careful, you''re likely to get electrocuted immediately. So far, I haven''t received a direct hit from the bicorn''s lightning magic, but the aftermath has caused me to receive a little bit of damage. In contrast, my slash hasn''t caused much damage to the bicorn''s body. Even though the bicorn''s skin is just hard, the moment it is attacked, it wears lightning on its body and instantly raises its defense.


    ''''Ik!''''


    As I got even closer, I found out that the bicorn''s horn was as sharp as a single-edged blade, and with just a graze, the skin was sliced open and the lightning on the horn burned the wound. The attack had left several worm-like wounds on my arm. However, I wasn''t just being attacked either. I also attacked the wounds on the bicorn''s body, tracing the wounds, making them deeper and deeper.


    It shouldn''t have been long since I started fighting the bicorn, but I was feeling quite tired. I hadn''t expected fighting through the aftermath of the lightning to be so exhausting.


    I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to find a solution to this problem.


    ''There''s an opening.''


    Gluaaaahhhhh!


    It was a dirt-covered Amur and Shiroumaru. For some reason, both seemed to be in a bad mood, and they forcefully hit their bodies as if to ignore the lightning. Amur was straddling Shiroumaru''s back, thrusting his spear into the bicorn''s flank as Shiroumaru''s body hit him. Straddling a wolf and dressed as a tiger, Amur''s figure was truly a thing ... a beast princess.


    ''''Gyurolo-lo-loo!


    f*ck you!


    While Bicorn was distracted by the attacks of Amur and the others, I tossed my sword, took the halberd out of my bag and slammed it down on Bicorn''s head from the top step as if swinging it around. The halberd deviated slightly from the bicorn''s head and struck off one horn at the base.


    As the horn flew into the air, the lightning that the bicorn was wearing disappeared.


    ''This one, stop it!


    I removed my hand from the momentum-hungry halberd, took a new large spear from my bag, and thrust it into the wound on the bicorn''s neck.


    ''Gyro! Gyuroloo...........


    The large body spear severed the trachea and jugular bone from the neck wound and went through to the mane.


    The bicorn opened its mouth to bite me for a moment, but it stopped moving when the big body spear severed the jugular, and after a snarl, it fell down spitting out blood.


    ''Amur, Shilomar, help................goof!


    The moment I turned around to thank the two of them, I rolled on the ground as Shiroumaru''s body hit me for some reason.


    ''''What-oh! Stop!


    Shiroumaru licked my face before I could complain. Moreover, for some reason the inside of Shiroumaru''s mouth was covered in dirt, and my face was gradually stained with dirt. In addition, blood was seeping from the cheek area because my face was rubbed with the dirt particles. Shiroumaru seemed somewhat satisfied with the fact that my face was covered with dirt.


    Just when I was about to get really angry at Shiroumaru, his body suddenly floated in the air. Shiroumaru is confused by the suddenness of the situation and his legs are flailing about, but he doesn''t seem to be able to escape at all.


    ''Slarin, that''s enough. Let him go.


    Siloumal was restrained by Slarin, who crawled out of the bag. Slarin spat Shiroumar out and turned parts of his body into a whip, preaching? began.


    Slarin''s sermons are quite spartan. Every time Shiroumaru tried to say something, he would whip the ground to silence him. It would be quite an unusual sight to see a big wolf hanging its head and slouching its tail in front of a small slime. Well, it''s a common sight in our house, but.....


    ''Squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak ... squeak.


    Free from Slarin''s sermon, Shiroumaru came to me and showed his belly while making a pitiful voice. It''s the most pathetic voice and expression I''ve ever seen, and to be honest, it was quite disheartening.


    Perhaps he sensed that I was pulling back because Shiroumar and Slarin would not forgive me, but Shiroumar''s voice became even more pathetic, and Slarin began to plead with me to forgive Shiroumar.


    ''Shiroumar''s actions are also the fault of Temma.


    According to Amur, Shiroumaru''s behavior was triggered by what happened when I made Tanikaze run. Because of my hasty running of the Tanikaze, Shiroumaru, who was behind me, was attacked by a large amount of dirt. Amur was safe because he quickly covered his face with the head part of his bandit king equipment, but Shiroumaru, who was facing me, was hit in the eye, mouth and nose by a mass of dirt and struggled for a little while. Shiroumaru''s mouth was covered in dirt because of what was left of it.


    Of course, no treats I''ll lock you in a bag for a month, of course, so you can''t escape. Be prepared for that.


    Wow?


    When Shiroumaru heard my words, he didn''t seem to understand what was being said for a moment, and when he understood my words, he was quite flustered. Incidentally, Solomon, who was sneaking a look at me from his bag, was also pale and trembling at the punishment that might be imposed on Shiroumaru, even though he was not a party to it.


    ''''By the way, I was also a victim.......I''ll have you take responsibility!


    As I was washing my own face and Shiroumaru with the water I had magically produced, Amur thrust his arms out to the sky and declared.


    ''Yeah, my bad I''ll make you something tasty later.


    No.


    Of course I''m going to scrub your armor clean, too.


    No.


    ''Oh, yes! I''ll split the bicorn ingredients, too. Besides, we''re having a horse meat casserole tonight.


    Is it possible that you''re playing a trick on me?


    ...What are you talking about?


    ''If you''ve turned a girl into a wounded object, there''s only one thing to take! "Kekko


    ''Heel! Aqua Heels! Antidote! Cure! ....Yes, the wound is gone.


    I gave Amour two recovery spells and a detoxification and disinfection treatment just in case, before he started to say ominous words. Originally, Amour''s wounds were such that you had to look closely to see them, so even with just the first heel, the wounds had disappeared nicely.


    ''''........tch.


    Amur turned his face away from me and gave a small cluck of his tongue. If I had to marry a woman in the first place, with a wound like that, I wonder how many wives I''d have by now... Even if it''s legal in this country, it''s more uncomfortable for me.


    Ignoring Amour, who was mumbling something to himself and thinking, I went to retrieve the fallen Tanikaze. Tanikaze''s entire body was covered in soot, and even its shattered hind legs were almost melted in places. No matter how you look at it, it would have to undergo significant repairs. As I was collecting the body of Tanikaze and the shattered pieces, the bicorn suddenly stood up behind me.


    ''No way!


    I quickly readied my big body spear as soon as I could, but the punchline was that Slarin was actually just trying to carry it. Slarin apologized for startling me, but he didn''t stop the movement itself. What they''re doing is draining the bicorn of its blood.


    The bicorn didn''t seem to be completely out of it''s depth yet, and the edges of its eyes and mouth were moving slightly. Slarin saw that and decided to drain the bicorn''s blood before its quality went down. By the way, the blood of a bicorn is not worth much. The parts that have value are almost the same as the unicorn''s, but unlike the unicorn''s horn, the bicorn''s two symbolic horns are not medicinal. Instead, it can be used as a weapon and is said to be as hard as or harder than mithril as far as strength is concerned.


    When the bloodletting was finished, Slarin brought the bicorn to me. The bicorn was properly placed in the magic bag, so this time it was completely dead. And thanks to Slarin, the bloodletting was perfect.


    I could have left as it was, but I didn''t think it would be a good idea to leave the materials on fire, so I used the water magic method to spray water from my hands like a fire truck hose to put out the fire.


    ''Let''s go! Everyone get rid of him!


    When the fire was almost finished, people finally came out of the west gate. At the head of the group are five adventurers.


    However, the bicorn has already been exterminated, and the fire has reached a level where there is no problem waiting for the fire to be naturally extinguished as it is. In the first place, it''s unlikely that just someone who is obviously a newcomer would be able to deal with that bicorn. Nine out of ten, they would be killed instantly and that would be the end of it.


    ''''It''s over. The only thing left to do is to clean up the dregs of cinders here.


    I called out to the armed artisans. The masters seemed skeptical when they heard those words, but when I took the bicorn out of my bag, they finally believed me and disarmed it. Everyone had a smile on their faces, but not the adventurers. To my surprise, they were all half-crying. Perhaps they were so happy, the adventurers were hugging each other and rejoicing. When you look closely, you can see that all five of them are young dwarves. Could they be relatives of the workers?


    I told my master why I was here and that I had killed the bicorn and extinguished the fire, and then I went to report to the guild. My master was quite grateful to me. Apparently, those adventurers were the craftsmen''s relatives, just as I thought they were. I heard that he originally had them help him move the lumber, but when they were unlucky enough to come back, he forced them to bring them back as a fighting force to get rid of the bicorn. I guess they wanted to help the cat, but that''s too miserable a story to tell. They might be weaker than the craftsmen here.


    Temma!


    When I entered the guild, my grandfather was the first to run up to me. Behind him were the ''Sword of Dawn'' and Aguri and the others, all of whom were armed.


    ''''Grandpa, you''re here.''''


    As I was taking my time in the carriage, I felt something bad. I came to the guild for the time being, but I wondered if there was something I didn''t need to worry about.


    ''Well, we''ll talk about that later, but first I have to report to the Guildmaster.


    The guild had gathered a group of adventurers who seemed to have been called in to exterminate the bicorn and were ready to leave immediately. However, since the bicorn had already been exterminated, it would only be a waste of time to say so. Besides, just in case we killed a high-ranking demon in the vicinity of the city, we are supposed to report to the guild, so we have to meet the guild master anyway.


    ''''Huh? It''s over! Seriously?


    The guildmaster was in the middle of a meeting with his staff when I went to report, and at first the guildmaster almost turned me away evilly, but one of the staff noticed me and stopped me in a hurry. Later, when I reported about the bicorn and produced the bicorn''s horn as evidence, the guildmasters were surprised to hear me shout out loud. The adventurers reacted to their voices and the guild was in an uproar.


    ''''Well then, we can go back now.


    ''Oh, oh, good job ... buying the material ...''


    I don''t have any plans to sell them at the moment. It''s a valuable material, and I''ll probably use it all myself.


    I greeted the stunned guildmaster and told him once and for all that I wouldn''t be selling the bicorn while I was at it. It''s not every day that a demon of this class is defeated, and the guild would be very proud if they could stock it. For that reason, they would offer a considerable amount of money to the adventurers who defeated them to buy them. The guild would be rewarded with the achievement of handling a high-ranking demon, and the adventurers would be rewarded with a large amount of money and honor.


    But that''s only if you''re an ordinary adventurer and guild. For people like me who also produce their own goods, a bicorn is a treasure trove. You can make equipment, you can make medicines, and you can eat them. And of course, you can eat it too.


    Honestly, I was more excited than I was when I defeated the earth dragon. Back then, most of the things I could come up with were materials for equipment, but this time, I could enjoy a lot of things as ingredients.


    ''''Well then, shall we go home?''''


    I decided to go back to the carriage, calling out to Grandpa and Amur who were talking to each other. And for some reason, ''Sword of Dawn'' and Aguri followed behind us.


    ''''The Djinn and the others are probably aiming for the horse meat spill, but what about Aguri?''''


    Isn''t that a little harsh for our good intentions?


    We''re going to help you take it apart, and we''re going to help you...


    ''I want horse meat. So I''m going to go help.


    ''So do I. I''d like to see the bicorn as well.......................and Jin and Garratt don''t have to come. Me and Mr. Menace will be there to help.


    Yeah, please.


    Leena easily dismissed Jin and Garratt as unnecessary. Hearing my words, Menace nodded, and the two of them moved away from Jin and the others. Jin and Garratt, who were watching them, were in a panic.


    ''''It''s a lie! I''ll help you, so let me eat horse meat!


    They all bowed their heads together. Menace and Leena looked at the two of them with dumbfounded eyes. The people on the street were looking at such ''Sword of Dawn'' while pointing at it.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with them.


    I''m not sure if I''m aiming for a spillover, either. It''s not so easy to see a bicorn, even if you want to see it, because it''s not something you can easily see and taste.


    Aguri was honest about his reasons for following me, and also suggested that he would take out his own subordinate, the Grappler Ape, as an asset to the demolition effort. Honestly, they''re going to be more useful than the djinn. It''s unclear how useful Ape and the others will be in the war effort, but without a doubt, Aguri''s knowledge will be useful. Especially when it comes to demons, he will have as much or more knowledge than Grandpa.


    ''''Certainly, I''m grateful that Aguri is helping me. Then let''s get going.


    Aha!


    Well, let''s just say that they''ve become that much more casual in their relationship............I don''t really care what they think of me.


    Well, I guess we have enough men to take it all apart although there were a couple of them working for me.

 130-Chapter 8-6 Yakiniku Meet

    It''s a lot easier to dismantle them when you have all these people here.


    We rented the dismantling place attached to the guild and dismantled the bicorn. The ones who actually dismantled it were me, Jin, Garratt, and Blanca. The whole instruction was given by Aguri, Grandpa kept the surroundings clean with water magic and wind magic, while the ladies and grappler ape and others did their chores.


    ''''Even so, I didn''t know they had a use for recovery magic like that...''''


    The use of such a spell was to cast a spell on the bicorn''s corpse. In this way, the small wounds on the bicorn''s body could be cleaned out. Probably, even if the bicorn is dead, by casting a spell on the body cells while they are still alive, the cells will be activated and the wounds will heal. However, if you cast a spell on a large demon like a bicorn, it will consume a lot of magic power, so it is difficult for an ordinary wizard to do so, and even if you cast a spell on something of low value, you will lose money in total, so it seems that not many people do it. By the way, Aguri told me this. Grandpa didn''t know it either, and he looked a little frustrated.


    ''Gee.''


    Geeee.


    Gee.


    The ones sounding like these combatants are Agri''s grappler apes. I thought they were doing something with the water that my grandfather had just produced, but it looks like they were washing the guts of the bicorn with the apes. He finished that and brought it to me.


    ''Thanks. Wash your hands, then you can rest. Take this with you too.


    ""Geeee!"


    I handed Ape and the others a bag of skewers and they all bowed their heads and took the bag with them. They are quite well behaved, perhaps because of the good education of Aguri. He looks at Ape and the others with envy, and I want my two dogs to learn from him.


    When I told Aguri about it, he said, "They''re in front of Tenma, so they must be quiet. Those apes know that I''m the master of Shiroumaru and the others, plus I''ve defeated the earth dragon and the wyvern, so they''re trying not to offend me. In fact, they were three quite air-readers.


    These apes are eating spit-roasted food with our servants. Since Shiroumaru and Solomon were drooling over the spit-roast, they couldn''t put their hands on the spit-roast, so they served the same to all three of us.


    The skin is done, Temma, take it with you. And here''s the core, and here''s the fig and the ball. The oil under the skin is in a bucket over here.


    Jin calls me over and hands me what he''s finished taking. I also put the other internal organs, such as the heart and liver, in the magic bag. Aside from the heart, the liver and other organs are probably not going to be eaten because of the concerns about parasites and because they can be used as medicine. To prove it, the intestines that Ape and the others washed were placed in a bucket of oil and separated from the others. There are five buckets of oil, and they must weigh more than 100 kilograms in total.


    I forgot to mention that the bones must be cleaned off. Smaller ones as much as possible, but make sure the bigger ones are.


    What''s it for?


    I was thinking of using it to repair the Tanikaze. The Tanikaze is almost completely broken and needs major repairs, so I thought I''d make some improvements as well.


    When I told my grandfather about the Tanikaze remodeling plan, he listened to me with great interest. The current plan is to use the bones and core of a bicorn to strengthen and lighten the inside of the body, and to use the scales of a ground dragon for the exterior to increase its strength.


    That sounds interesting! If I had the materials, I''d want to make one too!


    To make a golem as good as Tanikaze, it''s impossible to do so with the materials you can find on the street. Furthermore, Tanikaze relies heavily on Slarin to start up, so there''s no point in just making a container for it.


    But this time, I''m going to try to make something that will have high performance without Slarin. The scorpion-shaped golem I made a while ago, which I gave to Jeanne and Aura, as well as a golem for royalty, are close to my ideals at the moment, so I''m going to try to apply the technology from that time. It might take some time, but Tanikaze is my precious family, so I must definitely do it.


    Temma, we''re halfway done. Why don''t we take a break here?


    I turned around when I heard Aguri''s words and saw that the bicorn had been carved into a carcass and the right half of the bicorn had been blocked off by part.


    ''Right. It''s about time for dinner, let''s grill the meat and eat it.


    ""We''ve been waiting for you!"


    The ones who reacted immediately to my suggestion were Jin, Garratt and Amur. And although they didn''t say it aloud, Shiroumaru and the others were pleased.


    The meat is cooked on the griddle, mainly the lean parts, the kalbi and spare ribs, and the hormones. I really wanted to eat it on the grill, but I gave up on it as I would have to go inside the dungeon or outside the city if I didn''t have to worry about the smoke.


    The seasoning is also basically salt, and the rest is just a sauce mixed with fish sauce, sugar, and sake, which is then poured over the meat and grilled.


    ''''Oh! Yum!


    Half life is best!


    Another.


    You three, please eat on this side of the table.


    The first to put the meat in their mouths were the three who were cheering. All three of them brought the meat to the table half-raw, so their hands turned faster than everyone else''s. When Leena noticed this, she fixed the three of them in one place and made an effort to make sure they could eat slowly. Moreover, she was very thorough in arranging the vegetables between the three of them.


    The hormones are good, but we can''t eat so many of them.


    Yeah.


    Grandpa and Aguri were eating hormones and talking with each other. Even the wise man can''t seem to compete with the waves of age.


    Mmm, it''s nice to feel like you''re eating meat when you bite into a bone.


    ''You''re right. But Garratt''s bones look better on him than they do on me.


    Of course. Here, Shiroumaru.


    Blanca held the spare ribs directly in her hands and bit into them with gusto. He then feeds the bone, which still has meat on it, to Shiroumaru. Following that, Menace also handed the bone he was eating to Solomon.


    ''Gee-gee,''


    Geeeeee.


    Geeeeee!


    Ape and the others ate their favorite parts, too. However, they occasionally threw the hot meat into their mouths and burned themselves, screaming.


    Thus, they consumed dozens of kilograms of meat. The bicorn meat was low in fat, rich in flavor, and quite tasty.


    However, if there was one problem, it would be that it smelled too good. The barbecue was done in a corner of the demolition place, so the smell reached the guild and the staff got angry at me.


    ''''The butchers will be profitable today.


    Everyone nodded at my mutterings. If we continued like this, we were going to be kicked out of the guild, so my grandfather and I set up a ward around it. This made it a little smoky, but the smell wouldn''t leak outside. When the roast meat is finished, we can use wind magic to carry the smoke to the outside. Just be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning while roasting meat, but.......


    I told everyone to take precautions, such as making sure there was plenty of ventilation when using the fire. They all stopped reaching for their meat after hearing my words, but Amur was the only one to say "umami-umami," and he took a moment to eat his share of the meat.


    After that, a battle without honor and humanity over the meat ensued, and the guild officials were ordered to leave. Even though they haven''t finished dismantling the bicorn yet....


    At any rate, it''s too dark and time sensitive to do it outside, so we''re going to continue outside the city tomorrow morning. I didn''t give everyone else veto power. Because I made them promise to demolish the bicorn meat on the condition that they eat it, and as long as they haven''t demolished it, they''re under contract with me. I won''t allow you to eat away.


    ''''Then meet me outside the south gate tomorrow morning. If you don''t show up I''m going to unleash the Shiroumaru. You won''t get away.


    On!


    Shiroumaru was motivated and barked at the djinn and the others. He seems to know which one of them, Aguri or the djinn, is going to break his promise.


    ''''I won''t run away!''''


    Everyone laughed at Jin and Garratt, who were the first to react. When the punchline was reached, they broke up, but half of them had the same place to go, so it didn''t feel like they broke up much.


    ''''Alright, now that we''re all here, let''s start the continuation of yesterday!


    Yes! I''ll do my best!


    It was Amy who responded cheerfully. When I returned to the apartment yesterday, I gave her some meat as a gift, and she was interested in the bicorn at that time, so she followed me to the demolition today.


    By the way, Aimee has no experience in demolishing demons, so she won''t be an asset, but she will be asked to do her best as part of the scullery crew. Well, according to my grandfather, Aimee is close to my apprentice in terms of appearance, so it is my role to help her gain this kind of experience. By the way, Aimee''s family members, Eee-chan and Shi-chan, are also with her.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them. I''ll take care of tanning the skins, and the djinn will proceed with the dismantling as instructed by Aguri. The ladies will do miscellaneous tasks I''ll have them build the furnace first. If there''s anything else you need, I''ll let you know. Slarin and the rest of the household are to stop or repel the demons and idiots who are drawn to our scent. I''ll leave that decision to Slarin.


    Thus began the continuation of yesterday''s work. The first thing we did was to set up the demolition platform, which I made with my magic by hardening the soil and putting a wooden board on top of it. And I have two platforms. One for dismantling and the other for disposing of the skin.


    ''We''ll disinfect the platforms first, everyone step away.


    I''ll burn the table with fire magic and disinfect the board with boiling water. Finally, I''ll finish disinfecting with a final coat of cure and antidote as a precaution. Now we can get to work.


    We waited until the heat of the board had cooled down, and then we dispersed to our work.


    We''ll take care of the skin, but first let''s get the excess fat off.


    The djinn take the fat off when they peel it off, but it''s still on the smallest parts, so I use a mithril knife to scrape it clean off. Once that was done, I washed it once, and now I shaved the surface hairs. That''s the end of the prep work. And the last thing.....


    Slarin, please.


    It''s all thrown to Slarin. To begin with, they say that to tan the skin, they use alum or tannin from the salted skin. They say there are other ways to tan the skin by chewing it, but I don''t know where you can get alum, and I don''t know if you can do it with tannin, although it''s in tea and so on. And you can probably chew it if it''s a small one, but not if it''s this big.


    So I''m relying on slarin'' when I''m in trouble. The tanning process removes fat and protein from the skin to soften it, so we ask Slarin to melt the fat that we couldn''t remove and soften it while we''re at it. The soap made from Slarin''s bodily fluids would have a moisturizing effect on my hair and skin, so I think it would work better than I thought. If it fails, if it doesn''t work with Slarin, there''s no way around it.


    Slarin took the bicorn skin I gave him into his body and went straight back to Shiroumaru and the others.


    I looked at the rest of the work as this one is finished, Emilie is piling up stones to make the hearth, and it looks like it''s only halfway done. However, the three women are making the hearth on their own, so there are four hearths in the process of being made. Well, since there are so many of us eating at the same time, there is no need to have so many cookers. In fact, we may need more than four.


    As for the djinn, it looks like the dismantling of the whole thing will be finished in a little while. Jin, Garratt and Blanca are the only ones working on it, but all three of them have more physical strength than anyone else, and since they went through the whole process yesterday, they are working fast.


    Grandpa is sitting on a chair of his own making and using magic as needed. He doesn''t have much to do because of the warding in the beginning, and he seems to have the most time on his hands.


    Slarin'' and the others seem to be playing around, but they are doing their job properly by taking up a position between us and those who are looking at us. Occasionally some of them would try to go around and look at us, but when they got closer than a certain amount, they would bark and get closer to us as a check.


    ''Temma! We''re almost done over here, so go ahead and get the barbeque ready!


    Jin said loudly, so Shiroumaru and the other foodies came to me at once. At the same time, there were others who tried to approach us, but Slarin was the first to notice them and instructed Shiroumaru to return them to their posts.


    With Shiroumaru and his friends at my side, I put the wire mesh on the hearth that Amy and the others had made. I bought this wire mesh at the grocery store on my way home yesterday, and I bought a few pieces of it with the intention of using it a few times in the future. The wire mesh was a bit large compared to the stove, but it didn''t seem to cause any problems, so we assembled the wood in the stove and lit the fire. I asked Menas and the others to take care of it until the fire was settled, and then I headed over to Shiroumar and the others.


    ''Slarin, we''ve had enough of this place. I''ll get the golem out for you all.


    Saying that, I took out a few golems and created a wall of dirt with a radius of about fifty meters around the hearth. It''s roughly one meter high, so it''s easy to climb over it if you want to, but the moment you do, the golems will knock you out. Even if we were to outsmart the golem, it would still make us its enemy.


    This is not a bad thing, it''s just a normal thing for adventurers to do, and if they come closer to us than this, it''s an indication that they will be considered a hostile act. Those who know the rules would never come in.


    Thus the second barbecue contest was held. Three men, four women, Aguri and Aguri''s household, and me, my grandfather, and Slarin'', who are frequent eaters, were assigned to use the hearth.


    Today''s barbecue was not only bicorn, but also leftover beef (from when we met Tida and her friends), pork (from orc and wild boar), and a few vegetables. The meat from the bicorn alone is not nutritious and I would get bored of it. And it''s a waste of money...


    Use the salt and yesterday''s sauce. Okay, cheers to that.


    ""Pleased!"


    This is how the yakiniku competition started, but there was quite a bit of unevenness in the way the amount of meat was reduced. Jin''s group was the fastest, followed by the women''s group with Amur, then me, and finally Aguri''s group. However, the vegetables go down the other way around, with Aguri''s place being the fastest, Amur and I''s next, and Jinn''s place last.


    ''I forgot to mention that we only have as much bicorn meat as we''re serving. The rest of you can have the beef or pork.


    At these words, Jinn and Amur were complaining about the boo-boo, "We can do without the meat, you know? I said, and it quickly subsided. Everyone else looked like it was natural and started concentrating on the few bicorn meat pieces they had.


    They say that people become silent when they eat crab, but it seems that they get noisy when it''s grilled meat. It was so noisy that a crowd was beginning to form, in a position where the golem wouldn''t start moving. Some of them mistakenly thought they could eat if they paid, and the golem was blocking them. But most of the crowd seemed to know the rules of the adventurers and were careful to watch out for those who were being blocked by the golem.


    Although there was a bit of a commotion, the barbeque tournament ended successfully, and once we finished cleaning up, we decided to disperse on the spot. Well, just like yesterday, half of us have the same place to go home...


    I''ll be back in a minute.


    Here we go again, Temma. I''m coming up on you.


    I''ll follow you.


    Oh, I''ll be there.


    So I guess we''re done here, then.


    This is the fifth time I''ve stopped by. I''ve been stopping by every time I saw a grocery store or weapons store since a while ago, and finally my grandfather was taken aback by it. I''ve been told that the Sword of Dawn and Blanca are also leaving before me, and Amour and Amy are the only ones following me.


    I''m looking for Mithril, and I''ve been buying all kinds of Mithril products since a while ago. They don''t sell a lot of quicksilver, but I need a little bit of it to repair the Tanikaze. Ideally, I''d like one ton, but I''d like at least half that. The previous Tanikaze''s body was mostly made of magical iron, so it sank before the bicorn''s lightning magic. So this time, I''m thinking of focusing on Mithril to increase my resistance to magic.


    It''s not much more than a hundred kilograms when combined with what you have on hand, but it''s a long way to go. Shall I talk to Master Ganz about it?


    They say it''s a good day to have an idea, and we''ll go now.


    We''ve arrived!


    So we came to the master''s workshop, and for some reason Aimee followed us, although Amour was just as I imagined, but for some reason Aimee followed us.


    ''You could have gone home first.


    It was good.


    Amur repeats my words as if he were imitating me. His voice has some spikes in it.


    ''''I finished earlier than planned, so I''m bored. There''s nothing to do when you return and.......couldn''t I just follow you?


    I can''t say no if you say so. Amour also saw the sad expression on Amy''s face and didn''t say anything else.


    ''''Is Master Ganz here?''''


    Temma what do you want?


    When we visited the workshop, the master was writing something on the ground, but when he noticed me, he erased it with his foot. I guess it''s something that can''t be leaked to the outside world.


    ''''I need a mithril... do you have one?''''


    Yeah, I got it. How much do you want it? Of course, I''ll take the money.


    The master laughed and opened the bag and stuck his hand in it. It was probably a magic bag that stored the material.


    ''''Well I need about a ton of it.''''


    Are you kidding me?


    Afterwards, he was lectured by his master. However, when I told him why I wanted it, he forgave me. After all, he said he could understand why he wanted a mithril as a craftsman. He said that every craftsman has experienced at least once that he couldn''t make something because of a lack of materials, even though he knew how to make it.


    He said, "Well, I''ll sell you 20 kilograms or so. I''ll ask my neighbors, but don''t get your hopes up. Let''s leave the money on that stand.


    With that, the master took the mithril ingot out of his bag, placed it on a stand, and walked out of the workshop. He is going to ask me now. While the master was returning, I put down 2 million g, which is an additional 2 million g on top of the market price of 10 million g (500,000 g per kg, equivalent to 20 kg). Even though I put this much out, it doesn''t hurt because I still have some reserves.


    I''m back. Temma, I''ve managed to collect a hundred kilograms.


    When he returned after about an hour, the master moved the money from the table to the edge of the table and left the mithril in the empty space.


    I''ll take it if you can get it now. If you can get it out now, I''ll take it, but what do you want?


    I heard that some of my master''s acquaintances have studios in complicated places and are difficult to work with, so he or his apprentice should take the money with them. So I decided to leave the money with him with a word of thanks. By the way, the amount of money that I added to Oyakata''s account was pushed back to me. My master said, "I can''t have this money on top of my own.


    As I left the workshop, I saw a few craftsmen who were ready to finish their work and go home. Since we had come all the way here, we decided to go to a shop and do some shopping and then go home.


    I''m not sure what we''ll have for dinner today.......since we had meat yesterday, we''ll focus on vegetables, right?


    Solomon squealed in protest at my muttering, but Shiroumaru remained quiet. Amy was surprised by this, but when I told her about yesterday''s incident, she was convinced. However, it was Solomon who was most surprised by Shiroumaru''s behavior. He seemed to be amused that his companion, who always took the initiative to protest, was quiet today. In the end, Solomon was the only one who made a fuss, so we decided on a vegetable-centric menu for dinner today.


    I went straight home after shopping and said goodbye to Amy in front of the house. I gave her some bicorn meat as a gift, so maybe Amy and her friends'' dinner will be barbecued meat... I thought it would be tough for Amy to have barbecued meat for two meals in a row, but she didn''t seem particularly bothered by it.


    Later on, when Amy''s family found out that the bicorn meat was a super high quality product, they were going to be extremely concerned about it.

 131-Chapter 8-7 Lake

    "Slarin, Shilomar, when the enemy comes, take care of them. Solomon, you will help me.


    "Wow.


    "Cue.


    We''re currently hiding in the dungeon''s thirty-two levels. By the way, there''s no one else in the dungeon except me and my family. Grandpa has an appointment with Aguri, and Blanca has gone to see Master Ganz. Amur was about to follow me, but Blanca pulled him away. The stock of weapons used in the tournament had run out, he said, and he had promised to have his master make them for him. It seems that today was the day of that promise. So it''s been a long time since we''ve been here alone to gather.


    Me and Solomon are in charge of gathering, and Slarin and Shiroumaru are guarding us while we gather. Solomon doesn''t have much room to fight in dungeons, so he''s paired with me. Slarin can also do the collection itself, but that would take away from Solomon''s work, so that''s why we''re paired up like this. His job is to collect the rocks that I crushed.


    I''ve been doing this since morning, diving the dungeon, but I haven''t found the mithril I''m looking for. It''s only a kilogram or so in weight. Normally this amount would be a huge amount, but it''s a small amount for my purposes.


    During the mining process and during the breaks, no demons appeared that were afraid of Shiroumaru or attacked him from the front. The only exceptions were insect-type demons or demons that encountered us without noticing us, neither of which were enemies of Slarin and Shiroumar. However, the demon nuclei were gathered in their own way, so it looks like we''ll be able to make a good profit there.


    ''''Alright! Let''s go downstairs to get to a place where people don''t seem to be coming!


    After that, we continued on to the lower floors, but we didn''t find much mithril. It''s a good thing that they''ve already roughly dug out this area.


    "It''s not so easy to find mithril.............although we did find quite a few magic bars.


    We didn''t find two kilograms of mithril, but we found nearly fifty kilograms of magical iron. After more than half a day''s diving, fifty kilograms of magical iron is a large amount. The market price is much lower than mithril, but the demand for it is higher than mithril. Because Mithril''s products are expensive, often costing an unaffordable amount of money even for seasoned adventurers, but most of the armor made of magic iron is priced at a price that even a beginner can reach if they are forced to.


    ''''However, since the magic iron can be used in many ways, I''m not going to sell it, I''ll just store it in my bag.


    I''m not in need of money at the moment, so I can keep the ones I don''t need to sell separately. There''s still plenty of room for the magic bag, including the one the gods gave me, and I can make another one if I need it.


    ''''I guess it''s time to go back... hmm?


    As we started to prepare to leave now, we noticed that there were people coming towards us. However, Shiroumaru wasn''t very alert, so I wondered and used my ''search'' to investigate and found that they were all acquaintances of ours.


    ''''Shiroumaru, please welcome me.''''


    "Wow.


    When he instructed Shiroumaru to play a little prank on him, Shiroumaru gave a small reply and walked in the direction of the signs to avoid making any footsteps.


    After a few minutes of Shiroumaru''s disappearance...


    Nuh-uh!


    Geez!


    "Yikes!


    Wow!


    A familiar scream could be heard. The screams were followed by a voice blaming Shiroumaru.


    ''Temma! This is not a good time to play a prank! You were so surprised, I thought your heart would stop beating!


    The ones who came running with a flurry of footsteps were Jin and the others from the ''Sword of Dawn''. Jin, Garratt and Menace were complaining and walking on their own feet, but Leena was being carried like a piece of luggage on Shiroumaru''s back.


    ''What''s wrong with Leena? Shiroumaru looks unusually apologetic, but...


    ""Don''t listen to it."


    Don''t ask...


    Looking at Leena, who was about to start crying, I didn''t pursue it any further... Let''s just say I didn''t see Leena casually trying to hide her wet ass.


    I took my gaze off of Leena and asked Jin and Garratt why they were here (Menace had taken Leena to hide in a nearby bend in this gap), and apparently they were reviewing the coordination on the level they had already attacked before proceeding with the dungeon attack. That review had been completed, and they were on their way to the nearest warp zone when they apparently ran into Shiroumaru.


    ''So, what was Tenma doing here? You must have been working on something, since you could stand guard over Shiroumaru, right?


    Jin seems pretty sure that he''s talking about it, and since it''s not something to hide, I decided to tell him my purpose.


    ''''Hmmm, that''s a tough one.


    Well, don''t worry, I''ll be patient. Worst-case scenario, I''m thinking of making the outside out of mithril and the inside out of magic iron and rebuilding it later.


    ''That might be the most practical thing to do... wait? Temma, how far down in this dungeon are you now?


    Garratt seemed to have an idea and asked me what my highest floor was.


    ''Well I''m pretty sure I can get to the thirty-eightth floor in the warp zone.


    Then why don''t you go up to the forty-twoth floor? Most of the floor is like a lake and there''s not much land there, but I think the ceiling and walls without footholds are almost untouched because of that. Tenma can float in the air, so why not aim for it?


    Certainly, if Garratt was right, we''d have a better chance of gathering them than if we were to forage around here. Besides, I was also thinking of aiming downstairs soon, so there''s no harm in going there.


    That''s certainly true. Thanks, Garratt.


    When I thanked him, Garratt looked a little surprised. When I asked him why, he said he felt a little strange because he hadn''t been thanked by me very often.


    It was quite rude, but since Garratt gave me quite useful information this time, it was going to be a little stressful that I couldn''t punish him like I usually did.


    ''''But it''s tough to go now, I guess. I wouldn''t have minded it before, but now that my grandpa is here, I''ll have to leave once I get home... it''ll be a few days before I go to the lake.


    ''Normally, we take on this area in a month... and then a few days...''


    ''Don''t say that too much elsewhere. Either you''ll get a self-doubter or a misunderstood bastard.


    Jin and Garratt are looking at me with a dumbfounded look on their faces. Well, if I used the ''search'' well, I''m sure it would be shorter if we just walked through, but I decided to keep it quiet any longer for the sake of their mental stability.


    ''Are you done talking?''


    Here you go.


    As the conversation came to a close, Menace and Leena returned. Leena doesn''t seem to have changed at first glance, but on closer inspection, her pants are a different color. However, Leena and Menas acted as if nothing had happened, so we pretended not to notice.


    On the way back, as the djinn had said, we returned to the ground at the Warp Zone, which was only a few dozen meters from where I was, and we left the djinn at the guild. On the way to the guild, I asked the djinn for more information about the lake, but I didn''t get much. The reason for this is because that level of the hierarchy has little umami for ordinary adventurers.


    According to the story, the floor where the lake is located is the largest that Djinn know of, but it''s basically like a straight road to the exit, with little land to fight on. The only saving grace is the absence of strong aquatic monsters, but even so, it is said that people lose their lives and get seriously injured every year if they''re not careful.


    The depth of the lake is said to be about 20 meters at most, and there are several types of demons that appear, mainly C-ranked ones. Although there are not many of them, they have a tendency to sniff out the scent of blood and flock to you, so if you fall into the lake during a battle, it is said to be fatal.


    The demons are roughly one to two meters in length, and even if they are on land, they jump at you from the water, and can stay on land for an hour or so, and if you''re not careful and think it''s the breath of an insect, you''ll get a painful counterattack.


    Still, when you are on land you don''t have much trouble, but when you are in the water it is much harder to defeat, and the materials you can get from them aren''t worth much, and their flesh is hard and smelly, so there aren''t many adventurers who stay on that floor.


    After I left the djinn and the others, I did a little research in the guild, but there wasn''t much new to learn. When I left the guild to go home, it was already dark and the tavern was quite crowded.


    ''''Oh no!''''


    I had completely forgotten about my grandpa and the others, and by the time I realized I was rushing back to my apartment, it was already late, and my grandpa was already pissed at me... next time I was going to be late, he was pissed at me for telling him in advance to go to the dungeon. Blanca was laughing hysterically.


    The grandfathers hadn''t eaten their dinner yet because they were waiting for me. So I had to cook dinner after the sermon. By the way, it was hamburgers for dinner. It was a good thing that I had to do to keep Grandpa in a good mood.


    Two days later, I''m standing in the lake hierarchy I was taught. In one day yesterday, I rushed through the 39 to 41 floors to get here, but since I didn''t forage for anything along the way, I''m going to start over again after I finish checking this floor.


    ''''It''s really big... how many soccer courts does it take?''''


    Kyu?


    Solomon is the only one out beside me right now. Slarin is in the bag, waiting to sort out the mithril he''s collected, and Shiroumaru is waiting in the bag for sorting as well as Slarin, since getting wet is a pain in the ass afterwards. Therefore, Solomon, the only one who can fly, is out instead. Well, it''s also meant to be a distraction since there has been no place to fly around.


    ''Let''s just take a look around, for now.


    This level has a path along one wall, but you have to go through a ford in the lake on the way to the path on the opposite wall. The ford is only about knee-deep, but you have to be careful because it''s the easiest place to get attacked by demons. Well, in my case, as long as we move in the air, there''s no problem.


    I''m going to start working now, Solomon, but I want you to be on the lookout for the surroundings. If you can go alone, you can go, but if they look tough, or if there are too many of them, let me know even if you''re working.


    Cui!


    Solomon raised one hand as if to salute, and then began to alert his surroundings. He started digging around the entrance area where he was curious about it first, but after exploring a few places, he didn''t find any mithril.


    ''I don''t think Garratt''s readings aren''t too bad... obviously, Solomon''s earned more money than I did.


    Cui?


    Solomon continued to hunt the aquatic demons that came after me, and in the first hour, he killed more than 20 of them. The demons I killed were ten thunderfish, a larger version of the thunderfish, three angler cats, which look like a combination of catfish and anglerfish, and eight alligator fish. Alligator bugs are shaped and sized like alligator gators and are said to be the largest fish in the lake (about three meters), but all Solomon killed were between one and two meters in length.


    I had heard that the fish in this lake are not tasty, so I was thinking of just taking the demon nucleus and throwing away the rest, but Solomon didn''t like it, so I decided to put it in my bag and take it home. Well, I''ve heard that thunderfish and alligator gar are fish that can be eaten in a previous life, so Thunderfish and alligator gar might be able to be cooked as well. And if angler cat is a good combination of catfish and anglerfish, it might be a surprisingly tasty fish. If it''s the other way around, you just have to give up and not eat it.


    I wanted to pull the mud out just in case, but I had to give up since Solomon had strangled it at the same time he was hunting.


    ''Let''s move on to the next place... hmm? This is.....


    I didn''t see any mithril, so when I was about to move out of place, I saw something shiny in the shallows, so I picked it up and found that it was a ring. Moreover, upon examination, I found that it was made of mithril.


    ''Oops! Profits!


    I didn''t find too many mithril, so I moved around looking into the water for a change, but I found a variety of things. The most common were weapons like throwing knives and swords, but some of them were shields and pieces of armor.


    ''''Even if it''s in a place where you can see the stones, it means no one dives when there are demons swimming around... this is more efficient.


    The fallen weapons were difficult to retrieve, even if they were at a depth of one meter. The reason is because the thunder fish and crocodile moles that heard the sound of people walking are watching from afar, so the moment they enter the water even a little bit, they will pounce on you.


    In my case, I had let the golems collect them, so I wasn''t in any danger, but if this was a flesh and blood human, unless I covered my entire body with armor, I would be bitten to death in less than ten minutes. Most likely, even if he covered his entire body with armor, he would only be dragged into the deep end this time and drowned to death...


    Let''s explore the shallows at this rate. Solomon, let me know if you find anything up there. And keep an eye out for it.


    Cui!


    The lake wasn''t very clear, so from the height where Solomon was, I might not be able to see the bottom of it, but he was flying around so tautly that I didn''t need to say anything else.


    After that, I sent out three golems to help me and retrieve the lost items in the shallow water. While Solomon and the golems worked together to fight off and retrieve the demons, I dug into the walls and ceiling to look for Mithril.


    As usual, no mithril was found, but for that, Solomon and his team continued to recover it steadily, and by the time the scheduled time arrived, they had harvested a total of over fifty kilograms of mithril. Of these, five kilograms were made of mithril, twenty kilograms were made of magic iron, and the rest were made of copper, iron, and steel. One-tenth of it is mithril, which sounds good, but in reality, there is a mixture, and the handles and other metals are made from other metals, so it would be good to have half of that. By the way, the amount of demons Solomon and the others hunted was almost three times as much as what they recovered.


    ''''Is that good for a start? The problem is with the fish but let''s just try it for now.


    The first preparation was simply two types of grilled fish to get a taste of the fish. The first one was just grilled without doing anything. The second was salted, lightly drained and then grilled.


    Without salt, the order was Thunderfish, Angler cat, and Alligator pike; with salt, Angler cat, Thunderfish, and Alligator pike, in that order.


    The reason for the difference between the two without and with salt is probably due to the water content in the angler cat''s body. The taste of the fish without salt would have been blurred, but by fastening the fish with salt, the water was removed and the taste became easier to distinguish. All three species tasted better with salt, but the alligatorfish had a bad smell and hardness, so it was the lowest of the three without salt and with salt.


    Thunderfish is the least common among them. It doesn''t have any characteristics, though. The angler cat was a little stinky, maybe an anglerfish. Crocodile mocking.........it''s more meat than fish. It has a strong odor and is hard to use.


    When compared to alligatorfish, Thunderfish and Angler Cat are in the tasty category, but compared to snapper, aji, salmon and sweetfish, they seem to be a piece or two inferior. They are not my favorite fish to eat.


    The odor of alligator patches seems to come from their skin and guts. If you eat only the center of the crocodile, it''s similar to chicken breast. Angler cat is just fine when fried, as it loses its water content. Thunderfish, too, do better when fried in oil.


    After trying various cooking methods, I found that each one is edible to some extent. I wouldn''t bother to eat them on the ground, but they are good enough to eat in a dungeon. I''ll tell the djinn about it next time.


    ''As for the crocodile-modding, just because it has crocodile in its name, its skin looks like it could be used as an ingredient... even though it smells...''


    As long as it doesn''t smell, it''s pretty sturdy and could be used for armor. It seems to be water-resistant, so it could be used to make bags and such. Maybe a bag made of crocodile skin could become popular.


    Shiroumaru and Solomon seem to be the best alligator-mobile.


    Wah!


    Cui!


    Apparently, he liked the taste and crunch of the meat, which was more like chicken than fish. Slarin ate the other dishes as two of them concentrated on the crocodilefish. The smell didn''t seem to bother all three of them much.


    I cooked quite a bit this time because it was meant to be an experiment, but I still had more than a quarter of the fish left. We may have overfished, but there are still a lot of fish in the lake. Maybe they are very fertile or have hidden channels somewhere.


    I guess that''s it for today. Let''s make a bed.


    Normally I''d be getting the carriage out, but now I''m leaving it in the apartment so I''ll have to build it from scratch. Most importantly, the bed is in a magic bag, so it won''t take much time if we use the usual dead ends. However, there is no such thing as a dead end on this floor, so we had to go up one floor.


    ''''Well, now that we have a place to sleep it''s just a matter of how we''re going to get to the bottom of the lake, right?


    As I sat on the bed out of my bag, I was making plans for tomorrow. I could explore the shallow areas the same way I did today, but there wasn''t even half of a place left to explore. Even if we could pick up the same amount of mithril tomorrow as we did today, it wouldn''t be much of a harvest. Then we would have to think about exploring the deeper areas, but I can''t think of a way to do it.


    We thought about simply going under water, but it would be impossible and inefficient to probe the bottom of the river while passing the fish that were attacking us. Most importantly, I didn''t want to dive where I didn''t know what was out there.


    ''What to do ... oh, I left the kettle on the fire.


    I was so busy thinking that I didn''t notice the water until it was completely boiling. I hurriedly went to unload the kettle from the hearth, and when I saw the boiling water, I unexpectedly came up with a method.


    ''That (...) might work... anyway, I''ll try it tomorrow.


    I wanted to try the method I had just come up with as soon as possible, and I quickly laid down on the bed, but I was too excited to fall asleep. Nearby me, Shiroumaru and Solomon were sleeping comfortably, and I was a little annoyed by the snoring I could hear.


    ''Ugh.''


    Hmm?


    The next thing I knew, Shiroumaru was looking into my face. Apparently, he was in an unusually deep sleep. Normally, I wouldn''t sleep this deeply in the dungeon or outside, but maybe my senses were a bit off because I couldn''t get to sleep easily.


    I want to head to the lake as soon as possible, as I''m going to try a new method today, but Shiroumaru and Solomon''s stomachs are starting to chorus, so I decide to have a quick meal. Just in time, I had some leftover from yesterday, so I made do with those and some ready-made food left in my bag, and with an after-dinner break in mind, we headed out to the lake.


    If my method worked, it would certainly expand the scope of our activities from now on.


    If I tell Namitaro about this method, he''ll tell me to do whatever it takes to make it work... Come to think of it, I''ll have to make a version of my family crest with Namitaro on it as well... maybe next time I''ll write to the king and ask him for a letter. Ka.


    I remembered a case I''d almost forgotten about and felt a bit of a hassle...

 132-Chapter 8-8 Shrimp Festival

    Now that we''re at the lake Shilomar, Solomon, I''m sorry, but I don''t think you guys have a chance today.


    As soon as they got to the lake, they started warming up and froze when they heard me say it. Aside from Solomon, who rampaged yesterday, I felt sorry for Shiroumaru because he was staying in the bag, but today we were going to check the bottom of the lake, so they didn''t have a chance.


    As the two of them tried to walk back to the bag dejectedly, they looked at me curiously when they noticed Slarin, whose name had not been called, lingering beside me.


    ''Slarin will be helping you in some cases, so don''t ask him to do that.


    When Surarin heard this, his body bounced widely, as if to say he understood. Seeing the situation, Shiroumaru and Solomon shouted in protest. It was too noisy, so I won''t take them to the bottom of the lake after all, but the two of them settled down as long as they didn''t leave this level, they were free to spend their time.


    ''Okay, let''s get started ... first, let''s start with the usual.


    The method I came up with yesterday is what I always do when I''m camping and so on, which is to put up a ward around me and dive into the water. If this works, there should be no water getting into the water and no water getting inside the wards. The problem is oxygen, but that''s where you just need to get on land periodically. It''s a bit of a hassle, but if a land creature wants to stay in the water, it''s not an option.


    So, we tried it and....


    However, if there was an obstacle like a rock on the ground or the ground was swollen, the edge of the warding would get caught in that spot and I couldn''t move. So, I tried a little bit of ingenuity and put the warding above my head in the form of an umbrella. The umbrella warding was better for movement than the previous two methods, but it also meant that every time I moved, water would come in under my feet, so my feet were always in the water. And if there were large rocks in our path, we had to climb over them one by one, which was cumbersome. Well, of the three methods, this was the easiest to use, so this was the first choice... but it still left me dissatisfied.


    ''''Well, since I''ll probably only use it for a couple of days, there''s no need to elaborate on it that much. Let''s take a little break.


    I decided to make a fire and boil water to take a break, since the boundary was in sight. I moved the boiled water into a cup and brought it close to my mouth, but the water was hotter than I expected, and I had to blow on it several times to cool it down to drink it.


    While I was somewhat dazedly blowing on the hot water, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration.


    ''Come to think of it, I''ve never used wind magic wards before.


    As long as it''s used as magic, wards also have attributes, and since I usually use no attribute or earth magic wards, I had forgotten all about the wards of the other attributes. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    Other light-attribute wards can make your appearance invisible or difficult to see. Incidentally, the light-attribute ward was used by Jeanne and the others to hide themselves in the dungeon, but at that time they were able to set up the ward because they had the assistance of magic tools, so they are unable to use it now.


    The wind magic wards are said to be the most humble of all the wards because instead of having little defensive power, they can control your odor so that it doesn''t leak out to the surroundings.......that''s their main feature. Therefore, there are not many ordinary adventurers who use it. However, people who live in the forest, such as forest dwellers and elves, like to use it, so it''s not completely unheard of.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    ''''Well, wind magic wards aren''t much different from non-attribute wards, so I''m sure I can do it after a few practice sessions.''''


    All of the wards have little difference in their activation process, just the type of magic power they use. So as I expected, after a few practice sessions, I was able to use the wind magic wards the way I wanted them to be used. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    When I got back to land, I searched my bag and found a pair of boots I bought a long time ago, so I changed out of them and then went back into the lake to start looking for mithril. It was good up to my feet and waist, but when the water came up to my chest and head level, I was a little scared, even with the dome-shaped wards on it. I explored my feet at a depth just barely below my face for about ten minutes, and after I got a little used to it, I moved to a depth where the wards were completely submerged in water. The warding was about three meters in radius around me, and when it hit an obstacle such as a rock, the shape of the warding changed as if it were swallowing the obstacle.


    ''It''s like being in a bubble.


    Forgetting my original purpose for a while, I enjoyed the underwater walk. There were a lot of aquatic demons out there, so I was expecting the demons that found me to attack me, but contrary to my expectations, they didn''t come near me at all. They did come close every now and then, but they either walked past the wards or hit the wards and flipped around and ran away in a surprised manner.


    ''Maybe I''m not as blind as I thought. Or maybe he can''t see me because of light refraction or something.


    Carelessness is the worst enemy, but with this, I might not have to be particularly vigilant about my surroundings. Just as I was thinking this, I stepped on an angler cat that was hiding at my feet and fell down. The angler cat, which often stays still at the bottom, didn''t try to escape when it touched the warding, but instead entered the warding, hiding still.


    I panicked, but the angler cat was more surprised when it was suddenly stepped on and tried to run away, but a slurin jumped out of the bag and caught it, stopping it. Incidentally, the cause of the Angler Cat''s death was a blow to the brain from the fork Slarin was using to eat.


    ''So this kind of thing happens. ''You mean, watch your step enough?''


    I muttered to myself as I tucked the Angler Cat that Slarin had taken down into my bag. Slarin heard my words and reached out with his tentacles and pecked at my leg, as if to tell me to be careful.


    After regaining my composure, I began to examine my surroundings as I had originally planned.


    As I looked closely, I found more armor and protective gear underfoot and behind rocks than in the shallows. But just as much, I also found bones that seemed to belong to people.


    ''''Maybe they fell into the lake. They were probably eaten after being carried to the depths by a demon.''''


    I lightly clasped my hands together and then went around picking up the scattered armor and armor. It''s impossible to pick up all of the bones, so I''ll just leave them there, but if there are names and other information engraved on the found items, I must think about reporting them to the guild. Well, what to do with the found items will be up for discussion with the guild, but since the items found in the dungeon are basically the property of the person who found them, they won''t be confiscated unless there''s something very bad going on.


    After continuing to collect them like that, I was able to pick up nearly 100 kg of equipment in about three hours. There were several magic bags and other items among them, so depending on the contents, we could expect to make quite a bit of money. Moreover, since this time the lake was about one-fifth the size of the entire lake, there are probably many more treasures lying around.


    The deadline for exploring the dungeon this time was set at seven days, so we had three days and a half left. At this rate, I think we can go around to the bottom of the lake within the deadline. I don''t want to get angry at my grandpa again, so I don''t want to quietly extend my dungeon life.


    ''''Well, let''s get started.''''


    When I got back to land, I decided to boil water and take a break to sort through my finds. Shiroumaru and Solomon had been hunting quite a few demons while I was at the bottom of the lake. So I decided to process a few of them at random, skewer them and roast them in a separate hearth. Right now, they''re waiting around the hearth, drooling and waiting. Slarin is in charge of the fire, so when it''s done, he''ll let you eat it as you see fit.


    Among the finds from the bottom of the lake, there were about twenty kilograms of mithril stuff, and the rest were all made of magic iron and iron. The reason for the large number of mithril items was because they found several pieces of mithril-made armor with full equipment. Perhaps they belonged to a high ranking adventurer or a rich person. It would be a shame for the victim, but for me, I''m grateful.


    And as for the bags of concern, there are two magic bags and one dimension bag. It''s not in a good condition, but it doesn''t seem to be broken, so it seems to be able to be opened without any problems.


    The first one is mostly medicine and food. Nothing too fancy, apparently. The second is ... not much different.


    I opened it out of the Magic Bag, but the first was no big deal. The second one only contained roughly the same kind of stuff, and the bag was much more valuable. By the way, the quality of the bag is not very high, and it looks like it will only hold up to about thirty to fifty kilograms.


    ''''And as for the dimension........Seriously!


    The dimension bag was about three meters square inside and was a shoulder bag with no distinctive features, but inside it were mithril ingots and other items. There were also gold ingots, silver ingots, and magic iron ingots. Maybe the lack of features on the bag was a disguise to prevent people from realizing that there was something expensive inside.


    ''''Maybe it''s something I stole but what does it matter to me?


    It was hard to imagine that a mere adventurer had this many ingots, so I thought that maybe they belonged to a merchant, but in the end I decided that there was no way a merchant would come to a place like this, so I decided to assume that these were stolen... well... There was no request to search for the bag in the guild, so it shouldn''t be a problem to keep it as mine.


    ''The magic bag is going to fetch a reasonable price if I put it up for sale.


    I''ve never sold or bought a magic bag before, so I don''t know how much it will fetch, but even though it''s a low grade thing, it''s still a magic bag, so there will be a good demand for it.


    But I don''t need the money I can give it to Amy.


    Feeling that anxiety, I used the water I''d magically produced to remove the mud from the bags and lightly rinsed them.


    The three somewhat cleaned up bags were packed together in a burlap bag before putting them in the bag. I plan to do some minor repairs in my spare time, but for now it will have to wait.


    ''Slarin, I''ll take a break for a bit longer and then we''ll go back to it.


    Slarin shows his approval by bouncing his body against my words. On the ground, it should be about the time of day when the sun is about to set, so considering the time to eat and take a break, you won''t be able to examine the bottom of the lake for too long, but that doesn''t mean it would be a waste not to go. So we decided to go to feel like reexamining the place we investigated today.


    "Looking at it this way again, there are quite a few small fish.


    So far, I''ve only had my eye on demons like angler cats and crocodilefish, but when I looked into the crevices and backs of the rocks, I found quite a few small fish and other creatures. Well, the fact that large fish (demons) inhabit the area means that there are creatures to feed on, but since this was a dungeon, a space where common sense didn''t seem to apply, it didn''t occur to me until I actually saw them.


    ''There are a lot of shrimp... oops!


    At our feet, small shrimp were moving in the mud. Among them were the occasional large shrimp, so we hastily changed our objective and began catching shrimp for food.


    There were two kinds of shrimp that we found, one kind was a swamp shrimp-like shrimp, about three to five centimeters in size. The other kind was a long shrimp-like shrimp, about 10 to 20 cm in size, excluding the scissors. The scissors were about half as long as the body.


    ''I''m worried about the mud, but it would be nice to eat it grilled or fried.


    As I put the shrimp I caught in another bag, I was thinking about which dish I was going to cook. They looked no different from ordinary shrimp, so the taste would be promising.


    After about two hours of catching the shrimp, we had about three hundred swamp shrimp weighing about five hundred grams, and about a hundred long prawns, which weighed less than ten kilograms. The size of the long shrimp was much larger than we had expected, but they varied in size from 50 to 200 grams, so we had to separate them according to size when we cooked them.


    After the shrimp returned to land, we had them remove the mud in a bucket filled with fresh water. Since we wanted to give them at least half a day to remove the mud, we decided to cook the shrimp tomorrow night, and today we decided to make a simple meal of bread and other foods. Shiroumaru and Solomon disapproved, but they became quiet when I served the leftover grilled fish from yesterday.


    ''I knew it would be more efficient than the shallow end. A lot of fish today.


    The next day, I''m up and ready to go, and today I''m at the bottom of the lake looking for Mithril. Today I''m diving alone, and Slarin is on land overseeing Shiroumaru and the others. Otherwise, the two of us are likely to conduct a monster rampage.


    To the extent that Slarin isn''t around, we have to be aware of our surroundings, but in the meantime, we''re properly equipped with protective gear, so we won''t be seriously injured unless there''s something very bad going on.


    ''''There''s a lot of shrimp, too, but if we don''t stop them around here, we won''t be able to say anything about Shiroumaru and the others.


    Just like yesterday, the shrimp were moving around in the mud at my feet, and when I captured them as if straining the mud with a colander, they were jumping around energetically in the colander. I hadn''t even eaten yesterday''s shrimp yet, and people might ask me if I still needed to catch them, but when I imagined shrimp tempura and fried shrimp, I naturally reached for the shrimp.


    ''Good! Let''s focus on finding mithril!


    I deliberately started looking for mithril with a lot of energy out loud to forget about the shrimp, but I suppose it''s no wonder that every time I find a large shrimp, I reach for it.


    After that, we kept looking for mithril (and shrimp) until our concentration wore off, and as a result we found more than we did yesterday (and the shrimp exceeded yesterday''s amount as well).


    ''''Out of one hundred and fifty kilograms, mithril is twenty kilograms.........yesterday was too good to feel like less.


    However, I''m not in need of money, and I haven''t even reached half of my goal with everything I have, so the thought that this is all I''ve got comes first... ...If the djinn and the others ask me about it, they''re going to go all in.


    ''Well, there''s no need to be in such a hurry. More importantly, it''s a prawn now.


    I pause to sort through my finds, then stick my hand in the tub and grab the ten-long shrimp up. The hand-long shrimp attacks me with its scissors, but it doesn''t have much force to pinch me, so I hardly feel any pain.


    ''Let''s try grilling them orthodox first, shall we?


    He lightly sprinkled the shrimp with salt, skewered them and brought them closer to the fire, and the shrimp turned redder and redder as he looked at them and gradually began to smell better. With that, the amount of drooling from Shiroumaru and Solomon also increased.


    ''It''s about time. The shells don''t seem to be too hard, so can we eat them as is?


    I didn''t want to have any parasites or anything like that, so after cooking it thoroughly, I bit into the long shrimp. I was able to chew the shells of the long prawns with no problem, as I thought I would, and the baking gave them a savory flavor, but on the other hand, they didn''t feel good on the tongue, so it would be a matter of taste. Well, it didn''t matter to our foodies.


    When I found out that there was no problem with the taste of the long shrimp, I couldn''t help but gulp my guts out. In a previous life, shrimp had been one of my favorite foods, so I was happy to be able to taste them again. Incidentally, I also tried to roast the swamp shrimp, but this one tasted less tasty than the long prawn. However, because they were small and had a thin shell, we didn''t mind eating them as much as we did the long prawn.


    Next, it''s time for tempura.


    When it comes to shrimp dishes, that''s what I''m talking about in my book! That''s what shrimp tempura is. Fried prawns are also hard to get rid of, but that is quite time-consuming, so I won''t try it this time. Instead, I was going to make oyster fry using swamp shrimp. If it is thin-shelled prawns, it would be good for kakiage.


    For the batter of this tempura, I used a mixture of flour and rice flour without eggs. The oil is vegetable oil.


    Pour the oil into the pan and heat it up, then remove the shells of the long prawns and prepare them. Of course, don''t forget to cut off the end of the tail. When making the batter, I used cold water and roughly mixed it.


    When I finished preparing the long shrimp and batter, the oil was hot at the right time, so I threw in the battered long shrimp.


    ''Yeah, sounds good,''


    The sizzling sound and smell drew Shiroumaru and Solomon, who were also waiting for the tempura to be fried now and then.


    ''Is it about time?''


    I pulled the shrimp out of the pot just as the batter turned a light foxy color. Immediately after I pulled it up, the oil was still sizzling in the batter, so I pulled up all ten of the shrimp I''d thrown in and waited for the surface to cool down a bit before putting them in my mouth.


    ''Yum!''


    The tempura was even better than I expected. The shrimp had a sweet taste without the muddy smell, and the plumpness and crunchiness were irresistible. More than anything else, the freshly fried tempura seemed to double the flavor of the dish.


    ''Kuhn!''


    Sigh.


    As I was impressed by the taste of the shrimp tempura, I heard a squeal from right next to me. I turned my head to the side and saw two drooling faces right in front of me.


    For the time being, I brought the larger shrimp tempura in front of my mouth from the fried shrimp, and they both bit me with great vigor. Fortunately, I was holding the tail, so it didn''t bite me, but I got pretty impatient.


    The second shrimp tempura was eaten with salt, but it was still delicious. This being the case, I would have liked to have some tempura sauce, but I had to give up because I didn''t have all the ingredients.


    Slarin seemed to like the tempura, and while I was feeding him tempura, I tried kakiage. We used only swamp shrimp for kakiage, and we put dozens of them in a bowl and used the batter left over from frying the shrimp tempura.


    ''I don''t have a ladle, so I''ll just use my hands.''


    With a handful of hands, you throw the kakiage seeds into the oil, shape them into a flat shape with chopsticks, then turn them over occasionally to make the whole thing foxy brown.


    I''d like to eat it on udon noodles or with sauce on my rice!


    The oysters were fried with their shells, so they were fragrant and delicious. Of course, it was a hit with the three fish.


    I started mass-producing shrimp tempura and kakiage, and within a few hours I had made more than 200 pieces of tempura and over 100 pieces of kakiage.


    I consumed nearly half of them right away, but I made the other half into tenmusu for a snack and meal tomorrow, and kept the other half in a magic bag to give to my grandfathers as a souvenir. If I had a magic bag, I could eat freshly fried shrimp, so it would be very helpful. By the way, we thought that the shrimp we caught today might not have enough mud, but it was not so.


    We''ll have to look for mithril and catch shrimp tomorrow.


    If the shrimp were this good, I picked up a large number of stones that had fallen nearby and threw them into a pile in the lake to capture the shrimp, which had risen in my mind to the same level of importance as finding mithril. If this works, the pile of rocks might become a home for them.


    ''Maybe we''ll have a look at it later tomorrow.


    We went back to the place where we rested yesterday, thinking that we would prepare something like a crab cage for the next time we came.

 133-Chapter 8-9 Attackers

    You''re losing visibility up here.


    I started looking for the bottom of the lake from where I was to continue yesterday, but I was struggling with the poor visibility. It was a dimly lit dungeon to begin with, and furthermore, with the bottom of the lake nearly twenty meters from the water''s surface, it was almost as bad as being in the dark. Moreover, it''s not uncommon to not be able to see beyond the warding at all because of the mud that has accumulated on the bottom of the lake. It''s dark enough that you can somehow see inside the ward, so as long as your feet are illuminated with a weak light, there is no problem in searching for mithril, but there are demons that are lured by that weak light to approach you, so you had to increase your vigilance.....................A few demons, in a group, in a quicksilver, were I was chilled to the bone when we hit the wards.


    ''There aren''t many shrimp around here though there are a few new faces here and there instead.


    The deeper we went, the fewer shrimp there were, and instead there were more and more shells clinging to the rocks like oysters, and creatures that resembled horseshoe shrimp and sea monkeys. I opened one of the shells to try it out, but the flesh was so black and smelled so bad that any thoughts of using it for food immediately disappeared. It may be possible to eat it and find out...surprisingly, but I decided that it would be a bad idea to check it out in the dungeon.


    The horseshoe shrimp and sea monkeys are roughly around 10cm in size and have soft bodies (shells) so they might be eaten, but they didn''t look particularly tasty, so I didn''t catch them. If there hadn''t been a long shrimp or a swamp shrimp, I might have tried it at least once, though.


    ''There''s not a lot of stuff falling out of the ground though the quality isn''t too bad instead.


    There were fewer weapons and armor that had fallen, even though it was only a few meters deeper than where they had been looking for yesterday. But the occasional object found had less rust and scratches than the ones in the shallow areas, probably because the mud clung to them like it was protecting them from impact.


    ''Let''s go back once.''


    I floated on the surface of the water with my wards in place to check where I was, and then flew straight back to Slarin and the others in the air. Even though I had been diving for quite a long time, the area I examined was smaller than usual, and I wasn''t too far from where I had started looking. As I thought, the poor visibility was probably the only reason he was moving so slowly.


    As I was thinking like that, I noticed that Slarin and the others were defeating a different kind of demon than usual.


    Hobgoblins are a higher-ranking species of goblin, but they''re a bit more formidable than ordinary goblins. They look like larger goblins, about 150cm in size, compared to about 120cm for goblins, making them more human-like. Well, from Slarin and the others'' point of view, there''s not much difference between goblins and hobgoblins.


    ''I heard that hobgoblins can be bought by the guild just like normal goblins, so I guess it''s not a waste of time to have all this. But why are they here?


    When I asked Slarin about it, he told me that first the goblins came down from the upper floors and started drinking water. After that, they found Slarin and his friends and attacked them, and as they were returning fire, the orcs came too. Of course, the orcs were also killed in return, so the goblins and the orcs were separated into a pile for easy disposal later. Incidentally, I heard that the Orcs are also in the process of draining blood.


    ''I see. Indeed, if there is a lake on the nearby floor, it''s not surprising that they come to drink water. Is it because of the problem of food and shelter that they don''t use this place as their home?


    There is no safe place on this floor where there is a lake, as there is no shield on the land where the schools can hide, so adventurers can see them, and they are attacked by crocodile fish and other animals from the lake, so there is no safe place on the land or the lake. What''s more, the only things likely to feed on this floor are shrimp and small fish for the aquatic demons. Since they would risk their lives to catch them, even the least intelligent goblins and orcs would understand that it would be impossible for them to establish a home here. However, it''s unclear how much they sacrificed before they understood that....


    Well, I''m gonna get some food, but first.


    As I put the goblins and orcs in my bag, I felt them creeping up behind me, so I waited until they were on the verge of pouncing on me before I jumped away from them.


    ''''Mwah!''''


    Where I was just before I was, a familiar adventurer in tiger-printed gear froze in a posture with his arms outstretched.


    ''I know you''re hiding in there too, except for Amur,''


    While saying this, I pointed at the entrance of this floor and a group of acquaintances appeared in a group, creeping in and out. There were six of them. They were Grandpa and Blanca and the members of the Sword of Dawn. If you add Amur to the list, it means that seven of them were sneaking around.


    I knew it was unreasonable to sneak around behind Tenma''s back.


    "You''ve got a better nose than a beastman, don''t you?


    The six of them, led by Grandpa and Blanca, came out from behind the rocks without taking offense. I wondered why Shiroumaru and the others didn''t react, but if you look closely at Shiroumaru and Solomon, they must have been bribed because they have dirt around their mouths. Well, it was probably Grandpa who bribed them, so no problem.................but I''ll have to cut back on my food.


    The two animals were shivering as they sensed a disturbing feeling. Putting those two animals aside, I asked them why my grandpa and his friends were here, and they gave me a simple answer: "Because I was bored". So he asked the djinn who knew where I was to show me the way.


    ''Well, when I say directions, I just used the warp zone to bring them to the floor above this one.


    Jin said, but since Grandpa and the others had never been to the floor above this one, in this case they would have to pass through the warp zone at the entrance, in direct contact (................) with someone who had used the warp zone on the desired level.


    ''''So you came hand in hand with grandpa and the others.....wasn''t it obvious?''''


    Most of the people who dive into this dungeon use the warp zone at the entrance, so naturally there are many eyes near the entrance warp zone.


    ''''It''s conspicuous, but it''s not that unusual... it''s just that the person I held hands with was a celebrity...''''


    The women don''t seem to be so sure, but the men seemed a little embarrassed by the attention. Incidentally, the hand holding pairs were Jin and Grandpa, Garratt and Blanca, Leena and Amur, and Menace was alone. It''s true that it would be embarrassing for two old men to hold hands. There''s something suspicious about the way they look... If these were two women, and one of them was old enough to be a girl, they would probably look smiling, contrary to the way men look at each other.


    ''You can''t just have fun with Temma,''


    Amur must seem like I''m playing with him. Well, he''s never wrong, and maybe Amour is bored with Grandpa and Blanca, too.


    Besides, Amie missed him too.


    I didn''t bring Aimee with me this time, but if it''s a safe, shallow level, I might be able to bring her with me. If we take them to a place where there are caterpillars for Eeechan and the others to feed on, we''ll be able to get food more easily in the future. Most likely, they would need someone to be their escort, but they would be happy to ask the members of the Tamer''s Guild to follow them there. After all, Amy has become an idol of the Tamer''s Guild.


    I''ll make it up to you. And we''re going to have dinner now, do you guys want some?


    I asked them, but it was a silly question, and they all sat down in front of me in a circle. Shiroumaru and Solomon also joined the circle.


    For the meal menu, I put out a selection of the aquatic monsters we hunted here. It was because I wanted to hear everyone''s opinions too. Especially the opinion of the Sword of Dawn, who has a long history of working in this dungeon, I thought that maybe we could find a better use for it.


    ''This is the one I baked and this is the one I fried. It''s only seasoned with salt, but if that''s not enough, you can try fish sauce.


    When I tried it, it was just salt, but this time I served fish sauce too. I had some spices to remove the smell, but I wanted to give them a simple dish to start with. The result......


    Doesn''t everyone care about this much smell?


    ''Well, I don''t mind this much. It''s not like it smells rotten or anything.


    ''Yes. Some of the food we eat in the dungeons is more quirky than others.


    ''''This is one of the better ones, and the one Jin made before smelled a lot worse... so this one is nothing compared to that.


    Don''t use me as a pussycat! ........Well, I didn''t think that was a good idea for me.......


    Grandpa doesn''t seem to mind the smell either, and is enjoying eating it while being begged by Shiroumaru and the others. As for Blanca and Amur, they are.....


    What are you two playing at?


    He was eating some powder in a small bottle, pouring it over the fried crocodilefish.


    ''Oh, this?'' It''s our home seasoning.


    Here you go.


    I took the contents of the vial Amur handed to me and licked it out of my hand for a bit, and to my surprise, it was curry powder.


    ''''Curry powder, huh!''''


    It''s also known as Kali or Cary in our part of the world.


    Taste of home. Different families have different tastes. That''s what my mom made.


    In Amur''s village, they often make dishes using curry powder, but there is no such thing as what they call "curry rice" in his previous life. The closest thing they have to a soup curry is a soup with curry powder, which is flavored with curry powder, and it''s sometimes eaten with bread, but rarely over rice.


    The curry powder is better than the one I used to make, and the variety of spices used seems to be greater, but the spiciness wasn''t as strong as it could be.


    ''Amour, can I use some of that?''


    "Hm.


    When I saw Amur shake his head, I decided to try the new menu I just came up with. Well, when I say new menu, it''s just an addition to the dish I just made.


    ''''Well! I got it! It''s crocodilefish with tempura curry.


    I called it curry-flavored tempura, but I think it''s actually closer to calling it chicken nanban with curry flavor. Well, I think it''s easier to understand than calling it chicken nanban, so tempura would be fine too. We can make the real thing another time.


    Atsumatsu, hagu........umami


    ''I''ve eaten the baked ones with curry powder on them, but the fried ones are better.


    I fed it to Amur and Blanca first, and they appreciated it. We served the crocodile pounding to the others, who all liked it better than the ones we had just fried.


    The smell of alligator plants doesn''t bother me as much now.


    Jin, who was the first to get his hands on the tempura, voiced his opinion and we all agreed with him. I tried it too, and thanks to the spices used in the curry, the smell of the crocodile morsels was gone, which was a nice touch. However, Shiroumaru seems to be bothered by the spice flavor, and prefers the normal fried version. Solomon is good at both.


    Now that we''ve finished eating, I''m going to dive back into the lake.


    The first to react to my words was Amur, who started to say he was going to dive with me. Blanka, who misunderstood that he was going to go straight for a bare-bottom dive, tried to get him to quit, but he was convinced that I was going to demonstrate the wards for underwater use, but.......


    I can''t take you anywhere near as far as the visibility is concerned.


    When I said that, Amur sulked and started pulling at Shiroumar''s cheek as if he was taking it out on her. But since Shiroumar is used to having his cheek pulled, he didn''t resist much.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to do that. I''ll have a little practice.


    And with that, Grandpa started practicing as soon as he could.


    Blanca, Djinn, and the others said they would take a break or something to pass the time appropriately while I was diving, so I decided to ask him to sort out the weapons and armor I got at the bottom of the lake. The reward was easy to accept when I told him that I would give him whatever he wanted to give me, other than mithril or anything with rare metals in it. Well, other than mithril, they''re all rusty or broken, but many of them can be used with a little work, so I knew he''d accept it because it''s a good part-time job to pass the time.


    I''ll be off then.


    I took the things out of my bag to be sorted and headed for the lake. The djinn seemed to freeze for a little while when they saw the pile, but they were moving quickly. Amur came to the water''s edge and watched his grandfather practice. Apparently, he was going to try to see if he could set up a ward himself.


    ''That was roughly around here....okay.


    We flew close to the spot we had just interrupted and landed in the lake after setting up our wards. As we landed, the water came in a little over our ankles, but as usual, the water did not rise from there and we reached the bottom of the lake safely.


    Once we reached the bottom of the lake, we immersed ourselves in the familiar task we have always done. The deeper the lake is, the more complex the terrain becomes, and occasionally there are rocks a few meters deep that block my path. However, the deeper the rocks, the more weapons and armor can be found around them, so in a sense, this is a good indicator of how hot they are.


    ''I guess I''ve gathered a fair amount of people... hmm? What''s this?


    When I picked up the armor that was lying at my feet, I felt something strange. Then I took a closer look at it and realized that the armor I had picked up was badly deformed.


    It was originally a Great Helm-like armor to protect the head, probably the size of a large adventurer''s armor, but it was dented and diminished, as if something had tightened on its sides. It was so flattened that I thought it was a breastplate or a piece of armor, until I picked it up and looked at it.


    It''s a good thing that the crocodile monster has teeth marks on it, because if it was a crocodile monster, it wouldn''t have the strength to dent it to this extent in the first place.


    I explored the area for a while, but I couldn''t find any other armor with similar changes, so I decided to go back to land and ask everyone''s opinion.


    Just as he was about to put the Great Helm in his bag and move to land, the criminal who had transformed the Great Helm suddenly attacked him. The attack was a complete surprise, but it was only thanks to a combination of coincidences that I noticed it immediately and was able to avoid it.


    The first is that the ward I''m using now is one that has the elasticity of a balloon. That gave the enemy only a few moments to break the wards after they touched them.


    Secondly, the wind ward was one that would not leak even if it was broken. This warding could change its shape according to the shape of the invading object, thus avoiding the situation where the enemy would be stuck in the warding due to the water that entered it.


    Thirdly, the enemy''s movement itself was slow. I don''t know if their movements were slow to begin with or if they move slower on land, but the speed of the legs(...) that invaded was not much for a surprise attack.


    However, it must have been very pissed off that I cut off the tip of the foot that was extended when I evaded it, or maybe the rest of the foot came towards (...) me all at once.


    ''''What is this stupid big octopus(...)!


    I dodged the octopus that tried to hug me and hurriedly surfaced to the surface. The octopus was chasing me, its long arms outstretched.


    ''d*mn it! I''m persistent!


    The octopus stretched its legs out of the water with its momentum to catch me as I jumped out of the water, but I cut off its legs as well. The leg was quite resilient, but I was able to cut it with my beloved korasuma with no problem.


    Then I tried to use my lightning magic to stop it, but less than a hundred meters away from where I was, I saw Grandpa and Amur in the shallows of the lake. And since they were in the water, if I used my magic just to defeat this octopus, I was in danger of electrocuting them both together.


    Grandpa, who noticed me and the octopus, grabbed Amour by the neck and was about to jump up from the water with his flying magic, but before Grandpa and the others could take refuge in the air, the octopus'' other legs got tangled in my legs.


    ''Gosh, you broke it!


    The moment the octopus''s legs became entangled, I felt a severe pain with a gurgling sound. The octopus is trying to pull me under the water as it is.


    "Not going to happen, yo!


    I sliced off the octopus'' leg with my right hand''s small crowbar, and with my left hand I took the large body spear out of my bag and thrust it between the octopus'' eyes. The big body spear pierced to the base, but the octopus hadn''t stopped moving yet.


    ''''It''s really persistent!''''


    The movement was quite slow, but the octopus was still alive, so I moved the large spear up and down to open up the wound to put a stop to it. The color of the octopus finally changed from black to white, and this time it seemed to be doomed.


    "If we had a proper fight, we would have been seriously dead........


    If the wards were broken and I was entangled and pulled into the water before I could escape into the air, it would have been difficult to resist properly. The countermeasure would be to use lightning magic that is prepared to self-destruct, or to use ''Tempest'', which is the biggest magic I can use, although there is a risk of dungeon collapse.


    While thinking about this, I put the octopus that had begun to sink into the magic bag and headed to everyone who was stunned.


    ''''Temma, you''re safe!


    Grandpa was about to fly over to me after he took Amur to Jin and the others, but he was waiting with Jin and the others as I killed the octopus before he did, and he was the first to call out to me when I came back.


    ''Well, it looks like my leg is broken, but other than that I''m fine.


    Hearing my words, Grandpa wordlessly carried me up and sat me down on a nearby rock. He lifted the hem of his broken trousers and looked at the injured part of his body in amazement.


    He lifted the hem of his broken pants and looked at the injured part. It''s not only broken, it''s bleeding internally.


    Grandpa told me to take a look at it, and I saw that the skin around the broken bone was discolored red and black. As soon as I looked at the affected area, I began to feel a pain that I hadn''t felt much before, but I could feel it clearly. Grandpa immediately used his magic to heal me, but I decided to apply my own recovery magic again and spend the day resting.


    ''''Shucks, I''ve never heard of this guy here before.


    ''''We can definitely split the veterans in this dungeon, too, but I''d never even heard of this guy.


    Jin and Garratt nodded their heads curiously as they looked at the octopus I had taken out for inspection. If the two of them didn''t know, they wouldn''t know if I asked any of the other Seigen adventurers. If there was any chance of knowing, it would be only Grandpa or Aguri.


    I wonder if they noticed my thoughts on this, after Grandpa approached the octopus and examined it.


    I''ve never seen this creature before either. I guess it could be classified as a demon, but I''ve never seen or heard of it before. I know of a creature that looks exactly like this one, but it can''t be this big.


    So it was likely to be a new species. Later on, I confirmed that the creature my grandpa mentioned was the octopus I knew (the same one as in my previous life), and it seemed to be about two to three meters in size at the most.


    I surreptitiously looked it up in my ''appraisal'' and found that this octopus is classified as a demon, but for some reason it was left blank in the name.


    Now, the remaining question is whether or not this guy can eat (.......................)


    All but my grandfather looked at me in surprise at this statement. When I asked him why he looked like that, he said that the djinn didn''t know that they could eat octopus. Aside from Grandpa, who had traveled to many places in this country, all the Jinns had grown up inland and were unfamiliar with sea creatures.


    Octopus is delicious. You can grill it, fry it, or boil it.


    I didn''t say if it was raw (...) because I thought it would be too hard, but if it was lightly scraped in hot water, it wouldn''t have as much resistance as raw.


    I thought of several octopus dishes and checked if I could eat this octopus. The method is simple. The first thing you need to do is to check whether or not the octopus is poisonous and then put it in your mouth to see for yourself. It may seem like a simple test, but there are many ingredients that are not poisonous but are harmful to the body. For example, the oil in some fishes is safe in small quantities, but if eaten in large quantities it can cause diarrhea.


    I''ve never eaten oil with such characteristics, but I have eaten octopus in my past life many times, and I have eaten dried octopus in this life as well. So if it tastes the same as I remember, it shouldn''t be a problem... even in the worst case scenario, it won''t kill me because of the detoxification and disinfection magic.


    I cut off the octopus leg I just cut off about twenty centimeters long and froze it once with magic. Even if it''s only 20cm, the octopus itself is large, so its diameter is nearly 15cm.


    When the octopus was half-frozen, I peeled the skin off the leg, sliced it a few millimeters thin, and divided it in two. Since the skin was slippery, I salted it, washed it lightly, and scraped it with the sliced octopus half. The octopus was thin, so I pulled it up in a short time, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and served it on a plate and it was ready to go. It didn''t look the size of the octopus I knew, but it smelled just like I remembered.


    The raw ones are cut into appropriate sizes and then grilled on a griddle. It was seasoned only with salt, but Jin and his friends might be more comfortable eating it because it was like grilled meat. Incidentally, the skin was already cooked when the octopus was cooked, but we decided to throw it away because it was too elastic to chew even if we cut it into small pieces. Incidentally, Shiroumaru and the others didn''t seem to like the elasticity of the octopus, so they spat it out after chewing it a few times.


    ''It''s done........what are you so alarmed about?


    I pulled the table out of the bag and laid out the taco prototype dishes, but unlike usual, the djinn just took some distance from me and looked at me (the dishes I laid out). Amur and Blanca also seemed unusually hesitant. The only people near the table, besides me, were Slarin and his subordinates and Grandpa.


    It''s not........edible?


    No, it doesn''t look good.


    Blanca and Amur don''t seem to recognize octopus as a proper food in the first place and treat it as a complete ghetto.


    ''Here, Temma says it''s okay, try the gin.


    Our representative is a djinn, so I told you to go.


    Jin-san, fight!


    That''s totally your job as a toxifier!


    Garratt and the others, rudely, seem to have judged the octopus dish to be poisonous. I was a little pissed off, so I decided to have Jin, the leader of the ''Sword of Dawn'', take the blame for it.


    ''''Djinn.......eat it!''''


    What? Huh!


    I sneaked up to Jin, who had his back to me, and shoved the small salted octopus he had been pinching in his fingers into his mouth. Jin didn''t seem to know what happened and reflexively took a few bites of the octopus in his mouth before swallowing it.


    ''What the hell are you doing?


    Yeah, that''s it.


    I pointed to the taco dish out of Jin''s line of sight, then returned to the table.


    ''Don''t complain if it''s gone. If you don''t eat it, I won''t make you any more.


    After saying that much, I took a bite of the octopus dish. Unlike the skin, the octopus meat was full of good elasticity and flavor. Frankly speaking, it was better than the octopus I had eaten in my previous life. Jin looked as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped with his mouth half-open as I started to eat the octopus in a delicious way before he could open his mouth.


    When they saw me mouthing it, Grandpa and Shiroumaru and the others started mouthing it one by one. There was no evasion on their faces. Perhaps.........


    Grandpa, you used me as your poisoner...


    What are you talking about? I was just waiting for him to be the first to eat.


    Grandpa said with a nonchalant look on his face as he popped the octopus into his mouth one by one. Shiroumaru and the others looked just as delicious as my grandfather.


    Hmmm, delicious.


    Before I knew it, Amour was at my side, stabbing a salted octopus into his fork and bringing it to his mouth. Beside him, Blanca was likewise eating the octopus in hot water.


    I''m not sure if Amour trusted me or not, he put the octopus straight into his mouth, but Blanca seemed skeptical, at first she was afraid to take a bite of the octopus, but then she started to eat it normally.


    With the two of them joining in, the octopus disappeared before you could even see it. The members of the Sword of Dawn, who were watching, seemed to be more curious than scared, and managed to get a piece of yubiki into their mouths one by one.


    I was urged to add more octopus to the menu, so I had to make a heaping pile of yubiki and grilled salt. In addition, because there was a fear that I wouldn''t be able to keep it for myself if I served it as is, I managed to keep it for myself while it was cooking.

 134-Chapter 8-10 Octopus Value

    You were so hesitant to eat, and you left your mouth open.


    Come on, you''d have to be crazy to eat that stuff on your first try.


    A few hours after the octopus tasting, I took care of my business, and instead of diving into the lake, I went to work on the sorting process. Jin and the rest of the team have also joined in the work, but since we''ve roughly sorted them out, the process itself is slow. It seems that Jin returned my words and approached me in the middle of carrying things to the women who were in charge of sorting the small items. I guess he''s just trying to take a break. Incidentally, Garratt and Blanca, like Jin, are in the middle of moving things, while Grandpa is using water magic to clean the dirt off his weapons and armor. Slarin and the others are in the middle of their naps.


    ''First of all, octopuses are basic sea creatures, right? I don''t know about Leena, but me and Garratt and Menace were born and raised inland, and on top of that, they''re mainly dungeons. You don''t have to know the octopus to know it, though.


    Jin has a point, but I don''t think it has anything to do with the fact that he treated the octopus dish I made like it was poison. When I rammed that into him, he looked away and started whistling, trying to blatantly deceive me. As I looked at Jin with my zit eyes, he couldn''t stand it anymore and tried to deflect the topic.


    ''I''m surprised you found all this, though. There are so many of these things that are decades old.


    With that said, the necklaces that Jin picked up were in vogue about thirty years ago, and according to my grandfather, they are rarely seen nowadays. But since most of these were worn by adventurers, there were no jewels on them, and since they were tattered by rust, they would be of little value. Well, there are some that are in good condition, so if they are cleaned up, some of them might be coveted by curious people. Incidentally, I asked the djinn, especially the women, if they would like to be rewarded for their work, but none of them wanted it.


    I instructed them to place the items that the djinn didn''t want separately for each type of metal. I''ll talk to Master Gantz about it when I''m free, and I''ll melt it down and turn it into an ingot for use.


    ''It''s time for us to head back upstairs, but Temma will still be here, right?


    When most of the sorting was done, it seemed the time had come for Jin and the others to return to the ground. Originally, they were only going to show Grandpa and the others around, so they planned to stay here for a short time.


    ''''There''s still more places left to explore, you know.


    In fact, we''re still more than halfway there, but due to today''s injuries and unexpectedly poor visibility, we''re not just on time, we''re over schedule. We''ll have to start rushing to explore tomorrow to get there in time.


    (Well, if I push myself a little harder, I could explore more efficiently... but I don''t want to...)


    If you think about efficiency, you can just use ''exploration''. But there''s one problem with doing that. But you will get a terrible headache.


    When you try to search for something in the Search, your brain can''t keep up with the speed of the search. In addition, when you don''t know where something is, you have to look for it in detail, which puts a lot of strain on your brain, and this can turn into pain. It''s a symptom that''s similar to when you try to play an online game on a computer that doesn''t have enough specs to play it, and it stops moving or becomes very slow. Moreover, there are a lot of little creatures in this lake that get trapped in the ''search'', which adds to the burden. More than once I''ve suffered from headaches due to the increased use of the burden.


    Hearing all of this makes me feel like it''s an unusable ability, but if it''s used on a limited basis like it always is (such as for a narrow area of use, a search for something I''m already aware of, or a sketchy search), there''s nothing wrong with it.


    ''Yeah, well, good luck with that.''


    The nearest warp zone from this lake is on the upper floor, so the djinn will return to the ground there. They didn''t forget to take their reward from me with them. By the way, I hardly know what the four of them chose. It''s a very good idea to have a good time with them.


    ''What about you, Grandpa?''


    Me? I''ll stay. I need to practice my warding skills and, above all, I''m not busy.


    Grandpa seemed to have intended to stay here from the start, and he''s retrieved the carriage, too.


    I''m staying too.


    If you''re staying, of course I am.


    After all, he said, Blanca and the others were planning to stay behind. They locked up the apartment and left it with Amy.


    It''s a good thing that we''re all away together, because it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone who''s thinking about the wrong thing. It''s like sneaking into an empty treasury, since he hasn''t left anything in the apartment. And we didn''t steal anything, but he''s going to be hunted by us as a criminal. Well, I heard that my grandfather has taken some anti-thief measures, so that''s if we can get away with it.


    After Jin and the others left, we tried to go upstairs to prepare for the camp, but since there are four of us, Grandpa said it would be a good experience to camp near the lake, so we decided to set up camp by the wall, as far from the lake as possible. We also decided on the order of the guards during the rest. The order is three shifts: me (Slarin, Siloumaru and Solomon), Blanca, Grandpa and Amur, in that order. I was planning to take the first or last shift, since both Amur and I have no experience of camping at the water''s edge, and I would be assigned to Slarin and the others to increase our numbers, while Amur would be assigned to the more experienced Blanka to make up for the lack of experience. Incidentally, the reason why Blanca asked my grandpa to be his escort was because "if we are all the same guy, the knowledge is likely to be unbalanced".


    Amur said he was going to team up with me, but since the two experienced guys broke the theory down, he finally nodded his head, but when it was my turn, I was secretly trying to sleep with Shiroumaru as my pillow, so Blanca and Grandpa dragged me to the carriage.


    Incidentally, when I was changing places with Blanca, I had a bad feeling about something, so I didn''t go into the carriage, but instead slept in the back of the carriage, surrounded by Shiroumaru and his friends. Moreover, I even asked Blanca to wake me up when she and Amur were changing places, and then I slept in the carriage. When I woke up in the morning, I was complaining to Amur that I hadn''t slept completely, but Blanca was pissed at me for being you.


    That day, except for Amur, we each continued yesterday''s activities after breakfast (I''m looking for mithril, Grandpa is practicing warding, and Blanca is sorting). By the way, Slarin and Solomon are taking a walk and Shiroumar is Amur''s cuddle pillow.


    ''Are we going to be more vigilant today than usual?


    I dove into a place that would be a continuation of yesterday''s, and I nearly doubled the range of my ''search'' by taking advantage of yesterday''s lessons. Even if I say doubled, it''s about 20 meters wide with me at the center, and it''s accurate enough to react to creatures larger than three meters that exist within the range, so it''s not much of a burden. If it were true, it would be better to make it react to smaller creatures, but it''s not good to increase the accuracy too much, so I figured there was little danger of being hit by surprise if it was less than 3 meters based on the strength of yesterday''s octopus.


    ''''Well, if a creature of that size is strewn about, it''s not like the guild doesn''t have a grasp on the quicksilver, though.


    So I wandered around the bottom of the lake with caution. I found the occasional crumpled armor, but I didn''t see any octopus, and when I got to the shallow end, I stopped the morning''s activities and went back to the others.


    ''Is Amur still asleep?''


    Should I wake her up?


    He''ll wake up naturally when he smells the food. Let him sleep until the last minute.


    As Blanca, the guardian, said so, me and Grandpa tried not to make any loud noises. Most importantly, they were awake as soon as I started to prepare the meal, just as Blanca had said.


    After finishing the meal, we were each taking a short break when we heard some panicked footsteps coming from upstairs. It''s not us who are oblivious to the sound of this many footsteps. We immediately stopped the break, took out our respective weapons and readied them, and prepared for the approaching people...well, we immediately investigated its identity in the ''search'', so we knew the danger was low, but we kept it a secret from everyone as it was a matter of contingency.


    ''''I''m from the guild! Please do not attack!


    The footsteps were the employees of the Adventurer''s Guild in Seigen. There were about five of them, but they were all familiar people, and one of them was the head of the guild.


    ''''I''m sorry for coming so suddenly. I brought information about the Sword of Dawn a while ago and I came to confirm that we have defeated an unidentified demon in this lake, is it true that we have defeated an unidentified demon?


    The djinn who went home yesterday came over in the morning and gave him some information about the octopus while he was redeeming money. The guild leader happened to be out of town at the time, so they weren''t able to come right away, but the head of the guild found out about it a while ago and came right away. Incidentally, the djinn who are the source of the information seem to have left town on a request before the guild leader returned.


    ''''You mean this guy?''''


    I took out an octopus with two missing legs and held it out in front of the guild leaders.


    ''''Oh, so that''s it.......Actually, this guy could be a new species, so I''m sorry, but I''ll have to take a few records. Of course, I''ll pay the information and nuisance fees first. Also, if it''s possible to sell the body alone. I may have to send it to King''s Landing.


    With that, the guild leader took out three gold coins from his pocket. Before I took them, I made a few conditions before I accepted them. I was going to help dismantle them as well as purchase the guts that I was going to discard, but the guild leader said it was a crossover, so he immediately agreed to it.


    He then proceeded to record and dismantle the octopus with the guild staff.


    ''Once again, it''s a ridiculously large octopus.


    It looks like the octopus I know, but its size is an order of magnitude larger. First of all, its head (or more precisely, its body) alone was three and a half meters long, and underneath that its eyeballs were more than 40 centimeters long, its legs were about 10 meters long, and the mouth between its legs was about 60 centimeters long.


    It was full of surprises, but the most surprising was its bill, also known as a crow beetle. The staff member who was touching it to take a record of the beak had been carelessly torn open at the moment he touched it. There shouldn''t have been much force in it, but the wound was deep enough to reach the bone. I''m sure it''s nothing important since I immediately treated it with magic, but its sharpness is no match for a sword made by a skilled craftsman. Moreover, it is thought to be at least as hard as the magical iron (because pieces of magical iron armor that looked like they had been bitten out of their stomachs came out), so if you were bitten by one of these, you would easily bite off a leg or two. I think we were lucky in a way, because octopuses and squids often spread their legs and wrap their prey around their prey.


    In the investigation that followed, the magic stone was found in the octopus'' head, and since it was officially recognized as a demon, they are going to send a report to the royal capital. The department in charge of demons in the capital will examine it, and once it''s certified as a new species, they''ll notify the other Adventurer''s Guild branches. Incidentally, the price of the body part (including the eye area) is 500,000g, and if it''s recognized as a new species, the guild will pay an additional 500,000g and the department in the capital will pay a 500,000g bounty.


    ''''I''d rather have the mithril than the bounty...''''


    Hmm? What, it''s better to pay in kind? I''ll make a run at it.


    The head of the guild who picked up on my mutterings said something gratifying. And he also agreed to pay the Seigen Guild with mithril. Honestly speaking, I would have liked to have sold the rest of the mithril stored in the guild as well, but I was told that it was impossible due to the contract with the blacksmith and other matters. However, the guild in the King''s Capital will ask the guild if they have any leftover mithril. The upper limit is set at 100 kilograms, and if you want it, you''ll have to order more.


    Normally, an individual can''t treat a guild like a store, but in my case, I was also working as an ''oration'', and I was told that I would be given preferential treatment in my own way for hunting ground dragons and the like.


    After some time, the guild leaders returned to the guild and we resumed our activities. From the time we resumed until the deadline for our planned stay, there were no particular happenings, and we were able to finish exploring the lake safely.


    In the end, we were able to get nearly 250 kg of mithril from the lake alone, which was more than we expected. After all, we were able to find a place that looked like an octopus'' bed, and that was a big deal.


    It is said that the octopus had been taking its prey to its own bunk to eat it, but there were weapons and armor made of mithril that it hadn''t been able to chew up lying near its bunk. One hundred and fifty kilograms of mithril was found in that location alone. This would bring his mithril total to over five hundred kilograms in a little while, so he was almost halfway to his goal. If we''re willing to compromise, we can start working on it tomorrow.


    However, it''s too good to compromise when you''ve come this far. Finding Mithril at this pace will be difficult, but I don''t have any plans to leave Seigen at the moment, so I''ll just take my time collecting them.


    As I was talking about this with my grandfather and his friends as I left, for some reason there was a crowd of people near the entrance to the apartment. Curiously, I made my way through the crowd to the apartment and found several men and women who were tied up and being fished upside down, a few golems guarding the men and women upside down, and Seigen''s guards.


    To be honest, I have a bad feeling about this. But I can''t avoid getting close to them. When we were puzzled like that, Aimee, Arie and the others who noticed us came over and told us about the current situation.


    After lunch today, those men and women who were being fished upside down tried to break into my room and work a burglary, but were caught by the golem that my grandfather had set up and fished upside down. From there, the commotion grew and the guards came running in, but the golems tried to attack the guards as they approached. Perhaps they decided that they were friends who were trying to help the burglar. They are now in a standoff at a distance, it seems.


    It''s about to get dark at this time of day, so it must have been five to six hours since those burglars were upside down fishing. The burglars'' lives are in danger at this time of day, but Aimee confirmed that they were in good spirits enough to swear until an hour ago, so they''ll be fine. By the way, Grandpa had ordered the golems not to harm Aimee (and Arie-san and the others), so there was no danger even if they approached him. However, if Aimee did something like helping a burglar (such as loosening a rope), the golem would gently stop her. It''s a good thing that the burglar tried to put them down on the ground at first, but since the burglar was abusive to Amy, both Amy and Arie-san and the others made sure that they only did the bare minimum to check.


    It''s a good thing that they''re in such good spirits despite their condition... they''re going to come back to retaliate eventually if you let them go.


    Even if it was a burglary, people weren''t caught red-handed, so it was likely that they would come out with a fine or light punishment. Moreover, the people in question didn''t seem to be remorseful by any means. Well, even if they came to retaliate against the golems for their complete defeat, it''s unlikely that they would be able to harm us, but if Aimee and the others were targeted, they wouldn''t necessarily be able to defend themselves completely.


    So, we decided to give them a little scare. Fortunately, he''s experienced in dealing with Jin and the others, so he has some knowledge of the situation. It''s also important to know that there are two people who seem to be good at this kind of thing, and since I can use recovery magic and have a good selection of medicines, I shouldn''t die so easily.


    I had a light meeting with my grandfather and the others and spoke to the guards who were staring at the golems. At first, the guards were reluctant to accept my proposal to torture them, but we still secure the burglar, and when I showed them the royal family crests given by the king, the crests of the duke of Sangha and the marquis of Samoens, they willingly pretended to be ignorant.


    I promised him that I would be sure to take the burglars to the guard''s choke point after the matter was over, and he would ask the guards to leave.


    Now there were no more interruptions. Now it''s time to have some fun.

 135-Chapter 8-11 Desperate despair (with burglars)

    Well, I think I''m going to torture you now and punish you, but of course Grandpa and Blanca are going to be there, right?


    "Of course,


    I''m in.


    The two of them seemed to be pissed off by the burglars'' attitude after all, and they nodded quickly to my invitation. Amour didn''t seem particularly interested, but he didn''t seem to want to stay behind, and after showing some pretense of thinking about it, he said he was going to participate.


    It would be a nuisance to Amy and the others to do it right here, so I decided to go up to the guild and rent a training camp, although it would be a hassle. Besides, the guild would have other adventurers and staff to stop us if we were about to overdo it.... Whether they can actually stop it or not........


    ''Well then, Amur, go ahead and secure the place. We''ll take these guys out in the wagon.


    Okay.


    After replying that, Amour rushed to the guild. It''s because we do illegal things, so we need to get permission from the head of the guild beforehand. Well, in this world, criminals don''t have any human rights, so it is unlikely that they will be refused, but even so, there is a huge difference between having the permission of the guild leader and not having it when the time comes. The most important thing is that if you are refused, the place will just become a secret dungeon base, so it''s not a big deal.


    ''''It''s fine to transport them in a carriage, but it''s kind of annoying that these guys seem to be enjoying themselves.


    That''s where I have a better idea.


    What are you doing?


    When I told them what I was thinking, they looked puzzled for a moment, and then gave me a very wicked look. I''m sure that they have the same kind of grimace on their faces as I do on mine.


    Then we quickly got ready and headed for the guild.


    ''Hey, look at that!''


    What''s that?


    Pfft!


    You''re an idiot!


    People who have been passing us for a while now are pointing at us and laughing like fools. To be precise, the finger is pointing at the carriage behind us (without the hood), and it is the burglars who are being laughed at.


    The burglars are tied up with ropes and gagged and mounted on the carriage with a wooden board hanging from their necks. On that board is written a word from the person himself (fabricated) in addition to why this is happening and how he was caught. It was me and Aimee who thought about it. Surprisingly, Aimee was more relentless than I was in writing the word. I''m sure she was filled with resentment towards the burglars.


    Just like that, the burglars were rocking in a carriage pulled by Shiroumaru, and the burglars were laughing their way to the guild in a slow, roundabout way. Even if they were to be released, they would no longer be able to operate in Seigen.


    ''''Guild leader, I''ll borrow your training camp.


    I don''t mind. But I''m going to supervise you just the same. I''m sure the guild''s reputation will be damaged if you are tortured to death in the training camp, and they will be monitored by the royal capital.


    Even if you heard about it from Amur beforehand, you feel like you''ve been cheated out of your job when you''re approved so easily. Well, just think of it as having an accomplice in case something goes wrong.


    I decided to think so and left the burglars in the middle of the training camp. Normally, the training camp is where the novices are trained, but today, none of them were there. After all, he had reserved it for himself with the authority of the guild leader.


    ''''We''re going to do something illegal, even if it''s obvious to those around us, it''s better to be out of the public eye.


    He said.


    While I was tying the burglars to the chair, Grandpa and the others began to prepare things like large pliers and saws for each of them... I don''t know when they prepared such things, but just showing them to me seemed to have an effect, and until then, they had been acting in an impudent manner The burglars who had taken the gag off turned blue in unison.


    One of the burglars looked like he wanted to say something, so I gagged him and he started shouting in a trembling voice.


    ''''Oh, we''re acquainted with the executives of the ''Shadow Crimson''! Don''t think you can do this and get away with it for free!


    As the man shouted, the other burglars were beginning to calm down a bit, but in contrast, the guild leader''s face grew grim.


    I thought I had heard the name ''Shadow Crimson'' somewhere, but it was the name of an out-of-the-way party I had heard from the djinn in the royal capital.


    ''''The fact that you mention that name in front of me doesn''t mean that you guys think you''ll get away with it for free, does it?''''


    When the head of the guild told the man, he felt an illusion that the temperature around him had dropped. As expected of a guild leader in a dungeon city, his power is first class.


    ''''Oi! You heard me! Gather the guys from that time immediately!


    ""Yes!"


    The head of the guild gave a loud direction towards the entrance, and a reply came back from the other side of the door, revealing several people slamming into the doorway.


    ''I''m sorry, but I had a staff member on standby just in case. I don''t expect to be able to stop you guys, but I''ll have to at least put up some resistance in case it happens.


    The guild leader also seemed to have prepared as many excuses as possible in case something happened. Well, he wanted to show that he had stopped the burglar to some extent when we were about to kill him by mistake, and he wanted to create a situation where he had nothing to do with it. Well, we knew that there were some officials waiting outside the door, so we knew it would be something like that.


    Then, as I waited for a while, listening to the rants of the burglars, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from a large number of people running, and the door was violently opened.


    ''Guild leader, it''s true that the remnants of the Crimson have been captured!


    The man in the lead spoke loudly to the guild leader. It was a man I had seen in the guild several times. Behind him, followed by those who had the same grim face as the man in the lead. It seems that they were members of the group that fought against the Shadow Crimson that Jin was talking about before. The man at the front seems to be a leader among them.


    After exchanging a few words with the guild leader, the men were about to approach the burglars with an angry look on their faces...


    I wish they''d stop raiding my prey.


    Before they could get there, me and Blanca interrupted and blocked the way. Grandpa casually walked behind the men and held out his staff to check them out.


    ''''Mm ... sorry about that.''''


    The man in the lead, surprisingly, quickly admitted his fault and apologized. The men behind him didn''t seem to be convinced, but they soon realized that they were being pinned back and forth and decided to be quiet.


    I have some idea of what you guys are up to, but that''s not the same thing. I don''t think it''s adventurous to come in and intercept someone''s prey out of the blue.


    My provocative words, except for the man in front of me, were irritating to the extent that he almost got a blue streak on his face, but he seemed to be calm enough to know that my words were correct. Well, maybe they just can''t move because they''re getting behind me.


    ''But under the right conditions, I''ll give these guys away ... well, not exactly. I''m willing to split the rights to these guys.


    Huh?


    A dumb voice leaked out from the man in the lead at my turn of phrase. Well, with the wind direction changing so suddenly, I might be forgiven for reacting like that, but for me, the situation is right on schedule.


    ''You guys want to get information out of these guys, don''t you? I want to make sure these guys don''t feel like messing with anyone I know.


    What''s your point?


    The man seemed to be suspicious of my words. But I shrug it off and go on with my story.


    I mean, you might be able to help. It''s not like I''m trying to get money from you, so it should be good for you.


    The fact that I''m trying to scare them makes them realize that I''m not lying to them. As far as I''m concerned, I don''t need any information about the Shadow Crimson, or worse, I can take these guys somewhere else and then deal with them. In that case, they might turn the Adventurer''s Guild of Seigen against you (and the guards), but killing criminals who tried to harm you is not a felony, so you can just leave the city when the need arises. By the way, since Amy and others and spectators have heard these burglars saying things like retaliation, it is highly likely to be judged as self-defense, and most importantly, since the guards didn''t catch them and said they would be taken later, it''s a verbal promise made on the spot, so there''s no particular problem even if they don''t fulfill it.


    Thank goodness for us but the story is so good you''d think there''s something more to it than that, wouldn''t you?


    As I suspected, they don''t believe me so easily. But even if they don''t believe me, the men have no choice but to go along with me. They talked for a while, and eventually they decided to work with us.


    Well, don''t be so hard on yourself. We''re going to educate them not to do bad things in the future, and at the same time, we''re going to get the information out of them. Nah, it''s easy, right?


    The men listened to my words, and for some reason they froze for about ten seconds with a dumb face, but gradually they seemed to understand the situation and started to prepare for my style of education as I instructed them. It''s not much time to prepare, since all I had to do was prepare a tub of water and bring a pungent-smelling liquid along with a cloth to act as a restorative.


    ''Well, let''s get started,''


    When I was ready, I decided to begin educating the burglars. The first burglars were given the condition that they would be released if they sincerely regretted their actions or provided information about the Shadow Crimson. Well, it was hard to talk to the burglars since they took turns changing their education partners for roughly one minute per burglar, and the burglars were blindfolded and gagged except during their education. And since there was no point in letting them get hurt, I had to hurt them so that they couldn''t speak when they were about to speak, and I had to gag them even before the time was up, so it took about fifteen rounds before the first one was freed.


    Once one was freed, it was quicker for the rest to be freed. After eliciting information from all of them, it turned out that the burglars only spoke of the Shadow Crimson. The burglars didn''t seem to know much about Shadow Crimson, and were just saying its name because they thought I''d be scared if I mentioned it.


    All of the freed burglars had a look of relief on their faces, but they were so distraught that they squealed at the sound of something small in their blind spots. When educating the burglars, they were blindfolded and gagged, but their ears were not plugged, so they seem to be overly sensitive to sound...honestly, I may have overdone it.


    But despite my remorse, the men who participated in the education were pissed off that they were forced to waste their time with the Shadow Crimson, and before returning from the guild, the leader of the men approached the burglars and whispered something into their ears. The burglars heard these words and became even more pale and distraught, but the man ignored the burglars and came over to me and apologized again for his initial misconduct.


    When I received the apology, the men bowed their heads again before leaving the training camp.


    ''Temma, what were they muttering about?''


    That certainly bothers me.


    ''Nuh-uh!''


    Grandpa saw the frightened way the burglars seemed to be going crazy, and he seemed to understand that it was the men, but he didn''t understand what they were saying. Blanca and Amour, who are beastmen with good ears, didn''t seem to hear it either, and they seemed curious.


    ''''Yeah, the burglars were told that from now on we have to watch out not only for us, but also for the real ''Shadow Crimson''.......''''


    Even though they had been decimated, there was a possibility that a new Shadow Crimson could have been formed without people knowing about it, since they had let the executives escape. In that case, if they were caught failing on top of having their name spoken for a dickish crime, they could be retaliated against for having their name disgraced. Moreover, they are the kind of people who will go down in the country''s criminal history. I don''t think this is a half-hearted retaliation. In fact, they could have done something that would have made them happy to die.


    When the burglars heard about it, they started to be scared like that. The burglars'' hearts, already broken and weakened by our education, were unable to withstand the new, invisible fear.


    After that, the burglars were taken in by guards called in by the guild officials. The guards are the ones who had a problem with me, and they were constantly twisting their necks when they saw the change in the burglars, but when the guild leader explained to me that they only noticed the possibility of being targeted by the Shadow Crimson, I was skeptical, but I didn''t try to listen to them in any more detail.


    ''''I guess this is the end of the matter. Let''s go home.


    We did what we had to do for now, so we had to go back to the apartment to explain to Aimee and the others. The guild leaders looked as if they wanted to say something, but as if they had no reason to keep us back, they just walked away from us.


    ''It''s late, let''s get something to eat and go home, shall we?''


    ''Well I don''t know what kind of store I have here, so Temma can decide as she sees fit.


    When Blanca said that, Grandpa and Amour nodded. But the trouble is, I don''t know much about the shops around here either. At any rate, I''m always with Slarin and his friends, so rather than eating in a shop, I mostly bought something from a food cart or cooked my own food.


    ''I don''t know much about it either, so let''s go in at the right place,''


    The three of them looked surprised at my words, but when I told them about Slurin and the others, they looked convinced. By the way, this story is a bit of a tamer, and Aguri and others have said the same thing before.


    The restaurant I went into was not very good, and the salt-roasted meat I prepared for Slarin and his friends might have been better.


    ''''Those people were taken away safely, weren''t they?


    The next day, when I reported to Amy about the burglars of yesterday, she looked relieved for some reason. I couldn''t decide whether that "safe" meant that the burglars'' lives were intact or that they were caught without any problems.


    In addition, the damage caused by the burglars seems to have occurred in some of the lodgings around here, so it may be that they were the ones who did it. In the event that you''re not a burglar, you''re going to be able to get a good deal more than you''d like.


    I left Amy and I went around the stalls and other places as usual looking for Mithril, but I couldn''t find him at all, no matter how many times I went around.


    ''Temma, let''s go to the dungeon,''


    Amur, who was following me, invited me to go to the dungeon while eating a spit-roast, but I wasn''t too keen on it since I had just returned. When I refused, Amur was sweltering, but he didn''t seem to have any intention of going alone, so he started walking behind me in silence.


    ''Oh, isn''t it Temma?''


    Suddenly, I turned around when I was approached from behind and saw Master Ganz there. He seemed to have come to do some shopping, as one of his apprentices was carrying a package behind the master.


    ''I hear you''ve gathered a lot of mithril, how are you going to make a horse out of it?


    The master asked me how to make tannikaze without even saying hello.


    I think the recipe is a secret, don''t you? Don''t you usually keep that kind of thing secret?


    The apprentice stopped me, and the master said something like, "That''s true, too," but I just wanted to get his opinion, too, so I decided to ask him for advice. When I told him about this, he got excited, pulled my arm and started walking in the direction of his workshop. I was surprised by the suddenness of this, but the one who surprised me the most was my master''s apprentice. At any rate, it was because he suddenly trundled away and left me alone. By the way, Amur followed me and his master without a problem.


    I felt sorry for my apprentice, so I stopped Master on the way to pick him up. The master was complaining about his apprentice even though it was his own fault, but he seemed to feel a little bad about it and was following us even as he complained. In the end, I took care of the luggage in my magic bag, and we used a carriage to get to the workshop, but even in the carriage, the master was very excited. I''m not going to ask him how to make tannikaze in a carriage with other customers, but the customers who were around him seemed to recognize him as a strange guy and turned away from him.


    ''Well, let''s hear the story, then,''


    As soon as I entered the workshop, the master pulled me to his desk and said so. There were various documents and ores on the desk, but master roughly brushed them all away.


    The first thing I''m going to tell you is how to make a broken tannikazee, but to put it simply, it''s made by dividing it into parts and pouring magical iron into a mold like a cast, and then connecting them together with spherical joints. The advantage of this is that it''s easy to make and it''s very strong. The disadvantage is that it uses a lot of magical iron and is too heavy.


    You said it was sturdy, but I heard it took a thunderbolt from a bicorn and didn''t pop. If you''re right, then it''s going to melt before it breaks?


    It''s because I was inexperienced at the time I made it. In short, there were too many impurities mixed into the melted magic iron, and when the magic iron was poured into the mold, it was not able to completely remove the air. When I told him that, the master was satisfied.


    ''''So, I thought I''d try a new method this time...''''


    ''Before that, you see ... if the method Temma is trying to use is one I don''t know about, I promise I won''t tell anyone about it, and I won''t try it without Temma''s permission. If you want, I can write a pledge.


    The master had one of his students bring out a piece of paper, on which was written his name, the contents of the pledge, and even the penalty for breaking the pledge. Naturally I refused, but my master was adamant about it, so I was forced to write it down. By the way, some of his clients come to him with requests that they can''t talk to others about, so he is used to such situations. Incidentally, in the penalty section, it said, ''If you break your oath, you will be a slave.


    The first step is to harden the bones with metal, so that the bicorn''s bones form a core. And then we''ll put some more armor made of mithril exterior around it...


    ''You don''t want the slightest gap between the metal core and Mithril''s armor, do you?


    The master immediately understood the problem with my method. If there was a gap between the core and the armor, it would begin to distort and break every time it was moved too much.


    I''m sure you''re not going to be able to get away with it. Thinning the metal around the bones and making the armor a little thicker. When you put it together, it''ll feel like the armor will support it instead of the bones.


    My master''s suggestion reminded me of a plastic model robot. It''s also very scantily clad inside, but it can stand on its own, and can be posed freely.


    It''s a good idea to think of the bones as a core, but rather than thinking of them as a core, it might be easier to make them as circuits that channel magic power. Besides, it would save us a lot of mithril.


    Then we know what to do. Now we just need to work out the details.


    After that, I had to discuss many things with my master. He was going to participate in the production of the project because he had come up with an idea. I was grateful for his help, so I asked him for help, but his apprentice looked complicated. I asked him later about it in detail, and he said it was because he realized that he had several urgent jobs on his plate, and because of the production of the golem, he was going to be working all night for the next few days. I thought my students would give me a hard time, but I heard that they were interested in the production itself, so I didn''t have to worry about that.


    We continued the discussion until dusk and then went back to the apartment after confirming the general work procedure. The work was scheduled to start in a week''s time, and in the meantime, we were to gather the necessary materials. The master himself was planning to start tomorrow, but his pupils persuaded him to do so, and he succeeded in grabbing a week''s time to do it. Incidentally, I also supported my pupils, saying that I needed time to gather materials, so they were quite grateful to me after I convinced them.


    It had been a week since the day of the meeting. I''m visiting my master''s workshop again.


    I''ve been busy gathering the remaining materials for the week until today. As usual, I collected mithril, but I also flew to the royal capital to collect it, literally. As a result, I was able to add about 200 kilograms of mithril to my collection, but it was quite a challenge. I''m not sure if it''s because the knights found me while I was looking for mithril in the capital, and through the knights, the king and others found out I was coming to the capital, and I was called to the royal castle. I''ve been thinking about how to get out of here, because I was trying to adjust my schedule until just before Maria''s arrival, because the king and his men were ready to follow Seigen until Maria''s arrival. Well, even if they escaped safely from the royal castle, those people would still come to Seigen and participate in making a golem on their own. Without thinking about the inconvenience to others at all.......


    Now that the kings have found out about the new Tanikaze, it''s going to be noisy if I don''t go and show it to them eventually.


    ''Alright Temma. We''re about to get started.


    With my master''s words, I decided to forget about the events in King''s Landing for a while, and I took the mithril out of my magic bag and gave it to him. Now we can start the process of melting mithril. In advance, I asked the masters to make a model mold based on the parts of Tanikaze. They poured mithril into this mold and beat it little by little to forge it. The silver needed to forge the mithril is prepared in large quantities.


    ''On second thought, I''m lucky to have my master''s help. It would have been impossible for me to forge Mithril without breaking the shape of the armor.


    If it was a simple shape, he would be able to forge it enough to use it in practice, but it must have been impossible to forge it by pounding on something made from a mold like this one. At best, it would have been enough to make an armor with a slippery surface.


    ''Oh, thank me enough! I''ve never done anything this big before either, but I''ve made armor the same way many times, so keep it on the big ship!


    The master picked up on my musings and said this with a confident look on his face. I laughed at him and began to prepare for the job I''d been assigned.


    The job I had been assigned was to apply mithril to the core bone. The bones to be coated with mithril have circuits carved into them that are used for things like body strengthening, and you have to work carefully to fill in the gaps in these circuits with mithril. If you fail to do this, for example, three legs are strengthened and only one of them is normal, which can lead to problems such as a sudden breakage of the leg while running. To prevent this from happening, I drew up many drafts before digging, tried them out with the same size wooden stick before the real thing, and asked my grandpa for a final check. Thanks to that, I''m pretty much out of bed now.


    ''Okay, let''s get started! Don''t let up!


    ""Oh!"


    I responded with my students to my master''s call. Amur, who was watching this scene from the corner of the workshop, later said, "It was like Tenma had become an apprentice to her master.

 136-Chapter 8-12 Goblin House

    It''s been four days since I made the newtaniacase. Finally, a quarter of the whole is done. It seems to be progressing slowly, but according to my master, this speed is extraordinary, even though I''ve been taking proper breaks and training the mithril in a special way and shape. Normally, this kind of progress in ten days would be a good thing," he said.


    Well, that''s as it should be. I was very particular about not only the materials but also the support for the production.


    First of all, the food. I collected nutritious, easy-to-eat foods, some of which I prepared myself. Some of these dishes included cooked bicorn meat and octopus, as well as snacks that could be picked up after the meal or while working, so the price tag would be quite high. However, we didn''t prepare any alcoholic beverages so that it wouldn''t affect the work, which apparently didn''t sit well with the master.


    Secondly, the medicine. I gathered mainly homemade nutritional drinks. Since this one was also made with good ingredients, the price would be something that only a nobleman would be able to afford, but since I gathered the ingredients myself, all it took was some effort.


    If someone was injured, I would immediately heal them with my magic, and if they needed something urgently, Blanca or Amur would run around Seigen, and sometimes Grandpa would fly to other cities to buy it.


    Since the work was done with such support, the speed of progress was something that even the master had never experienced before.


    As the work on the exterior progressed, the number of jobs I had to do on my own gradually increased. Mainly, I had to combine the finished exterior and the core bones to make a single part, and then combine the finished parts to adjust the balance, but it was not easy and it was a struggle.


    First of all, I had to put the bones together, but since I was mostly working alone on the bones, I had to do it all by myself. I also had to adjust the balance of the front and back legs, and I had to check the balance of the paired parts of the body and make adjustments, but each part was heavy and large, so I had to ask Blanca and Grandpa to help me with this task. Since Amur is shorter than me, the other two guys naturally took his turn.


    However, the most difficult part of the work I was in charge of was undoubtedly the leg joints. There was a problem with the plastic model-like joints, so I gave up at the prototype stage. After that, we exchanged opinions with my grandfather and master, and after some twists and turns, we completed it with a joint that looks like two spheres attached together. I used the spherical articulated dolls as a reference, but since this technique does not exist in this world, I decided to call it my own original idea. Even though I used the spherical articulated dolls as a reference, I don''t know much about the technique, so I just made them look like that, remembering a doll I''ve seen once.


    I heard that I used rubber for the real thing, but I couldn''t find rubber (or something like that) strong enough to support this huge body, so I decided to make two jointed spheres and wrap each one around the edge of the parts. But at this time, if the joint part is too tight, the movement is not good, on the contrary, if the joint part is too loose, it may fall out completely when I move it. So it was very difficult to adjust it not too tightly or too loosely.


    The first thing I thought when I saw the four legs in progress was


    ''This is going to take some getting used to...''


    It was. You might think it''s only natural since it was rebuilt with new technology, but the type was different from the previous one, more so than the acceptable range. The old Tanikaze was made like the joints of a plastic model, so it was a little bit wobbly, but the new Tanikaze has a wider and softer range of motion in its joints, which made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. The movement itself is closer to a real horse, but to me, a horse is a tanikaze, and I''m not used to riding a real horse, so I may not be able to ride it the same way I did before.


    Well, we''ll worry about that stuff when we can.


    I decided to put off the problem and get back to work. Then I helped master with his work, but it was soon time for dinner, so that was it for that day''s work.


    The apprentices were surprised to see the master interrupt his work so easily, but he said he wanted to finish the work early to rejuvenate his energy, as it would use more energy and stamina than his usual work. I''d like to think it''s not because he wants to drink....


    From there, it took another four days to complete all four legs. As for the masters, they finished most of the body of the model. The torso was easier to train because of its size, but the craftsman''s spirit was ignited by the fact that he had more time to work on it than expected (according to the master), and it took him longer to complete it because he was so particular about the details. What he was particular about was the decoration of the armor on the abdomen, which you wouldn''t see if you were standing on the ground.


    The torso will be ready in a day or two, so I decided to make some adjustments to the connecting surfaces of the legs in the meantime. It wasn''t too difficult, since all I had to do was to visually check the connecting surfaces and see if there was any extreme distortion. The possibility of a problem was very low since the master had been paying attention to the connecting surfaces while building the fuselage.


    Why was I doing it when I knew that much?


    The leg part I had been working on a little while ago was about 90% done, and the only thing left to do was combine it with the torso and check it, but there was nowhere for me to touch it since my master and his apprentices were working on it. Then there is only the head, the neck, the reins, the saddle, the tail, and the internal gimmick, but there is nothing I can do about it now since master has taken over the production of these parts.


    ''Temma! If you don''t have anything to do, go polish up a magic core to use on this thing!


    When I was wandering around, I was yelled at by my master. I had no choice, so I settled into a corner of the workshop and decided to do as my master told me and polish up the magic nucleus to be used.


    The magic nucleus that we will be using this time will be added to the one we were using for Tanikaze from the beginning, as well as the bicorn, octopus and wyvern subspecies. The truth is, I wanted to add the core of the earth dragon to this as well, but there was no more room for the core, and I wanted to use the earth dragon''s core for something else, so I decided not to do it this time. If I were to put a price on the new Tanikaze, that would be a price that even the royal family would hesitate to pay. I''m not going to sell it, though.


    It has been three hours since I continued to refine the magic core. I think I''m almost done with the body part, so that''s all the work I have to do for today. At this rate, I''ll have more work to do tomorrow afternoon. I''m looking forward to it.............


    Master you''re a little stiff.


    The master was out of control again, and he kept correcting me when the balance of the details was not satisfactory. That caused me to continue polishing the demon core that day as well. I had polished it so much that it was almost fraying on the cloth.


    The next day, I was finally able to participate in the process as my master was satisfied with the results, but since he had finished revising the process just before the end of the day, I continued to polish the nucleus. The magic nuclei that I''ll be using this time are so clean that they could be mistaken for jewelry, so I decided to polish some of the magic nuclei that I wasn''t going to use.


    Now, let''s get to work this time! And on my way to the master''s workshop, I was fired up.


    There he is! Temma, help me!


    Aguri and his friends appeared out of the blue and were kidnapped by the Tamer''s Guild. They took me to a corner of the Adventurer''s Guild, where Aguri and his friends always gather.


    What happened? I''m busy.


    I complained, a little grumpily, and Aguri, out of breath, said


    I''m sorry, sir, but this is an emergency. The Sakarat brothers are trapped in the dungeon!


    According to the details, the Sakarat brothers were attacked by a horde of demons while exploring their newly found twenty-level plot. And while they were running away from the pack of monsters, they were trapped to a dead end.


    The reason why I got this information is that only their family member, Flame Tiger, escaped from the dungeon, and the cloth he was holding in his mouth had a message asking for help and the place he escaped from.


    ''What demons are attacking you?''


    ''A pack of goblins, but by a rough count, there are about thirty of them, mostly hobgoblins.


    I heard that four or five hobgoblins would not be an enemy of the Sakarat brothers and their attendants, but with a swarm of nearly thirty, it seems that this was not the case. To begin with, the new compartment is like a goblin''s nest, and if they were attacked in a near-surprise manner, it would be difficult to push them back unless you have a party of skilled people.


    ''''All right. I''ll be right over. I''m sure it''ll be okay, but just let grandpa and the others know. And later, we''ll have to prepare for the worst and move on, but you''ll have to handle that too.


    The worst-case scenario, of course, would be a situation where the Sakarat brothers are dead. In that case, we may not be able to recover the bodies and belongings of the two of them, as we will be looking at destroying the new plot. I''ll leave that and notifying the bereaved families and guilds of their deaths to Aguri and the others who have known them for a long time. I''ll be called in for a detailed discussion, but I thought it would be better to get the first report from the mouth of someone I know.


    ''We don''t have to go along?''


    It''s easier to move with fewer people when you''re dealing with a sneak attack.


    Okay.


    As soon as the discussion was over and they were about to head to the dungeon, a red-headed tiger jumped out of the bag Aguri was carrying. It was the Flame Tiger of the Sakarat brothers. Apparently, Aguri was in charge of it.


    ''Are you following me too?''


    "Gaff.


    The Flame Tiger, who nodded his head as if he understood my words, came to my side.


    ''Temma, take him away. I know you''re worried about the Lord and the others.


    Frau is a smaller tiger than Shiroumaru by the looks of it, but he has toned muscles, just like a tiger. He has injuries all over his body, but he doesn''t seem to have any major injuries. It is true that this won''t be too late to deal with hobgoblins. It is also understandable that he escaped from the goblin swarm by himself.


    For now, I had Frau get into the same bag as Slarin and the others and moved to the entrance of the dungeon. From there, we flew to the warp zone closest to the 20th level and had to call Frau again to guide us.


    The closest one was one level above the destination, but Frau seemed to know the current location right away and went for the stairs leading down without hesitation. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the location of the Sakarat brothers by deploying a ''search'' as well, but due to the complexity of the structure in the dungeon, I couldn''t find a response on a different level.


    When I descended to the 20th floor, the air felt a little heavier. Apparently, the demons on this floor are upset because of the goblins. As proof of this, a few dog-faced bipedal demons the so-called kobolds attacked us as we just entered. Incidentally, there are demons called werewolves and warwolves as the top species of kobolds, but they are larger and stronger than kobolds. In terms of rank, the kobold is a D, while the werewolf is a C. However, they often work in packs and are good at coordinated hunting, so if there are four or five of them, the danger per pack increases by one.


    The Kobolds had rusty knives and tattered swords that the adventurers had either discarded or dropped, but they had been kicked away by the Frau. Apparently, Frau''s style of attack emphasizes speed and the power of a single blow. Perhaps because it''s the same tiger, the attack was reminiscent of Blanca. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. Well, because they are too different from each other as demons, Kobold''s attack never reached them, but if this was a group of hobgoblins, it would be dangerous.


    ''''Gaff!''''


    After kicking off the kobold, Frau turned toward me as if she was going to go quickly and was about to move on, but I stopped Frau once and called Shiroumaru out of my bag.


    "Shiroumaru, go cover the Frau. I''ll protect your back.


    Wahoo!


    Shiroumaru chirped once and replied, then snuggled his nose up to Frau to greet her. When Frau returned the greeting, she too returned Shiroumaru''s greeting and started running like she was going to go this time.


    After a few minutes of running with Frau leading the way, we arrived at the entrance to the new section that the Sakarat brothers had found. This is a place I''ve never been to before, probably because the wall collapsed for some reason and a new passage emerged behind it.


    ''Frau, wait!''


    I stopped Frau from hurrying to the back and took a closer look at the entrance. It seems that Frau was not happy about being stopped and was showing her fangs, but she didn''t care and continued to examine the entrance.


    ''Looks like this was more of a goblin den than a new compartment Slarin, take care of this one.


    After I did a little research and concluded that, I decided to ask Slarin to guard the place. After all, there''s a side hole hidden just outside the entrance. Perhaps it was made so that the goblins could trap their prey as they entered. Although the hole was cleverly hidden, it left only a few footprints, and several goblins reacted to my ''search''. Expanding the scope of the ''search'' further, there were places where dozens of goblins had gathered. At this time, it was extremely difficult to use the search, but there may be something in this area that is blocking the search.


    ''''Over there! Let''s hurry up!


    Gaff!


    He pointed in the direction of the reaction, and Frau jumped out of the way with great vigor. Siloumaru followed Frau''s lead. I followed behind them and placed the golem near the side hole where it was often found. So far, the goblins haven''t responded, but this will greatly reduce the probability of being attacked from behind and the chance of letting the goblins escape. Well, I don''t think I''ll let them escape when Slarin is waiting at the entrance, but goblins are also gold these days, so the more effort I have to collect them, the better.


    After passing a few side holes, we suddenly found ourselves in a large area. It''s roughly the size of an entire soccer court?


    "There it is! Just in time!


    On the wall side of the square, there was one place where goblins were swarming. As far as I can see, there are roughly fifty to sixty goblins. In the search, there is also the reaction of the Sakarat brothers and their subordinate Mountain Turtle ahead of the goblins, and no one seems to be dead.


    "Frau, Shiroumaru, do as you please. However, I''ll take the biggest one.


    They responded to my instructions with a bark and ran to exterminate the goblins that swarmed the Sakarat brothers. I took out my sword from my magic bag and started walking towards the big goblin that had been staring at me from earlier.


    The big goblins I targeted are definitely the leader of this pack, as the results of the appraisal came out as ''Goblin King''. Generally speaking, goblins are considered to be the representative of idiots, but when they evolve and become hobgoblins, their intelligence jumps up. Well, when I say jumped up, it''s about the same as a ''schoolboy''. Incidentally, it''s my opinion that ordinary goblins are no more than ''kindergarteners''.


    Such goblins are not the same, but if they evolve to become more than hobgoblins, it''s a different story. In terms of where they evolve beyond the hob, there are warriors, mages, archers, and then generals, and finally kings (queens), and when they reach the general king class, they are generally said to be as intelligent as or more intelligent than adults. The only evolved species here are the Hob and the King, but this is probably because they swarmed in a small area, and only one of them evolved beyond the Hob and became the King.


    The Goblin King, after ordering the hobgoblins around him to intercept Shiroumaru and Frau, held his weapon at the ready to face me. While the surrounding hobgoblins are roughly over one hundred and sixty centimeters tall, the Goblin King is over two meters tall. Furthermore, it had a muscular body, so it was quite powerful when facing it head on. Its rank as a demon is somewhere between B and B+, which is about the same level of danger as the Orc King I defeated in the past. The weapon in his hand is a large sword that adventurers would have used, and although it looks rusty and not sharp, it is a heavy weapon that is more than enough to handle as a blunt weapon.


    The Goblin King smiled ugly, as if convinced of victory due to the difference in size of the weapon, but that smile turned into a look of astonishment a few seconds later. The Goblin King''s prized weapon was flung into the ceiling by a blow from my sword.


    Until now, this Goblin King might have only dealt with the goblins under his control. It''s a good thing that he was able to evolve into a king with that, but it might be the result of a combination of good fortune, and it''s pointless to think about it, so I cut off the Goblin King''s head with the returning sword for now.


    The goblins at the bottom didn''t seem to expect that their absolute leader would be defeated so easily, and they stopped moving even though they were right in front of Shiroumaru and Frau who were attacking them. Then they fell into the claws and fangs of the two animals without putting up a fragile resistance.


    We killed the King in a fast attack, and we got rid of the goblins without any damage, but the Sakarat brothers at the end of the herd did not. Two of them were bruised and broken, but not life-threatening. The worst of them was the Mountain Turtle, the two''s consort.


    The Mountain Turtle had several cracks in the large shell on its back, and in the worst part, the shell had come off, revealing the flesh inside.


    ''Thank you, Ten ''Aquaheel'' Ma,''


    The first thing I did was to cast a recovery spell on the Sakarat brothers, who were about to lower their heads. I''m not sure how much of a difference it would make if I were to see them. I continued to check on the Mountain Turtle before confirming their condition.


    The Mountain Turtle was consuming a lot of energy, and its internal organs seemed to have been damaged by the repeated blows to its shell. However, it doesn''t look like its internal organs are that badly damaged, so if you carefully cast a recovery spell on it, it should be able to heal completely.


    First of all, he removed the chipped pieces of the carapace attached to the flesh and used ''Aqua Heal'' several times from that spot towards the internal organs. Normally it would have been possible to recover it in one go, but since it was a place, it took a lot of effort to go there while watching the Mountain Turtle. However, the amount of time and effort put into it made Mountain Turtle feel better and he was about to walk away even though he hadn''t closed his wounds yet. We couldn''t let him walk yet, so we placed the Sakarat brothers and Frau by the Mountain Turtle and succeeded in calming him down.


    The only final step was to repair the carapace, but I had no idea how to do it. The first idea that came to mind was to fix the carapace in a cast as we had done with the broken bones, but we gave it up because we didn''t know what materials to use for the plaster. The next idea was to bake the shell with clay, but we were afraid of its strength and the possibility of germs, so we gave up right away. I finished.


    And just as the Mountain Turtle was finishing healing, Slarin arrived with his golems. As expected, there were goblins that were trying to attack us from behind, but they were effortlessly eradicated by Slarin and the golems. I heard that they brought all of the goblin corpses with them, so I transferred them into my magic bag. There were a total of a little over forty goblins that tried to get behind me, and that alone shows that the Goblin King who defeated them had more or less understood the strategy. After Slarin''s report, I carefully examined this compartment with a ''search'', but there didn''t seem to be any surviving goblins. Instead, I found a collection of treasures that the goblins seem to have collected at the back of this compartment.


    ''''I''m curious, but I''d rather treat the Sakarat brothers first........................or is Slarin going to go?


    The treasure was about to be put off and the healing process resumed when Slarin arrived on the back of Shiroumar. Behind him is Solomon, who is also riding on Frau''s back. The Frau was not used to having things on her back and looked quite painful, but Solomon was ignoring the Frau. It seems that Frau can''t go against Solomon (the dragon), who is a Frau and is a higher species than you, and doesn''t try to dismount by force.


    ''Get off the Frau, Solomon,'' he said. If you want to ride, go to Shiroumaru.


    When Shiroumaru heard my words, he said, "What! He looked surprised, but when he returned to his original size, he honestly put Solomon on his back. It seems that Shiroumaru tends to forget his original size these days. In addition, Frau returned to the Sakarat brothers'' side with a relieved expression on her face after being relieved of her role.


    The only injury the Sakharat brothers have left is a broken bone, so all we have to do is correct the position of the bone and then apply the heel. As a precaution, I also applied the Cure and Resist to prevent any infection. We''ll have to rest for a few days, but there won''t be any after-effects.


    The reason why this happened after we finished treating the two of them.


    He said that it was a good idea. I think it was quite a rash act, but for two adventurers and blacksmiths, they thought there might be undiscovered veins of ore in the newly discovered compartment, so there might be room for sympathy. Well, when I return to the surface, Aguri and the other people involved will probably squeeze it out of me, so let''s not say anything about it. I''ve been told that the skills of the two blacksmiths are still not up to snuff, and that even as adventurers they are a bit inferior to Ted and Light, who are a bit older.


    A short time later, Slarin and his friends returned. They seemed to have discovered a variety of things, and the three of them seemed somewhat satisfied with their findings. However, it was not only treasures that they found, they also found a large number of bones that seemed to be adventurers, so they decided to collect the bones and make an offering later. However, if an amateur buries the bones that have already been laid to rest, in the worst case, the bones may become undead monsters, so they will be brought back to the ground and then left to the church. In that case, I think it would be better to just report to the guild and make suggestions, and leave the rest to them. Although there is no conflict with the church at the moment, it is said that there are some people in the church who have some kind of unique ideas. There was a church in Kukri village, but in places like Kukri, where hunters and adventurers have a voice, the indigenous beliefs tend to be more important, and the teachings of the church did not penetrate the village very well. Most importantly, the priest who was sent to Kukri village was quite an unusual person, and despite being a priest, he didn''t seem to have much interest in spreading the teachings of the church. By the way, the power of the church is not very large in this world. The reason for this is that the real God, whom I know well, gives blessings and omens to people outside the church on a whim. Maybe there are more blessings for ordinary people than for people who belong to the church.


    Whatever the case, once the remains are collected, there will be no reason for them to stay here. However, this goblin den seems to be of high use, so I''d like to secure it somehow. But unfortunately, this den doesn''t have a warp zone, which is necessary for monopolization, so we''ll need to apply some kind of trick to it. Well, I don''t have the time or ideas for a trick right now, so all I have to do is seal the entrance tightly.


    With that in mind, I headed to the room where Slarin and the others were guiding me to the room where the remains were being collected.

 137-Chapter 8-13 Escape

    After I finished my work in the Goblin''s den, I decided to return to earth with the Sakharath brothers. I decided to carry the Sakharat brothers and their attendants in my dimension bag, and I was about to return to the entrance of the den and seal the hole with magic when Grandpa and Aguri arrived. They looked at me, then looked around and noticed that the Sakarat brothers weren''t there.


    "You didn''t make it?


    I was about to say at the same time and say a silent prayer, but when I heard that they were in my bag, I returned to my relief. However, when Aguri looked into the bag to check on them, Aguri''s face was grim because they were sleeping while snoring. As it was, it looked like Aguri was going to drag them out and start lecturing them, but Grandpa convinced him that they had been through a lot, so let them get some sleep, and so Aguri quietly withdrew.


    After that, he carefully closed the hole and marked it enough to make himself recognizable before returning to the ground. On the ground, Ted and Wright also looked worried, but both of them also looked at the Sakarat brothers in their bags and said something about them.


    I asked Aguri what was going to happen next, and he said that he wanted them to show up at the guild, just in case. Apparently, he had already reported the matter of the Sakarat brothers to the head of the guild, and they were in the process of coordinating the information with the guild. If you don''t go soon, the head of the guild may decide to send information to the adventurers.


    The information in this case was that a new section had been discovered in the dungeon, and once the information was disclosed, adventurers would pour into the new section at once, and minerals and materials that I had yet to discover would be taken away. I haven''t fully investigated, but I brought most of what I could see with me, so I''m not too disappointed that they took away the materials I hadn''t discovered, but I felt it was a shame not to be able to monopolize that space.


    ''''With all this Tanikaze stuff going on...''''


    You must give up. You can''t blame her for going to the guild to explain, since she is a member of the Tamer''s Guild and she was the one who saved you.


    I know what Grandpa is saying, but he''s clearly going to do something to Tanikaze. I''d like to give him some advice, but I can''t imagine that he wouldn''t do anything with all those interesting things in front of him, given his personality. The trouble is, he''s my grandfather. It''s obvious that he''s going to mess with something.


    As it was, as we left the dungeon, I left my grandfather, who was going to his master''s workshop, and I headed to the Adventurer''s Guild with Aguri and the others. The adventurers we passed didn''t seem to be getting excited about the new section of the guild, as they hadn''t leaked any information about it yet.


    When we arrived at the guild, we were immediately escorted to the guild leader''s room by a staff member who noticed us. At this time, some adventurers seemed to be suspicious of the staff''s behavior, but when they noticed me, they immediately looked back. They thought I was being called out for something about an octopus or something. Maybe he thought I had done something wrong again, but for once, I wanted to thank him for my troubled nature. Just a little bit, really...


    As soon as I was shown into the guild leader''s room, I was to explain the situation to him. All I have to say is that the Sakarat brothers told me about the situation, and that the new section of the city has been turned into a goblin den, and although there was a Goblin King in there, he was able to get rid of him without any problems. All I know is that they found the remains of an adventurer who was supposedly fed to the goblins. At that time, I advised the head of the guild to leave the remains to the church, but the head of the guild, perhaps because he didn''t want the church to influence the guild, said that the guild will hold a mourning ceremony by the main body of the guild, and in the middle of that ceremony, he will leave part of the progress to the priest.


    The guild is responsible for this matter, so they can do as they please, but they want me to attend the ceremony. It''s a good idea to make sure that you''re a member of the guild so that you can get rid of any solicitation from the church. Ostensibly, he was going to participate voluntarily, but in reality, he was going to be paid 100,000 G as a request from the adventurer''s guild. However, since it would cause a lot of trouble if this was discovered, it was decided that the payment would not be made as a reward, but as a reward for finding the remains, and a contract would not be written.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about, but it''s not a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about. I''m not a guild chief who doesn''t understand such things, so I''m willing to trust him without a contract.


    ''''So, about the new section I''ll make an announcement about it. But in ten days time.


    They can''t keep it a secret for one individual against the new plot reported to the guild, according to the stone. I guess the reason I gave them ten days to do what they want is because they can do what they want until then. We must hurry up with the mining.


    Well, I guess we''ll just have to wait and see what the brothers Sakharat, the source of all this fuss, have to say about it.


    After all, the guild has decided that the two of them have acted rashly, and it seems that the sermon will be given by the guild leader in person. And since Aguri will also join in, it will be a truly hellish time for the two of them... If I hadn''t healed my injuries, I might have been able to make a little time for the sermon, but I kept quiet because I felt like I would be resented if I said so.


    ''Good for you both. Two hells will be forgiven once.


    It may be less frequent, but it will be thicker...


    Then maybe it would have been better if you split it up into two parts...


    Leaving the two of them dejected, I left the guild leader''s room and headed for my master''s workshop. If I didn''t go quickly, the new Tanikaze would give me some strange modifications! With that in mind, I ran through the city as fast as I could. That''s why I was able to thwart the ambitions of my master and grandfather at the very last minute.


    At the foot of the two of them, there are a number of parts lying around that seem to be prototypes. Probably those parts were just shaped, but they were just before making a device to attach to the body. If they had been made, they would have been installed by mistake.


    My master and grandpa were almost tongue-tied in frustration that I had arrived on time and thwarted their plans. Ignoring them, I took a look at the parts that were about to be installed, and found that they had prepared all of them in a very short time.


    The first thing that caught my eye was the wings that looked like a pegasus. I don''t see how they could be used for anything other than decoration. According to the master, it is intended to have the effect of increasing the magic power of the new Tanikaze, but if I put such a thing on my back, there will be nowhere for me to ride.


    Next, this is another cannon-like tube to attach to your back. It was like a horse version of a cannon, with the barrels on both sides of the neck. According to the master, this tube can be used to fire magic. However, this tube seems to be a prototype and has never succeeded at a practical level. The reason for its failure is the lack of precision and quantity of magic, the lack of range and power, and according to the latest experiments, it''s no more useless than a child''s fireball.... So, what if I were to do it? It seems that they tried to install it with the idea that it would be a good idea.


    The last one is a "pile bunker" that is attached to the side of the body, and although it seems to be the most practical equipment, once fired, it doesn''t return to normal automatically. Moreover, the range is short, and the recoil when firing is too great, so there is a chance that you could fall off the tube if you''re not careful. He also thought I could handle it. By the way, the launch is powered by the recoil from the air compressed by the "magic circle of wind" behind the pile and inside the tube.


    ''Don''t use people as test subjects but I like the pile bunker.


    They both looked happy to hear my words, especially the master, but


    ''I don''t need stakes, and the tube doesn''t have to be this big. More simply, I''d like to have enough foothold to stand on while riding.


    When he heard the rest of the story, he was disappointed to hear his master''s words. Ignoring the drooping master, I went over the ideas with his students. We decided to make the tube of the pile bunker that master was going to wear, but with a width of about 20 cm to cover the bottom of the saddle, and a sharp tip of the scaffold to reduce air resistance. If it worked, it would be more sturdy than the stirrups, and it would be harder to lose your balance when wielding a weapon. However, we are going to try it out first, and we plan to tie it to the body with a belt, with stirrups in the meantime.


    Grandpa was in on the discussion, and he was the only one who didn''t take part in the discussion about the new Tanikaze attachment.


    After that, the master, who couldn''t participate in the discussion and sulked, started to make the neck part by himself and didn''t let anyone help him... I was worried that he might do some strange gimmick, but from what I saw, he seemed to be making it as we discussed at the beginning.


    At the end of the day''s work, just when it was time to go home, a sulking Amur came into the workshop. He approached me with a pouty face and began to kick me silently in the shins.


    I reflexively kicked Amur''s leg back, and the tip of my shoe made a critical hit on his shin, causing him to sit down on the ground while holding his shin.


    ''''Are you alright, Amour.........go!


    Maybe I kicked too hard? I was about to place my hand on his shoulder, worried, when Amur suddenly started to move and bit my hand. I hurriedly pulled away and looked at the bite and saw that there was a distinct dental mark on my right hand, around the bottom of my little finger. The bite mark is red, but no blood has come out, so Amur must have taken it easy in his own way, but if he made a mistake, his finger could have been bitten off.


    This is not a joke! Amur!


    Temma bad.


    Even when I''m angry, Amur turns away. I don''t know what''s frustrating him, but he''s puffing out his cheeks and bashing the ground with his tail.


    ''There you are!''


    In the workshop, where the atmosphere is deteriorating, a voice filled with anger now resounds.


    The owner of the voice is a hair-raising, angry Blanca. We were very surprised by the sudden appearance, and the atmosphere that had just existed is now foggy. Blanca ignored our astonishment and approached Amur and silently dropped her genkotsu. It hadn''t been that long since we''d met these two, but how many times had we seen this scene? I was able to keep my cool enough to think that.


    ''I''m sorry for making a scene Temma, those hand bites I''m sorry.


    Blanca found Amour''s teeth marks on my hand and dropped the genset on Amour again.


    ''So what the hell happened? When I ask Amur about it, he just says it''s my fault.


    ''And that''s the thing, you know, your little guy, he followed Tenma into the dungeon, but he kept wandering around because he didn''t know where he was, and in the end, he just left me there and ran off at a run. . Thanks to this, I had to go looking for it near the lake I had explored before. I got there and then returned to the surface, but I heard that the young lady had returned from the dungeon first, which is why I came running here.


    When I looked closely at Blanca who said that, I saw that she had scars all over her body. He seemed so worried about Amur that he didn''t seem to notice his outfit.


    Afterwards, when I talked to Amur with Blanca and Grandpa between them, I understood why Amur was angry... well, in conclusion, it was Amur taking it out on me...


    To explain it in simple terms, I dive into the dungeon - I''m called by my grandfather - Amur realizes his grandfather went to the dungeon and questions Aguri and his friends to find out why - Amur charges into the dungeon - but he doesn''t know where he''s going, and he''s looking for me in the dark - Amur fends off Blanca, who''s been chasing him, and fights off Blanca. Wandering around in the dungeon - managed to get back to the ground, found out I was back and stormed into the workshop - saw me enjoying myself and got angry.......


    I don''t think it''s my fault for listening to him. But I couldn''t say anything strongly, because I''m sure I''d forgotten all about Amur. If he bites me again, it would be too much.


    ''I get the story. There are a lot of things I don''t agree with, but let''s just say I''ve had my share of bad moments, so let''s get this out of the way. That''s fine.


    Hmmm.


    Amur seemed to be in a somewhat better mood because of the bite and my admission of wrongdoing, and he nodded a little. I thought this was the end of the story.


    ''That''s not how it works. Young lady, we''ve caused you so much trouble. Let''s go back to the village.


    Well, all right. Bye, Blanca.


    You too!


    Three times Genkotsu falls on Amur''s head.


    ''We''re already way past schedule. Come on, get home or people will be worried!


    Don''t worry, I''ll live with Temma. So just give me Blanca. Geez!


    Before he could finish, the fourth genkotsu exploded for the fourth time. This time, the silent blow seemed to be the most powerful of the day, and a dull, loud sound echoed through the workshop. And with that blow, Amur lost consciousness.


    Blanca quickly restrained the unconscious Amour with a rope, gagged him and carried him up onto his shoulders like a bale.


    ''Sorry, I have to go back first. I''ll probably be back tomorrow or the day after, but until then you can assume that your daughter is in this state don''t think of releasing her.


    Blanca reminded us with that, and then left the workshop without further ado.


    ''''........Is it okay?''''


    Are you worried about Amur?


    ''No, it''s more of a blanka. If you''re carrying a girl tied up in a rope with that face you''ll usually get caught.


    This concern of mine was true. On the way back from the workshop, there was a great deal of commotion in the air, so I gathered information from a nearby stall, and it seems that an impersonal beastman tried to kidnap a girl not long ago and was caught by the guards.


    More than eighty-nine out of ten odds are that it''s Blanca and Amur, so when I hurried with my grandfather to the guard''s station, he said that the two had already left.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. They said he escaped at first sight. He is still on the run today, and as soon as Blanca was freed, she ran to find Amur.


    They never came back that day.


    ''''Well, let''s go to the master''s again today... but first, let''s eat.


    I wanted to head to my master''s workshop as soon as I woke up to finish my huddle, but since Shiroumaru and Solomon were all sitting at the table, I decided to prepare my breakfast first. By the way, I don''t always skip breakfast, but these days when I''m going to my master''s workshop, I''ve made it a routine to finish my breakfast at the food cart.


    ''I wasn''t going to make it again today, so I''ll just have something simple.''


    I told them both that and took the meat out of the magic bag and yanked it out. I didn''t want the smell of roasted meat to fill the carriage in the morning, so I prepared a cold shabu-style salad for Slarin'' and the others today. I boiled more meat and made a side dish for me as well, but only a little.


    ''Come to think of it, I think those guys need to be fed soon.


    I opened the spiders'' dimension bag to see what was going on, and sure enough, the bait for the spiders was about to run out.


    The spiders adjust the amount of food by themselves, so they have been feeding the spiders every few days in bulk. The spiders seemed to be storing them in small portions by themselves. Well, the spiders don''t get along with me, so I had no choice but to do it this way, because if I open the bag every day, they might become alarmed and stop eating the food....


    Today, however, was different. As I opened my bag to give them a few days'' worth of food as usual, two of the three spiders, a golden spider and a silver spider, came up to me. I gave those two spiders the bait in the palm of my hand, and they slowly began to eat the bait in my palm, although they were a little confused. However, the rest of the silver one never tried to approach me and did not try to hide its wariness as usual.


    ''''Do you think we can make this one into a subordinate?''''


    As soon as they tried it, two of them came close to each other for food and could be turned into their families, but as expected, the other one could not.


    It was a bit sad to see them, but it was inevitable as there was a certain amount of mutual compatibility that could be required to be part of the family, so they gave up and decided to make the two that were more familiar to them into their family. Grandpa was listening to my story while Shiroumaru and Solomon took the skewers he had bought on his walk. And when I was done talking.


    Since you are here, why don''t you make me your family?


    He suggested. By in front of everyone, he would mean the guys from the Tamers Guild and Aimee. I heard that these spiders are quite rare, so if I silently make them my subordinate, the rest might be noisy. The only thing that worries me is that Blanca and Amur aren''t there, but it''s obvious that the two of them who are chasing each other are to blame, and aside from Amur, Blanca''s personality suggests that she won''t complain about them later on in a nasty way. At best, I think it''s a shame, because it''s not something we get to see so often, such as subordination. Maybe Amur will say something unreasonable later on, but Blanca will stop him (physically).


    So, we called out to Aimee first, and then went straight to the Tamer''s Guild (a table named) in the Adventurer''s Guild. Aimee was excited because this was her third moment of becoming a member of the family (in any case, this is my fifth moment, so I''m not much different in number from Aimee), but the people in the Tamers Guild were even more excited. Among them, Aguri''s level of excitement was outstanding.


    ''''No wonder. We get to see a demon become a family member of a demon that only a few of us can find in the literature! How can you not be excited!


    And I was more excited than I had ever seen before. That''s why the table we''re at is the center of attention for the adventurers and guild staff who have been coming to the guild since morning. They all looked away as soon as I turned my head and pretended to be uninterested, but it was obvious that they were listening every time Aguri and the others shouted loudly.


    ''''Okay, I''ll tell you to calm down a bit and I can''t concentrate here, so we''ll do it after we get under the dungeon.''''


    The adventurers and staff members who heard my words seemed disappointed, but if we let the spiders out in such a chaotic situation, they could become wary again and we''d be right back where we started. In the first place, I didn''t intend to sign a contract with the guild, and the guys around me aren''t even close to me, so there''s no reason for me to show them how I''m becoming a family member. So there was no point in glancing at us! Guild Master!


    Because I want to see it!


    The head of the guild understood the meaning of my gaze, and tried to shout a protest, but I ignored him and walked towards the guild door. The head of the guild would never have the power to force me to become a family member within the guild, and he''s not someone with a sense of responsibility to follow me around, so he didn''t come after me.


    And when I was about to dive into the dungeon, Aimee suddenly raised her hand.


    Yes, sir! I''ve only dived in dungeons up to ten levels!


    Ah!


    For what it''s worth, many of the members here are skilled, so I had completely lost track of Aimee because I thought it was normal for her to be at least twenty levels. However, although she probably didn''t dive by herself, Aimee also went quite deep, even though she''s not an adventurer. Probably as an attendant of a baggage carrier, but that doesn''t change the fact that it''s still dangerous. After thinking for a bit about who he had dived with, I looked at Aguri and the others, and all of the Taymers Guild looked away.


    ''''Aguri I''m sure it''s okay, but we''re taking measures to make sure there''s no danger, right?''''


    ''Of course. I mainly just take them with me when I''m collecting bait for Amy''s family members, and when I go, I take all the members with me. We''re not the kind of party to fall behind on the tenth level by mistake!


    Aguri says so proudly, but....


    ''Just like the Sakarat brothers, the unexpected happens in dungeons so keep it to the shallow end. And don''t try to dive deep with Amy by mistake.


    I said to Aguri a little angrily, and all the members nodded in unison, not just Aguri. If I said any more, this time Aimee would care, so I stopped, but I''ll have to remind her later when Aimee isn''t around.


    ''Well, aside from that I suppose I shouldn''t really do it, but let''s use that method to say it''s a one-time thing. That way Amy won''t be able to dive twenty levels by herself and we can get to our destination fairly safely.


    What''s that method?


    I told Amy, who nodded her head, how to do it, and we all used the warp zone to head up to the 20th level together.

 138-Chapter 8-14 NG Name

    Amy, you can come out now.


    I opened my dimension bag and called out to her, and Amy came out of the bag. After that, Eee-chan and Shi-chan come out of the bag in turn. I put Amy in the dimension bag and carried her to her destination and returned the same way so that she wouldn''t be able to remember the route. This way, Amy would not be able to come to the 20th level by herself.


    However, although we came to our destination, the entrance that was blocked when we arrived in the goblin''s den had been broken, so the plan was thrown off a bit by the fact that the rest of the team, minus Aimee, had to check inside. However, thanks to that, we were safe enough. There were no demons, but we found a few poisonous insects that were hard to find even in the ''search'', so we got rid of all of them and made sure that the space was free of insects and called Aimee. However, although it wasn''t a demon or an insect, only one unexpected creature was found in the den. However, it''s basically safe as long as we don''t touch it, so we''re leaving it alone for now.


    ''''Is this the place? It''s very hard to believe it was a goblin''s nest.


    Not really. The smell of goblins is still present in places. It''s best not to go behind that hole in the ground, especially since it''s probably the goblins'' toilet. It''s probably the goblins'' toilet.


    The answer to Amy''s question was the creature that was hiding in this place, and its name was Amur. When I heard that Amur had escaped, I used ''Search'' to search all over Seigen, but I didn''t get any response, so I thought he must be hiding in a dungeon, but I didn''t expect him to be in this place.


    When I asked how Amur knew about this place, he found out that the nest was on the 20th level in his master''s workshop, so he followed my scent (or the scent of Shiroumaru and Frau) and found a place that was suddenly cut off. Well, it would be a lie to say that they searched for it by following the scent of a stone. Probably, he looked for a dead end that was unnatural from Amur''s point of view.


    Aside from that, as Amur pointed out, there was indeed a faint smell of goblin feces and urine wafting from one of the holes, even though it was a long way away, so I decided to finish disinfecting... or in this case, burning poisoning, before becoming a family member. In the meantime, I used ''Search'' towards the hole where the smell of feces and urine was present, and after confirming that there was no reaction of people or objects inside, I used ''Firestorm'' to burn it to the back of the room. The thing you have to be most careful about at this time is monoxide poisoning, but I asked everyone to evacuate to the furthest place away from the hole, and I also used the water magic method to create a fog around the hole, so I think it''s safe. Furthermore, thanks to the fog, even if the dregs of feces came out of the hole in the air, they would not be blocked by the fog and would not spread outside. Finally, the hole that had been used as a vent was filled in with soil from the foggy area, and that was it.


    It may take some time to fill in the hole, but now the spider can become one of the household members without a care in the world.


    Okay, come on.


    I opened the dimension bag I was using as a web for the spiders and called out to them, and two of the spiders that had been pining for me came up to me. And when I tried to connect the paths, the spiders accepted, so I was able to safely make them my subordinate. The head of the guild was quite eager to see it, but this is what it looks like when you actually do it. As the person doing the work, I felt it was just too easy, but Aguri was moved to tears. I wanted to interrupt him, but I didn''t want to do so, because Aguri might get involved in the strange tension, so everyone pretended not to see it.


    ''''Sensei, aren''t you going to turn the remaining one into your subordinate?


    Amy said, and came over (...) holding the silver spider that was left in her bag. The spider is as wary of me as ever, but it doesn''t seem to think anything of Amy, who is holding it. The two girls following behind Amy, I-Chan and Shi-Chan, seem to be curious about the spider, and they occasionally come close to each other and do things like greetings. So.


    ''Amy, do you want to take the spider into your family? Fortunately, that spider doesn''t seem to be on the lookout for Amy, and it doesn''t seem to be a bad match for Eee-chan and Shi-chan.


    "Huh?


    My sudden suggestion was met with a combination of dumb voices. One was Amy, the person who was told, but the other was Aguri, who was in a state of tension. Probably, they were thinking that they were, in a hurry.


    It''s not a funny thing. I''m not going to miss it, so the only options are to release it into the dungeon or dismantle it as a material. If that''s the case, it would be better for Amy to make it a household member.


    Aimee listens to my words and thinks for a moment. Aguri seems to want Amy to say no on the inside, and she''s been posing as if she''s praying to something since a while ago.


    ''''I understand. I''ll take care of this girl!


    So I decided to turn the spider into my family before Amy could change her mind. And just as I thought, Aimee effortlessly turned the spider into her family.


    The name of the spider is Hakuchan!


    It''s a very easy name, but for some reason the members of the Tamers Guild, except for Aguri, were clapping while cheering. If you look closely, you can see that Aguri was also applauding, albeit in a complicated way.


    And when the applause faded for a moment, everyone looked at me in unison. I guess it''s my turn to make an announcement. But I hadn''t thought about my name for a minute. So.


    Okay, Gold and Silver. You''ll live longer.


    I don''t know what this means, but...


    Everyone nodded in unison at Grandpa''s words. Sure, it might be a story that only I can understand, but based on the color, I think it''s a perfect name for the two animals... but Slarin is disagreeing with me, slowly rocking his body to the side in front of me. Apparently, even as a Slarin, Gold and Silver are no good. Incidentally, the spiders who are about to be named this don''t seem to understand, and they were greeting Shiroumaru and Solomon from earlier.


    ''''Well, then, how about Gol and Jill?''''


    At any rate, I took the name from gold and silver, which I associate with gold and silver. I said it half-heartedly, but this time the name was safe for me as a slurin, and I was bouncing my body vertically. So the spiders'' names were decided to be "Gol" (gold) and "Jill" (silver).


    Grandpa and the others seemed to have something to say about the upcoming name as well, but since Slarin, who was also the one who was responsible for organizing the subordinates, gave the OK, all other opinions were ignored.


    Since I became a member of the family, I once again looked into what kind of abilities Gol and Jill have, but by all appearances, they are unsuitable for battle.


    Name...Gol.


    Age...8


    Species... the Golden Silk Spider.


    Title: Temma''s Household


    HP... 1000.


    MP...800.


    Strength...D-


    Defensive Power...C+


    Speed...B


    Magic...


    Mental capacity...C


    Growth Potential...D


    Luck...C


    Skills....Thread 8, Poison 5, Concealment 4, Magic Manipulation 3


    Jill also had the same status as Gol, and apparently this was close to the limit of the two animals. However, there is a possibility that my skills will grow depending on my future training, so I want to slowly develop them. Even so, it''s unlikely to be a great battlefield strength, but we have enough strength to begin with, so there''s no problem.


    ''''It seems that Yi-chan and Shi-chan are welcoming Ku-chan as well!


    Aimee was happy to see that her senior in the Military, I-Chan and Shie-chan, had accepted the new member of the family, Ku-chan, and the tension was high. The members of the Tamers Guild looked at Amie and Toku-chan with great interest.


    ''''Aguri, hey!''''


    I called out to Aguri, who was looking at me most intently, and he approached me in response to my call, although he looked a little uncomfortable.


    ''What, Temma. I would like to observe Haku-chan.


    ''Keep that to a level that Amy won''t mind. I won''t say any more about it, so... well, I''ve made her a member of Amy''s household by accident, but with a demon that rare, there will be people who will try to turn it into something by force, right?


    ''Well, I suppose that''s true. What Temma is trying to say is that we should look out for Amy too, right? Then I''m going to be careful enough, but you can''t be paying attention all the time.


    Aguri immediately understood what I wanted to say and decided to do it as long as they could. This time it was something I suggested without thinking, so I felt bad for Aimee, but now I also felt that it would have been better to give it to Aguri.


    ''I''ll give her a few of them, some golems for escorting... if there are five or so of them there, they''ll last until help arrives...''


    I can''t give you a high performance golem of royal specifications, so I thought I''d give you one of the guys I usually use that''s as good as possible.


    In that case, you should ask Alex to back you up. Normally there would be criticism, but since Seigen is under the direct control of the royal family, it makes sense to ask the lord Alex to do it. Moreover, if you write him a letter asking him to help a girl who is attached to a legendary demon that is only mentioned in a few books, he will definitely be interested in Alex. If you write that you want to discuss it first, someone close to Alex will come to you.


    So I decided to write a letter to him anyway. If it works, it will be a pretty powerful deterrent. However, there should be a price to pay for it, so they''re going to start with a consultation. From there, they plan to gradually extract favorable conditions for us.


    The only difference is that it''s either that idiot (Ernest) or the third son who comes, so it should be easy to negotiate. And don''t forget to put Tenma''s full name and family crest on the letter. There''s a big difference in the importance of the content of the letter if you don''t have the name and family crest.


    As I listen to my grandfather, I write a letter. I''m only writing it as a consultation, so I don''t deliberately go into detail.


    ''''Is it something like this? Ted, I''m sorry, but I need you to get this letter to King''s Landing as soon as possible. If you take it to your grandfather''s mansion or the knight''s office, it should reach the royal family. Just to be sure, the other letter has an explanation of what this letter was written for, so let me read it if you need anything. At worst, if you hang around your grandfather''s mansion, I''m sure one of the kinsmen will come to you, please.


    You''re not gonna get caught by the Kingsguard, are you?


    Then you''ll have to give me Aina''s name. Aina will make sure Ted is someone I know and can prove it. The fee for your request is three gold coins, and I''ll go ahead and give you one more in case anything happens. Use it for food and lodging.


    All right. More importantly, you want almost double the market price?


    Ted replied that he didn''t mind Ted''s question, and with a happy look on his face, Ted left the goblin den. He said that he was due back in four days, and if there was any trouble, it wouldn''t be more than a week.


    Until then, I told him to keep Amy Nii-chan a secret and decided to adjust the five golems and make them exclusive to Amy.


    At first, Aimee was puzzled by the gift of the golem, but when I taught her the details of Ku-chan''s rarity, she received the golem in spite of her confusion. Well, the core of the golem was an old one that was reused (in my sense of the word), so it wasn''t that expensive. Aimee was satisfied with that explanation, but it bothered me that Grandpa and Aguri and the others were looking at me as if I was a stupid kid. But since the golem was all of my own making, I decided that its value was for me to decide for myself, and I ignored all the stares.


    ''I don''t have anything else to do here, so let''s go back, shall we?


    When I told everyone that, all of them nodded, except the Sakarat brothers. The two of them wanted to do mineral mining here, even though it was a scary place to be. The reason they originally set foot here was to mine, so it was understandable, but it was time for their magic and dimension bags to fill up.


    I''m not going to be able to carry more than the two of us can carry, so I''m going to leave the two of us alone and go back with everyone else, but the two of them hurriedly broke off mining and came after us. They didn''t want to stay here alone, after all.


    After leaving the dungeon and asking Aguri and the others to take care of Amy, me, Grandpa and Amour hurried to the master''s workshop. Since I had left Tanikaze in the hands of my master, I was suddenly worried the moment we got out of the dungeon that he might have made some strange modifications while I was gone, so I ran as fast as I could, forgetting about the two of them.


    As expected, I didn''t use flying in the city (not a violation, but not a very commendable act), but it still seemed that I was going as fast as a horse could run. All of the people who passed me looked at me in amazement, but they soon disappeared far behind.


    I was running as fast as I could from the dungeon and arrived at my master''s workshop about ten minutes later, but I was running so fast that I couldn''t breathe properly. When I entered the workshop, he was asleep with a smile on his face, holding a cask of sake in his arms, as if he had done everything he could.


    With a bad feeling, I looked at the almost-assembled Tanikazee, and although I couldn''t see anything unusual in its appearance, there were remnants lying around it as if it had been used for some kind of crafting.


    ''''I''m hit ... where was it played with?''''


    I can''t find anything unusual on the outside, but since it''s Master, it''s very possible that he''s made modifications in places you can''t see on the outside. So I decided to wake him up by kicking the barrel that he was holding.


    By the way, all of the master''s disciples were wrapped up in a fish tank, gagged and rolled into a warehouse. When they were released, the disciples were looking at the master with angry and resentful eyes, and it was hard to stop them from trying to beat him up at any moment.


    ''What! Enemy attack!


    While shouting that, the master gropes for the missing barrel. He seems to be sleep-deprived.


    My students and I looked down at him. But he didn''t notice us, and somehow he crawled at high speed to his desk and moved his chair out of the way. We decided to stay away from him and quietly check on him, as we thought something interesting was about to happen.


    He moved his chair out of the way and began to play with the floor underneath it without looking aside. Then there was a rattling sound and a part of the floor came off.


    The master stuck his upper body into the dislodged part and started counting something inside. He seemed to be concentrating on counting, so we decided it was the right time, so we sneaked up behind him and called out to him, "What are you hiding?


    ''What are you hiding?''


    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


    While screaming and yelling that surprised us, the master was trying to get out from under the floor in a hurry, hitting his head on the edge of the floor as hard as he could.


    The master was in agony for a while, but after a while he seemed to have found the time to check his surroundings and was staring at us with tears in his eyes.


    ''You scared the shit out of me! What if he dies with his head cracked open!


    ''No, my master just surprised me on his own. Did you do something wrong to be that surprised just by talking to him normally in the first place?


    We kept saying it wasn''t our fault for talking to him normally, and the master couldn''t blame us any more. There is no proof that we did it on purpose, after all, he was half asleep at the wheel. We hadn''t expected him to be so surprised just by talking to us, and it was completely unexpected. In other words, it was an accident.


    ''''Kutu ... it can''t be helped. For now, let''s go to the next room and talk at leisure.


    ''Not really, here. I''d like to ask Tanikaze what he did to you, and I''m curious about what''s under the floor there.


    My master was trying to pull us away from the workshop as a natural progression, but I was adamant that we continue our discussion in the workshop. After all, my real focus is not on the objects under the floor, but on the workmanship on the tanikaze. So it''s more convenient to ask them right now.


    ''Tsk,''


    The master stood in front of us, clucking his tongue and trying to hide the hole. As the standoff continued, the door of the workshop was suddenly thrown open violently.


    ''''Mm~''''


    There was Amur, with his cheeks puffed out and looking like he was in a very bad mood.


    ''Now! Come on!


    While everyone else was distracted by Amur, the disciples were the first to act. Normally, even if we all took on the challenge, we would all be killed by the master, but this time he was well caught off guard, and the master was pushed by the disciples to the front of the hole.


    "Oh, wait a minute!


    The master tried to push his disciples back, but he couldn''t stop their momentum, giving one of them time to explore the hole.


    ''''Wow....''''


    The disciple who looked into the hole let out a dumbfounded voice and was replaced by another disciple. And the disciple who took over also made the same kind of sound. The master had already quieted down as if he had given up, but he still didn''t know what he was going to do, so his disciples took turns waiting on either side of him.


    ''''What''s inside.......wow.......''''


    The disciples had finished looking, so now I looked in too, but I still only heard the same voice.


    ''''Liquor, liquor, liquor, liquor, liquor, money........If this money is also the cost of purchasing liquor, then it''s all liquor inside? More than that, this wall is amazing...it''s staggering.


    Well, as a dwarf, it''s no surprise that the contents are all liquor, but I couldn''t hide my surprise that the walls are made entirely of orichalcon, perhaps to protect that liquor. Moreover, they even carved a magic circle to make it impossible to search for it with magic. I''ll keep this magic circle in mind and try to use it next time.


    However, the dwarf''s...or rather, master''s obsession with alcohol is frightening when he makes a 2m (length) x 2m (width) x 1m (height) Orihalcon safe to protect his drink.


    ''''Master.......didn''t you get into a fight the other day, saying you couldn''t pay for the ingredients?''''


    And the bar tab we worked so hard to get out of?


    ''''There''s a million g''s just from the money we have here... but what was our hard work back then?


    Unlike me, who was impressed by the oddities, the disciples seem to be very angry. Well, from what I''ve heard, I don''t think it''s unreasonable. If my grandfather had done that, I would have lost my temper too, no doubt.


    After that, a slugfest between the master and his apprentices began, but I''ll skip it because I wasn''t really interested in it. Incidentally, it was a no contest at the end due to the interruption of the guards after a fierce fist fight.


    Even if I actually touched it, I couldn''t be sure that the inner recesses of the stone hadn''t been tampered with, so I''d have to examine it carefully.


    Incidentally, Amur, who should have been in a pretty bad mood, seemed to have been dampened by the master''s brawl, and was back to normal with a single baked cake.


    ''Let''s go home.''


    "Hm.


    Me and Amur went back to the apartment with the masters getting pissed off at the guards, but this time Amur had forgotten something important. That''s right, he''s running away from Blanca...


    When Amur returned to his apartment, he was captured by the waiting Blanca and locked up in his apartment in a bound state.


    ''Temma, thank God,''


    ''Muggs! Mogogo!


    ''No, I wasn''t helping Blanca...''


    Blanca was grateful that I had brought Amur with me, and Amur thought I had set him up, and he was yelling something while the gag was being chewed on. I denied that it wasn''t, but I ended up setting Amur up, which broke my heart a little bit... Most importantly, I also forgot about my grandfather''s presence, locked the carriage and went to bed early, so I had to apologize to him the next day for apologizing to him. Oh, shit.

 139-Chapter 8-15 Decision to enter the school

    It''s been four days since the New Tanikaze incident. The only things that happened in the past four days were the suspension of the master''s workshop for a few days (due to the wrestling turning into an out-of-the-way brawl and causing trouble for those around him), the bewilderment of not being able to find Tanikaze''s tossed around, and the resumption of the chase between Blanca and Amur.


    Blanca had tied him up even more tightly than before, but Amur saw an opening and escaped from the apartment in the fish tank, cutting the rope with a rock that had fallen into the street and escaping. Incidentally, when Amur escaped, Blanca was taking a bath and the escape took place in only five minutes.


    I told Blanca that Amur may be hiding in the dungeon (he is, indeed, hiding, but I''m not going to tell him that because he''s keeping his search a secret), and I told him where the goblin den is located, but to this day I have yet to find it.


    And just now, Ted came back from King''s Landing with a reply from the king. The letter was not handed to me directly, but was apparently exchanged via Mr. Cliffe, but since Mr. Cliffe handed it to me directly, the letter is genuine.


    ''''It seems that the king is interested in Amy after all.


    Temma, the way you talk about it, that''s going to make that Alex guy a pervert not necessarily a mistake, but it''s not very polite.


    For now, I''ll simply explain what the letter says: "If something interesting is going to happen in the royal family''s direct control, I''ll go once! It was.


    It''s like him, but I''m sure people will stop him. If that''s the case, it''s either the fool or the third son who''ll be there.


    Aside from Ernest-sama, Lyle-sama must be busy in his own way, but he has the most similar personality to the king, and he''s not as busy as the king, so he''s likely to come for whatever reason.


    As I was talking to my grandfather about this, the street outside started to get noisy. My carriage is in the grounds of my apartment, so it''s a bit far from the street, but the fact that I can hear the rustling of the air here means that something unusual may be going on.


    "Ummm, Temma.......I have a bad feeling about this, but.......


    ''Odd, Grandpa I''m most sure I''m not having a bad feeling, I''m sure...''


    Zawadzki is gradually coming closer and closer to the apartment, and with it, I can hear the footsteps of multiple horses. Most importantly, I know who that Zawatzki is from my ''search''.


    ''Temma-kun, here it comes. Come out, please.


    The voice I hear banging on the carriage door is a familiar female voice.


    ''Are you here already, Chris?''


    The person at the door was Chris, as expected. I don''t need to use ''search'' to know this much. The reason she''s a young woman and doesn''t hold back on me this much is because there are only so many of them.


    ''Ted''s guy you''ve set me up.


    The fact that they got there so quickly. I guess they came with him to the vicinity of Seigen, and only Ted was ahead of him in the right place. It''s not that Ted is bad (in the first place, a common man (Ted) would never be able to refuse a request from royalty), but I felt like saying a word of resentment. Because, you know, royalty who came to Seigen....


    Maria, Tenma, I see you.


    That is why. If it was the king or Lyle-sama who came, there was nothing to worry about, but I can''t help but get a little nervous in front of Maria-sama, so a surprise attack like this is bad for my heart.


    It''s a good job. It''s been a long time, Temma. I hear you''re as active as ever. As for that, if you came to the royal capital, you should have at least shown your face.


    Maria must have been referring to my collecting materials for Tanikaze the other day. She''s a little upset.


    ''Hello, brother. Where''s Solomon?


    Don''t you ever say hello, Luna! Hello Temma, it''s been a while.


    Following Maria out of the carriage was Luna, as usual, and Tida, who was scolding Luna for doing so. Luna had found Solomon and charged at him after Tida had scolded her and apologized. Solomon had lightly dodged Luna''s assault and was running away in a reasonable manner. As long as he wasn''t seriously running away, he must be enjoying himself in his own way.


    ''''It''s been a while. I''m sorry about that section. For what it''s worth, I was in a hurry...''''


    I was in a real hurry, so I didn''t have time due to the king''s castle and I didn''t want to cause any unnecessary commotion. Maria also seemed to have an idea about that ... especially the source of the latter part of the story, so she didn''t pursue it any further.


    For the time being, I called Amy to the carriage to tell her the details of what I wanted to ask the king to do, but then an unexpected incident happened. It''s not just me and my grandfather, but also Maria-sama didn''t anticipate it, and it was an incident that made me foresee a lot of things happening in the future. What happened was.........


    Who is that girl, Mr. Temma?


    Apparently, Tida has fallen in love with Amy at first sight. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of this article.


    And Aimee, who didn''t know why she was being called up, looked at us with a puzzled look on her face.


    ''Chris, take Tida to our carriage. If we don''t, we won''t be able to talk about it.


    Of course. Master Tida, would you like to leave for a moment?


    Huh? Um, hey!


    Without question, Chris-san pushed Tida back and took her out of the carriage. Tida tried to hold on, but she couldn''t resist Chris-san''s strength and was easily pushed out of the carriage.


    ''Well, for now, we can talk about this. Though I didn''t expect Tida to be completely unexpected........so, Temma. What does that girl have to do with anything?


    Maria''s gaze startled Amy into hiding behind me, which made Maria a little depressed, but I didn''t know what she would say if I laughed, so I managed to pinch my own side and bear it.


    ''Well, her name is Amy and she''s the grandson of the landlord of this apartment building. So, there''s a lot going on, and he''s kind of my own student.


    It''s nice to meet you, Amy.


    Then I told her what had happened so far, and told her that my whim had caused Amy to tame a rare demon, and that I wanted the royal family to back me up, and Lady Mary sighed as she held her head.


    ''Temma, you''re Ricardo''s son and Master Merlin''s grandson, after all. The things you do are just like the two of you... in a bad way...


    Maria was muttering about such things, but Grandpa, who was quiet nearby, looked extremely happy.


    ''''Well, I don''t mind getting behind that kid. It happened in Seigen in the first place, so there''s no problem in terms of preventing trouble... but Temma will definitely be considered a member of our faction, right?


    ''I don''t mind... or rather, it''s too late now. That''s just.


    When the king and Lyle-sama had come to visit my grandfather''s mansion without reservation, it had become a topic of conversation among the residents of the royal capital that I belonged to the royalist faction.


    ''That''s true too. Then I''ll spread the rumor that Temma''s student is under the auspices of the grand duke, since it would be too much of a fuss if he was under the royal patronage of ... well, the royal family. And while you''re at it, I''ll be interested in it.


    And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on. Incidentally, the center of the story, Aimee, doesn''t seem to understand what''s going on, so I''ll have to teach her more about it later.


    ''''So, to change the subject.......do you think Aimee would be interested in the school in the royal capital?''''


    Aimee didn''t seem to understand the meaning of Maria-sama''s sudden talk.


    It''s a good idea to join a school if you want to spread the story of the grand duke''s patronage, the quickest way to do so is to join the school. It''s a good idea to have a lot of students who are under the thumb of their parents, so they can spread the word on their own. Also, the students know Temma well, so they will know that he is looking out for them, and it will make it easier for us to move when something goes wrong.


    It seems that from now on, you will be admitted in the middle of the school year and the test will be a little tougher, but they''ll use the power of the grand duke to screw you over. It''s going to be extremely unfair, but it seems to be a common practice in the aristocracy, and as long as you''re not too badly intelligent, you''ll be accepted. It is said that the most common reason for the nobility to use their power to force a student to enter the school is when an illegitimate child is found out. There are other cases, such as when a child is adopted, and although reasons like Amy''s are in the minority, there are precedents.


    ''So, what''s Amy''s academic standing?''


    In this case, there is something like a school here in Seigen, but it is not as solid as the school in the capital, it is just a place to teach the basics. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but it''s not a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. In addition to learning the basics at school, Amy also learns the basics from the Tamer''s Guild, so in my opinion, she is at the average level of the school.


    It''s not a problem then. The rest is Amy''s own feelings, but I think it''s best to talk about that with her parents. At least it''s not for me to decide.''''


    Seeing Amy not being able to keep up with the conversation, Maria-sama seems to have decided to have her talk to her family once. I explained to Aimee in simple terms (I might be able to enter the academy in the royal capital, what do you think? I told her to consult with her family to decide. By the way, Aimee seems to think of Maria-sama as a woman of nobility, she doesn''t seem to understand that she''s a queen.


    As an aside, Arye and Karina, who heard Maria-sama''s proposal from Aimee, seemed to have noticed right away that Maria-sama''s true identity, and came to greet her, dressed in their best clothes and out of breath. And after a discussion, it was decided that Amy would be admitted to the school. Apparently, Maria-sama is planning to admit Aimee to the academy regardless of the results of the exam, and will use my grandfather and I''s names, but you don''t mind, do you? He said. I was a little scared, so me and Grandpa nodded without missing a beat, Tida was extremely happy to be back in the carriage, and Luna didn''t seem to understand what was going on.


    We''ll talk about the details tomorrow and Amy and the others went home.


    ''So, I heard that a lot of things happened, how did it go?


    Maria-sama wanted to hear about the story in Seigen, so I told her about the bicorn fight in the middle of the request, and how I defeated it but Tanikaze was killed, and how I went to a certain level of the lake to collect materials in the dungeon and fought an octopus demon, and the demon was recognized as a new species. Chris wanted to ask Maria and Tida what they thought of the fight, but only Luna wanted to hear the taste of the bicorn and octopus they had defeated.


    ''It''s just in time and we can try it for lunch.


    People didn''t object to my proposal.


    I hadn''t decided what I was going to make, just the ingredients, and then I decided to make whatever I could think of.


    ''Let''s make the bicorn into a hamburger and the octopus into a fried or octopus dish?''


    The bicorn was an easy decision, but the octopus was a bit of a lost cause. But in the end, I realized that I was missing one crucial thing, so I decided on the easy-to-make fried octopus.


    ''I''d like to make takoyaki, but I don''t have a takoyaki machine, so what choice do I have?''


    We didn''t have anything that could replace the takoyaki machine, so we decided on a fried octopus dish, but a hamburger and fried food might be a bit heavy for lunch. So I decided to season the fried octopus with only salt and pepper, and adjusted the flavor by having him use lemon if he liked, and for the hamburger, I used lean parts of bicorn and lean parts of white beef and avoided the fat as much as possible. For seasoning, I used salt and pepper, ginger juice, some spices and sauteed onions, and made them smaller and thinner than the palm of my hand so that I could make as much as possible as quickly as possible. The sauce is made with sugar, fish sauce, sake and crushed peeled tomatoes in a frying pan after baking. The rest is done with the salad and bread.


    We were able to make all the dishes at once, so it didn''t take much time, but there were a lot of people (three royal family members and ten bodyguards, including Chris), so it took longer than we expected.


    I gave Chris a taste of the finished product first, and then I put it in front of Mary and the others. The portions for Maria and the others, and for me, my grandfather, and Chris, were each served as a single plate, but the portions for the kinsmen were put together on a platter and given to them. It''s a messy arrangement, and I don''t think it''s a way of eating for the Kingsguard, many of whom are from noble families, but we couldn''t put everyone in the carriage, but that doesn''t mean we couldn''t send Mary and the others out, so we asked the Kingsguard, with the exception of Chris-san, to share the food themselves.


    ''It''s delicious, isn''t it?''


    I don''t think I''ve ever tasted anything so good in my life.


    I''d like another piece of meat.


    Maria was surprised, but she ate elegantly. But the speed at which she ate her hamburger was surprisingly fast.


    Tida was just as surprised as Maria-sama was, but this one was eating slowly.


    Although all three of them have differences in the way and speed of eating, they seemed to really like the taste of the hamburger. In the end, they all had a second helping, and the extra hamburgers we had prepared were cleaned out.


    The fried octopus was hidden behind the hamburgers, but the taste was good and the fried octopus was considered to be easy to eat. Incidentally, Luna ate the hamburgers the most, and Chris was next. Lunar seemed to be the type of dog who concentrates on eating what he likes, and Chris moved a lot, so he seems to eat that much more.


    On the contrary, Tida was the one who ate the least, and I was next. Tida, on the contrary to Luna, is the type of person who likes to eat slowly, and I was responding to everyone''s requests for a second helping, so I just missed out.


    ''''Well, I think it''s time for us to head back to the mansion.


    The mansion that Maria refers to is the building that the royal family uses when they come to Seigen. The building itself is a little smaller than my grandfather''s house in the capital, but the garden is larger because of it, because it''s a building for the royal family to use, even if they don''t use it very often. This is because it is necessary to be able to park the carriages of the guards and invited nobles in the garden. There are fences, walls, and moats for defense, but there are no flowers planted in the garden, as it is sometimes used as an emergency shelter in case of an earthquake or other emergency.


    After seeing Maria-sama and the others off, Amy and the others arrived as if they had seen it coming. It seems that they really want to hear about your enrollment in the Royal Capital Academy.


    So, after apologizing for proceeding with the conversation at the beginning, I decided to tell them the details. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.


    What they''re worried about is money (school fees), home and guardians. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. I''ve decided that the worst that can happen is that I''ll help with the school fees, but I told them not to worry about the house and guardians.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the school, because it''s a good idea to have a recommendation from the royal family. As for Uncle Mark and the others, they''ll take care of Aimee just because she''s my apprentice.


    As for the guardians, since Maria-sama brought the story to me, someone from the royal family (I expect Maria or Ernest-sama to be the most likely guardian) will be the guardian.


    Amy and the others were grateful when I told them about it. That''s when I apologized for the watered-down way I''d been treated, but they said it was too late for me to do that now, even though I would definitely be involved in a power struggle. Apparently, around the time I won the martial arts tournament, Aimee also got a lot of attention, and several nobles wanted to hire Aimee. I''ve heard that the aim was obvious, so he turned them down, but at this rate, there''s a chance that a nobleman might come along that would be difficult to turn down, so he was going to ask the Marquis of Sammons, through the Taymor''s Guild connection, to back him up before that. So, this time, the story was said to be a crossover.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. It''s not only that, but it''s also that, if the Marquis de Samoens hears this story, there''s a possibility that he will cooperate with the royal family and even join forces with them to become Amy''s protector.


    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it. It''s a win-win situation. Temma had better know his worth more properly.


    When I concluded that to Grandpa, Arie and the others nodded their heads in agreement. In addition, as we found out the next day, we didn''t have to worry about money. The reason for this is that from now on, they will sell the yarn that Ku-chan produces to the royal family to raise money for school and living expenses (including pocket money). However, since they don''t know how much and how much yarn they''ll produce, they''ll have to borrow money from the royal family (I''m the co-signer on the paperwork) at first, but if you''re recommended to enter the school, there''s almost no tuition fee (depending on your grades, it''ll be fully or partially waived), so as long as you can get some yarn, there''s no problem.


    I''ve caused Amy and her family a lot of commotion, but things are finally going to be good, so I''m glad to hear that things are going to be okay. Incidentally, as for the other two concerns, the fugitive (Amur) and the pursuer (Blanca), Blanca said that they were almost ready to catch them, so I think it''s only a matter of time before Amur is secured.

 140-Chapter 8-16 Leiden

    He''s walking just fine for now. Next time, let''s pick up the pace.


    Muttering that, I increased the speed of ''Raiden'' (Raiden), modified by Newtanikaze, a little. Incidentally, both Tanikaze and Raiden are the names of rikishi. These two rikishi are master and student of each other, and both are considered to be one of the strongest rikishi in the world. The name Leiden was taken from a rikishi''s name, but not Tanikazee. It was originally a play on the name of a certain inclined person''s beloved horse, and since he later remembered that it was a rikishi''s name, he named Newtanikaze after his apprentice. Just in time, it also has something to do with the fact that Raiden had the lightning attribute due to his use of the bicorn''s magic core.


    ''''I feel like his abilities are better than Tanikaze''s across the board.


    I assessed that after switching from a fast pace to a run and then to an assault walk (full speed run) and then circling around the city of Seigen as it was. However, the increased abilities made him harder to handle than Tanikaze, but it''s still acceptable, so it''s not a big problem.


    However, even more than those, Raiden has a point of surprise. That is.........


    ''''But a golem with a will was one of my goals... I didn''t realize how easy it was to do...''''


    Obviously, this Raiden can take actions that I can determine are of his own volition. That is, even though I didn''t give him orders, he folded his knees and lowered his body to make it easier for me to ride, avoided muddy areas that I hadn''t noticed, and annihilated the demons that appeared on his own.


    Moreover, the current Raiden doesn''t have a slarin inside it like it did with Tanikaze. There is still room for Slarin, but even without Slarin, Raiden''s abilities exceed those of Tanikaze. In my opinion, without Slarin, Raiden''s ability is 10% more than Tanikaze (with Slarin), and with Slarin, it''s 30% more than Tanikaze. So, if you let him run at full speed, he might be able to exceed 200km/h depending on the conditions. Although I didn''t go that far just now, I think I was still going to go about 150km/h. However, the vibrations are quite harsh when you go that fast, so it would be a rare occurrence.


    ''''It''s nice to have more strength since the Slarin will be free,''''


    I don''t think Slarin can keep up with that speed when fighting on Raiden, but that''s a matter that can be fought on Shiroumaru or Solomon. If Slarin took command of two of them, they would definitely be stronger.


    Raiden''s power, which can be called an artificial demon, cannot be measured against the demons that inhabit the vicinity of Seigen. That said, we can''t test it in Shiroumaru, and it''s too small to fight in the dungeon. So, although its exact strength is unknown and there may be differences in affinity, it probably won''t lose so much even against A-S class demons.


    ''''Is that about right?''''


    Since we had been riding for several hours on the quicksilver, we decided to end the test around here.


    For now, I went back to the place where I was first examining the performance and saw a few figures there.


    ''''Ah! I''m back!


    At the head of the group was Chris. Behind him were Maria-sama and Luna, along with their escort kinsmen.


    ''What are you doing here? And Tida?


    The group was obviously waiting for me, but I decided to check it out just in case. Besides, I was worried about Tida''s absence.


    ''Of course we were waiting for you. It seemed like you were doing something interesting, and I''m wondering about the new Tanikaze, which uses bicorn materials. Tida seems to be more interested in showing off her stuff.


    Maria replied to my question and approached me riding Raiden as it was. It would be rude to remain mounted, so I got off and tried to put Raiden in my magic bag, but Maria-sama seemed to want to see Raiden and asked me to leave him there.


    As Maria-sama walked around Raiden, looking at him from various angles, Luna sneaked up to him and tried to straddle him as he was. That''s when an incident happened that I hadn''t expected either.


    ''''Bulllu...........................Gah!


    I thought I heard a threatening voice coming from Raiden''s mouth, and then Raiden''s mouth opened with a snap after that voice.


    ''''Kyaaaah!''''


    "Yikes!


    Luna, seeing Raiden''s threatening face up close, ran behind me, shouting loudly. Maria-sama, who was close to Raiden, was on her buttocks with a cute voice.


    ''''Maria-sama!''''


    At this event, Chris-san and the rest of the kinsmen rushed over to Maria-sama and drew their swords and held them at the ready as if to warn Raiden, but Raiden ignored the kinsmen pointing their swords at him and threatened Luna, who ran behind me.


    But I didn''t even get into my head about Maria-sama''s cute little voice or Luna running away in a panic. All that was occupying my mind at that moment was.


    (She said it out loud and her mouth dropped open!)


    It was. It was a blind spot to have my mouth open after such a careful check. Moreover, the fact that the voice comes out means that there is a cavity in the throat area, so there might be some trick in there that I''m not aware of.


    I forced Raiden''s mouth open and looked inside the back of his mouth and saw a hole that led all the way to his neck. I stuck my hand in and looked at it, but I couldn''t reach the dead end, so maybe it led to a space for Slarin. He asked Slarin to try it, but Slarin didn''t seem to notice, and now he''s going to try to get in through Raiden''s mouth.


    Raiden seems to have quite a difficult time with Luna from the fact that he threatened her earlier, but he seemed to listen to me and Slarin, and did as he was told. However, even in that state, Raiden''s face remained turned toward Luna, as if he was wary of her.


    ''Ah, so they were connected after all.


    A few tens of seconds after Slarin entered Raiden''s mouth, this time the entrance to the space for Slarin on Raiden''s back opened and Slarin came out from inside. When I asked Slarin what was going on inside, it seemed that a part of the front part of the space for Slarin was removed so that he could pass through it. As for the roar, he said that there were some projections in the path of the throat, which seemed to vibrate and produce sound. Other than that, Slarin reported that there was some unfamiliar pattern on the throat area, which he had accidentally touched, but it posed no danger.


    ''So you''re saying that we won''t know anything until we interrogate the master...''


    ''Anyway, Mr Temma you need to explain this to us so we can understand. It won''t be a problem because you''re Mr. Temma, but you could be imprisoned by nature, right?


    Chris, who came behind me, sounded a little angry and asked me to explain.


    ''''Well, yeah...''''


    I told Maria and Chris what I knew so far and that Raiden hadn''t wanted Luna to touch him and threatened him. Fortunately, the only person who tried to touch her was Luna, so no one else had been identified as an enemy by Raiden. It seems that Raiden has memories of the bicorn mixed in with the memories of when he was Tanikaze, and he seems to recognize me as his master and Slarin and the others as his friends. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world.


    ''''I can only say it''s amazing...''''


    Maria was stroking Raiden as she listened to my explanation. Apparently, Raiden doesn''t like strangers touching him without permission, but he''s okay with people I''ve given him permission to touch. His vigilance probably has something to do with the use of the bicorn''s magic core and materials.


    ''''Temma-kun, if it''s safe to touch, is it possible to ride it?''''


    Chris seems to want to let Lyden ride it and run it. However, I asked Raiden through Slarin, and he told me that he didn''t like the idea of me riding it alone. In fact, although Slarin used a very soft expression, in reality, it was a firm refusal.


    However, there was another loophole in this as well. That is.....


    ''That''s great! I don''t think a normal horse would have this exhilarating feeling!


    The idea was to ride with me. When I told him that Raiden''s permission was granted via Slarin, it was Maria-sama who raised her hand first. Chris seemed to want to ride first, but he couldn''t push Maria-sama away and insist that he wanted to be the first to ride.


    Now Maria-sama is sitting behind me with her hands around my waist. In the meantime, Slarin has gone around to support Maria-sama, so she won''t be shaken off so easily, but the guards, except for Chris-san, were cringing and confused.


    With those guards in the background, I''m giving orders to Raiden to increase his speed. This area I was using for the test is quite far away from the plains, and the ground isn''t too rough, so there''s little impact, but I still think it''s tough for Maria-sama, so I''m letting Raiden run with the intention of only running for a few minutes. In those few minutes, my impressions of the speed of over a hundred kilometers per hour for a little while was what I said earlier.


    I think the horses of this world can reach nearly 100km per hour if you use magic or other means, but that is only instantaneous, and it doesn''t mean they can always do it like Raiden did. Moreover, even if you use magic, this speed is impossible to achieve with a two-man ride like Raiden''s.


    "Grandmother~ Next, watashi~


    Lady Luna, I''m next!


    Luna and Chris are fighting for the second, but Maria-sama still doesn''t seem to be satisfied, and she pretends she can''t hear them and tells me to go farther away.


    Since we''ve been running for about an hour as it is, Raiden seems to be getting tired (according to Slarin), so we decided to take a break. Luna and Chris were suspicious of Raiden (Slarin), but they seemed to know that if Raiden really didn''t like it and went into a rage, they couldn''t do anything about it by themselves, so they decided to keep quiet and wait for the next opportunity.


    Chris and the others were laughing hysterically at Maria-sama''s words. I was a little annoyed with Chris-san and the others, but since I couldn''t talk back to them about Raiden, I decided to just ignore them and ask Maria-sama why she came here. In the first place, it''s strange that the queen of this country would bring the imperial grandchild and the princess just because of my letter.


    ''''Maaah! You''re looking at me like that!


    Maria, shocked by my words, took a fan out of her pocket and hid her face. But the action was so deliberate that I kept looking at Maria''s face in silence, and then, as if in resignation, she took off her fan and began to tell the truth.


    ''I just want to make a little request. However, you''ll have to go a little farther, but as far as transportation is concerned, you''ll be fine with Raiden, right?


    ''No, I haven''t moved up in the ranks, so I can''t accept your request for appointment.


    Basically, nomination requests are made from a B-rank. However, that''s because when considering their abilities and achievements, if they don''t have a B-rank or higher, the guild that mediates the request will be worried about them.


    ''''Temma. You''re the winner of the martial arts competition, and you''ve killed the earth dragon and prevented a coup, but lack of competence and achievements won''t work. Besides, do you think the guild can refuse a request from the royal family?


    I mean, it''s up to me whether you take it or not.


    And don''t worry. It''s just a request to go give a letter to a certain person. It''s just that it''s so far away that it takes some time to get there.


    I thought that was fine with me, and when I tried to ask for more details, he told me that the details would be discussed when I returned to the apartment. Normally, I thought it would be at the mansion that Maria and the others were using, but I had to talk to my grandfather, so I thought the apartment would be more convenient for me, so I started preparing to return to the apartment.


    Chris and Luna were disappointed that they couldn''t get on Raiden, but they obeyed meekly, since they couldn''t go against Maria.


    When we all walked back to the apartment, we found Amy and Tida outside the apartment. It''s not that they''re playing, but they''re talking about something together. Moreover, Amy is talking to you, so maybe she has made some progress.


    ''Ah! Doctor, welcome back.


    Aimee noticed our approach first and greeted us. Tida was greeting us a little later than Amy, and I could see the emotion written on her face, "You could have been a little later...


    ''I''m home, is Grandpa here?''


    Yes. He was back a while ago.


    ''And a little after Lady Merlin, Mr. Blanca came back too... with Miss Amour on his shoulder...''


    Tida gave me some additional information. Apparently, Blanca was able to capture Amur safely. This time I don''t think he will be caught off guard by the quicksilver, so we may be close to parting ways with them.


    ''''Yes, Blanca is back too. Just in time.


    As for Maria, it seems convenient that Blanca is back. I''m getting a bad feeling about something, but I can only hope that it''s nothing.


    ''I''m home.''


    I went into the carriage to talk to my grandfather first, and when I entered the carriage, I found Blanca and Amur tied up more sturdily than before. Apparently, Blanca was waiting for me to return to their home town early.


    The timing is just right. We''re going home now. Thank you for all your help. I''d like to thank you for all your help.


    Blanca said that as soon as she saw my face and was about to carry Amour out, but it was Maria-sama who waited for her.


    ''Could you wait a moment, please? I want to make a request to you guys.


    The sudden words of Maria, Branca didn''t seem to know what to do, but he tried to say no, preferring to return home. It''s about the homeland of Blanca and her friends," she said, sitting back in her chair to listen to the conversation.


    ''The first request I would like to make of Temma is for you to give a letter to Viscount Lobo, who houses the Southern Autonomous Region. The request I''d like to make of Blanca and the others is for you to take Tenma to Viscount Lobo.


    I heard that Blanca and the others'' hometown is in the Southern Autonomous Region, so it''s certainly just the right request...........................I thought, but for Blanca and the others, it''s a little different.


    In other words, you want me to introduce Temma to my brother-in-law........? Is that a request from Maria-sama personally? Or is it a royal decree?


    It''s a request from the royal family. Of course, you can say no, but there''s no harm in taking the job, and you''ll be paid accordingly, so I think it''s a worthwhile request, don''t you?


    It looks like sparks are flying between Maria-sama and Blanca, but since there is no one in the country who can beat Maria-sama in belly art (I think), it was soon settled. Naturally, it was in the form of Blanca taking over.


    But more than that, I''m concerned about the word ''brother-in-law (ani)'' that Blanca said. The fact that he is Blanca''s brother-in-law means that he is supposed to be Amour''s father.


    When I came to that point, my eyes naturally turned to Amur. When Amur noticed my gaze, despite the fact that he was tied up with a rope, he was stretching his chest with a smug look on his face. From the look of Amour, she doesn''t look like a baroness by any means.


    Just to be sure, I checked with Blanca and Maria-sama, and they came back with, ''''It''s definitely the Viscountess (yo).


    ''''In the meantime, it''s up to Temma to decide whether or not to accept the request... but... what do you think?


    At Maria''s words, Amour gives me an expectant look, but I was wondering what I should do. Financially, I could afford it, and there was the matter of Aimee. Besides, I also wanted to continue attacking the dungeon.


    ''''Wouldn''t it be okay if I took it separately?


    Grandpa, who had been turned into air, turned in favor.


    ''Temma has only ever ventured close to the center of the country, hasn''t he? This would be a good opportunity for you to take it. Right now, you''ll get plenty of money and directions.


    The person who reacted the most to Grandpa''s words was still, or rather, Amur. For Amur, he had been running away from Blanca all over the place, saying that I was in Seigen, so he was going to stay here. It''s a good idea for Amur, whose plans were crushed by his capture, to work together with me to hand over the letter to Amur''s father, which would be a reversal of fortune. However, since Amur is currently being wrapped (plus gagged) by Blanca with a rope, he is moaning and groaning, and it''s unclear what he is saying.


    ''Dear Maria, what is the content of your letter?''


    Blanca, who was unusually polite in her language, asked Maria-sama a question while holding down Amour like a landed fish.


    ''''I can''t tell you the contents of the stone. It''s a letter officially addressed by the royal family to Viscount Lobo...........but you can rest assured that it is safe. It''s just a hair''s breadth of small talk.


    Sparks were quietly flying between Maria-sama and Blanca, but as expected from a martial artist, Blanca couldn''t break Maria-sama''s stronghold. Giving up, Blanca asked, "There are no unreasonable demands written, are there?" and when Maria-sama nodded, the sour mood was put to rest for now.


    ''By the way, if you''re Viscount Lobo, then Amour''s name is going to be ''Amour Lobo''?


    In an attempt to change the atmosphere of the place, I asked Blanca what had been bothering her since earlier, and she shook her head and denied it, not only to Blanca, but also to Maria-sama and the bound Amour.


    ''Yeah, where we live, very few people take their family name. It''s the same with Lobo, the clan chief. That''s why they put the viscount directly after the name.


    It is said that the southern autonomous region is a slightly unusual area within the kingdom, originally there were several tribes living in the area and it didn''t belong to the kingdom, but during the old war with other countries it became the kingdom''s territory and after some twists and turns it was named the autonomous region, and the position of the viscount has temporary implications due to the frequent changes in the top brass. I heard that there are many people who don''t take their family name, just like the others. Well, according to Blanca, "it''s a lot of trouble to give your family name.


    I wonder if Temma will take care of this request?


    I answered Maria''s question by saying that I would accept the contract, and then we signed a variety of contracts. I think the reason the contract went so smoothly is because Maria brought the matter to me on the premise that I would take care of it.


    I''d like you to go as soon as possible, but since Temma has a lot of things to do, we''ll be leaving in about a week''s time. Oh, and don''t worry about Amy, I''ll take responsibility for her, so don''t worry about her.


    Maria-sama, for some reason, is all uptight about Amy, so there''s nothing wrong with leaving it up to her...........I thought. We decided to start preparing for the trip. Well, when I say preparations, I''m putting everything in a magic bag, as usual, so it was just a matter of buying more food and preparing some minor things. By the way, at this point, Blanca has decided that Amour will not escape and has untied the rope.


    ''''Brother, what are you doing?''''


    I finished getting ready before everyone else, and I was repairing the magic bag I got in the dungeon lake. So in the middle of that, Luna arrived. When I explained to Luna, she noticed that there was more than one bag and looked at me expectantly, wondering if she would get one too, but it was immediately retrieved by Chris-san and presented to Maria-sama.


    ''Well, it''s like this,''


    We were concentrating on repairing the damage, so by the time we were done, it was time for dinner. Everyone else had almost finished their preparations, and now Grandpa and Blanca were discussing what route they were going to take to the Southern Autonomous Region.


    ''''And then........this, this, and this.......''''


    I put all sorts of things from my magic bag that I could use in the magic bag I had just restored.


    ''Now all we have to do is give it to Amy.


    In the two magic bags, I put some food preserves for emergencies and a few golem cores for guards in a redeemable magic core. The golem was not made for Maria-sama and the rest of the royalty, but it has a fighting power close to that. If we were to express it in terms of the rank of a demon, it should be at least a B. I prepared about ten of those.


    ''''Temma is pretty overprotective........''''


    Something that Maria-sama was stunned by, but even this seems like a small amount to me. If a nobleman with a decent amount of power really wanted to do something to Aimee, I don''t think this would be enough.


    ''''Well, from those who don''t think well of me, I wouldn''t be surprised if they think Aimee is their target.


    If an idiot who''s really aiming at Aimee appears, I, who''s in the position of a master, am obligated to take action for Aimee''s sake. In that case, I''m not going to show any mercy, no matter who the opponent is.


    When I told Maria-sama about it, Grandpa agreed. Grandpa has been telling people around him that Amy is his ''grandchild disciple'', so it''s not surprising.


    Maria-sama saw me and Grandpa nodding to each other and immediately tried to get Tida, but I told her that I wasn''t going to get side-tracked into a personal love affair with a stone. However, I also said that if Tida went crazy and tried to ignore Amy''s feelings and tried to take it by force, that would not be the case.......


    Perhaps because of that, Maria-sama was carefully discussing the matter of Chris-san and Amy''s escort. Since Maria-sama said she would take responsibility for it, the royal family could be held responsible for anything that happened, so her face was serious.


    I feel like I''ve gone a little overboard, but I''m glad to see that they know I''m serious.


    It''s late, so we decided to call it a day and resume our preparations tomorrow morning. For the time being, the plan for tomorrow is to buy the necessary items and to question my master.

 141-Chapter 8-17 To the second trip

    We have a target in sight.


    The current state of affairs outside is still dark because the sun has not risen, and apart from the craftsmen who start work early in the morning and the guards who are on patrol, no one is walking outside.


    It was my master''s workshop that I broke into. By the way, it may seem like I was trespassing, but I''ve gotten permission from my master''s apprentice. Last night, I remembered that I had something to do with the guild (selling goblins), so I went for a walk, and on the way there I bumped into one of master''s apprentices at a tavern, which is how I came up with this plan. By the way, I bribed my apprentices with enough money to buy a few drinks (just like a dwarf). The amount of money that the master sold was a single silver coin.


    ''''Uu~ I slept well...........................What the hell!


    When the master finally woke up, he realized that he was tied to the pillar and shouted out.


    ''You don''t find that a nuisance in the morning? Oh ... the drunkard.


    That''s why your wife is running away from you, you idiot ... big idiot.


    The last one was the funniest in terms of content, although it was the most honest one. Incidentally, it was the masked blacksmith (apprentice) A, B, and C, the apprentice representative, who shouted abuse at the master.


    They knew I was going to capture the master, so they came at the right time.


    ''No, don''t be silly, untie me. And don''t you be ashamed of yourselves for looking like that? Especially Temma.


    The disciples are dressed in their normal clothes and paper bags on their heads, but I''m dressed as a pawn in the King''s Capital (but the mask is for a murderer who shows up on Fridays), so I didn''t want them to be so calm and terse. I don''t like to dress like this either...maybe.


    ''For now, enough of the goofiness.......master, do you have anything to say to me about Raiden?


    What are you talking about? I don''t know about that.


    To the master who was cutting the shira, I held Raiden out in front of me and motioned for him to open his mouth.


    ''You think I don''t know this?''


    After getting this far, the master finally confessed to me that he had set up this gimmick in secret. Apparently, the master tried to see if Raiden could do a Breath-like attack, but he decided that it was impossible to generate high-powered magic like Breath, even with the strength, so he finally connected it to Slarin'' space. The magic circles and projections written on his throat were apparently remnants of that time.


    ''And by the way, Temma. As a matter of fact, Raiden''s head is still a work in progress.


    I wondered what he was going to say, but the master was going to put a bicorn horn on Raiden''s head. He said he thought it would be more like a bicorn.


    ''''Moreover, the horn is supposed to strengthen Raiden''s lightning attribute...''''


    They don''t know for sure, but they say that if the bicorn''s consciousness is strong, then using bicorn material to get closer to the shape is a plus, but not a minus. So I decided to do as my master said and give him a bicorn horn to put on his head. In any case, the bicorn''s horn had no use at the moment, so if there was any chance of increasing Raiden''s performance, it would be better to use it for that.


    ''Only, one of them is broken off at the base, so it''ll be shorter than the real thing.


    They said it would be completed late, tomorrow evening, so I decided to leave Raiden with him and go shopping.


    The first thing we wanted was sugar and salt. As for the spices, I heard that many of them are the specialties of the southern autonomous region, I thought it would be good to buy locally, and will buy only the minimum necessary.


    As a result of wandering around the city until the evening of that day, we were able to buy more than twice as much sugar and salt as we had planned, and we were also able to buy spices as planned. There were many unplanned purchases, but most of them were fruits and vegetables, so they should not have been wasted.


    When we returned to the carriage, Maria and the others were relaxing. However, I didn''t see Tida, so I asked Chris, who was also relaxing, and he told me that she was being shown around town by Amy. I heard that Tida was flirting with the idea that it was a date, but in reality, in order to prevent Tida from noticing, she was surrounding the area with guards other than Chris-san.


    I heard that the three of us other than myself were almost done with our preparations today, so we were going to spend the next few days slowly until the scheduled departure date.


    ''Temma, since we''re free, let''s go shopping.


    The next day, after breakfast, Amr invited me to go shopping. There was just something I wanted, so I instantly OK''d it, and for some reason, Amur had a surprised look on his face.


    ''Temma........delirious!


    Well you don''t have to go with me, do you?


    ''Lie! Temma is not delirious! So let''s go?


    So, we decided to go shopping. In case you were wondering, I tried to invite everyone else, but they all refused with a smile.


    For those reasons, we went out shopping alone, and Amour was in a sickeningly good mood. Every now and then I would hear him say, "Date, date," but he didn''t seem to notice.


    ''First things first. Give me a minute.


    I got to the store I wanted, so I said no to Amr and then went into the store, but Amr didn''t wait outside to follow me. And.


    I can''t do this...


    I said, and quickly took refuge outside the store. By the way, the store I''m looking for is an apothecary. Therefore, the shop is filled with the smell of herbs and medicines. If you are not used to the smell, you will feel bad if you are not good at it. It would be even more so if it was a beastman with a better sense of smell than a person.


    ''''Let''s see........this, this and this, and what about the herbs that can be used as wounding medicine? .... only the dry ones. You can have this and this. And while we''re at it, the stomach pills and antipyretic herbs that are also dried... well, okay.


    I bought a lot of different herbs and medicines like this.


    I''ve learned how to make medicines from my mom in general, so I basically make the ones I use myself, but that''s not much of a learning curve, so sometimes I find a medicine that seems to work well, I buy it to see how it works.


    This store didn''t have a lot of good items, but I picked one that looked good, as other stores may not be of better quality than this one.


    When we finished shopping and went outside, Amur was in front of a food stall that was out a short distance away from the store, chewing on some meat on a spit.


    ''''Hmm ... Temma, it stinks.''''


    When Amur noticed me, he came up to me and suddenly smelled it and said so. I''m used to the smell of medicinal herbs myself, so I didn''t mind, but from Amur''s point of view, it smells pretty bad.


    ''''Well then, Day ... continue shopping.''''


    Amur finished his spit-roast in a hurry and walked alongside me. But.........


    Sorry. I''m gonna come by here too.


    There was an apothecary a few hundred meters away, so I went in to shop for herbs again. This time they had some good pill-type pills on hand, so I bought a few doses.


    ''''It stinks...''''


    After this, I continued to visit various apothecary shops and purchased various herbs and medicines. All of the herbs I purchased were of a type I didn''t have, and although they were all in small quantities of each, it was quite a lot of herbs when you put them all together. Moreover, the peculiar smell of the herbs (which felt like a stronger version of the smell of a ship) transferred to my body, and Amur, who had been looking forward to shopping, was quite unhappy. Most of all, when I say shopping, it seems that Amur just wanted to walk outside and only stopped at the stalls. Since I got the medicinal herbs, I thought I should go with Amur, but he was in a bad mood and said he was going back to the carriage. It seems that he doesn''t want to walk with me, who has a smell he doesn''t like.


    Everyone who remained in the carriage was doubly surprised by the fact that he had returned to the carriage in such a state, which meant that everyone else in the carriage was doubly surprised (the grumpy Amur and my smell).


    ''Studying the medicine man is good, but Temma needs to learn how to treat women first.


    Maria said something like that, but I dared not pretend to hear it. In this kind of talk, a man can''t argue with a woman because he thinks that there is no such thing as a man''s right to argue with a woman. In the first place, there''s no way I, with such a low level of experience, could win against Maria-sama (a married man). Therefore, it''s the right thing to do to avoid stepping into the ring of advantage for your opponent.............................Some people might say that I "ran away".


    While dodging Maria-sama''s verbal attack, I decided to make a potion with the herbs I had purchased in the free time I had before going to my master''s workshop. As I began to work, Amour and Blanca, as if the smell of the herbs was too much for them, took refuge outside the carriage. Maria-sama and Luna also raised their eyebrows at the smell of the medicinal herbs, but their curiosity got the better of them and they remained in the carriage. However, Chris looked like he wanted to take refuge outside with Amour and the others, but he seemed to be holding back since Maria-sama was still there. Grandpa is used to the smell, so he''s eating his normal sweets and having more tea.


    ''This will be fine,''


    As I was putting the dried herbs back in the water, Amur, with his nose plugged, came back into the carriage in a muffled voice. He looked quite painful as he seemed to have plugged his nose quite carefully, but no one said anything as he pretended it was nothing.


    The medicine I''m making now is an ointment made of bicorn oil. It''s rather easy to make, and if you make it carefully, even an amateur can make something of a certain quality.


    First of all, the oil of bicorn is boiled in hot water and made into a liquid. At this time, I sterilize it by heating it in boiling water for about 30 minutes.


    Next, carefully grind the herb with clean water (this time I used the dried one, so I grinded it with the water used to put it back in) and remove the veins of the leaves with a fine tea strainer.


    Finally, I mixed the cooled oil and the herb solution with a spatula to make it evenly mixed. The ointment itself is now complete.


    The ointment is divided into small bottles that have been sterilized by boiling for easy use, taking care not to let air in.


    Apart from this, I also made a hand cream by the same method, and I gave it to the ladies to make them happy. Since I made a good amount of hand cream, I could give it to all my acquaintances in Seigen, but it would be a bit too much.


    I gave freshly made presents to Maria and the others, Chris got Jeanne''s, Aura''s and Aina''s portions, and Maria got Isabella''s and Missalia''s portions as well.


    I''m going to see my master now. It might be a little late, so eat your dinner without me.


    I told my grandfather and the others and left the carriage. Amur was about to follow, but I didn''t know what time I was going to be home, so I told him not to follow me. And it''s not a good idea to go out with a man and woman and get home late.


    ''Are you ready, master?''


    I asked him about it as soon as I entered the workshop, and he told me that the work of attaching the horns had gone well.


    I asked him if he could help me with a few things.


    Since the masters are being punished with a few days of suspension, I figured they would be too busy to do customer service, so I decided to ask them to help me. As an excuse, they offered to help me free of charge as an apology for putting a strange trick on Raiden.


    As expected, the masters agreed before they heard the details. They had no more time to kill in Leiden, so they had no choice but to drink the rest of the day away.


    ''What I need help with is the magic iron I used for Tanikaze, and I need help making knives and shortswords, as well as pots and pans.


    I wondered if it would be a good idea to ask the masters, who mainly made weapons and armor, to make pots and pans for me, but they nodded easily and began to check the furnace and tools. Later, I talked to the masters, and they told me that when they were apprentices, they also made pots and pans to sell while they were training.


    ''''There''s nearly a ton of magical iron in total, I''ll give you half of it as a thank you for your free help, and I''ll use the other half to make it.......Can I ask the master for the knife and short sword? I need everyone else to get the pots and pans and stuff. I have a few things I want to make.


    That''s all well and good, but Temma has made a mistake. The iron used in Tanikaze is not magical iron, but magical steel. It is probably a change in the magical iron.


    If you listen to the details, it seems that demon steel is what is created when strong magic power is poured into the demon iron, and as a material, it is one level higher, and although its hardness is a little inferior to mithril, in a sense, it is said to be rarer than mithril. Well, as far as rarity is concerned, if you have enough money to buy magic steel, many people choose the light and strong mithril over magic steel, and the price is about 20% cheaper than mithril, so the magic steel, which is less than half the price of mithril, is said to be cheaper in terms of price. Moreover, the weight is also said to be a little lighter than the magic iron. It''s because of that kind of half-heartedness that you don''t often see them in the market.


    Well, as a material, it''s just too good to be used for pots and pans, though!


    When the master had finished explaining the process, we each began to work.


    He was in charge of a total of 50 knives, of which 10 were machetes (bush knives), 10 were survival knives, and 30 were throwing knives. He made ten machetes (bush knives), ten survival knives and thirty throwing knives. Each knife is made of steel from blade to handle, and the throwing knife is a kunai-like knife about 15cm long. We made ten short swords and asked the master to design them.


    The apprentices were responsible for ten one-handed pots, ten two-handed pots and ten frying pans. The one-handed pot is smaller and the two-handed pot is larger. The frying pans are five large and five small. I heard that the apprentices often make pots and pans as part of their training, so they can do it all in two days, so I asked the master to help me with it afterwards.


    So I decided to ask the master to help me make a new weapon and new cooking utensils. The new weapons are shurikens (just sharpened square boards on four sides), each one carved with a magic circle of summoning magic, so that when you throw it, it will come back to you, inspired by something I read in a book about the Marquis of Samos. And the new cookware is, quite simply, a takoyaki (octopus dumpling) maker. I''m also planning to make one big enough to make a large-size takoyaki. I''m also planning to make a teppan for okonomiyaki, too.


    I decided to start with the griddle........but it''s not particularly difficult to do. I just poured the magic steel, which I softened until it became sloppy, into the mold, and then just waited for it to cool naturally. This method was used to make three steel plates of different sizes. One of them was to be used for octopus dexterity, so I found a hammer with a rounded tip in my master''s tool and used it to make a circle. It was enough for fifty slightly larger holes, so it should be enough for home use.


    And then I made two sets of large baking machines, which can make five pieces per side. Each one is about 10 cm in diameter and about 3 cm deep on one side, so I thought I could make a satisfying meal.


    However, right after I made the Oobayaki, I realized that I had made a big miscalculation. That was.........


    Before you know it, it will be dawn...


    They were so enthusiastic that they had forgotten how much time had passed. That seemed to be the same for the masters, and all of them were ahead of where they had planned to be.


    ''''Well let''s just go to bed for now.


    "''Oh.........


    Being conscious of the time made us feel sleepy, so we decided to sleep in a corner of the workshop.


    The next day, we woke up in the early afternoon, stuffed our stomachs with a meal we had prepared beforehand (bought at a food cart), and resumed our work


    Temma, what do I do with it?


    Big brother! I''m burned!


    Luna! I told you to be careful! I''m sorry, Mr. Temma. Can I have my medicine, please?


    Sir, there''s a lot of fire in here!


    For some reason, it was like a hands-on class. The reason for this is because Grandpa had brought Amur and the others with him.


    It''s going to be great.


    Grandpa, the leader of the group, was sipping his tea in a carefree manner. Next to him, Chris and Blanca, who must be the second and third in command, were also drinking tea. Maria said that she was off to a meeting with the representatives of Seigen.


    The reason everyone came here is because I didn''t return yesterday, and when Grandpa wanted to come check on me, Amur took advantage of the opportunity, Blanca was worried about Amur not going out of control, so she went with him, Luna and Aimee, who were curious about what I was making, joined in, and since Aimee said she was going, Tida came with her. Apparently it was. Chris was initially going to be Mary''s escort. But when Tida and Luna said they were going to join me, Maria asked him to be their escort. It seems that the hole that Chris-san left out will be covered by the rest of the guards. Incidentally, the master, who was thought to be reluctant to let the children (amateurs) use his workshop, unusually didn''t say anything. Probably because there is royalty in the mix and they intend to have me take the blame if something goes wrong.


    I asked the four of them to help me with the shuriken I would be using (because even if they failed, this would cause the least amount of damage), while I finished the iron plate one. When I say finishing, all I did was polish the surface nicely and bend the edges a bit, so I could do it without any problems while watching the four of them.


    The four men were satisfied (or bored) with the blacksmithing and the master finished the throwing knife at a high rate of speed and completed it in a few hours. As expected of his main occupation, he worked much faster and more accurately than me and my students. The apprentices had finished their own portion of the work that night, so the master''s work picked up speed even faster. The fact that the grandfathers took everyone home (forcing one of them to leave) before it got dark must have been one of the factors that increased the speed of the work.


    ''''Hahaha.......how does it feel!


    As soon as the sun came up, the master made up the last of his shortsword. All that''s left is his machete and survival knife, but he''s boasting that if he has the help of his disciples, he''ll be able to finish it all in one day. Well, with the disciples shaking their heads behind the master, it would be impossible to do it in a day, but....


    So I''m going to bed. We''ll talk about it when you wake up.


    As I said this, the masters began to sleep in the corner of the workshop, snoring as they did yesterday. While watching them, I decided to return to the carriage. Today, I gave up my spot to my students on the way to the carriage and took a short nap so I had enough time to get back to the carriage.


    When I got back to the carriage, Grandpa was already awake, so after telling him about the work, I decided to take a quick bath and sleep in bed. As I was sleeping in bed, Slarin and the others came under the covers, and it was a little hot and stuffy, but I couldn''t give them much of a d*mn these days, so I decided to put up with it... well, when Amur tried to come in, I kicked him out of the house with a stone.


    We spent a few days like that, and today was the day we were scheduled to leave. We had finished all the preparations by yesterday, and we had come to the south gate of Seigen early in the morning.


    In addition to Aimee and her family, the members of the Sword of Dawn and the Tamer''s Guild, there was also Maria and the rest of the "royal party (plus guards)" who for some reason extended their stay until today. The plan was for them to leave Seigen before us, but Tida insisted that they wanted to see me off, so they extended their stay. He claimed that he wanted to see me off, but it was obvious to everyone that he had some other purpose in mind, and that this was his main purpose.


    ''Well then, I''d better get going. Aimee, good luck with your studies. The next time we meet will probably be in the royal capital. If you have any problems, just ask the people of Kukri village or Aura''s sister, Aina, for help and there will be no problems. Don''t hesitate.


    Yes, I understand, sir!


    I''ve given Amy the letter to Uncle Mark and the others beforehand, and I''ve also sent a letter to King''s Landing. I''ve sent letters to Jeanne and Aura as well, but it''s safer to have Aina to rely on than those two.


    Hearing my words, Aimee nodded vigorously. At her waist was the shortsword I had given her, which was lowered. The shortsword had the Ootori family crest engraved on it, and if anyone in the know saw it, they would immediately recognize it as my connection. At the very least, the adventurers and guild officials, plus the knights, would immediately recognize it. I''m sure that some of the adventurers will be fools who try to use Amy, but I''d like to think that there''s no one who would commit a crime after finding out that me and the royal family are involved......... Well, I''ve given him a guard golem (plus a weapon) for that purpose, and I''ve given Aimee a certain method so that she can use her grandfather''s mansion as a place of refuge.


    Let me take care of Amy. More importantly, there are a lot of quirky people in the southern boroughs, so be careful of the temma.


    Maria-sama is giving such advice while looking at Amour beside me and Blanca behind her. The two of them, who felt like they were being named, turned their faces away without any particular objection.


    ''''We will be careful enough. Now, to deliver this letter to Viscount Lobo, C-rank adventurer Temma, I will leave.''''


    ''I beg you. I just don''t think there''s any, but in case you don''t, put your life before your own, even if it means destroying the letter. That''s an order.


    ''Ha! Roger that........................so I''ll be off.


    After greeting everyone with such a little play as Maria, we climbed into the carriage tied to Raiden and headed for the Southern Autonomous Region.


    ''''Sensei~, come on!''''


    Good night, Temma. Take care of yourself.


    Hang in there, bro.


    Good to see you, Temma.


    Go for it!


    "You better watch your ass!


    And so on and so forth, they shouted at us to get us out. I leaned out the window and kept waving to them, but after enough time they were all shrinking like peas in a row and I couldn''t see them anymore.


    We''re not in a hurry, so let''s take it slow. I''ll leave it to you to guide us, Blanca.


    ''Oh, I''ll take care of it. I''ll show you some interesting places on the way to the Southern Autonomous Region.


    I decided to ask Blanca, who knew the most about the Southern Autonomous Region, to give me directions. Blanca was sitting at the coach''s driver''s seat, and she answered with a smile that would make a child cry if he saw her. Because of the directions, Blanca will be the longest driver, but even so, she says the burden will be much less if you consider walking. Besides, he said that by traveling in Leiden, they might arrive a little earlier than they had originally planned, so they have time to make some side trips, and he picked up some places that Branca recommended.


    By the way, it is said to take one and a half to two months to get to Seigen from the southern autonomous region. Furthermore, depending on the weather and accidents, it can take up to three months to get from the southern autonomous region to Seigen. I heard that Blanca and her friends traveled by carriage, by foot, and sometimes by boat.


    That''s why the two of them were extremely surprised to hear that it would be about a third of the time if they traveled by Leiden. I didn''t tell them that if I was the only one, if I moved as fast as I could, I would get there much faster. I was afraid of what would happen to their faces if I surprised them any more.


    ''Well, if we move around for a month, as long as it doesn''t happen too often, we should be fine. Both of you, take care of things in the meantime.


    "Oh!


    I''ll be there, Temma, to remind you that I''m here.


    And so my second trip had begun. Unlike the trip of three years ago, I was a little nervous about being in the company of others, but I was confident that it would be a fun one.

 142-Chapter 9-1 Family

    ''Temma, the river should be in sight by now. A short distance along that river is a place suitable for camping. It''s a little early, but we''ll rest there for the day.


    Blanca opened the window and suggested to me, who was controlling Raiden.


    Looking at the sky, it was still bright, but I heard that there was no better place to go than there, so I decided to accept Blanca''s suggestion.


    ''Temma, there it is. That''s where that hill is going to be.


    Okay.


    As Blanca had said, there was a place near the river that was high up like a hill, and I let Raiden advance to it.


    When we got to the hill and looked around, there was a grassy field of low-tall grass all around us, and if anything was going to come close, it would be easy to spot it. And it would be even easier to spot tonight since it was a full moon.


    ''We''re close to a watering hole, so it''s a good place to take a break.


    Yeah, there''s one drawback, though: it''s easier to spot the enemy and easier for them to find you.


    You two, let''s finish getting ready before we have a chance to talk.


    As I was talking to Blanca, the old man got out of the carriage and was looking for a place to start a fire. In a place like this, there should be traces of those who used this place before, so that''s where he''s looking for it.


    ''Lord Merlin, I believe it should be at the back of the carriage.


    Oh, here it is.


    Just as Blanca had said, there was one spot in the back of the carriage where the dirt had been dug up, and there were wet coals and cinders lying around.


    ''''Whew~.......Are we there yet?''''


    After checking the surroundings and exploring, Amur came out of the carriage with a yawn. Behind him, Shiroumaru and Solomon, who was also asleep, followed.


    ''Young lady, you sleep too much. Go wash your face quickly.


    Hmmmm....


    Amur walked back into the carriage with his eyes half closed. The next time he came back, his eyes were completely open and his sleepiness seemed to have dissipated.


    ''We still have some time before nightfall, let''s find something to burn nearby. And something to eat while we''re at it.


    Everyone nodded at my suggestion, and we''re going to look for them until we can see them from the carriage. Raiden was near the carriage, and I had Slarin and the others waiting just in case, so I instructed Shilomar or Solomon to go and let them know if anyone was too far from the carriage.


    ''I''ll go down to the river,''


    I''m coming with you.


    Grandpa and Blanca went towards the grassland, so I decided to head to the river where food seemed to be the easiest to get to. Amur said he was going to follow us, so we went with him.


    We''ve arrived at the river. We''re at the river, and I can see the carriage clearly.


    We checked the location of the carriage, but since the carriage is less than a hundred meters away from the river, it seems to be useless concern. A quick look at the riverbed shows that there is quite a bit of driftwood, so it should be easy to find anything that might be useful.


    "Amur, I''ll look on this side, don''t look on the other side.


    Okay.


    Amur and I split up, and while we were looking for driftwood and reasonable stones, we somehow got our eyes on the river. I didn''t have a rod or net with me, so I wasn''t going to fish, but I decided to check out the river, thinking I might be able to go fishing for gagging or billies or something.


    ''It kind of reminds me of the time I met Namitaro,''


    As I was thinking about this, something huge approached from the water.


    "I didn''t think it was going to collect the flag!


    I regretted my words a bit, but the moment I prepared for the creature that might be Namitaro, something in the water jumped out at me.


    ''Namitaroo... not!


    It was a huge salmon, lightly over three meters in length at a glance. Maybe it was a trout, though.


    It leaped out of the water with its mouth wide open, trying to eat me, but I didn''t rush, and caught it with my Guardian Gigant, which I had prepared for Namitaro.


    Food, got it! So let''s just get it over with.


    It would have been better to remove the nerve or bleed it out, but it was too much trouble, so I used a gigantine to break the neck bone and dispose of it. The processed salmon was immediately placed in a magic bag, so I decided to dismantle it later and used ''search'' for the water.


    ''Another big one among the smaller reactions, I see.


    According to the results of the appraisal, it seemed to be Tyrant Salmon, so I thought it must be the same kind of fish as the salmon I had just caught.


    I wondered if he was trying to catch it.


    I knew in a previous life that there were things called gachinko fishing and bili fishing, but I had never actually tried it. I had never tried it, because I was told that fishing for them was banned in most of the rivers in Japan. However, there is no such law in this world, so I decided to give it a try.


    ''I guess it''s like running an electric current........hooray!


    When I used lightning magic to pass through the salmon''s area, it seemed to diffuse a bit, but the salmon floated to the surface of the water just as I expected. In addition, dozens of small fish floated by itself, but it was difficult to retrieve them, so I decided to leave all but the largest fish, such as carp, alone. If we were lucky, they would revive, and if not, they would be food for other fish and birds.


    ''Then again, I''ve never had a salmon before. I''d like some sashimi, but I don''t know if that''s a stretch.''


    I had seen trout in this world before, but I hadn''t seen salmon yet, so I was excited to see what they tasted like.


    We decided to give the salmon and carp we had just taken a quick treatment and then return to the carriage. With all of this, we won''t have any trouble finding food for a few days.


    "I know from the ''appraisal'' that it''s not poisonous, but I wonder how it tastes?


    Thinking about this, I looked for Amur, and for some reason, downstream, a flooded Amur was coming towards us, carrying a puffy burlap sack.


    ''Temma, big catch! For some reason, the fish washed up!


    Amur opened the bag with a shout of joy, and it was full of the small fish I hadn''t collected earlier.


    ''''Well that''s good to know.


    I had a few mixed emotions, but I didn''t think it was worth mentioning to a delighted Amur, so we walked back to the carriage together, talking about bland things.


    When we got back to the carriage, Slarin, who was standing guard on the roof, was looking at us as if he wanted to say something. Apparently, Slarin knows how easily Amur was able to catch the fish. However, Slarin is an air-readable slime, so he didn''t try to tell Amur about it.


    ''Ooh, that''s a lot! Shamefully, there''s almost zero for me.


    I''m the same way. It seems that small animals and demons have found this area to be a danger zone.


    The two of them were gathering wildflowers that they could eat well while talking about such things. Moreover, they were things like nobile, lily pads, dandelions and honeydew, all of which were easy to prepare. Just to be sure, I confirmed the presence or absence of poison in the ''appraisal'', but there seemed to be no problem.


    I also killed a big fish, but today we can cook with Amur''s fish and the wildflowers the two of us picked up.


    Many of the fish Amur caught were things like chaya and crucian carp. So the huna were lowered into three pieces and exposed to water to get a little bit of the muddy smell, and the chaya were gutted and shaken lightly with salt, and a few of them were put together on a single skewer.


    ''Grandpa, make sure you wash the lily pads and nobile well. Blanca and Amur will make two kamadoes and ask them to start the fire. Once the kamado is made, put a pot of oil and a pot of water on the fire.


    I''ll give instructions to each of them and proceed to prepare the food. Today''s menu doesn''t use any meat, so Shiroumaru and his friends may not have enough, but they''ll have to put up with it since they''ll be using the carp and salmon.


    Now it''s done.


    Within an hour of starting to cook, we were able to make a few dishes. The menu consisted mostly of boiled wildflowers and fried or baked fish, but with several different flavors, so it wasn''t the kind of food you''d eat in an encampment.


    ''And there''s a little bit of booze, too. I only made enough for each of us to have one drink, just in case.


    Even though it''s called liquor, it''s distilled liquor mixed with more water, so you won''t get drunk unless you''re very weak on liquor. At least, it''s made so thick that grandpa and Blanca can say that there''s no way they''ll ever get drunk with this much alcohol.


    I took the liquor out of the magic bag, and sure enough, Grandpa and Blanca poured the liquor into the cups as if they were fighting to get ahead of me. Well, since the food in front of us is all the kind of stuff that can be used as a snack, I can''t help but say that it''s inevitable.


    In the end, the two of us drank a portion of the liquor for me and Amur, and ate only the most flavorful of the dishes.


    ''''It''s the night shift today, but is it okay if the first one is Blanca, the second one is me, and the last one is Grandpa and Amur?''''


    Normally, the theory is to bring the most experienced person as the second most burdensome, I thought, but I chose Blanca as the first because she was the longest serving person in the daytime and could sleep longer, and Grandpa as the third because he wanted to pair her up with Amur, who was the least experienced.


    I told them the reason and got their approval, so we each began to prepare for the night. By the way, I made a few impasses for this trip, so I was able to secure separate spaces for men and women. Well, I say space, but it''s a simple thing, so we had to be careful about a lot of things, but even so, the mental burden (mainly on me) was significantly reduced. At any rate, Amour would deliberately try to undress in front of me or peek at me to see if I was changing. When this happens, I try to escape to the bathroom, but only then can I escape to the bathroom because either Grandpa or Blanca is using the toilet. He''s a promising newcomer who has nearly double-digit success, even on his debut day.


    It''s time to go to bed. What are you two going to do?


    I''ll stay up for a bit longer because I have a few questions for Blanca.


    So I''m awake, too.


    ''No, girl, go to bed. What''s the point of creating anxiety if you''re just unfamiliar with the encampment?


    When Amur tried to sit back down, Blanca blackmailed him and forced him to go to the carriage. Reluctantly obeying, Amur turned around several times as if he wanted us to stop him until we reached the carriage, but each time Blanca glared at him and made him move his feet forward.


    ''So what does Temma want to hear? Well, that''s pretty much a given.


    Blanca, who seems to have an idea of what I want to hear, seems to have deliberately chased Amour away with harsh words.


    Well, I think I''m probably right in my estimation. The question I want to ask is about Amur''s family. Amur says he''s going to marry me, but it''s not going to be so easy for the Viscount''s daughter, is it? If I''m not good at it, I think I''m going to displease my father, Viscount Lobo.


    Honestly, for me personally, it doesn''t matter if someone I''ve never met hates me, even if it''s Amour''s father and Viscount, I don''t care if he hates me. But as long as I''m going as a messenger from the royal family, the fact that I''m going to displease Viscount Lobo means that the relationship between the royal family and the viscount may deteriorate. If this is just a Viscount, there''s no problem, but I''ve heard that Viscount Lobo is like a person who is the organizer of the Southern Autonomous Region. In other words, he has too much power for a viscount.


    ''''Well, to put it bluntly, my brother-in-law (Ani) will be hostile to Tenma. That man dotes on Amur. Early on, he''s not able to get rid of his children. That''s why I think Amur is going to be so hard on Tenma, for whom he has feelings for. Give up on that. But I can tell you this. The Southern Autonomous Region will not be hostile to the Royal Family.


    I was surprised at Blanca''s clear statement, but I was a little relieved to hear that she would not be hostile to me once and for all.


    What makes you so sure?


    It''s simple. I won''t let you. If you did, I''d stop you, even if it meant stabbing your brother-in-law in the back. I don''t need to know which is heavier, my brother-in-law''s selfishness or the lives of the inhabitants of the southern region. Well, I think my sister-in-law (Ane) would stop him before that. She doesn''t have any respect for her sister-in-law, and her sister-in-law is stronger than him. Besides, although my brother-in-law is the heir to the viscount, my sister-in-law''s bloodline is more direct. My brother-in-law is like a son-in-law.


    I''ve been told that even if Viscount Lobo seriously revolted against the royal family, the residents would still side with his wife. In the first place, there is no chance that Viscount Lobo will force Amur to dislike him.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the next few weeks. That''s how much they look like each other.


    The last information is just a cause for concern for me, but I heard that she has normal common sense, so I don''t have to worry too much about that.


    I''m glad to hear that Amur''s mother has common sense. And I want to ask you one more thing, what kind of person is Amour''s great-grandfather, Grandpa Kay?


    In my mind, the only thing I can think of when I say "Cage, Tora, and the Big Man" is that Sengoku-era leaning man who is most famous in Japan. It''s possible that he may be a fan of that leaning man, but either way, there''s a good chance that he''s a reincarnation like me.


    It makes me wonder how such a senior reincarnate from another world has lived. I don''t think he told me he was a reincarnated person, but I wanted to know if there was anything in common between me and Kayiji that I could use as a reference. By the way, I haven''t counted Namitaro, who is also a senior member of the same otherworldly reincarnation, and I don''t plan to include him in the future because I don''t think he can be very helpful.


    ''Well, simply put, he''s the most powerful man in Southern history. And this is my personal opinion, but I also think he''s the strongest man in the history of beastmen. Even if I had two ... no, even if there were three of me, I wouldn''t be able to beat that man in his prime. He''s enough of a man to make you think so.


    Judging from Blanca''s expression, it seems that he is not exaggerating.


    There are no absolutes in a fight, and since they are compatible with each other, it may not be that they are generally three times stronger than Blanca, but it still shows that he is a substandard man.


    By the way let me ask you... if me and Grandpa Kay fought, who do you think would win?


    I asked him a stupid question, and Branca looked at me with a difficult look on his face, thinking seriously.


    ''It depends on the situation, but in a one-on-one fight, if it''s a close fight, it''s nine to one for Grandpa Kay. If you fight from a distance, it''s seven to three to Tenma. That''s just in my own imagination.


    So in Branca''s opinion, me and Grandpa Kay, I''ve concluded that Grandpa Kay is stronger overall.


    I don''t think I''m the strongest ever, but I couldn''t believe it for a minute. Of course, I don''t think Blanca is being patronizing, and I don''t think it''s far off that Blanca (a competent person), who knows both, would say that after much deliberation. But it''s still true that I thought he was the best ever if only for his talent in this world. After all, it was a talent given to me directly by the gods of this world. Moreover, they each packed multiple abilities into it.


    So I took a slightly different angle. Let''s assume that this world''s physical abilities are slightly inferior to Grandpa Kay''s, but his talents are superior. Then they should be close to even in overall ability. In other words, I think the cause of the difference is not in this world, but in his previous life.


    So if the identity of Grandpa Kay is who I think it is, then the difference between the two can''t be helped. I have been taught by various masters in my previous life, but that was in a peaceful time. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more information on this topic.


    ''Have I offended you?''


    Seeing me thinking about it, Blanca called out to me that, but when I put my thoughts together in my own way, it all made sense.


    ''No, if Blanca says so, then it must be true. But, you know, if Grandpa Kay, the one Branca used for comparison, is in his prime and I''m still growing up, then it means that we still have a chance to turn the tables, right?


    It might be ridiculous to compare his abilities with those of the past, but it was still frustrating to lose, even if it was imaginary for Blanca to be there.


    ''''Guhahahaha! That''s for sure. I may know Grandpa Kay in his prime, but I don''t know about Temma in his prime!


    Blanca heard my words and let out a bold laugh. It was so loud around me that a sleepy-eyed Amur even threw his weapon, a spear, at me while leaning out of the carriage window.


    ''''Huh~ That was a close call. Even though I was half asleep, you aimed precisely between my eyes. Surprisingly, the lady''s accuracy of hitting the target is better when she''s sleepy.


    Despite his words, Blanca easily grabbed Amur''s spear and thrust it into the ground nearby with a spare face.


    ''''Is it about time for a change? Okay, Temma, take care of the rest.


    Due to the fact that I continued to talk to Blanca directly after the Amur spear incident, it was time for me to keep an eye on her. Well, since I''m in charge for at most three hours, there''s no problem if I continue to stay awake. It''s better than sleeping halfway through and then keeping watch.


    ''''But you''re a little stiff from sitting around. Let''s do some light exercise.


    I didn''t want to make too much noise or get too enthusiastic about the exercise, so I passed the time by doing radio exercises and walking around the area in a circle around the carriage.


    As I was doing the radio exercises for the second time, I saw that the time for the change of guards was approaching.


    ''What are you doing, Temma?


    Grandpa didn''t know what radio exercises were, so he seemed to think I was doing something strange again, but he soon realized it was to relax his body and started doing them, asking me how to do them.


    ''Huh? Why is my spear here?


    As soon as Grandpa finished his radio exercises, Amour''s consciousness, which had been sleepy until then, seemed to be fully awakened, and he noticed the spear that Blanca had thrust up and made a strange face.

 143-Chapter 9-2 Goblin Hunting and Shiromaru

    ''Temma, that village in front of the mountainside is where we''re going to be today. It''s still quite some time before nightfall, but after that place, all we have left to do is camp out.


    As he said this, Blanca pointed to the village. I had originally left the resting place for the journey to Branca, so I just nodded and sent Raiden towards it.


    It had taken us more than two weeks to get here, and we wanted to get to a safe place to rest and relax. Incidentally, this was a village that was already in the Southern Autonomous Region and existed roughly two-thirds of the way from Seigen to the destination of the journey.


    The destination village is not very large, but I heard that the nearby mountains are a treasure trove of resources, and unusually for a village, an adventurer''s guild has been placed here. Well, it seems that most of the adventurers who come here are just starting out or low-ranking adventurers, and the building itself is small compared to a guild. On the other hand, since most of them come by carriage, the grounds are said to be large.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one. There''s a group of guys, all stiffly armed, guarding the entrance.......did you do something?


    I don''t care! I''m going to go talk to you for a bit, so pull over away from the entrance.


    I brought Raiden to a halt about a hundred meters away from the entrance, as he might be on the lookout for Raiden.


    As soon as Raiden stopped, Blanca got out of the carriage and ran to the entrance. The people at the entrance seemed surprised at first to see Blanca rushing up to him and pointing the weapons he was holding at him, but he quickly lowered his weapons and bowed his head.


    Blanca let those people raise their heads and occasionally pointed in our direction and said something to them. Eventually, some of the people at the entrance ran into the village, and Blanca came back to the carriage.


    ''What''s going on?''


    ''Yeah, apparently this village is involved in some nasty stuff. Because of this, they are on high alert. In such a situation, because of the approach of a carriage drawn by a demonic horse, they were alerted with all their might.


    The troublesome thing is bothering him, but Blanca has decided to rest in this village as planned. The fact that she decided to do so despite the presence of Amur means that she has decided that it is not that dangerous.


    ''''For the time being, is it okay to continue to advance Raiden into the village?


    ''Yeah, once you''re inside, head straight for the red-roofed building that''s straight ahead.


    Got it.


    As I followed Blanca''s instructions and proceeded through Raiden, I soon came to a building with a red roof. The building was a log cabin-like building with a sign hanging above the entrance that read ''Adventurer''s Guild''.


    The village chief and the guild leader spoke to me. The village chief and the guild leader have a word with you.


    So you want us to help you deal with the problems in your village, is that it?


    I''m sorry.


    ''Well, fine. You decided that since it was Blanca anyway, we''d be okay with it, right?


    ''I''m sorry about my Blanca. She''s a bad boy, so forgive me, guh!


    ''I''m really sorry for Temma and the others, but I don''t think about you as far as your daughter is concerned, so don''t get carried away.


    Amur was joking around next to Blanca, who was flat out apologizing to me and my grandpa, and sure enough, Blanca''s fist fell on Amur''s head. It''s a familiar sight every time, but Amur never really learns about this.


    After watching the two men ramble, we all walked into the guild together and found two men at the biggest table. As soon as they noticed us, they stood up and bowed their heads.


    ''''This is the village chief of this village, and next to him is the head of the guild.''''


    The man who was introduced as the village chief has a much lonely head, but has a stocky body on the other hand. The guild leader next to him is a slender man and seems a bit unreliable. If I hadn''t asked Blanca to tell me, I would have mistaken their titles for each other.


    ''''I''m sorry to be so quick, but I need to hear the details. All I''ve heard is that there''s a massive outbreak of demons in the mountains at the entrance too.


    Blanca said that and tried to listen to the story, but we had never even heard of it before. Well, there was no point in pursuing that here, so we didn''t say anything, but Branca noticed the way me and Grandpa were looking at him, and he lowered his head again. And Amur was about to say something again, but Blanca had blocked his mouth.


    ''I''m sorry. For what it''s worth, the whole village is in a flurry. It''s the goblins that are causing the mass outbreak.


    Goblins?


    There was a hint of surprise in Blanca''s voice. Perhaps he was wondering why he was so upset with the goblins rather than the increase in the number of goblins.


    It was true that if there was a large number of goblins, it would be difficult for an ordinary villager to deal with them. However, with a few adventurers with C-ranked strength and a few villagers who can fight, they could handle a hundred or two hundred goblins.


    As if he could see that we were wondering, the guild leader spoke up in place of the village chief this time.


    ''You''d certainly think it was only goblins, but that pack of goblins isn''t normal. There are more than five hundred of them just confirmed. And the biggest problem is that the one leading that herd is the ''Goblin King''. Moreover, the existence of other high-ranking species has been confirmed. In this case, even the Goblins'' difficulty level rises dramatically, and you need at least multiple parties with a B rank or higher.


    So the guild leader has asked the city where Viscount Lobo lives for help. But he says it will be a few more days at the earliest before they arrive, and in the meantime, he wants us to stay here in the village to help.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s a lot faster and more reliable for us to go and defeat them.


    Even if there are more than five hundred goblins, they''re just goblins. Even the top-ranked kings are said to be about B- in terms of rank, so the four of us here can defeat them with no problem... or rather, we can probably drive the flock itself to destruction. Even if I let them escape, I can still find them using my ''search''.


    It''s true, but the question is what to do to protect this village. Even if we were able to destroy it, if the remnants invade this village, you can be sure that there will be damage, right?


    That will be all right. "The Temma has dozens of golems, and Slarin and Shiroumaru are there as well. If the villagers are evacuated as a group and the golems are placed around them as a precaution, they will be well protected.


    ''Also, if we leave Slarin in the village as commander of the golems and Raiden in the raid, that should give at least one of us time to get back.


    ''Then you''ll be okay. Village chief, guild leader, is there a place in this village that could accommodate all the villagers?


    The head of the village and the guild leader looked pokey at our conversation, but then Branca abruptly turned the conversation around and said, after a moment of being at a loss for words, that this adventurer''s guild and the nearby meeting hall could accommodate everyone in the village.


    ''''Then let them evacuate at once. We''ll finish our preparations before the evacuation is complete, and then we''ll head out to defeat them immediately.


    With that, we left the Adventurer''s Guild and headed for the carriage. When we got out of the Adventurer''s Guild, there were some villagers outside that we hadn''t seen before. Apparently, they came out to catch a glimpse of Raiden and Shiroumaru.


    ''''It''s only in the Southern Autonomous Region that the villagers are all beastmen.


    ''Well, yes. If you go to a larger village or city, it''s not uncommon to see non-beastmen, but in a small village like this one, they''re all people who have lived here for a long time.


    When the villagers noticed us, they bailed lightly. Blanca seemed to know some of the villagers and told them to explain the situation and start evacuating, asking them to tell the other villagers as well.


    Then let''s start the discussion. I''m going to leave Slarin and Raiden in the village, while Gol and Jill stay in the carriage. I''m thinking of leaving Slarin and Raiden in the village, Gol and Jill waiting in the carriage, while the rest of us head out to defeat them, but what do you guys think?


    It won''t be a problem.


    No.


    I''m fine.


    This place went according to the original plan. As for the golems, I decided to send eight large ones, sixteen medium ones, and forty small ones to guard the shelter. In addition, ten medium-sized golems were placed both inside and outside the village, and all the golems were assigned to me as the first in command and Slarin as the second. The Slarin are ranked second, but since I''m leaving the village to take them down, they are effectively first. This would be a good idea to put me in first place, but I always do this when I give someone command authority because if I don''t put me in first place, it will be more work to add or fix things, so I always do this when I give someone command authority.


    Once Slarin was briefed, he climbed up on top of the Adventurer''s Guild and began to preview the surroundings. The Adventurer''s Guild building was the tallest building in this area, so it was just right for him to look around.


    ''''It looks like the evacuation will be complete by now. Then, after placing the golem and greeting the village chiefs, let''s head into the forest. Everyone''s ready.


    Of course.


    Oh!


    I''m ready to go!


    Grandpa is dressed in his usual attire and equipped with his beloved staff. He has the heaviest weapon among the members, though he can swing it as many times as he likes (which seems a bit odd considering his age), and he uses his flying magic to get there from the air, so he won''t be late to the rest of the group.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it. It''s a good idea to have the shortsword engraved with the family crest of the Ootori family (without the Nami Taro) so that they can be identified as my associates. It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who has been given to you by me, but if you use this engraving without my permission, or if you obtain it for any reason other than that I gave it to you and misuse it, you''ll be punished, depending on the degree.


    In addition to the usual tiger equipment, Amur is going to go with the short sword and machete I gave him. His beloved spear is difficult to maneuver in the forest and the spare spear he has a few of is long, so he won''t be using it this time.


    Lastly, it''s me, but instead of my usual armor, I''m wearing a vest-like jacket made from Seigen over my clothes. This vest looks less durable at first glance, but it''s actually stronger than regular armor because it''s made entirely of bicorn leather and has a thin mithril plate inside the chest and back area. This vest has a number of pockets inside and out, so I''ve put my shuriken in there. And I have attached a belt pouch and a waist pouch, and I have put my shuriken and kunai in there as well. It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family. It''s a good idea to try out shuriken and kunai in practice.


    Then let''s get going. You all remember where your flock is, don''t you? Shiroumaru goes behind the herd with me. Grandpa and Solomon, run into the herd from the sky. Blanca and Amur will go to the front, please. The order is Grandpa and the others after Blanca and the others rush in. At that point, I think the higher species will either pounce on everyone or run away. If they go at everyone, me and Shiroumaru will focus on reducing the number of small fry, but if they run away, we''ll go after the higher-ranking species. As long as we''re dealing with the higher-ranked species, you''re going to keep reducing the small fry. As soon as the top species are wiped out, the herd should start to run down. You can''t blame them for running away for a while, but don''t let the higher-ranked ones get away. Also, Grandpa and Solomon, don''t use broad-spectrum magic by mistake. If we destroy this whole area instead of the goblins, it will be useless.


    Roger that....


    Cui....


    Grandpa and Solomon replied in a depressed voice, as if they were thinking of making a spectacular appearance.


    Ignoring the two of them, we made a final confirmation of our plan and Shiroumaru and I stepped into the forest ahead of them. The place where the guild confirmed the location of the goblin herd is about 5km from the village, but when I checked it out with my ''search'', it was more than a kilometer closer to the village than the position the guild had found. Moreover, they have cut down the trees to make a place where they can rest with a group. Maybe they were planning to use it as a base to launch an attack today or tomorrow.


    The only way to get close is to go around the mountain. If we take the planned route, we might run into a goblin scout.


    "Won.


    I took a little detour to get behind the herd and hid myself in a place where I could easily see the area. I decided to constantly expand my ''search'' at that place. According to this information, the goblins that seemed to be kings and higher-ranking species seemed to be camped in the center of the pack, and the more you go outside, the weaker the goblins seemed to become.


    ''''They''re here!''''


    At the same time I muttered, Grandpa and Solomon descended from the sky. Since we were fighting in the woods, Grandpa had sealed off his fire magic and fired a series of wind magic. Solomon aimed at the goblins outside the range of Grandpa''s magic and repeatedly swooped down from the sky to hunt the goblins.


    About the time the goblins'' attention turned to Grandpa and the others, this time Blanca and Amur attacked them from the front. The goblins are now in the form of a rear-end attack, and dozens of them are flying in the air with their bodies dismembered without being able to react well.


    Just when I thought it would be possible to end up with just Grandpa and the others, Blanca and Amur stopped moving and Grandpa began to be surrounded by goblins as well.


    ''''The higher species has gone. I still think it would only buy us time but that''s how it is. Shiroumaru, it looks like it''s time to go.


    Augh?


    Shiroumaru, who was too bored and depressed, stood up while making a dumb voice. While lightly patting Shiroumaru on the back, I pointed to where the goblin pack was.


    ''It looks like the King is fleeing this place with a few guards. It looks like he''s wise enough to use that entire pack as a distraction.


    Just as he said this, a singularly large-bodied goblin with a few higher species emerged from the bushes.


    ''''Shiroumaru, say hello to them. If I''m wrong, here........


    The goblin kings seemed to buckle under Shiroumaru''s greeting, which seemed to echo all the way to the village. In their hunched over state, the kings were trying to run away, bumping into each other and getting caught in the vines of the trees they were scrambling through. However, the person who suffered the most from the sound of Shiroumaru''s cries was undoubtedly me, who was to be heard right beside him. In addition to the ringing in my ears, I''ve been feeling dizzy and unable to stand up straight.


    ''''Ugh, my legs are tangled.......Shiroumaru, not right next to me, you barked before I said, ''Bark right in front of them.......''


    Kuhnkuhnkuhn.


    Shiroumaru, who had flown off before he finished listening to my instructions, sounded hungry and begged for forgiveness.


    You''ll be punished when you get back, Shiroumaru. However, if I lose in the number of goblins I defeat (...) there will be no punishment!


    Gawgaw!


    Once I had regained my equilibrium, I made my condition to Shiroumaru and then plunged into the Kings. Shiroumaru, due to the fact that he was on his back, started much later than I did, and he started to run, sounding quite impatient.


    ''First one! Then the second one!


    I threw my shuriken at the goblins that were still hunched over, taking the lives of the higher species in rapid succession. Shiroumaru also lagged behind me, swinging his paws and slicing through one or two of them.


    ''''Well, the other one... oops...''''


    I checked the results of Shiroumaru''s battle and took a big step backward as I was about to kill another one. Where I had jumped back, a large club had been slammed into the ground, making a hole in the ground.


    The culprit was a Goblin King. It seems to be different from other high-ranking species, and was quick to regain its stance.


    Not exactly a king but still!


    King pulled out his club with force and was about to swing it again, but I quickly took out my sword and cut it off as soon as I stepped on his arm, and cut off his head with the returning sword.


    ''Good. I guess that''s it.


    Now that we''ve finished defeating our biggest target, the King and the higher-ranking species of his cronies, this herd is over. Even if we missed the rest, the goblins that escaped wouldn''t be enough to create a swarm that would be a threat.


    ''''Shiroumaru''s battle record is.......three of them?''''


    On!


    So it''s a draw and I''m sorry to hear that, Shiroumaru.


    "One?


    Why? But if I lost, it was to avoid punishment, and my condition was to ''defeat more goblins than me''. A draw means I didn''t lose, so Shiroumaru failed to avoid the spanking.


    ''''Wah~n.''''


    Shiroumaru put on a face that he had just realized this and ran into the forest. Perhaps he went to take down the goblins that were swarming the grandfather and the others.


    After I retrieved the King''s corpses, I hurried to join the others, and was greeted by a devastated-looking Shiroumaru, a rampaging three and Solomon, and an army of goblin corpses.


    ''Temma, Shiroumaru''s depressed, what''s going on?''


    When Amur noticed me, he came trotting up to me and visited me, pointing at Shiroumaru. So when I told him about the terms I had given to Shiroumaru, Grandpa and Blanca were sympathetic to Shiroumaru, but Amur and Solomon laughed.


    ''Guru........Guru?''


    Shiroumaru thought he was staring at them with zit eyes, but then he noticed something and started to run.


    Shiroumaru came back a short time later, dragging a goblin corpse with a wooden vine wrapped around it. The corpse of the goblin that Shiroumaru dragged is one piece, which probably means that he has surpassed me with this. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I''m sure it''s not a bad idea to have a dirty goblin in your mouth.


    ''But that voice was still Shiroumaru. For a moment, I was surprised that another demon had appeared. But the goblins were even more surprised and frightened than we were.


    Blanca began to talk about the time she was happily slaughtering the goblins.


    ''I''d like to hear what Temma has to say, but wouldn''t it be better to collect the goblin bodies first? If we leave you here alone, you might attract another demon.


    You two, get to work!


    At Grandpa''s words, Amur, who was about to join me and Blanca''s conversation, was the first to begin collecting the goblin corpses. We chuckled at Amur and decided to join him in collecting the goblins, but since there are so many of them, we decided to send out some golems to help.


    However, even though I was collecting the corpses of the goblins, the important goblins were quite likely to have their bodies dismembered, and it was quite a task to pick them all up. Therefore, I decided to focus on collecting the body, which contains the magic core, the only material for goblins, and the ears, which are the proof of their defeat, while I dug a hole for the rest of them and threw them away at random. Even with this alone, it was quite easy, and the speed of the work had increased considerably.


    ''''It''s time to burn it.


    I''m ready.


    With everything sorted and collected, I used magic to burn the goblins that were dumped in the hole to dispose of them. When everything was reduced to ashes, I covered the soil with it, being careful not to scatter it, and finally, I used water magic to wet the surroundings. This was a precaution because if the fire was smoldering in the soil, it could cause a wildfire.


    We had nothing more to do here, so we decided to go back to the village. We didn''t expect the unexpected to happen on the way back.


    "There''s a survivor.


    Yes, I encountered a group of surviving goblins. I was the first to notice the gang and used my shuriken to destroy them in seconds, but the total number of goblins I destroyed was ten. That means I''ve outnumbered Shiroumaru by a huge reversal. In order for Shiroumar to surpass me again, he would have to find ten goblins.


    Shiroumar was shocked by this fact and was frantically sniffing the scent of the surroundings, but since I couldn''t find any shadows or shapes of goblins in my ''search'', the goblins that had gathered in this area were the last of the goblins that had gathered in this area earlier.


    No matter what I said, Shiroumaru didn''t try to stop looking for goblins, so he finally stopped looking for them after I told him that that group was the result of overtime and that I''d give them no count.

 144-Chapter 9-3 Encounters

    But Temma, are you sure that was a good idea?


    Blanca mentioned the magical core of goblins that attacked the village.


    When we returned to the village after defeating the goblins, the first thing we did was to go to the head of the village and the head of the guild and tell them that we had nearly wiped them out and that the danger was over. As a result, the villagers were very pleased with us, and we were invited to be the guest of honor at a banquet for the whole village.


    We''ve been fed so much food, a goblin''s magical core is nothing to sneeze at. I''ve been thinking about the amount of food that Shiroumaru and his friends have consumed, I might even have to pay for it. It''s not only that, but they didn''t accept the magic core of the king and other higher species.


    Well, when you put it that way I don''t know how many servings the young lady has had.


    Blanca sighed as she remembered how much Amur had eaten.


    It was Shiroumaru, Solomon, and Amur, and they had eaten nearly half of the food the villagers had offered us.


    The villagers were smiling at the way they ate, but for me and Blanca, it was a headache. By the way, as for my grandfather, he was doing a drinking contest with the villagers and sinking every single person who challenged him, which was a headache in a different way. The fallen people were made to drink water and cast a recovery spell, so no one managed to become an acute alcoholic, but there''s no doubt that they would have been in trouble if they made a mistake.


    So as punishment, I made Shiroumaru and Solomon check the direction of the carriage''s travel and whether there were any demons around, while Grandpa and Amur would have to take turns being a gyoza all day long.


    It wasn''t much of a punishment, but I still had to make them do it, or else me and Blanca wouldn''t feel good about it. Well, I don''t think that''s part of the punishment for Grandpa and the others.


    ''I hope they''ll feel a little remorse after today.


    Sure, just a little bit. Wow!


    The moment Blanca was about to agree with me, the speed of the carriage suddenly increased. Thanks to the various modifications to this carriage, it was built in such a way that it didn''t feel a bit of shaking or shock, so this was not something that would be normal.


    ''''What''s going on?!''''


    Grandpa, Amur, what happened?


    I was about to open the window behind the groom''s seat and ask my grandpa and his friends what was going on, when I involuntarily lost my voice. At any rate.


    Mm, we can''t catch up to Shiroumaru.


    Not even Raiden could compete with a carriage in tow.


    In the unlikely event that these two started racing with Shiroumaru, who was running alongside them. No matter how flat it was, if they kept going at this kind of speed, the carriage, especially the wheels, would soon break down.


    ''''We''re still going to have to make the next descent!


    All right, let''s go.


    Hey.


    "Whoa!


    Me and Blanca stopped them by grabbing them by their back collars as they tried to fly tautly. The two of them made a ''sh*t'' face and made Raiden brake suddenly. As a result.........


    Noooooooooo!


    Noooooooo!


    We were both thrown to the front of the carriage. And me and Blanca were slammed against the window too.


    ''Tsk-uh...''


    Hey!


    It was me and Blanca holding our faces together, but it seems that Grandpa and Amur did more damage than we did. The two of them are sprawled out on the ground beside Raiden, holding his face.


    ''Blanca,''


    I''m sorry. Thank you.


    After I cast a recovery spell on my own face, I used the same spell on Blanca. Both of them were just bruised and their noses were only bleeding, so a light spell was enough to heal them.


    You''re not going to be able to find out what you want to say. Especially grandpa. Grandpa would have a pretty good idea of the strength of this carriage if he saw it, right?


    ''Miss, this is.......too much this time! You don''t have the words reflection and learning in your head!


    Me and Blanca made Grandpa and Amur sit upright on the ground, and we both scolded them as hard as we could. The two of them must have felt that a poor rebuttal was a bad idea, so they remained silent and quiet until the end. However, Amur''s legs were numb while he was being scolded and his concentration was lacking, but he managed to endure the scolding.


    ''''Oh, I can''t walk... Shilomar, stop it! Solomon, House!


    Unable to stand up properly due to the numbness in his feet, Amur was gradually walking towards the carriage, using his spear as a substitute for his staff, but Shiroumaru and Solomon, who thought he was playing with them, were poking Amur''s feet with their noses. And since Amur''s resistance was weaker than usual, the two animals were on a roll. Because of this, Amur had fallen over and over again.


    ''Fuu, you''re not done yet.


    For some reason, when Grandpa saw Amur''s condition, he looked triumphant and headed towards the carriage. However.


    ''Shiroumaru, Solomon, Grandpa wants to play with you! And they''re going to give you a snack too!


    "What are you talking about, Temma! Hey, that''s not coming! Noooooooo!


    I knew it. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the best out of it. And since it''s easy to find out that it''s a recovery magic, he used his floating magic to float along the ground, casually using his staff to move around.


    I''m not going to be able to get it right. If you''re going to go that far, why don''t you just use your normal recovery magic?


    "I''m sorry, get these guys off my back~~!


    There was no point in staying here forever, so I pulled Shiroumaru and Solomon away from Grandpa with the bait, and while I was at it, I put a recovery spell on their legs.


    As punishment for this, you and I will stand guard at night until we reach Viscount Lobo''s city, alone.


    From here, it would take us about a week to get to the city, so I decided to issue a harsh punishment.


    If you''re an adventurer like my grandfather, you''ve probably experienced this many times before, but since you have to support Amur, the burden will be much higher. The inexperienced Amur''s would go without saying.


    ''''Sorry........''''


    They both said just that one word and trotted off to the governor''s seat. Shiroumaru and Solomon also began to move toward the front of the carriage, so I told them to slow down and come to me, even if Grandpa and Amur were trying to compete with each other. I don''t expect them to repeat it again right away because they''re pissed off, but it''s just a precautionary instruction because it''s possible that their speed may naturally increase in the form of a competition.


    Three days after such a thing happened, the carriage came to a sudden stop again. Since then, the two of them had been trying to drive safely, so maybe something had happened this time.


    ''Grandpa, what happened?''


    There''s a group of armed men coming toward us. They are so far ahead that they probably don''t even notice us.


    While saying this, Grandpa made a telescope like shape with his right hand and put it to one eye to look at the distance. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    I used my "search" to check it out and found a group of about fifty people about three kilometers away. When I used ''appraisal'' on one of them, it was a regular beastman soldier belonging to the target city.


    ''''I see something else... or rather, tell me what that magic is.''''


    It''s a good idea to keep the "search" and "appraisal" secret, so the telescope-like magic that grandpa uses is just right for a cover. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it easier for you to learn. It''s a good thing that you have a good idea of what you''re doing. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it. Well, even if the magic is quite inaccurate, it is said that almost everyone who can use them belongs to the nobility or the underworld. Moreover, they don''t announce their existence, and most of the time they don''t. At any rate, even if they are inaccurate, they can easily be used to commit crimes, and they can also be used to seize on the weaknesses of the opponents, so they are either surrounded in secret or dealt with. By the way, I''ve used it many times, but this is something that can be done because of the ''concealment'', if they find out that I''m using ''search'' or ''appraisal'', I could be labeled a criminal if I''m not good at it. It''s because the secret passages in the castle and the personal information (age and ability) of the kings are classified as the most important secrets. Well, those people might be able to get away with a few complaints, but the people around them will be noisy. Especially the reformers.


    It''s a bit of a digression, but that''s why I haven''t told my grandfather either.


    ''Well, it''s not a difficult spell to get used to. Theoretically, it''s like putting a ward on both ends of a hand that imitates a tube. And that''s the best way to do it, but...


    Oh, there you go. Thanks, Grandpa.


    Nuh-uh!


    From my grandfather''s explanation, it occurred to me that I could take a tube made by hand and turn it into a telescope using a ward. Simply put, I thought of the boundaries as a glass-like object, and made convex and concave lenses, and fitted them into the two ends of the hand-made tube. It''s the first time I''ve done this, so it''s not very accurate, but after a lot of fine tuning and strengthening with magic, it was no longer a problem.


    You know how many years it took me to master this magic?


    We''ll hear about it later. Blanca, Amour, and probably the two people you know.


    Are you sure?


    Really?


    I''m sure there are many tiger beastmen, and the armor they wear is complete. And above all, there''s a woman at the front of the line who looks like Amur. I think it''s Amur''s sister or a relative of his.


    "Sister?


    Since they are both nodding their heads together, it may just be that their faces are similar, but as long as they come out as regular soldiers in the ''appraisal'', I think it''s fine to continue on. Even if you were to be interrogated, if you show the crest of the letter that Maria-sama entrusted to you, you shouldn''t be able to do anything poorly.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to get the letter and identity out of it, so I took over the driver''s seat with my grandfather and grabbed the reins of Raiden. I thought it would be easier for him to listen to me if a beastman of the same species as the soldiers sat beside me, and I tried to ask Blanca to do the job, but Amur insisted on refusing to give up his place to Blanca, so Amur and I sat in the driver''s seat and let Raiden advance toward the group coming from the front.


    You carriage, halt! You are the ones who came by way of the village beyond?


    If that''s the case, I''d like to ask you some questions about the village down the road.


    Two young tiger beastmen rushed up from the group when they noticed our approach. These two seemed to have come to determine who we were.


    ''''That''s right. That''s right, I''m an adventurer named Temma Ootori, who came to you at the request of a certain someone from Seigen. We need you to call your affiliation and the person in charge of your squad.


    The two beastmen looked at me suspiciously as I said this, but thanks to the crests of the Otori family that I showed them, and the crests of the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens that I showed them just in case, one of the beastmen ran to inform the person in charge of the group. At this time, they were quite suspicious because they gave the crests of the Otori family but refused to give the crests of the Dukes and Marquises. So the remaining one was blatantly wary of us. I just wondered why he was nodding his head when he saw Amur.


    ''Looking at it like this, it''s pretty impressive.


    From the corner of my eye, there was a group of beastmen coming towards us. Most of them were tiger beastmen, so they were all quite strong-looking, and they were so powerful that even the underworlders who were about to go into a hostile organization would turn pale and give way.


    ''''You''re the adventurer who called yourself Temma... I don''t know that you''re the Otori family or this family crest, but... hmm?''''


    For some reason, the tiger beast man at the front of the group stopped moving when he threw the Otori family crest over to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amur, who was snuggled up against me, and Blanca, who was peeking out of the window behind him.


    ''Why are Amour and Blanca with this little boy? I mean, get away from Amur, kid!


    Seeing the angry man with his fangs turned up, Amur pulls me even closer to him. I pushed Amur away from me by pushing his face away, but the man who saw that, now says, "What do you have to complain about Amur, kid! I said in contradiction to what I just said.


    ''Sorry Temma. That''s my brother-in-law, Lobo, Amur''s father. Also, what you said about being Amur''s sister is probably...


    Get out of here, you little f*cker.


    With me showing no signs of leaving at all (in fact, Amour grabbed his clothes and wouldn''t leave), the numbed-out Viscount Robo tried to jump on me, but


    Quiet!


    Ubofufu!


    Viscount Lobo was slammed into the ground from behind and his face was slumped to the ground.


    ''''I''m sorry,''''


    Seeing the woman apologize, Grandpa, who was peeking out from beside Blanca, said, "Are you Amour''s sister? I said. Then Blanca looked delicate and Amour started laughing hysterically.


    ''Nice joke!''


    The woman''s face seemed to pull back a little as Amur gave a thumbs up and smiled. Noticing that the woman had strained her hand on the spear, Blanca quietly pulled her face back into the carriage, but Amour didn''t seem to notice her surroundings, and continued on.


    That''s just making him look younger. And that''s what you are, a fine old lady-hello!


    A woman''s sharp blow pierced Amur''s forehead while he was laughing hysterically. The blow was so sharp that even I, who was beside Amur, could barely tell that he had moved. If this had been a blow aimed at me, I would have received a spear blow to the forehead and hit the back of my head on the wall behind me, just like Amur. That''s how amazing it was. The only saving grace would have been the spear''s stone-thrusting blow, pulling the spear back the moment it hit his forehead. If it hadn''t been for that, Amur would certainly have died out without writhing. Most likely, he would still be able to spare enough time to crack his skull.


    The first thing you need to do is to turn your forehead toward me, Amur, I''ll cast a recovery spell on you.


    Tenma I''m gonna fix it.


    Instead of kissing Amur''s forehead, which was a joke, I gave him a decopin instead. From the look of the decopin, Amour''s head didn''t seem to be in too bad shape (although the contents seemed to be the same as usual), so I treated it with an ointment instead of magic.


    ''Temma''s bad but I like it.


    Friend, please.


    "Amur is not for wives, gubbe!


    You''re so close.


    Viscount Lobo suddenly revived and fell into the ground again after the woman stepped on his head. This time he seems to have fallen deeper into the ground than before.


    "So, if this woman is not Amur''s sister, could it be?


    ''I''m Amur''s mother!


    We have to consider our age... ha!


    Shit, you missed.


    For me, I felt that Amur''s mother''s behavior was a bit deliberate, but not so much that I felt that much discomfort. However, it seemed to be full of discomfort for Amur, who is one of my relatives, and he unintentionally ran into her. And then, he immediately tipped his body to the side and took evasive action, this time dodging the sharp blow perfectly.


    Although Amur''s dodging makes it seem like there were no victims, in fact, there were solid victims...underneath Amur''s mother''s feet, Viscount Lobo was being used as a stepping stone. Head.........


    Dad, is he dead?


    It''s this good. You''ve got the best thing going for you: sturdiness.


    The mother and daughter were having a conversation while looking at Viscount Lobo, who was buried in the ground. I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that the position of Viscount Lobo is sadly low in that family.


    It''s a good thing that you''re the one Amur chose. So, shall we have a fight?


    The woman said, and for some reason she was happy to start preparing for it.

 145-Chapter 9-4 Request (half) achieved?

    How did this happen...


    Give up, Temma. It''s a disease. Many of the beastmen wish to test their strength.


    Grandpa was the only one who responded to my murmur, and the rest were cheering for me and Amur''s mother (called Hana-san), who was facing each other in great excitement.


    Hana-san, without paying attention to her surroundings, was wielding the spear with which she had submerged Viscount Lobo and Amur, and doing some sort of preparatory exercise, while I took out the stick I always use for practice and did a little exercise to lightly relax my body.


    To be honest, I don''t really have any intention of fighting Hana-san in earnest, but looking at that movement, I think I would lose with that kind of thinking. Amur and Blanca said they were the strongest among themselves, at least if they did it the same way they did when they fought Blanca, this time it wouldn''t take more than one arm.


    ''Are you ready?''


    Yes, sir.


    Okay, let''s get started. Blanca, please give us a sign.


    After that, chasing an unconscious opponent is also prohibited. We''ll stop if one of us gives up or I''m out of combat. Both sides, if you agree, take your positions and get ready.........then begin!


    All the time, Blanca checked the rules while making an apologetic look at me. In her mind, she probably wants it to be cancelled for some reason, but that convenient thing didn''t happen with the stones.


    ''''Say!''''


    Almost at the same time as Blanca''s hand was swung down, Hana-san thrust her spear out. There was only one shout, but there were actually three spear attacks, all of which were delivered within a breath.


    The first and second time I saw this attack (the first and second time was on Amur), so I expected this attack to come first. However, I didn''t expect to be poked three times at the same time, so I couldn''t set up a counter.


    ''''Huh? Missed...did you think I was going to miss it?


    Tsk.


    Hana-san didn''t expect to be completely dodged by the first move, or perhaps she was distracted from the attack for a moment. But that in itself seemed to be a trap, and she tried to intercept me with a spear side-nose as I tried to close the distance to exploit the gap.


    I tried to stop the attack by raising my stick as quickly as possible to prevent a direct hit, but I was forcefully sent flying. Being Amour''s mother, I had expected her to have quite a bit of muscle strength, but I hadn''t expected her to go this far.


    ''''Is it a little bad?''''


    You look like you have a lot of room for that, though, right?


    Hana-san replies to my lighthearted comments, but she also thrusts out while keeping her spear in time. Moreover, she changes her speed, so it''s hard to find the right moment to dive in.


    Against such an onslaught of Hana-san''s onslaught, I was gradually being made to drop back and began to fall behind.


    ''What''s the matter! You''re scared! You can''t just admit it like that!


    At this time, it was Viscount Lobo who was most excited. He saw that I couldn''t fight back, and he was fielding the fight as if he were the one fighting.


    ''''Shut up!''''


    Ugh!


    Suddenly, a stone smashed into Viscount Robo''s face, causing him to fall backwards and stop moving. Hana-san was the one who threw the stone, and apparently Hana-san also felt annoyed with Viscount Lobo. Moreover, as if to chase after the fallen Viscount, Amour brought out a rope from somewhere and tied him up. The first thing to do is to get rid of the problem, and then, after wrapping it up dozens of times to prevent it from unraveling, toss it far away as if it were trash.


    ''''Oh? You could have pounced on me right now.


    ''''I was kind of scared to take advantage of that opening, so I refrained from doing so. Well, partly because I was annoyed with the viscount, too.


    Amidst that commotion, I stopped moving as I was when the attack was interrupted and waited for the thing to end. Hana-san, perhaps amused by my actions and behavior, laughed and then took up her spear again.


    It''s like a partitioning process without a plan, but even so, as long as you can''t get into my pause, it will just be the same development as before.


    (His strength is on par with Blanca, and his instantaneous force is greater than Blanca''s. His nimbleness is equal to or greater than Amur''s...............It''s tricky)


    With that kind of analysis, I decided to take a gamble on one.


    So far, Hana-san''s attacks were launching thrusts when she was far away, and sidenagi if she tried to get close. Of these, she dodged the thrusts, but she could only receive all of the Yokonagi attacks with a stick, and besides, she couldn''t receive them completely and was sent flying.


    So, I decided to aim for a thrust that I could avoid, rather than Yokonagi, whose power is increased by centrifugal force. I narrowed down my aim, set the stick at the upper level and invited a thrust. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    ''''Seiyaaaaah!''''


    My strike, which I swung down with a shout of spiritedness, successfully missed Hana-san''s spear. Moreover, the stick that struck the ground with great force broke in two from around the middle.


    ''''I''m sorry!''''


    Hana-san, who seemed to know that her spear was being targeted, drew her spear as I attacked, and shortly after that she thrust again. However, I had assumed this situation as well (...).


    ''''Huh! Shoo!


    I half dodged the thrust and threw the stick in my hand at Hana-san. The tip of the stick is sharp from being knocked off and cannot be prevented by the arm. Sure enough, Hana-san twisted wide and dodged the stick, showing her first real opportunity.


    ''''Say!''''


    So I stepped on Hana-san''s spear and used the momentum to deliver a spinning kick. However, Hana-san let go of the spear as quickly as possible, and my kick only grazed Hana-san''s cheek.


    ''''Is this an even match in terms of spacing?''''


    But so far, it was just as I expected. Well, I was hoping that the kick just now would decide it, but the wholesaler wasn''t going to do so wholesale.


    ''You''ve read this far but hey, I like this pause too!


    Hana-san had closed the distance between the two of them and set up a close battle. As she said she liked it herself, the cut and power of the attack was perfect, but the attack itself was not so difficult to deal with, as it was a common sight in recent times.


    Amur.


    The answer is simple: it''s very similar to Amur''s attack. It was certainly better than Amur, but that in itself was to be expected, and he had won everything he had practiced with Amur in the first place. It was much easier to do than being fought with a spear.


    ''''Then how about this?''''


    Saying that, Hana-san grabbed my chest collar and the sleeve on the other side of it and tried to do a judo throwing technique, the inner thigh... but...


    Huh?


    I stuck my arm out and pulled back the leg that was about to be jumped up, which caused it to fly in the air in reverse. It''s what is called an inner thigh scooter.


    ''''........I surrender.


    When she put her aligned fingers around Hana''s neck as she was knocked to the ground, Hana immediately announced her surrender.


    ''There is a match! Winner, Temma!


    It was Blanca who declared my victory, but I could see in her expression that she was relieved that it was over without any particular incident.


    ''''This is still enough,''''


    Yeah. They''ve shown their strength.


    Hana smiled meaningfully as she helped Hana to help her body up.


    ''Te~n~ma~''


    Seeing this, Amur rushed towards us, so I half dodged it so as not to interrupt the father-son reunion, and then lightly pushed Amur in Hana-san''s direction and deflected him further.


    ''Oh my, a passionate embrace. But it hurts, Amur.


    Give. Give. Give.


    Hana-san lightly took Amur, who was bumping into her with a lot of momentum, and tightened Amur up with a bearhug, as if to return the embrace. Unable to resist, Amour gave up, but Hana-san did not let go of Amour.


    ''''Content........leaks.......''''


    When Amur was released a few minutes later, he was lying on the ground mumbling something, but no one seemed to be able to hear him except me and Hana-san who were nearby.


    ''Then I''m next. I''ll let you take Hana''s enemies!


    Come on, man, that''s enough.


    Let go of me, Blanca!


    Viscount Lobo came forward, but without a moment''s hesitation, Blanca stopped him with a feather in his cap. I''m very grateful. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get away with it. The request itself ends when I hand over the letter, but I don''t know what it says, and I want to stay quiet until I get a response at the very least.


    Despite my wishes, Amour and Hana-san began to get excited, whispering and talking about something. Somehow I had a bad feeling about this, so I turned away and was about to go back to the carriage, when I happened to see Blanca, who also happened to catch my eye, leaving Viscount Lobo with a similar look on her face, and started walking to the carriage.


    ''''I''ve made up my mind! I will make Temma the son-in-law of Amur!


    Mom, you look great!


    ""Phew!"


    I was so surprised that a strange voice escaped my mouth. Most of all, I wasn''t the only one who was surprised, Grandpa, Blanca and Viscount Lobo made strange sounds as well.


    ''''They''re both just the right age, and if they''re this strong, they deserve Amur. Of course Amur is good, right?''''


    Sure thing.


    Blanca is blue in the face while the two men are getting excited, and Viscount Lobo is blushing. Grandpa is counting something while folding his fingers, and the soldiers surrounding him are engaged in some kind of betting game. In the midst of all that.


    I''m getting more and more eager to fight, kid.


    Viscount Lobo came up behind me, placed his arm on my shoulder and smiled. But his face was bright red, his eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was smeared with blood. I couldn''t help but say, "Red devil! I even almost ran into him.


    ''You, don''t put such a scary face near Amur''s son-in-law.


    I don''t recognize you!


    As soon as Viscount Lobo shouted, the hand placed on my shoulder strained and his fingers dug into my shoulder. It was too painful, and I was so angry at being caught up in all the trouble that I couldn''t help but squeeze Viscount Lobo''s hand as hard as I could. When he squeezed it, he dug his fingers into a pressure point near the base of his thumb called Goukoku, which caused Viscount Lobo to scream.


    ''''Temma beat your father too... ha! We''ve eliminated the obstacles!


    You did it. You took him down in that one second.


    ''No, I don''t care about that. But sister-in-law (nee), Amour, I''m against grooming too.


    Well said Blanca.


    Blanca, who waited on the two of them, agreed with Viscount Lobo as he stood up. In the meantime, the composition of Amur & Hana-san vs. Blanca & Viscount Lobo was created, and sparks began to fly between the two camps. And while watching such a two-team, the soldiers who were surrounding them heated up.......mainly in the betting direction......


    ''''Grandpa, tiger beastmen really do have a lot of blood in their veins.......''''


    I''m as surprised as you are.


    Amour and the others who started fighting two against two, and the soldiers of the tiger beast people who were making a lot of noise with them, my grandfather and I were pulling together beside them. The fight itself was quite intense, and since it was a battle between two people who knew all the tricks of the trade, it was worth watching, and even in the tournament of pairs that took place in the martial arts tournament in the royal capital, there wouldn''t have been a match to this extent.


    When you look at it, Hana-san seems to be the strongest among those four, but the second and third are Blanca and Viscount Lobo, and the fourth is Amur, so at first glance they seem to be well balanced. However, compared to the other three, Amur''s physical ability is not as good as the other three, but he is not as skilled and skilled in the game, so overall, the pair of Amur and Hana seems to be losing ground.


    Dram!


    Unu.


    In a split second, Blanca blew Amour wide open with a body blow, creating a situation of Hana-san vs. Blanca & Viscount Lobo for just a few seconds. In those seconds, the two of them surrounded Hana-san, and when Blanca got her attention, Viscount Lobo succeeded in stopping Hana-san''s movement by feathering her from behind... From the side, it was a scene that smelled quite criminal.


    When Hana-san''s movement was stopped, Blanca neutralized Amur who was coming towards her and the game was won. However, Hana-san fiercely resisted until the very end, so the damage to Viscount Lobo, who was closely held in the wings, was amazing. To put it plainly, both of his legs had been kicked and stomped on repeatedly, blood was flowing from his mouth and nose due to the head butt, and he had a blue tang in his eyes. I thought it was great guts that he didn''t let Hana-san go in such a situation....he must really hate Amur''s marriage.


    ''''Blanca! I don''t care who this guy is, why would you disagree with him!


    I''m sure that when it comes to marriage, the will of the other person, Tenma, is also important. Besides, Temma has just been given the family name by the royal family. If you take him as your son-in-law, the royal family will not look good. Besides, the queen has a plan for Temma''s marriage. So we should avoid the possibility of creating a rift between the south and the royal family by doing something poorly.


    After hearing Blanca''s explanation, Viscount Lobo had a raggedy grin on his face. I got the feeling that he was a good fit for a gangster-like villain. Honestly, Hana-san would have been relieved that Amur was born with a face that looked like her, too.


    ''You got your family name from the royal family? Is Temma an aristocrat?


    I shook my head in denial at Hana-san''s question.


    ''''Temma himself didn''t become a nobleman because he didn''t want a knighthood, but there was even a rumor in the royal capital that if he wanted to, he would be a solid count. Of course, the royal family also intends to do so. Incidentally, Temma''s parents are close friends of the King and Queen, and Temma''s grandfather there is the famous Merlin-dono as a wise man. It is said that Temma himself, in addition to winning double individual and team competitions in martial arts competitions, defeating the earth dragons that appeared near the royal capital, and stopping a coup d''��tat, in the past he saved the king''s life and almost single-handedly defeated an ancient dragon that had turned into a zombie. Naturally, it''s more of a wonder that he hasn''t become a nobleman. To be honest, he''s probably more important to the royal family than his brother.


    I didn''t hear the Count or anything about it directly, but those people would be ready for it in a heartbeat if I wanted to. I understand myself that I''ve made that much of an achievement. I''m sure you''ve been thinking about it for a while now, as if you''ve decided that what Blanca said is true when you see that I''m not denying it.


    ''Then there''s no problem if you''re giving him to your wife instead of your son-in-law? And it doesn''t matter how many wives you have if you''re close to a nobleman.


    He said something like that. Blanca also said something like, ''''I''m sure that''s fine just in time, but...'''' and so on, which caused Amur to rejoice and Viscount Lobo to have a look of despair on his face.


    ''''Then fine. If you and Amour have a child, there won''t be any problems.


    As the conversation proceeded on its own, ignoring me, Viscount Lobo''s face became even more incredible in appearance. It seems that he still has enough reason left to not act immediately after being told that he has connections with the royal family, but it seems to be a matter of time before he does.


    ''''Anyway, let''s go back to the house............I had to go to the village down the road.


    You mean, the goblins? Then we won''t have a problem. While we stopped by, we took them down ourselves. It''s a good idea to send some people out to check on them just to see how they''re doing, but we took out the boss and his entourage, and I don''t think more than 10 percent of them escaped. Even if there were some left, it should be as far as the village guys can manage.


    ''Well, then let''s send half the squad over to check out the area around the village and clean up the mess. I''m sure it''s okay if Blanca says it''s okay, but it''s better to be safe than sorry. The rest of us will turn back here.


    When Hana-san heard Blanca''s story, she immediately split the squad in two and sent one of them to the village. The other one was going to return with us, but before that, she wanted to check on the king and the top species, so she took it out of her magic bag and put it in front of Hana-san and the others.


    ''''It''s really amazing that you were able to win out against so many higher species.


    Huh! This would be a piece of cake for me. It''s nothing to be dignified about.


    As Hana-san was complimenting me on my war performance, Viscount Lobo tensed up, but Hana-san glared at me and I became quiet.


    ''''Are you serious? Surely you can beat them, but can you beat them this cleanly?


    ''Well, I don''t think so. My brother is just like me and Amur, he''s rather good at fighting by force. If we were to take on one or more of them at the same time, let alone one on one, the materials of the higher species would be in tatters.


    Hana-san and Blanca told me that Viscount Lobo was glaring at me in silence. The reason why he''s glaring at me so much is because Amur has been at my side since a while ago. Whenever he''s glaring at me, it''s usually when Amour is taking his gaze off of RoboCubus, and as soon as their eyes are about to meet, he looks away.


    ''Viscount Lobo,''


    Oh, oh. What is it?


    As if he didn''t expect me to speak to him, Viscount Lobo stammered slightly as he replied. I took out the letter that Maria-sama had entrusted to me and


    "This is a letter from the royal family, sir.


    Well, thank you. You''ll have to wait while I write a letter to certify the accomplishment of your request.


    Viscount Lobo said that and had his subordinate nearby bring paper and pen and was trying to write something on the spot...


    Wait.


    Hannah took the paper from the side and crumpled it up in a crumpled grip.


    ''Aside from receiving the letter, it''s not right for you to write the certificate here. We have to confirm the contents, and in some cases, we have to write a reply. In that case, it would be more convenient in many ways to ask someone to return in the same direction as King''s Landing.''''


    With those words, me and Viscount Lobo''s plan was foiled. The plan was that Viscount Lobo would separate me and Amur and I would be free to go around the Southern Autonomous Region. Well, I just thought it would be easier for me, so I honestly didn''t care if I succeeded or not, but unlike me, Viscount Lobo seemed to be quite serious about it. That''s why he was blatantly depressed.


    ''''Anyway, you''re going to have to accompany me to our house.


    Saying that, Hana-san somehow got into our carriage. By the way, since Viscount Lobo has soldiers, he was going to ride a horse separately from Hana-san.

 146-Chapter 9-5 Nanao

    I see it. Temma, that''s ''Nanao''


    ''It''s the heart of the Southern Autonomous Region, and that''s the town that was built by Amour''s great-grandfather, Grandpa Kay, and his grandfather, Crow.


    Blanka quickly added to Amour''s explanation.


    It had been four days since they had joined up with Viscount Lobo and the others, and they had finally arrived at their destination city. At a glance, Nanao doesn''t look that big despite being the center of the southern autonomous region, but that''s because Nanao is a city built on top of a hill, and even if it doesn''t look big from where we are, it''s actually about two-thirds the size of Seigen.


    One of the reasons Nanao was built on top of a hill is because the city was designed to fight the Krastin Kingdom Army.


    The southern autonomous region was created about a hundred years ago as a form of half-independence from the kingdom, and it is said that there was a time when it was initially called the Southern Republic. However, since it was originally the territory of the kingdom, it seems that a number of conflicts with the kingdom''s military occurred, and eventually it was decided to fall to the kingdom in the form of an autonomous region.


    It was right around this time that Nanao began to be built, with steep mountains in the east, a deep forest where demons strolled in the west, and long, gentle slopes in the north and south, that Grandpa Kay and his son, Crow, laid the foundation. In the end, the battle ended before the Royal Army arrived in Nanao, but the town''s construction has been continued to this day.


    Incidentally, one of the reasons why the southern part of the country was recognized as an autonomous region is because of the discrimination against beastmen, and the king of the time who was afraid of the decline in national power due to the conflict with the southern part of the country decided to make it an autonomous region. If the beastmen, who are on average stronger than the human race, fought to the death, even though they might win due to the difference in national strength, there is no doubt that the damage would be enormous.


    Seeing the soldiers returning earlier than planned, the gatekeepers and people in the city were surprised, but soon after Viscount Lobo announced that the problem was solved, we were greeted with loud cheers. The city is lined with buildings that could be described as Japanese style, and there don''t seem to be many western style buildings in this world in general.


    When I proceeded to the center of the city with the cheers, I saw a building ahead of me that looked like a two-story fort. Apparently, that seems to be the residence of Amur and his friends.


    Hana-san explained something to the soldier who came out to greet them, and the soldier came in front of Raiden and began to guide him. Following that guidance, we proceeded to Leiden and were led to a space that looked like a stable. After stopping the carriage there and collecting Raiden, a group of women who looked like maids appeared and led him towards the building.


    I''ve been told that the mansion is made up of several buildings within the grounds, and there are quarters for the soldiers and servants.


    ''''Temma, take off your shoes here.''''


    The wenches led us to the entrance of the largest building, and Amur said that he would lead us from there. At that time, my grandfather tried to climb up there with his feet on the ground, so Amur began to explain to him.


    First of all, it is said that in many buildings in the southern autonomous region, you have to take off your shoes before entering. I was told that in some places you have to wash your feet after taking off your shoes, this is a device to keep the building clean. There were many other detailed rules, but many of them were close to common sense in Japan.


    ''Hmm, it''s a hassle to change into indoor shoes to enter the mansion,'' he said. However, Temma doesn''t seem to mind it too much.


    ''I had to take them off or change them in my room, whether in Kukri village or in the royal residence. Walking around in dirty shoes was a pain in the ass to clean.


    It''s true, isn''t it?


    This would be a rare rule in this world, but as for me, I didn''t like the idea of using outside shoes even in my room, so I always changed them. I''m not going to force anyone else to do so, but Aina was the only one who seemed to be seriously debating whether or not to adopt it.


    ''There''s always a pair of tops on hand for visitors, so you can use those.


    With that, Amour pulled out a pair of larger slippers from the shoebox. If Grandpa Kay was who I imagined he was, I don''t think slippers existed in that era, but I thought that even if the world was different from the one I needed, the shape might naturally resemble the shape.


    Hmm, these slippers are quite comfortable. It''s not too tight, so it''s very comfortable.


    Grandpa seemed to like the slippers and asked Blanca where he could buy them.


    We were then made to wait for a little while in a room that looked like an anteroom, and this time Blanca came to call us.


    ''I heard that my brother and sister-in-law are waiting for you here.


    With that, Blanca stopped in a room at the edge of the mansion. She wondered if this town wasn''t really Japan, looking at the shoji-panelled sliding doors in front of her and the Japanese garden-style garden she could see from the porch.


    ''I''ve brought Temma and Lady Merlin with me. Can we come in?


    Oh.


    Amur called out to him from outside to ask permission to enter, and Viscount Lobo, who was inside, gave him permission. Hearing this permission, Amur opened the sliding door a little roughly and strolled in.


    When I followed Amur inside, I found Viscount Lobo and Hana sitting at the back of the room, with their subordinates sitting on the floor to make way for the barons. It''s just like an audience scene in a period drama.


    It is not necessary to bow your head, Temma. You can walk straight over and sit down in the middle of the room. When you sit down, there is no need to be grateful.


    I almost bowed my head involuntarily as I entered, but Blanca stopped me with a whisper. After a brief explanation, Blanca walked behind his men and sat down near Viscount Lobo.


    Grandpa and I walked along as Blanca told us to, and some of his subordinates were glaring at us, but all of them were poked with their elbows by their colleagues next to them. As it was, I got to the center area, so I sat down with a normal cross-legged seat, and my grandpa sat the same way on my right side. And for some reason, Amur was on my left.


    "Amur, you''re over here,


    After being warned by Hana-san, Amour stood up and moved to sit back down next to Hana-san with a feeling of reluctance. Viscount Lobo looked at such a situation with a bitter face, but as expected, he didn''t say anything on this occasion.


    ''''Temma. You have delivered the royal letter well. So.........''''


    ''But first, if you have a subordinate, you can let him out. It would be a pity if they stayed in the bag forever.


    Interrupting Viscount Lobo''s words, Hana-san told me to get Slarin and the others out. By the time I came to Nanao, I told them I was a tamer, but I didn''t tell them what kind of subordinates I was a tamer. It''s a good idea to have a few of these in your possession, because they could be your trump card in the unlikely event of an emergency. Most likely, he might know from Blanca, Amur, or some other information network.


    At the mention of a subordinate, Viscount Lobo didn''t change his expression, but more than half of his men were buzzing. Perhaps they realized that it was possible to use Slarin and the others to make a surprise attack here. As for me, I have no intention of taking them by surprise. Well, on the contrary, I was relying on it as a fighting force when I was attacked.


    ''''Then, I''ll take your word for it.


    I put out a slarin first, behind myself. At this point, some of my men who had seen Slarin looked at him like he was a fool, but they pulled a face when they saw Shiroumaru who came out next, and then were so surprised that they almost turned over when Solomon came out.


    ''In addition to this, there is Raiden, who was pulling a carriage, and two spider demons, but this place is too small to let Raiden out, and the two spiders are shy, so please forgive me.''


    I said that I still possessed the strength, mainly to those who looked at Slarin and looked at him like he was a fool. However, as for the other golems who are also in force, I won''t tell them here. I''m going to let them know later via Blanca or Hana-san and have them chill their livers to the fullest.


    ''''So it was you after all that the merchant from the royal capital was rumored to be you.


    Hana-san seemed to have gotten a bite that the owner of the rumor was me and wasn''t really surprised, but Viscount Lobo was quite surprised. Maybe Hana-san had sensed the smell when she rode in my carriage, but the Lobo Viscount didn''t notice because he didn''t get any closer to the carriage than necessary.


    ''Hey, do you mind if I touch it a bit?''


    Hana looked at Shiroumaru and Solomon and ruffled her hands, so she asked them and told them it was okay if it looked okay, and then she happily approached Shiroumaru and the others and quickly took permission. And.........


    She''s the most comfortable to the touch.


    Hana was very fond of the slarin''. It seems that she was struck by the cool, plump feeling of the slarin''. The frustration of Shiroumaru and Solomon at this moment was very interesting.


    ''''Fu~........well, let''s continue the story.


    Oh, well...


    Satisfied, Hana-san suddenly passed the baton to Viscount Lobo and sat there with Slarin in her arms. It seems that she intends to leave the conversation to Viscount Lobo and enjoy Slarin to her heart''s content.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends. We''re still discussing the contents of the letter. I''m sure you''ll be able to tell the royal family about the accomplishment of your request, since it will take me some time to write a response because of that.


    ''I want it, so you''ll have to stay in Nanao for a while. I''ll arrange accommodation for you during that time, and I''ll hold the fee. I''d really like you to sleep in the house, but I don''t think it would be easy for you to move around freely here because we''re all very bloodthirsty.


    Interrupting Viscount Lobo''s words, Hana-san, who was diagonally behind me, continued to speak. At those words, "A request? I asked, and Hana nodded.


    ''If you just want to deliver a reply, why don''t you send a request to Nanao''s adventurers!


    ''''You, in that case, in addition to the usual commission fee, you will also have to cover the wages to and from the royal capital. In some cases, you will also need to pay the risk allowance for the return trip. If you think about it, it''s cheaper to ask Tenma, who only charges for the trip. Moreover, you can be sure of their ability to deliver in a short time.


    But even in that case, wouldn''t Temma have to bring proof that the request was complete?


    "You can leave them with Seigen or with the merchants on their way to King''s Landing. You may not be able to entrust them with your reply to the royal family, but you can at least entrust them with a testimonial to bring back. And since you are their supplier, it is not a problem.


    Nuh-uh.


    The two men''s argument seemed to have gone to Hana-san. With a victor''s smile on her face, Hana-san overheard one of her subordinates and sent him outside.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.


    I did some quick calculations in my head, but I decided to accept the request, judging it to be a pretty good deal for me with Raiden around. I checked with my grandfather to be sure, but he doesn''t seem to have any problems either.


    I''ll be back in a little while and my man will be back just in time. Amur, the usual inn, please show Temma to me.


    Okay!


    Nah!


    You, Blanca, stay behind for a little while because I need to talk to you about something.


    The two people who had been stopped by Hana-san | (especially Viscount Lobo) sat back down on the spot with a disgusted look on their faces, and when their subordinates saw this, they left the room while discussing their plans for the rest of the day.


    ''''Well then, Temma. I''ll show you to the inn.


    Yeah, please. Slarin, Shilomar, Solomon, come back to the bag.


    With that, the three animals went back into the bag in turn. As they did so, Slarin slipped smoothly out of Hana-san''s arms, and Hana-san looked sad.


    Amur ignored Hana-san and headed out of the room, pulling my hand away from her. But.........


    ''Temma my feet are numb I need a moment to give you some time...''


    Grandpa''s legs seemed to have gone numb, and he was crawling on all fours, tangling his legs. When I approached Grandpa to use my recovery magic, Shiroumaru and Solomon jumped out of the bag and started poking at his feet. Apparently, they remembered that the reaction to poking Grandpa''s foot on the journey was funny. Later on, the two animals were scolded by Grandpa.


    ''Temma, we have to stop before we go to the inn,''


    Amur said after leaving the mansion and walked away. I wondered where he was going, but it was another mansion a short walk from the mansion. He said he was about to stop before the inn, so he was sure it wasn''t the inn, but he didn''t know what he was stopping here for. While thinking about such things, Amur goes through the mansion gate as if he is selfish. And.


    Hey, Sanna, I''m here.


    As Amur opened the front door, he called out in a loud voice to someone named Sanah Hey. The person who appeared after hearing that voice was........


    Amur''s ... or Hannah''s sister?


    She was a woman who looked like Amur and Hana-san. But she looked more mature than Amour and Hana-san, so I thought she was Hana-san''s sister, not Amour, but in fact, she was not.


    ''No, no. She''s your mother''s sister, Blanca''s wife.


    It''s a pleasure to meet you, I''m Sanna.


    Compared to Amur and Hana, who had a childlike quality to them, the woman who called herself Sana bowed her head with a beautiful gesture. Seeing this, my grandfather and I hurriedly introduced ourselves.


    ''Amour, is this man your good man?''


    Yes!


    No, sir.


    Sorry.


    Sana, who believed me, who had never met me before, than Amur, who nodded instantly, laughed happily and told me to go up to the mansion, but she looked disappointed when I told her that Amur had just stopped by to say hello and that he had to take us to the inn first. However, when I told him that Blanca had returned and was now in her mansion (home), he looked happy with his cheeks stained.


    ''Are you sure Sana-san is Hana-san''s sister? Not my sister?


    True, Sanna is your mother''s sister and she''s probably your mother''s sister.


    From the calmness and atmosphere, it seems that Amur also thought that Sana-san looks older than Hana-san in all likelihood, and he seemed a little unsure of his answer.


    By the way, comparing the three of them, there is not much difference between them, but Sana-san, Hana-san and Amur are taller in that order. Although their body shapes seem to be almost the same, Hana-san and Amour wear clothes that seem to be easy to move around in, while Sana-san wears clothes that look like a kimono, which may be a factor that makes her look the oldest. Most of all, if someone who doesn''t know anything about the three of them were to see them together, they would look young enough to be mistaken for three sisters.


    Well, I''ll take you to the inn.


    Please.


    Does Sanna have a store? I heard something clattering in the back of the house.


    Granddad said that he heard a small noise coming from the back of the mansion....the back side of the house to be exact. It sounded like the sound of some kind of loom, so I was curious about it, but because of Amur''s comment, I missed the right time to hear it.


    ''Sanah hey is ... a craft? The source of the? I''m doing something like ... I don''t know the details because I''m not really interested in it, to be honest.


    It seems a bit problematic not knowing the work of your relatives who live nearby, but in Amur''s case, he seems more interested in food or weapons than ornaments and the like, so maybe it can''t be helped.


    ''''Heh~ Maybe I should ask him if I can visit the place next time.


    I think I''ll ask Blanca to take you to the inn. Here''s the inn.


    Amur showed me a three-story building that would more aptly be called an inn rather than an inn. The place is located a short walk past Sana''s (Blanca''s) mansion, about one kilometer from Amur''s house.


    I don''t know about the other innkeepers, but since the inn was prepared in the name of the Viscount, it''s probably one of the best in Nanao.


    As soon as Amur spoke with the receptionist, someone who looks like the owner appeared and took us to a separate room at the back of the first floor. While on our way there, the guide told us that the detached room is designed to prevent prying eyes from the other floors. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with your friends. Yeah?


    It''s a nice room.


    ''This ''Ryusai Ken'' is the best inn in Nanao. It was originally started by Grandpa Kay he said it got too much trouble along the way and he left it to his men.


    I don''t know what kind of Chinese characters Ryusai would guess, but Ken''s would be ''eaves''. After all, based on the construction of this town and the buildings, either Grandpa Kay, who is said to have laid the foundation, or his son, Crow, is probably a reincarnation.


    ''''Excuse me. ''''Miss, we''re here to welcome you back to the mansion.''''


    Well ... but I''ll say no!


    ''No! Not!


    The matchmaker (or something like that) came to inform Amur that he was being picked up, but Amur immediately declined. However, as if anticipating this, Blanca appeared at a distance and grabbed Amur by the neck and lifted him up.


    ''Stop! Let go of me! Kidnapper!


    I''m sorry for the commotion. Temma, Lord Merlin, I''m taking this inn for a week, so take your time during that time. I''ve asked you to explain the rest.


    Blanca completely ignored the fussy Amour and went back to leave the matchmaker to take care of the rest.


    ''''Then let me explain it to you.


    The matchmaker also began to explain as if there was no such thing as Amur. According to the explanation, meals are breakfast and dinner, lunch is said to have to tell the inn early or prepare for yourself.


    Apart from meals, they also explained about the bath. It is said that the bath is also equipped in this detached house, but it seems that the one in the main building is larger. However, since all guests can use the main building, it is said to be very noisy if you are unlucky. Moreover, the baths are said to be closed late at night. On the other hand, the bathroom in the detached house is not as big as the main building, but you can use it almost all day long. By the way, there is no bath of mixed bathing in the Ryusai Ken.


    There were a few other minor things, but basically the room is okay as long as you don''t make it too dirty or hurt it too much, and if it''s not Leiden, you can let him stay in the room. The reason Lyden was a no-no was because he was too big and too heavy. However, he said it''s not a problem to put him out in the garden for his own use away from the house... I tried to put him out there to try it out, but he didn''t want to because it was too small... but...


    Grandpa, I''m going to go around the house. Do you want to follow me?


    I might as well take a bath. I''ve heard that the baths in the main building are usually empty at this hour.


    So, we''re going to split up and act. By the way, Shiroumaru and Solomon are going to follow me, and Slarin is going to stay behind to take care of Gol and Jill, who will be out for a while.


    I''m going to go then. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.


    Slarin had replied to my advice by extending his tentacles.


    ''''Take care of your souvenirs~''''


    Grandpa seemed to be going to the bath as soon as possible and had a change of clothes and a hand towel provided.


    "By the way, Temma, how do I wear these clothes? How do I wear these clothes?


    Grandpa unfolded his yukata-like outfit and tilted his head back. I know how to put on a yukata, but it''s not necessarily the right way to put it on in this world, and I don''t think it''s right for me to know, so I had to call my nakai-san (that''s what I was calling her) and ask her to teach me with me. As it turns out, the way I wore it was the same.

 147-Chapter 9-6 Tenma Walk-Nanao-

    After I left my grandfather, I had come to Nanao''s guild. The purpose of the visit was to find out information about the surrounding demons and the level of danger, and to walk with Shiroumaru and the others, because I wanted to talk them through beforehand, not to receive a request.


    When I told the guild staff about the purpose of the project, they had already heard about Shiroumaru and his men through Hana-san, and they only needed to know that they were their family members and that the responsibility of the family members was the responsibility of the Lord. As for the surrounding demons, the bear-shaped demons of the forest, wolf-shaped demons of the grassland and the wyverns that sometimes appear in the mountains are said to be the most dangerous, while other demons of that high rank do not appear. However, every few years or so there is a sighting of a ground dragon or a running dragon (lower class dragons with less defense and attack power than ground dragons, but with greater speed and endurance), so you can''t be completely caught off guard.


    Also, the guild''s receptionist told me a disturbing story. It seems that other adventurer''s guilds have seen fakes of me.


    The imposters were nothing more than people who spoke my name and didn''t look anything like me, but I heard that some of them had fallen victim to a scam. The guild and the victims soon found out that they were fakes, so most of them are just laughing at the fact that they were victims of the scam. However, there are some who have been swindled out of large sums of money, and wanted letters and cautions have begun to circulate in cities and guilds around the country.


    And as I was leaving, several receptionists asked me to shake their hands. Apparently, my name is spreading due to the King''s Capital''s tournament win and this fake fiasco. When I asked them if they didn''t think I was a fake when I shook their hands, they said they had heard about me this time through Viscount Lobo (Sana-san, to be precise), and they knew I was real. Moreover, one of Lobo''s subordinates went out of his way to give me a detailed description of my likeness, stature and features, so he knew it was me the moment he entered the guild.


    I''m a little embarrassed, but I had expected this to happen when I won the tournament in addition to having Solomon as my subordinate, so I wasn''t that surprised.


    I left the guild and decided to wander around the city of Nanao in earnest, but I asked Solomon to stay in the bag while I was in town. Solomon seemed unhappy, but I didn''t want him to be surrounded by people who were looking for Solomon with no idea where or what was in Nanao''s city, so I convinced him to let him fly as far as he could when he got out of the city and buy him some delicious-looking things he saw in the city.


    The bustle of the streets of Nanao was a bit different from what we had seen in the past. Until now the town was only food stalls, but in Nanao there were many stalls that sold the fun like a fair. Many of them were only for children, and the contents of these stalls were also familiar to me in my previous life, such as "target practice", "ring toss", "lottery", "fish scooping" and "coloured chick", but the latter two were not exactly like pets. At any rate.


    Mom, when he''s big enough, you''ll cook him up nicely.


    "Mom. I''ll make this guy big, I promise, and you''ll cook him up good!


    By the way, the fish scoop was a baby fish similar to a crucian carp about the size of a tatami mat, and the chick was a bird chick like a chicken. By the way, the fish scoop was a baby fish like crucian carp as big as half a tatami mat, and the chick was a bird chick that looked a little bigger than a chicken. Both of them may be samples or they were grown up. The colored chick was painted with various patterns on its whitish feathers in red, blue, yellow, black or pink. All the colors are extracted from natural materials and are said to be harmless to the chick and human body.


    There were crowds of people, mostly with children, at those stalls, and I didn''t want to walk around with Shiroumaru out, so I decided to let him stay in the bag with Solomon.


    As we lounged around the stall, chilling out, a nostalgic smell tickled my nose and a sound came from my stomach.


    ''You''re coming from over here,''


    My feet naturally went to the source of the scent, gradually picking up speed.


    ''Hey, come on!''


    We arrived at a stall selling grilled onigiri (rice balls). And they were not just grilled onigiri, but grilled onigiri with real soy sauce. There were also grilled onigiri with miso paste on them.


    "Please give me seven of these, seven of this and seven of that.


    I bought two types of grilled onigiri, one with regular soy sauce flavoring and the other with miso and chopped scallions mixed with negi miso. I gave Shiroumaru and Solomon each one of the grilled onigiri I bought, and then I ate one of the grilled onigiri. The grilled onigiri were quite tasty, and we ate all three of them before we knew it. Shilomaru and Solomon wanted to eat the rest of the grilled onigiri, but I made them give up because they were a gift for the rest of the grandfathers at the inn.


    ''''I''ll definitely have to buy some soy sauce and miso,''''


    I decided to make it my number one goal of the day to definitely buy some soy sauce and miso, and decided to look for them as soon as possible.


    I asked a few people on the street for recommendations and they told me


    The Jay Company....


    It was a familiar trade association in Seigen. If they dealt with it here, I should have talked to them when I was in Seigen...


    Well, I convinced myself that it would still be cheaper to buy it in the real world, forcing me to find the advantages. Incidentally, the manager was a pig-eared beast and not a relative of Jayman''s.


    When I bought up to the barest amount I could sell to an individual at Jay Trading Company, it was roughly two hundred liters of soy sauce and a hundred kilograms of miso. If it was more than that, they wouldn''t be able to sell it to other customers.


    So I had no choice but to look around at other stores, and in the end I was able to buy more than 500 kg of soy sauce and miso. I also found some sake, mirin, and grain vinegar, so I bought all of them as well. Now that we have a complete set of "sushi nesters", we will be able to make our own food that is closer to Japanese food.


    We also found some spices and herbs that we hadn''t seen so far, so we bought them while listening to their effects and how to use them.


    After shopping, we wandered around the city again, and headed out of Nanao after buying food from the stalls.


    We walked through the grasslands and moved a short distance away from Nanao before letting Shiroumaru and Solomon out, and they ran (and flew) around the area, stretching themselves as much as they could. Occasionally they would catch a horn rabbit or something, so we decided to pass the time by bleeding them out.


    As the sun began to set, we returned to the inn before the sky darkened, but before we had time to take a bath, we were on our way to Viscount Lobo''s house. We''ve been told by Blanca, who has come to pick us up, that Viscount Lobo is throwing a welcome party for us.


    When we arrived at the mansion, we were led to a room where a meal was prepared and seated next to Viscount Lobo.


    There were four seats set up in the room''s upper section, from left to right, Grandpa, me, Viscount and Hana-san.


    The others were seated near us, with Amur, Blanca, and Sana-san seated near us, with the other men sitting in a row behind them.


    ''Let the feast begin to welcome the messengers from the royal family. All of you, drink well, eat well, and make some noise!


    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "


    With these words, the welcome party began. The meal that was served was.....


    Natto and grass and raw fish and insect food boiled down in soy sauce, Tenma.


    They were all quite habitual. As expected of Amur, he also has a worried look on his face. While Hana-san, Blanca, and Sana-san also had worried faces, only the Viscount had a grin on his face.


    ''''No, what, I thought I''d have Temma eat something typical of Nanao.


    Hearing those words, I knew that this banquet was planned in order to humiliate me. And that the four people who are looking at the viscount in such a reproachful way had nothing to do with it.


    ''''Honey, would you like to have a word with them?''''


    My brother you''re pathetic.


    f*ck you....


    While Hannah and her friends are about to get into a tussle with Viscount Lobo, me and Grandpa....


    More rice, please.


    We were enjoying our meal. Sanna was the one who accepted me and my grandfather''s bowl.


    ''Is it good?''


    Yes, very much.


    It''s a bit of a habit, but I don''t mind it too much.


    Since we''re adventurers, we''ve experienced food that is more habitual than this, and since this meal is the same kind of food I was craving in the first place, I was nevertheless grateful for it.


    The four who had been staring at each other looked dumbfounded, but all of a sudden, the three of them, except for the Viscount, started laughing. The subordinates were making a lot of noise without paying attention to the four men''s actions, but they were caught up in the three men''s laughter and started to make more noise.


    The Viscount, who was not amused by such a state of affairs, looked bored, but Hana-san looked relieved. And.


    ''''Now, since Temma says it''s good and you''re eating it, you have to eat it too.......oh?


    All right, sister.


    Wait, wait! d*mn it, let go of me, Blanca!


    Brother, I don''t like it.


    At Hana''s words, Sanna quickly sat up, and Blanca held the Viscount down with a quick feathering as he tried to flee in danger.


    ''''Brother-in-law, wait and see. Sister, please.''''


    Thank you, Sanna. Now, your favorite food has arrived.


    Ugh!


    "Conceive.


    Who''s that?


    Hana-san brought a bowl of a large amount of kusaya and natto mixture close to the motionless Viscount''s mouth, but the robo Viscount put pressure on his jaw and closed his mouth to a straight line. However, Amur appeared beside him and pinched the viscount''s nose, and the moment his mouth opened slightly, he inserted an iron rod into his mouth to prevent it from closing.


    The viscount turned to his subordinates and called for help, but they pretended not to see him and continued to make a scene. Apparently, they don''t want to make an enemy of Hana-san.


    Hana-san took aim at the moment the viscount opened his mouth wide to call for help and poured the contents of the vessel into his mouth. What''s more, after pouring a mouth full of it, Hana-san, Amour and Blanca held down the viscount''s mouth, jaw and other parts of his body and forced him to swallow it. It was like a goose being poured food for foie gras.


    ''Mr. Temma, Lady Merlin, please try this one as well. Also, I have prepared a hot cup of sake for you, Merlin-sama.


    Sanna was the only one who didn''t join the commotion and kept us company. She said the dish she just recommended was salted fish from the river.


    Oh, it''s good.


    This stuff is good.


    While my grandfather and I were eating the salted fish, the viscount was entering his second forced feeding time. The Viscount''s subordinates were making a lot of noise as if they didn''t see the Viscount like that. Maybe it''s the usual thing for the viscount to meet with a look like that.


    The party continued until late, and it was finally dismissed when the sun was changing. In the room where the banquet was held, a number of people were asleep in a crumpled heap. Most of them are just drunk from drinking too much alcohol, but some of them seem to have fallen ill from eating too much... well, the first of them is the viscount and his daughter, whose belly is swollen up big time.


    By the way, Blanca left with Sana-san a step ahead of him and is not here. After Blanca disappeared, Amour secretly told me that the reason why Sana said she was stronger than Blanca was not because of her prowess, but simply because she has a higher power relationship with her husband and wife. Blanca is goofy on Sanna-san, and she''s not so much in love with her as she''s not at all in love with him.


    On his way back from the Viscount''s mansion, he carried his unusually drunken grandfather on his back and was led back to the inn by his safe men. Originally, I heard that the Ryusai Ken was closed at midnight, but thanks to Hana-san''s advance notice, she opened the front door for me even though it was midnight.


    Amur had encouraged me to stay at the mansion, but I politely declined, as there was a chance that Amur would be drunk (or pretend to be) and attack the sleeper.


    When I returned to my room, I crawled under the futon that had been laid out without changing clothes and went straight to sleep. Grandpa was also sleeping on the futon next to me, snoring, but I let Shiroumaru sleep between us, so I didn''t mind the snoring too much.


    ''Hahhhh, nice hot water,''


    The next morning, I was starting my day with a morning bath. My grandfather had come to take a morning bath as well. He had drunk so much yesterday that he was completely drunk, but he seemed to have sobered up nicely, woke up as if nothing had happened, and followed me straight to the bath.


    In the bath, a few guests were enjoying their morning bath, but there was plenty of room for the two of us to join them.


    When I returned to the room after enjoying the bath, it was just about time for breakfast, and I asked the hostess to bring me a meal.


    I''m not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.


    ''Sorry, Temma. It''s going to get a little messy.''''


    What''s going on?


    That''s what my stupid father did!


    According to Amur, I told the representatives of a nearby village that happened to be there that I was in Nanao. Then the representatives of the village said, "If he''s so strong, we want him to fight with the guys from our village.


    Hana-san said she thought it was just a social call, but after she left her seat, she heard that they had talked about it, and this morning, she received a number of letters asking when they would let her fight.


    Because those letters were delivered before the sun came up, Hana asked, "Has something strange happened in the surrounding villages? When he jumped up, he found out what happened and is in a very bad mood. Incidentally, it seems that Viscount Lobo was lynched by Hana-san in the name of chastisement, and is now being held in a dungeon. I''ve heard that Amur was frightened of such a Hanna-san, so he and Blanca took refuge in my place.


    I''d like you to come to the mansion as soon as possible. I can''t say no to her when she comes here, and she wants to discuss it and apologize. It''s a good idea to have your brother and sister-in-law come, but my brother is not in a position to use it, and my sister-in-law is also busy dealing with various things, so it''s difficult for her to leave the house.


    So you have no choice...?


    Temma, I think you owe my father a debt of gratitude for being so dumb but he''s still very useful around here.


    ''Your sister-in-law also said, "I don''t care how you use that idiot, just help me out. I''ll pay him properly and he''s going to add to the commission depending on what it is, so I''ll ask for one here.


    They both bowed their heads together. After talking with Grandpa, they decided to take this matter as a request from the Viscount family and officially receive it through the guild. Rather than receiving the request directly from the Viscount''s family, going through the guild would leave behind official documents, so they could have the guild on their side in case something happened.


    It seems that Blanca, who heard me and Grandpa''s reply, had expected that to happen beforehand, so she went straight to the guild and signed the contract before heading to the mansion.


    It seems that the guild had been told in advance, and the contract was easily completed. Well, even though it''s called a contract, it''s only a simple one, so all I had to do was write my name on the contract signed by Viscount Lobo (written on behalf of Hana-san) and it was done. However, the last sentence of the contract stated, ''If we cannot come to an agreement after discussion, Temma may unilaterally break the contract, and in that case, the commission fee will be given as it is, without regard to the penalty. It was too unreasonable. Early on, in this case, they handed the entire initiative to me, and if I refused, they would give me the commission, and if I accepted, they would give me the commission plus additional fees.


    When I arrived at the Viscount''s mansion after signing the contract, I could hear the clattering sound so that I could hear it outside the front door, and I felt that it was even more hectic than I had heard.


    With the people of my subordinates running around by my side, I was led to the room I used for the banquet yesterday, where Hana-san was giving instructions to her subordinates, who I assumed to be civil servants, at the top seat.


    ''''Sister-in-law, I''ve brought Temma with me. Also, I''ve finished the contract with the guild.


    Thank you, Blanca. Everyone, please leave the table for a moment.


    Ha!


    My subordinates left the room with only the necessary documents. I was very impressed by the apologetic looks on everyone''s faces as they passed my subordinates.


    I''m sorry.


    I''m sorry.


    As soon as they sat down in front of Hana-san, Hana-san, Blanca and Amour all got down on their knees and uttered words of apology.


    ''''This matter is completely our family''s fault, and all the blame lies with the Viscount family''s master, Lobo, and me here. On that basis, we hope that you will accept this request.


    Hana-san was talking with her head still attached to the tatami mat. I decided to ask Hana-san and the others to return to their original posture for now and hear the details. According to his story, the Southern Autonomous Region is not a monolithic entity, and there are many people who would rather unseat Viscount Lobo at the drop of a hat and put themselves in his place.


    It''s quite possible to fight it out.


    However, if you unilaterally contradict the story brought to you by Viscount Lobo, as you did this time, you may lose the trust of your friendly city.


    I''ve been told that it''s no shame to get down on my knees and ask for help, rather than getting into a fight over such trivial matters.


    If that''s the case, I don''t mind participating in a power contest. And if you are going to have a power comparison, what kind of format do you plan to use?


    Hana-san and Blanca looked relieved that I agreed to it. Amur looks happy for some reason.


    ''''What we''re planning to do now is to hold a tournament with only those who want to fight Temma, and have Temma fight the winner of that tournament...''''


    ''''Then let''s make it a free entry just like the martial arts tournament in King''s Landing, and we''ll play the finals in a tournament format, with only the ones who win the preliminary round of the group competition.


    ''No, we can''t just let Temma fight in the qualifying round. If Tenma loses in the preliminaries, I''m sure someone will say that they''re going to make an excuse that they lost because it was a wild fight, or that they''re going to round up players from the village they don''t like and defeat them so that they won''t be able to advance to the finals... yeah, that''s right. ...Let''s seed the Temma from the finals, and let''s make the qualifiers a way to draw groups by lot in front of everyone.


    We don''t know at this point how many people will show up for the tournament, but after the number of participants is determined, we will decide how many will advance to the final tournament.


    Let''s inform the villages that have sent us the letter and let them know about it right away. At the same time, we will send out notices to the villages and towns to gather participants. If we''re going to have to do this, let''s make it a big event so that there''s no excuse for it.


    Hana-san said and started laughing quietly. The eeriness of it was so eerie that everyone in attendance, except me and Hana-san, felt a certain amount of fear. The way Amur was frightened was especially bad, and he instantly hid behind me.


    ''Then it''s Nanao''s representative........................Branca, Amour, please.


    Nanao''s representatives will be the only two who will be representing Nanao. The reason for this was that these two would almost certainly be able to get through the qualifiers, and as long as they did not become part of the same qualifying group, both Enao''s would get a slot in the final. Another reason for this was to prevent EIZO players from losing to players from other villages and towns in the preliminaries.


    Well then, why don''t I join you?


    Oh, no, you can''t have Mr. Merlin.


    Oh, yeah?


    Grandpa, who was instantly refused to participate by Hannah, why? I had a look on my face that said.


    ''''If even Merlin-sama participates, there is a possibility that the number of participants will be drastically reduced, and if you are matched with Blanca and Amur in the qualifying round, you will certainly lose two of them. I''m sorry for this inconvenience, but please, please.


    ''''Mmmm.......this time we have a request from the viscounty family, so it can''t be helped.......''''


    Grandpa convinced himself that it was a request, but he was clearly not happy.


    ''I''m really sorry,''


    Good, because the star of this show is Tenma. I''ll take a back seat.


    Hana-san was on her knees again. Seeing this, Grandpa changed his mind and proceeded to talk.


    ''For the time being, we''ll decide on the rules of the tournament based on what we''ve just decided. It won''t take less than a month for the tournament to start, but until then, I''ll arrange for Tenma and Merlin-sama to stay at the Ryushaiken Inn. And you, Temma, Blanca and Amur, take care to make sure that you are prepared for the tournament.


    I understand.


    Oh!


    Okay.


    Okay, dismissed!


    With Hana''s announcement of dismissal, the civilian officials who had been outside the room returned en masse. They are going to prepare a letter to be sent to various places now.


    ''''But isn''t Viscount Lobo supposed to take the initiative?


    ''If that idiot does it, you won''t be able to do what he can do. People have their roles to play, Temma. All she can do is decorate herself as a viscount. Nanao will be fine with his mother!


    ''There''s no denying it... my brother is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to warfare and festivities, but when it comes to domestic and foreign affairs, he often drags his feet... though for some reason he''s adored by the residents of Nanao.


    Viscount Lobo is not incompetent, but he doesn''t seem to be so useful in politics either. However, for some reason, he has charisma and is said to be a difficult person to deal with.....

 148-Chapter 9-7 Deer Hunting and Dinner

    Well....until the details of the tournament are finalized, I wonder what we''ll do...


    As long as the date has not been set, there is only a limited amount of things that can be done, and that is only to check weapons and armor and get your body in shape, but I feel like there is something different about spending time doing just that.


    It''s a good idea to go to the guild then. It would be a good way to pass the time just to see what kind of requests we have.


    ''That''s true too. I think I might have some interesting requests.


    I decided to follow Grandpa''s advice and head for the guild, accompanied by Slarin and the others. Incidentally, only Slarin and his family will be accompanying me to the guild (although Gol and Jill are still stuck in their bags, as usual). Grandpa seems to be planning to enjoy the bath today as well, and he was preparing a change of clothes and other things, while Amur and Blanca are going to prepare for the tournament, respectively. In addition, Hana-san has asked me to refrain from visiting the Viscount''s mansion unless I have something to do, because if she sees those two and me meeting frequently before the tournament, there is a possibility that the fairness of the tournament will be questioned.


    ''''So, I came for the time being, but.......there are a lot of people here.


    The guild was quite crowded, with the number of adventurers nearly doubling from the last time he had been here. From the talk that could be heard, it seemed that the quick-tempered ones who had heard the rumors of the tournament were gathering in Nanao.


    Most of the adventurers in the guild were beastmen who seemed to be active in the Southern Autonomous Region, but there were some who seemed to be humanoids and elves, and some of them seemed to know me.


    I was pointed at occasionally, but no one spoke to me, so I proceeded to the bulletin board where the request form was posted. In front of the bulletin board, there was a gathering of people, but they mainly gathered at the place where the high rank requests were posted, so there were fewer than expected in front of the C-rank requests.


    Even so, it wasn''t a situation where I could look at it too slowly, so I stripped off the request form that I saw at random and went to the counter. Incidentally, the request that was to be received was for you to investigate and thin out the deer demons.


    The deer demons are numerous and seem to have a voracious appetite, if left unchecked, they will come to the fields we have created near the city and devour the crops. I''ve heard that even a D-ranked adventurer can defeat them, but they are fast to flee, and searching for them in the forest is troublesome, so this is a C-rank request.


    After receiving the request, I immediately headed for the forest, but an unexpected thing happened when I arrived there. That is.........


    I never thought Gol and Jill would be so excited.


    Goll and Jill, who had been cooped up in the bag, started to play in a big way.


    They jumped out of the bag as soon as they arrived in the forest, climbing up a tree, jumping to the next tree, or running around in the branches, but they didn''t come back. Fortunately, he seemed to have enough reason left to play in a position where he wasn''t too far away from me, but even so, when the rockbird almost kidnapped Gol, his liver went cold.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. Maybe if you don''t let them play in the woods or something from time to time, they will get stressed out.


    They finally came back to me after playing around for about an hour, but they quickly retreated into their bags. I guess they are basically reclusive, after all.


    After they came back, I started searching for the deer, but I couldn''t find them. I tried to look for the deer in the ''search'' a few times, but all I could find was a normal deer that wasn''t a monster. Well, I heard that deer are also designated as vermin, so I thinned out the deer to secure their meat, but since I was planning to deal with demons, it was not enough.


    When I was moving around while using the ''search'' for the umpteenth time, I


    Hmm?


    Guru...


    Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed something. At the same time, Shiroumaru let out a low roar and became ready for battle.


    I guess he had given up on it after Shiroumaru and I noticed it, and it was a huge deer that appeared.


    I''m not sure if that''s the target this time, but it''s still huge. It''s not a very good one, but it''s not a monster that even a D-rank can defeat.


    Talking to myself, I kept my eyes on the deer, ready to unleash my magic at any moment.


    The deer was about a little smaller than Raiden, and it had huge, magnificent antlers on its head. It looks like a moose, but the tips of its horns are very sharp and the patterns on its body change slightly so that it assimilates into its surroundings, so it is definitely a demon.


    It''s like it has the skill of ''hiding''. That''s why they didn''t get caught in the ''search'' earlier? Shiroumaru, get behind that guy. Be careful, there might be other individuals around. Slarin asks you to follow Shiroumar. Solomon, look for anyone else hiding in the air..............................Let''s go!


    Gow.


    Cui.


    After I gave them instructions, we each sprang into action. The deer flipped on the spot to get away from us, but because of its huge body, Shiroumar had to go around it first.


    That made me ready, and the deer lowered itself and pointed its antlers at Shiroumaru. I don''t know if he forgot about my presence or if he thought Shiroumaru was more dangerous, but since there were so many gaps and his back was turned, he decided to let me attack him from behind without hesitation.


    ''There''s an opening,''


    Vo....


    His neck was unprotected due to the fact that he had lowered himself and pointed his antlers towards Shiroumaru, so I cut off his head in one swipe with my halberd from behind. It looked like the deer was trying to intimidate Shiroumaru, but it ended up losing its life before it could finish its cry.


    ''''Gaw...........................Garu?''''


    Cui, cui, cui!


    Gaaaaaah!


    Shiroumaru, who hadn''t had a chance to show up, looked disappointed, but he soon noticed Solomon raising his voice as if to let him know what was going on, and with tremendous speed he rushed to the spot Solomon had indicated.


    ''I knew you had other friends Slarin, let''s go collect them.


    He retrieved the deer demon lying in front of him, and he and Slarin chased after Shiroumar. Then, after running for a while, there was a dead deer lying on the ground that Shiroumar had supposedly killed. When he retrieved it and looked up, he saw a dead deer lying a few meters away, and then another dead deer a few meters away... and so on. In the end, there were six deer demons that I retrieved, along with the one I defeated.


    Shiroumaru was sitting and waiting at the last one, looking very satisfied.


    ''Well done, Shiroumaru,''


    Wah.


    Is that all the deer you''ve got?


    Shiroumaru acted on his own and took down the deer before I gave him the order, but in that situation, he would have most likely escaped if I didn''t go after him right away, so I guess it was Shiroumaru''s fault this time. After a round of praise, I asked if there were any other deer in the area, but Shiroumaru reported that he wasn''t there or couldn''t find them through his cries and body language.


    No matter how much he had the ''Concealment'' skill, he shouldn''t be able to fool Shiroumaru''s nose, since it doesn''t have the effect of eliminating even the smell. Therefore, I believed Shiroumaru''s report and decided to return to Nanao. Just to be sure, I decided to have Shiroumaru mark those trees to make him think that there was a powerful demon living around here. This would keep the deer and other vermin, as well as demons weaker than Shiroumaru, out of the area for a while.


    On the way back to Nanao, I searched the area carefully to see if there was anything hiding, but all I could find were ordinary deer, and I didn''t hunt them because Shiroumaru was just a little bit threatening, and he was running away like a de-rabbit.


    ''Excuse me. I have a report to make regarding this request.


    ''Good evening. What''s going on?


    As soon as I entered the guild, I headed to the receptionist, took out the request form and started reporting. Fortunately, the receptionist who was in charge when I received the request was available, and the other side seemed to remember me as well, so she immediately sensed that there was a problem.


    ''In the request form, there''s an explanation to the effect that ''it''s a demon that can be dealt with with a D-rank, but it''s a C-rank because it''s a search in the forest,'' and I actually received such an explanation, but the deer demon in the forest that seemed to fall under this request seemed to be difficult to deal with with with a D-rank.''


    For the time being, I wanted to show the demons we defeated as proof, so I asked if there was anywhere I could take out the demons, but they said there was a dismantling place behind the guild, so I decided to invite the guild leaders to check it out as well.


    After being made to wait for a little while, we went to the dismantling place, and a slender tiger beastman man was at the dismantling place before us, and he introduced himself as the deputy head of the guild. There were a few other staff members there as well, and they seemed interested in what they were going to find.


    In the presence of the deputy guild leader, the deputy guild leader and the other staff members brought out all of the deer demons that they had just defeated, and the deputy guild leader and the other staff members said, "Ugh! He was surprised to hear a voice that sounded like this.


    After all, this deer demon was a B-ranked demon called ''Spear Elk''. Common sense dictates that it is not a demon that can deal with a D-ranked adventurer. Moreover, since they acted in packs, this is a request that would be made to multiple A-ranked adventurers or a party of B-ranked or higher.


    ''''I''m sorry! It''s completely our fault!


    The deputy guild leader looked at the contents of the request form and the spear elk in front of him and immediately bowed his head. Moreover, as an apology, the guild would dismantle the spear elk and the deer for free. Furthermore, they will buy the spear elk materials to sell to the guild at 20% more than the normal price.


    I was surprised by the sudden low stance and good conditions, am I up to something? But then the deputy guild leader read my face and said


    ''Actually, I work for the guild here at Hana-sama''s request...''


    It seems that this deputy guild leader, who seems to be a distant relative of Hana-san''s, has always been a distant relative of Hana-san, and has never been able to think highly of her (or rather, he treats her like a servant).


    I don''t know if he''s really afraid of Hana-san or not, but when I told him that I would accept his condition, the deputy guild leader had a look of relief on his face, but....


    Hmm.


    I froze like a stone statue in response to the sudden voice I heard.


    ''''I recommended you as deputy guild leader to prevent this kind of thing from happening, and you not only made a mistake, but you''re trying to squirm away?


    No, I didn''t mean to cover it up in the least... I mean, why are you here?


    In response to the deputy guild leader''s question, Hana smiled and smiled


    Do you think it''s possible for an organization like the Adventurer''s Guild to send only one person from our side?


    It was a matter of time. I don''t know who it is, but it means that there is someone in this guild who is like a spy sent by Hana-san. And that spy may have conveyed this matter to Hana-san.


    I''ll have to talk to you once, for now. This time it was Tenma who received this request, so there was no problem, but if it had been an ordinary C-ranked adventurer, it wouldn''t be surprising if someone died. Oh, I''ve gotten permission from the guild leader for this story (spanking), so you don''t have to worry about anything. Now, shall we go?


    No!


    The deputy guild leader was dragged out of the demolition station by Hana-san while screaming.


    ''''Temma-sama, if you don''t mind, we can do the demolition now, but is the time okay? And do you have a preference for any part of the sale?


    ''''Time is fine. As for the parts for sale I''ll sell all but the demon core and the fur of the two cows, since the spear elk are not very tasty. And while you''re at it, please dismantle the deer as well.


    The other employees who remained at the dismantling station did not get the slightest bit upset that the deputy guild leader had been taken away, and began to carry out their work in a matter-of-fact manner.


    As expected of a group of demolition professionals, the huge Spear Elk was dismantled in the blink of an eye. Since even the spear elk was like that, the deer was divided into parts and placed on the table in less than ten minutes.


    In the end, the six spear elk were dismantled in a little over an hour by a few staff members, and the ten deer were dismantled in less than thirty minutes.


    ''Here''s the purchase price. Also, as a way of apologizing for this time, we can ask Tenma-sama to take the promotion test for a B-ranked deer, what would you like to do?


    After the deputy guild leader left, the woman who was organizing the staff approached me about a promotion exam for a B rank, but after thinking about it for a bit, I declined this time.


    The woman was surprised that I declined, and asked me why, so I briefly told her


    ''''Since I belong to the Royalist faction, I would like to do my promotion in the Royal Capital. Probably because with this delivery request and my achievements so far, I''ll be able to take the promotion test in the Royal Capital guild as well.


    I said. Normally, he would be judged as still lacking in experience, but since he''s achieved more than that (winning a martial arts tournament, defeating a coup d''etat, etc.), the guilds of the royal capital would judge him. Or rather, the royal family (especially Maria-sama) would recommend him, or probably do so.


    When the woman heard the reason, she nodded as if she remembered the relationship between me and the royal family and was satisfied.


    Not that there''s anything wrong with taking a promotion test outside of the royal capital just because I''m a royalist, but it''s more effective to show that I''m a royalist if I report to the royal family before I''m promoted, and above all, that way I won''t have to listen to them complain about it later. Mainly Mary''s........


    It would be a disaster.


    When I returned to the inn and told my grandpa about this request, he held back a laugh as he spoke words of sympathy. Well, if I were in my grandfather''s shoes, I would have the same reaction.


    And when I told him that I had been approached about the promotion test in this case, but I refused, he turned around and said it was the right decision with a serious face this time. Apparently, Grandpa also imagined what it would be like to hear Maria and the king complain about him. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about it.


    I''m sorry to interrupt you. It''s a very good idea to have a messenger from Hana-sama at the moment, may I pass through?


    They were in the middle of talking when the matchmaker approached me from behind the door. I felt a little uncomfortable when I heard it was a messenger from Hana-san, but I gave her permission to let me through.


    The messenger was not Blanca, as I expected (if it was Blanca in the first place, she would have come here directly without going through the matchmaker), but a subordinate of the Viscount who I recognized but had never spoken to, and the content was that Hana-san wanted to invite me to a dinner party that served as an apology. Originally, it was Hana-san''s side that said it was best not to meet up too much until the tournament was over, but since the matter of the guild this time was known to the other adventurers and others, she wanted to take the form of an immediate apology. After hearing that, my grandfather and I agreed, told the messenger of our intentions to participate, asked him for the time, and asked him to leave.


    Grandpa, what do you think Slarin and the others should do in this case?


    Normally it would be safer to leave them at home, but this time Slarin and his friends are victims, so there''s nothing wrong with taking them with you. However, they will have to wait in the bag until permission is given.


    So, we all decided to head there together. Well, out of the three top members of the Viscount family, Amur wouldn''t be opposed to having his family members in attendance, and Hana-san seems to like Slarin, so Viscount Lobo won''t have anything to say about it if he''s just taking him along. In the first place, since Hana-san seems to be the host of this dinner party, she''s likely to complain about not taking Slarin along.


    I heard that the Viscount''s carriage would be coming to pick us up just before the hour (I said we could walk to it separately, but since we had the Viscount''s countenance, the carriage was to be provided, although it was only a few minutes away), so I hurriedly took a bath (as well as Shiroumaru and Solomon), cleaned myself up, and then decided to relax until the hour.


    ''Temma, Lord Merlin, I apologize for coming out of the blue,''


    When I arrived at the Viscount''s house after being rocked for a few minutes by the carriage that had arrived hours ago, I was apologized for my opening by Blanca, who was waiting at the entrance. To briefly explain, because this dinner party was decided on short notice, Hana-san realized that she forgot to check my schedule until after she had finished her preparations.


    Furthermore, Viscount Lobo didn''t have very good feelings about me being the guest of honor like last time, and Blanca told me, "My brother might get involved in Temma, but please be as patient as possible.


    If Viscount Lobo and I were to have a fight, people might think that the southern autonomous region was fighting with the royal family.


    If this was a personal quarrel between me and Viscount Lobo, there wouldn''t be any problem (although even so, Viscount Lobo would be damaged in many ways), but if this was the position of a royal emissary and the head of the Southern Autonomous Region, it might turn directly into a war between the royal family and the Viscount family.


    That''s why Blanca went on to say, "Instead, me and my sister-in-law (Hana-san) will deal with my brother (Viscount Lobo). Incidentally, when they said they would be dealing with him, they also said, "My brother might die but.......it''s no use. The culprit at that time would almost certainly be Hana-san.


    ''Well, I''ll keep that in mind too. I''ll keep that in mind as well, but I''ll leave you in the middle of the show if you''ve gone too far. And then I''ll just walk out of the South.


    Please. I''d be more than grateful if you did. That way, at the very least, it''ll only take one brother to clean up the mess.


    It''s a terrible thing to say, but when you weigh the lives of Viscount Lobo and a large number of lives in the southern boroughs (Sana''s weight is probably a large part of it), it was an obvious statement. I have a temper, too, so I''ll be really careful.


    ''I''m sorry I held you back here. I''ll take you to the venue and you can follow me.


    After talking for a bit, Blanca began to show us around, as if she remembered her role.


    The place we were taken to was not the room where we met with Viscount Lobo last time, but a room that was even larger than that one. It is said that this is a place used for banquets and celebrations, and although the floor is covered with tatami mats, it is said that you can also have a standing room style party, and if you remove the tatami mats, a wooden floor appears.


    ''Seats for Temma and Merlin-dono have been prepared for them in the upper section.


    Blanca led us to a table at the far end of the room, pointing to a table at the far end. Viscount Lobo and Hana were sitting at that table, while Sana and Amur were at a table near them. Blanca sat down next to Sana after we had taken our seats, and Viscount Lobo stood up with Hana to watch us.


    ''''I''m sure everyone has heard about this, but due to my inadvertence this time, I have caused discomfort to the royal emissaries, Lord Temma Ootri and Lord Merlin... excuse me, Lord Merlin Ootri. That''s why this dinner is my way of apologizing to you both. Normally, I would be rude at a seat like this, but for those reasons, you should enjoy it without bothering the people around you.


    We are now going to have a banquet. Cheers.


    ""Cheers!"


    This is how the dinner party began, but the greeting was a little uncomfortable. The first time Hana-san reiterated Grandpa''s name, Grandpa glared at Hana-san (he would deny it, but it was a pretty sharp look in his eyes), but in comparison to the amount of Hana-san''s lines, Viscount Lobo''s lines were quite small. Perhaps, though, it had something to do with the fact that Hana-san glanced at RoboCubon when he said his last line, ''Don''t bother me so much'' (which he would deny, but his eyes were sharp enough to give the illusion that the temperature around him had dropped a few degrees).


    In other words, Viscount Lobo had some kind of plan, but he was nailed by Hana-san first, so he ended up greeting her too easily. As far as I can tell, he was probably thinking of something not so bad.


    I still don''t know what he was thinking, but he hoped that the food would continue to be good for him. At the very least, I hope that the bloodshed will stop. You may lose your appetite........because you may lose your appetite.

 149-Chapter 9-8 Namitaro?

    What do you think of the food?


    Yes, it''s all good.


    That''s good to hear.


    The dinner party started and we had just eaten some food when Hana-san arrived with Sana-san. Originally, it was supposed to be Viscount Lobo who came to my place with Hana-san, but it seems that Viscount Lobo had some kind of excuse and Hana-san was forced to come with her. Amur, who tried to come in place of Sana, was stopped by Viscount Lobo. At that time, he heard a glimpse of his words, "Those who have a chance of winning the tournament should not get along with each other. Amur didn''t seem to be convinced, as he should be, but because of Viscount Lobo''s persistence, he couldn''t change with Sana.


    I''ve tried serving some of the stronger habits than the other day, but it seems to have worked out okay. Even so, I served some things that many people in the south don''t like, but you managed to eat them well.


    While saying that, Hana-san pointed to the sashimi and kusaya (...). Both were served in small portions at first, but since I ate them without problems, they were added to the menu several times.


    As for the raw fish, I''ve had something close to it a few times, and this kusaya? As far as I''m concerned, I''ve eaten something more habitual and smelly than this.


    Well, the main reason is that I have eaten it in a previous life, but in fact, I have eaten raw fish frozen a few times as a vitamin supplement since Namitaro taught me fish that could be eaten raw before (when I left the village of Kukuri), and the kusaya was the same kind of preserved food (not too bled-out) in a country village. I''ve eaten some animal meat that wasn''t preserved (i.e., meat that wasn''t preserved in salted or germicidal herbs and other liquids). Incidentally, the preserved ones tasted very bad because the main premise is nutrition and long-term preservation. Compared to that, this kusaya was pretty.


    It''s no surprise that if you live in a different place or for a different purpose, you''ll end up with all sorts of unfamiliar things, but it''s hard to believe that there are things that smell worse than this.


    ''I''m a little curious but I don''t think I''d want to put it in my mouth first if it was actually put in front of me.


    Hana-san and Sana-san showed interest in the food I mentioned, so we got to talking, and she asked me what I had eaten so far that was good.


    I asked her what she liked best about the food she had eaten so far, and she replied, "There were a lot of things, but... if we''re talking about food, the best is the white beef, and the second best is the bicorn.


    The reason for limiting myself to food is because the food I made is basically better than the food I made myself, due to the differences in cooking methods between my previous life and this one, etc., but I''m a little embarrassed to praise myself for the quicksilver. Other than that, what my mom made would be the best, but I was even more embarrassed to say it. Incidentally, the best other than those would be the food cooked by the old man at the Mantei.


    Both of them are very high quality ingredients. I''ve never had them before.


    Speaking of which, Amur said, "I took a shot at a bicorn in Seigen!


    Sana muttered, and Amour and Blanca shuddered as they sensed something.


    ''Yes, after I beat them, I had a barbecue with some of the people I knew, so they ate it too. You chewed the meat around the bones with gusto.


    There was no point in telling a lie, so when I told them that they had also eaten bicorn, Hana and Sana looked at them with envious eyes. There seemed to be some black emotion in their eyes, but it was probably just my imagination.


    ''''There are still some bicorn and white wild beef left, so shall I give you some for Hana-san and the others to eat?


    At this suggestion, Hana and Sana put on a cover, "Please! I replied in unison with my voice. I think it''s unfair to give them raw meat right here and now, so I promised to cut it up and give it to them later.


    Hmph. In that case, although it''s not a return gift, I''ll have them bring you the main dish soon.


    Oh, that fish dish. Temma would be so surprised.


    At Sanna''s suggestion, Hana looked a little devious and signaled to the waiter.


    ''Main?''


    The one who responded to their words was Amur, who outwitted Viscount Lobo. After all, he said, "It''s embarrassing for a member of the house not to greet the invited guests, so I''ll go greet them as a common-sense person (...)". By the way, of course, Viscount Lobo, who tried to stop Amur, had no choice but to see him off quietly in front of his subordinates.


    It''s a good thing I''m a good friend of mine. When it was caught in the net, it put up a big fight against the net, but the chief of the village stopped it while he was stunned with a blow between the eyes. This morning, he brought it back to me as a token of his gratitude.


    It''s so big. It was over three meters long!


    Hana-san and Sana-san excitedly told me the story, but me and Amur, and even Grandpa and Blanca, who could hear them, stopped moving as well.


    ''''A three-meter class fish........''''


    I have a bad feeling about this...


    No way, Nami...


    Don''t say it, Amur!


    I hurriedly covered Amur''s mouth with my hand to prevent him from raising the flag, but I had a bad feeling just like my grandfather since I heard the story. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.


    ''''Everyone seems to be very concerned about it!


    ''But sis, is it just my imagination that you seem somehow more anxious than you are expecting?


    It''s all in your head! Oh, here they are! Sana, Se~no, no, I''ll take the cloth off with the ''no''.


    Okay.


    Ignoring us who froze, Hana and Sana stood at both ends of a giant fish dish hidden by a cloth.


    Se-no!


    I took the cloth in. The result......


    "''Thank God it''s not Namitaro.


    Sef!


    It was. The giant fish had been roasted, and although it looked close to the color of the Namitaro at first glance because it was charred in some places, it was clearly different in shape. This huge fish seemed to be a "salmon" or "trout" while Namitaro''s was a "carp". It was probably the same kind of fish I had caught on the way here.


    Grandpa and I sat down, but Amur was the only one with his hands outstretched like a baseball referee. Who told them what that pose and meaning was? Well, it would almost certainly be a reincarnation.


    ''Huh? What''s going on with everyone?


    Hana-san and Sana-san looked at us unconsciously slumped, and they looked at us curiously.


    Mom, Sanna, you know, actually...


    Amur, the only one who was unconcerned, explained to Hana and Sana about Namitarou. They listened to Amur''s explanation and said, "Come to think of it, there was a report that there was a demon like that on Tenma''s (the winner) team.


    ''Normally, there''s no way someone who can do something about Namitaro wouldn''t be able to participate in the tournament.


    Amour said, but


    ''When I met Namitaro again, he was caught and sold by a regular fisherman who couldn''t seem to do anything about it. He''s pretty dumb, you know...


    Mmmm ... certainly undeniable.


    After hearing my story, Amour seemed to have a lot on his mind about it, so he crossed his arms and was convinced.


    Well, we''ll hear about it later, but let''s eat it before it gets cold. Because these things are best eaten when they''re hot.''''


    With that word from Sana, the waiters who had been waiting to serve us started carving up the giant fish one after another. I was a little hesitant to eat it at first because I was aware of the Namitaro earlier, but when I tried it, it was quite tasty. Furthermore, the dashi-zuke (soup stock made from fish bones instead of tea) served as a final touch was the best.


    Temma, about the tournament, we have a rough idea of what to expect. The tournament will be held in five days, and the finals are scheduled for a maximum of sixteen players, including Temma. The other rules are that weapons must be bladed, weapons must have a special cover at the end to ensure minimum safety, no biting, blinding or target practice. The rules are almost similar to the one in King''s Landing, but to save time, only the first weapon brought in is banned. The winner is decided by the referee or off-site. There is one main referee and two sub referees. And three assistant referees as well as a recorder and three reserve judges.


    There are also other rules that prohibit the use of tools other than weapons and protective gear. A preliminary referee is a referee who can only give his or her opinion if the referee is unable to make a decision. For more information, the rules will be handed out at the registration desk two days before the tournament (the day before is the qualifying day).


    The current number of participants is about 80, and it is expected to exceed 200 at this rate. Well, even if the number increases, it has nothing to do with me, as I am exempt from qualifying, but Blanca and Amour looked bothered.


    Four days after that dinner party.


    Easy!


    That was awful...


    Amur, as he said, won the qualifying round with an overwhelming victory, while Blanca had a pretty hard time.


    ''''Why are all those guys gathered at my place alone........''''


    According to Blanca, there was a level of fierceness in the group that said that if the guys who lost to him were assigned to another group, they would win the final. Some of them seemed to be so unsure of whether Amur could win, and when Amur saw the members of that group, he silently clasped his hands together towards Blanca.


    ''''I''m telling you, I didn''t alter anything except for separating Amour and Blanca.


    Yeah, that''s right. If you say you messed with that, all I can think is that you wanted me to lose.


    If there is a ranking of strength in the southern autonomous region, Hana-san is ranked first, Blanca is second, Viscount Lobo is third, and Amur is around the eighth, but in addition to Blanca, there are a few others who are said to be in the top twenty in addition to those who are said to be in the fourth to seventh place. (SCOFFS)


    The only thing that helps is that I don''t think they''re all trying to hurt me.


    The qualifying rounds were held in a battle royale format, but since each of the top players went first to their rivals, it was only the clearly inferior ones who rushed to Branca.


    In the end, the ones who beat their rivals rushed to Blanca''s side, and all the rest of them laid down their weapons in a fist fight, with Blanca, who had the most power left, being the winner. Currently, Blanca''s face is swollen and battered.


    As for Amur''s opponents, they are clearly inferior to Amur, and although they all took on Amur, they were easily beaten back.


    Since the division of the qualifying round was decided by public lottery, it was impossible to do anything other than try to divide Amur and Blanca. Therefore, every time the strongest players were assigned to Blanca''s group, the cheers of joy at seeing the strong players fighting each other, the voices of disappointment at seeing the strong players crush each other, and finally, the voices of laughter at not knowing what would happen to them as they gathered too much.


    Looks like the lottery is about to start.


    After the last qualifying round, I was taking a break in the area that served as a waiting room when my grandpa came in to tell me that the lottery for the main game was about to begin. Grandpa had made up the title of my manager during the qualifying round and was watching the match from the officials'' seat.


    Hearing Grandpa''s words, Blanca stood up dully and took a few deep breaths to get fired up and walked off with a firm gait. From a distance, it would look like there was no damage, but looking at it up close, it was clear that his legs were trembling. Probably, in order to not show weakness to those who will become enemies from now on, they are trying to be skinny.


    Amur occasionally lightly bumped into Blanca in such a state, feigning coincidence, but just before he left for the lottery hall, he was knocked off his feet. Because of this, Amour had to go out in front of people while holding his head in the hall.


    When we appeared in the hall, the audience cheered loudly. Most of the cheers were for Blanca and Amur, but some of them were for my performance. Some audience members who saw Amur holding his head said that he was unharmed, but I was the only one who heard them, and I had to use my strength to hold back my laughter.


    I was the first to draw the lottery, and I was the guest of this event. I stuck my hand into the box of lottery cards (not in a strange way) and grabbed the first wooden card that I touched.


    ''Number one,''


    The number on the wooden tag was ''1''. After making it visible to the spectators, I went to the leftmost place designated by the officials.


    After that, they drew in the order of the qualifying group''s number, and Blanca, the fifth, drew ''four''. In other words, if things go in order, you''ll face me in the second round. Hannah and the audience were surprised at this combination, but surprisingly, Blanca was full of enthusiasm.


    ''''I drew a good spot. I''m done with my shoulders in this one, and I don''t have to worry about my strength.


    These words made Blanca''s opponent (the man who wanted Amour) blush and get angry, but the crowd loved it. But the one that surprised Hana the most was.....


    "''Two''!


    It was the fact that Amur had been chosen as my first opponent. This surprised Blanca and the crowd, but what was more surprising was the other players who had made it to the final tournament.


    These players, all men, have been beaten by Amur in the past, but they seem to think that if they win, they will get Amur, and it would not be good for Amur to lose to me in the first round.


    ''I''ve drawn a good spot. Now I''m Temma''s, in name and in reality.


    Amour declares so high beside me, but it can be seen as a deliberate attempt to lose to me. That''s why the other players, except for Blanca, complained, and the official came to ask the truth of what he had just said, but Amour


    ''If I lose, I will become Temma''s wife. If I win, I will make Tenma my son-in-law. The stronger the couple, the stronger the children will be! Bye-bye, South.


    The crowd was quiet for a moment as Amur spoke of his awfully incoherent plot, and the next moment, for some reason, they were cheering loudly. The higher-ups in the South (the married ones), who were in the same group as Blanca, were especially delighted at the possibility of more strongmen in the South.


    ''What are you talking about!''


    Buoy! ....Hiccup.


    "Huh?


    When I was about to complain about what I just said, Amour was hiccupping after showing a cheerful buoy sign. When me and Blanca, who were suspicious of the hiccups, approached Amur....


    Shit!


    Girl''s getting drunk!


    For some reason, Amur was drunk. When he was thinking about why he was drunk, Blanca started exploring his waist area.


    I don''t have my smelling salts!


    I said. It''s not possible to leave Amur up in the hall, so Blanca sent him to the waiting room with an appropriate excuse.


    It''s a good thing that you can''t have a problem with this. It''s also intended to numb the senses, so you have to use the lid of the vial to adjust the amount of alcohol you drink (even Branca, who is very strong and well-built, can drink a cap or two at a time), but the vial found later in Amur''s pocket was less than half full.


    The distraction potion itself was used often by Blanca, so Amur probably knew about it, but he didn''t know what was in it. Normally it would have been dangerous, but fortunately he didn''t suffer from acute alcohol poisoning, and thanks to his hereditary high resistance to alcohol and the speed of treatment, he will be able to participate in tomorrow''s tournament without any problems.


    When I interviewed Amour after he sobered up, he said that Blanca always drank the stuff to make the pain go away (actually numbing and stifling it), and he thought that if he drank a lot of it, the pain would go away quickly.


    Other than the Amur thing, the draw was done without any problems, and all we had to do was wait for the tournament to start tomorrow.


    On the day of the tournament, even before the first game, the voltage in the hall kept rising at an incredible pace. The reason for this was that the eliminated players from the qualifying round had been chosen to play the preliminaries.


    It was a match between the top players from the Southern Region who lost to Blanca, so the level of competition was unpredictable. This meant that the bar had been raised for those of us in the main tournament.


    In the midst of all this, I was smiling at the strange atmosphere around me, but I was facing Amur, who was a few meters away, untied, waiting for the referee''s signal.


    ''''Both sides, get ready! The rules, as presented in advance, are that any malicious foul play will result in immediate disqualification!


    Hmm!


    Yeah!


    This time, the organizer has decided to prepare the participants'' weapons, so they are all ready-made and edged. Amur chose a spear from among them as his weapon. It seems that this one is a little longer than the one he usually uses, but it wields it with no problem.


    In contrast, I chose a sword. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of it. However, since the strength of the weapon is inferior to that of a spear, it is a two-pronged style, with another sword of the same length lowered at the waist as a backup. It''s a bit difficult to move around, but if push comes to shove, he''s going to throw away his scabbard and fight as a two-fisted fighter... Fortunately, I don''t think anyone here knows about the Ganryu Island legends, so he won''t be interrupted....

 150-Chapter 9-9 Changing Tops and Solving Trace-back Problems

    Huh, shh, shh, shh!


    The first move is Amur. Well, this is because of the gap between the spear and the sword, which is to be expected.


    Amur''s continuous attacks are sharp, and perhaps because he doesn''t want me to get in between, his pulling speed is faster than his poking, and he occasionally throws a feint of sidenagi, so I couldn''t step in so easily.


    However, you can''t continue to avoid it forever, and with the intention of bringing back the flow, I matched the standard to the spearhead and struck down. I don''t expect to be able to stop it with this blow, but if you do the same thing a few times, the speed of the spear will lose its momentum.


    ''''Say!''''


    Yo!


    When the speed of the spear slowed down, he tried to step into the sword''s space, but Amour jumped backwards as soon as he pulled the spear, keeping the spear in space.


    ''''Mufu~''''


    Apparently, Amour seems to be a strategy to thoroughly utilize the spacing of the spear, and if I advance, it drops, and if I fall back, it advances. And if you try to unleash your magic, you are being checked by a blow even sharper than before.


    ''''It''s a pretty good strategy but it''s sweet.


    Huh?


    I deliberately showed some leeway and then let Amur swing his spear in the same way as before. Then after a few rounds of striking each other, Amour pulled his spear and at the same time threw the sword in his hand.


    ''''That''s the sweetest!''''


    Amur swung his spear twice, and there were two (...) clanking and gakking sounds. He threw one sword, but he also threw the scabbard right after the sword.


    Amur, who had read it, prevented the sword and scabbard from standing up, and was a little proud that he''d won the read against me. However.


    I''ve got another sword.


    I pulled my sword from my waist and slammed into Amour with a kesa-slash (........).


    Amur prioritized escaping from the sword''s spacing and chose to move backwards rather than preventing it with his spear. But.


    Yikes!


    My blow struck Amour''s left shoulder. Amour, who apparently thought he had completely avoided it, stopped moving with a startled expression on his face.


    ''''Shh!''''


    Ugh!


    Amur gave me a side-nap with all the force I could muster and rolled backwards about three meters. And then


    ''Amur, you''ve lost on the field! Winner, Temma!


    He rolled off the field. The arena was originally narrower than the one in King''s Landing, but even so, it wasn''t small enough to fall out of the arena after just three meters of rolling. It was simply because Amur was more concerned about the spacing than necessary and was strangely wary of hearing my words, so he was backing off more often than not in the second half.


    Then he timed it and threw his sword and scabbard, making me pay attention to him while letting him step back, so naturally Amour was driven to the edge.


    ''''Mu~ I failed. But why did your sword grow?


    The sword didn''t grow. It was the scabbard that grew.


    I told Amour, who was looking at me curiously outside the scene, the secret of the blow I had just delivered.


    Normally, the sword is housed in a scabbard that is the same length as the sword blade. In other words, if the scabbard is not completely pulled out of the blade, the distance between the two is increased by the amount of the scabbard.


    When you swing a Japanese sword, the scabbard doesn''t tend to fly away when you swing it normally, but if you swing it well while cutting the Koikuchi, the scabbard will fly away like a flying tool. I adjusted the timing and struck with the scabbard caught on the tip of the sword. Then, when Amour stopped moving, I fired a side-leafing blow at him. Well, since the sheath strike was intended to hit somewhere for the time being, it was a happy miscalculation that it was so powerful.


    ''''I lost........''''


    When I helped a dejected Amour to pull up, the crowd cheered, but some of the guests booed. Apparently, some of them suspected that it was because it ended too early, and that it was an eighteenth-hour fight. But people looked at them white when they said that.


    "Well, that was quite a game!


    The one who praised the match in the loudest voice was, surprisingly, Viscount Lobo.


    ---------- --


    I didn''t expect you to say anything nice about Temma.


    ''''Hmph, I don''t care what that little boy says, but I can''t stand it when Amur is made to look like a fool!


    Oh, yeah.


    Anyone who sees that fight and criticizes it is either blind or not good enough to understand it, but I think it''s the same kind of thing that you can''t honestly admit.


    ''Well, you seem to be doing pretty well there, but I don''t think you''ll be able to beat Blanca with a stone. I guess the kid won''t be able to get up to speed until the next game.


    I''m kind of floating around predicting the next match, but does this guy really know the state of Blanca? I think I''ll give it a try.


    ''Then why don''t you make a bet with me? I''m betting that Temma will win.


    All right, I''m Blanca. So what do you want to bet?


    ''Well shall we decide on that later? And I don''t have time to mull it over right now.


    ''That''s true, too. But don''t tell me that he''s going to be Amur''s son-in-law!


    Yeah, sure.


    I got one! After all, he trusts Blanca...............and underestimates Temma. Even if he''s the winner of the martial arts competition in the royal capital, he probably thinks that he could win because he happened to beat Blanca.


    If this is the case, it won''t be good for Amour or the South, so I guess I''ll let him get hurt a little bit. And you''ve got a trump card to use when you refute (duh). Yes, the best trump card of all....


    ---------- -


    Hanna-san looks so bad it''s a clear sign that Viscount Lobo has lost.


    Flag?


    Amur, who was nearby, reacted to my mutterings. The word "flag" is used in the same sense as in the previous life, but it is not well known, and is mainly used in stories, so Amur, who rarely reads books, did not understand it.


    Most of the usage of these words seems to have spread from people who are reincarnated like me, but there are some words that started to be used shortly before my death (such as the aforementioned "flag" and "moe" in the geeky sense), so I don''t know where they spread from. The main target is Nami Taro, but since he was reincarnated long before my death, it''s not clear if he spread these words or not.


    ''I see... I do have a feeling that thing always hurts when your mother has that yawning look on her face.


    When I explained the meaning of the word to Amur, he nodded in admiration. Nevertheless, Amur may not like to call Viscount Lobo his father, but he always calls him ''that'' or ''that guy''. Well, considering Viscount Lobo''s character, it''s not hard to understand why Amour hates him, but as the same man, I also feel a little sorry for him.


    ''''It''s time for Blanca''s match to begin.


    As I returned to the waiting room, thinking, I saw that Blanca had just arrived at the starting position for the game.


    ''Come to think of it, why is Amur calling my uncle Blanca out on this one?


    ''Everyone called me Blanca, so I called him Blanca before I knew what uncle meant because of that... apparently. When I called him ''uncle'' once before, Blanca herself looked uncomfortable, so I decided to just call him Blanca.


    It was a good thing. Maybe Blanca was embarrassed instead of uncomfortable, but if he and the others didn''t say anything, I don''t need to point it out.


    As I was thinking about that, before I knew it, Blanca''s game was over.


    According to Amur and Slarin, who were watching properly, his opponent crumbled with a straight right from Blanca''s lunge.


    The two of them (one of them and one of them) told me as they mimicked the moment (Amur played Branca and Slarin played his opponent), but as Slarin, who was close to the sphere, tried to recreate the movement of being hit and collapsing, it looked like the ball that was hit simply rolled across the floor.


    Slarin was unusually depressed when he heard my impressions.


    ''Temma, that''s terrible.''


    ''No, I just thought that even for a slarin who''s handy in many ways, there are things he''s not good at.


    Slarin seemed to have regained a bit of energy from my follow-up and was stretching and shaking in the corner of the room. Perhaps she was practicing her act.


    ''What''s up with all the commotion?''


    At the end of the game, Blanca, who was passing by my waiting room, suddenly appeared from the entrance. It''s not a formal tournament, but since it''s not that formal, the officials didn''t say anything unless he or she said something to suggest a fixer-upper.


    ''It''s just that my mom was awful, he was a windfall and Slarin was a radish.


    Oh, oh, well...


    He doesn''t seem to have noticed that Slarin''s bad words are mixed in with the casualness of the situation, but the said Slarin was firmly aware of it and was also depressed.


    Confused by Amur''s explanation, Blanca looked at me for an explanation, but I couldn''t let the depressed Slarin suffer further damage, so I refused to explain with a bitter smile. My refusal seemed to confuse Blanca even more, but I didn''t need to compare the damage to Slarin''s damage with Blanca''s confusion.


    ''Anyway, good luck in your next match, Blanca.


    Oh, yeah.


    After forcing a handshake with Blanca, who was in a confused state, he forced her and Amour out of the waiting room along with her.


    Amur was quite resistant when he was kicked out, but he was taken out by Blanca, who sensed what was going on.


    Afterwards, I was the one who missed the other players'' matches, as I was accompanied by Slarin, who was training for a snowball fight in the waiting room with them gone.


    ''Well, once we beat Blanca, the rest of it doesn''t seem to matter.


    What did you say?


    Is it because of Slarin''s training? And in the blink of an eye, the time has passed, and I''m currently facing Blanca in the hall. Moreover, the words that I somehow muttered seemed to have reached Blanca''s ears.


    I fooled myself into thinking it was nothing, and decided to wait for the signal to start the match. Blanca didn''t seem to be particularly interested in it either, so I just said that I see, and regripped the spear in my hand.


    The referee looked at me and Blanca in turn, so it was almost time to give the signal. When the signal is given, I pull out my sword so that I can move, and at the same time, I remove the scabbard from my waist and stand in front of the starting line with the sword in my right hand and the scabbard in my left.


    The match begins!


    Oh, go away!


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.


    ''''Ora! Ola-la-la, Ola-la-la, Ola-la!


    I approached Blanca as she flicked her sword, and with my first strike, I struck her arm holding the spear, forcing her to let go of the spear, and then continued to fire a series of blows with the scabbard at Blanca, who was now weaponless.


    At first Blanca also took advantage of the opening in the barrage and counterattacked with punches and kicks, but as I moved around and continued to attack while dodging Blanca''s attacks, Blanca had her hands full with her defense.


    ''Sore!''


    Gahhhhhh!


    A thrust went cleanly into Blanca''s chin, and just as I was about to fold up to take my chance, Blanca suddenly howled loudly. I feared for my life for a moment and jumped backwards in a big way, but Blanca took a fighting pose and didn''t move as he stared at me. At first I was alarmed, thinking it was waiting for me to get closer, because its legs didn''t move, but when I looked closer, I saw that Blanca hadn''t even blinked, so I fearfully approached it and looked at it, poking its arm with its sheath. Then.


    Wow!


    Suddenly, Blanca''s right hand was thrust out with great speed. He thought he had been tricked and held his scabbard up to his right eye, but Blanca had stopped moving again, with his right hand still outstretched. When the judge approached to check, he saw that Blanca had passed out while standing. The final blow was probably released in response to an external impact, the action he was about to take before he flew into consciousness. So.


    Winner, Temma!


    I was declared the winner. This match would be talked about for years to come. In addition to my relentless blows, I passed out from the blows and continued to stand there as "Blanca''s Stranded". I was completely in the position of a villain........


    The players and the crowd reacted to Branca''s one-sided loss in two ways. One was those who were unconvinced by Blanca''s loss and wondered if there was some kind of cheating or trading going on, and the other was those who accepted that Blanca''s loss was inevitable. The ratio is roughly three to seven, with Viscount Lobo representing the former and Hana-san (and the fierce fighters who fought Blanca in the preliminary round) representing the latter. Viscount Lobo was in a state of abandonment, as if he couldn''t believe Blanca''s loss, and he didn''t show any reaction to Hana-san''s words next to him.


    ''''For now, shall we carry Blanca?''''


    While the crowd was buzzing, no one tried to carry Blanca, who was standing and passed out, so I was forced to carry her on my back to the waiting room.


    Blanca didn''t move slightly when she was standing, but when I forced her onto her back, she relaxed from her body and leaned back against me. Unfortunately, because of the considerable difference in size between me and Blanca, I had to carry her with an occasional limp.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    ''Welcome home~''


    When I returned to the waiting room, Amur had broken into the room. He even prepared a rice ball and hot tea to relax.


    "No, I don''t mind that the match with Blanca is over now, but you''re being too generous.


    Oh well but you didn''t have Blanca on you.


    Well.


    Amour, who let my sarcasm slide lightly, seemed to be watching Blanca firmly while relaxing. The reason why I was able to defeat Blanca so easily this time is simply because of Blanca''s lack of luck. The qualifying group that Blanca won was so fierce that its members could have fought as it was in the finals, and in the end it became a melee with just a few people. No matter how strong Blanca was, the damage done in a slugfest against the top players of the Southern Autonomous Region was not something that could be taken out in a day or two. Therefore, Blanca had been cornered to the point where she was able to take a considerable low ranking opponent by surprise in the first round.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the city. Well, because the Blanca is more robust and well-defended than I expected, I needed more hands than I thought.


    If Blanca was in decent shape, I would still be fighting in the hall.


    That''s how strong the original Blanca is.


    ''''For now........Temma, congratulations on your win.


    I''ve got two more games to go, thanks.


    It''s too early to say, but now that we''ve defeated Amour and Blanca, we can win the rest of the fight without taking any damage as long as we fight normally. That''s how much difference there is between the rest of the players and Amur and Blanca. Sure enough.


    "There''s a winner-take-all scenario.


    The semi-final ended with a counter to the face of an oncoming opponent.


    Not another word. The winner is Temma.


    The final ended with an unplugged body after I ducked under my opponent''s spear. The finals and semifinals ended so quickly that the crowd booed my opponent, but not so much against me.


    Well, it might have been one of the reasons why the argument that the qualifying round was all that mattered in this tournament, especially among the more discerning, was spreading.


    Afterwards, an award ceremony was held at the venue, and the tournament was closed after receiving the first prize of 100,000 G from Hana-san, but the fact that Viscount Lobo didn''t show up from start to finish was a bit worrisome.


    ---- That night, at the Viscount''s residence----


    Well, we''re all here.


    Normally, we should have celebrated the end of the tournament and Temma''s victory, but we decided to postpone it because of the time it takes to prepare for the banquet and because we had to prioritize the family meeting.


    There are five people participating in this family meeting: me (Hana), Lobo, Amur, Sana and Blanca.


    Amur and Blanca don''t seem to understand what the discussion is about, but they seem to think it''s about a bet they made during the tournament. The proof of this is that he has been trying to get out of here for some reason, and Sanna has been holding him back by using Blanca to her advantage.


    ''''So, what is this discussion about?''''


    Amur, who must have wanted to go to Temma, asked me a question that I should hurry up. Just as well, I replied that it was about the future, and by the way, I told him about the bet I made during the tournament.


    ''''You mean to say that your sister-in-law won the bet with her brother and that it will lead to the future of the Viscount family?''''


    ''Yes, this man bet on Blanca to win and I bet on Temma to win. As it turned out, I won the bet. I hadn''t decided what I was going to bet on, but one of the conditions was that ''Tenma would not be Amur''s son-in-law''.


    Hearing those words, Amour was understandably depressed, but Blanca looked as if she had noticed something.


    ''Well, well, I can''t blame her for losing. So what is Hannah going to make you do, other than marry Amur and Tenma?


    ''Brother-in-law, your sister just said she wouldn''t let Tenma be Amur''s son-in-law, she didn''t say she wouldn''t let him marry her.


    What?


    To Sana''s point, that person has a dumb face. Blanca, with a look of "I knew it", seems to have a vague idea of what I''m planning to do.


    "As a prize for this bet, you can take Amur to Temma.


    What?


    ''I haven''t talked to Temma about this, but I''ve got Lord Merlin''s approval, so I''m sure it won''t be nearly as bad.


    Yes!


    That man didn''t seem to understand, but when I told him that Amour had Lord Merlin''s approval, he clenched his fists and was happy.


    ''Wait a minute, I''m not giving Amur a wife!


    ''I don''t do it for my wife, I send her out to get experience. ''Let the pretty girl travel,'' he said. Well, if you''ve made love to Temma in the process, that''s what you''ve got to do.


    What''s going to happen to my heir!


    ''''Originally, we''re an honorary viscount, and it wouldn''t be a problem if someone else of distinction took the name. In the first place, the honorary knighthood was given to you by your father and you inherited it.


    But still, the title is still going to come from a bloodline...


    That''s not a problem either.


    I decided to cut one of my trump cards to silence this person who was arguing with me about something.


    ''Sanna!''


    Yes, I''m actually expecting a child.


    "Seriously!


    My trump card number one is Sana and Blanca''s kid. I didn''t even let Blanca know about this, so I''m surprised with the guy...or maybe I''m too surprised to freeze up. That''s probably true, after all, they''ve been married for more than a decade now and there''s no sign of pregnancy, so there''s a section where they''ve both given up. This had caused Sanna some pain on several occasions, but they were able to do it as a couple because of Blanca''s goofy love for Sanna. The fact that Amur missed them was also significant. At any rate, he missed Blanca more than his own father, and if he was not good at it, he might have missed Sanna more than me.


    ''Sanna, is that true?''


    Yes, he''s right here.


    Sana said and took Blanca''s hand to her stomach. It wasn''t noticeable now, but in another month it would be more obvious.


    ''Maybe, but she''s a man,''


    Well....


    Sana''s intuition is often correct in such cases. After all, when I had Amur in my belly, she was rampaging so wildly that while everyone said it was a boy, she was the only one who guessed it was a girl. Since then, she had guessed the gender of the child in the pregnant woman''s belly many times, and her percentage of correct answers was over 90%.


    I don''t think there''s anything wrong with the heiress now. I''m sorry for my unborn nephew, but some people still insist on a man taking over, and since Amour lacks the qualifications to be the head of the family, you''ll have to do your best...Oh, and I''ve just been appointed Viscount.


    ""What?"


    It was here that he cut the second trump card that he had kept secret from everyone. The story had been written in the Queen''s letter. When I received the letter from Tenma, for some reason it was addressed to me, probably to put a collar on me so that it would be harder for me to interfere with Tenma''s marriage story. But I don''t intend to insist on being in the correct room regarding Amur''s marriage. At worst, even if he doesn''t get married, I don''t mind having Amur by my side. Therefore, I''ve decided that this story has more merit and I''m going to formally accept it. I''ve already written up a reply for that purpose. All that''s left is to have it handed to me via Temma.


    ''So, in other words, your mother is the head of the South in name and in reality.


    Amour''s words seemed to have reminded that person of his position. Up until now, he was the nominal head of the company, so he could do whatever he wanted with a lot of things, but now that I''m higher in rank than him, he has to ask my permission from now on. Being able to hold the decision-making power is pretty big. So.


    As for Amur, it''s the new head of the Viscount family''s decision, so I won''t take any complaints.


    ''Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!


    That man''s wild cry, tainted with despair, echoed not only in the mansion, but also outside, and thanks to that, in the blink of an eye, Amur''s departure from the Southern Autonomous Region and Sana''s pregnancy became known to the people of Nanao.

 151-Chapter 9-10 Shinto

    The next day after the convention, a luncheon was held for the convention attendees.


    When I asked Amur, who was following me around, what happened, he told me that Sana was pregnant.


    Blanca herself had given up on the child, she said, so she was in a state of buoyancy since last night because of the sudden happiness that came her way.


    ''''I know it''s a congratulations, and I can see why you''re buoyed by it, but when it gets to that point, it''s creepy.


    ""Mm-hmm"


    At my mutterings, the people who were around agreed with me. Incidentally, the people surrounding me are the high ranking southerners who fought a fierce battle with Blanca in the preliminary round. They all want to congratulate Blanca, but they don''t know what to say to her, and they came to me first, because she is a tough-looking person and has a swollen smile on her face. By the way, the top guys are older than Blanca and as tough as she is.


    I''ve been watching the situation from everyone, Blanca has been following Sana-san around since a while ago, taking care to make sure there is no danger as much as possible.


    ''''By the way, what''s up with that thing?''''


    Don''t worry about that thing.


    Ale and I pointed to Viscount Lobo, who was drinking like he was bathing in alcohol. This one was also crying and drinking, so he was being distanced from everyone. To be honest, Blanca was mostly creepy, but Viscount Lobo was just as creepy as he was.


    Amur didn''t say more, but from what he heard around him, because Hana-san had been awarded the title of Viscount of the Kingdom, Viscount Lobo, who was an honorary viscount, had been dragged down from the top of the Southern Autonomous Region. Moreover, since the person who originally laid the foundation of Nanao was Grandpa Kay, Hana-san''s grandfather, the people around him and his subordinates accepted the change of top management very favorably.


    ''Also, it was decided that I would follow Temma.


    What? What did you say?


    One word was said casually and for a moment I didn''t understand what Amur was saying, and I listened back in a dumb voice.


    This is something Grandpa (Merlin) has agreed to do.


    Grandpa!


    He called up his grandfather, who was tasting sake, and asked him why he had decided to keep Amur in his care. Then.


    Simply put, it''s all about providing an escape route. It''s not that I''m doubting Alex and his friends, but they are royalty and, despite their looks, they are the ones who need to put the kingdom first. They may be forced to get rid of us at some point. For that eventuality, we need to have connections in the southern autonomous region, where even Alex and the others can''t easily invade the country, but we need to be prepared for that eventuality.


    And that was that. Well, it''s hard to imagine the king harming us, but it''s not unthinkable if the reformers gain more power than the royalists.


    The southern part of the country is where the kingdoms originally flocked to attack, and there is no other country around that would be an enemy. To be precise, there are countries called ''small country counties'' beyond some of the forests, but the reality is that they are a gathering of at most a few thousand people per country. If all of the small country counties gathered together, they might be able to form an army of tens of thousands of troops, but the danger is low because they are likely to be a bunch of crows.


    Besides, if they were to leave the south alone, there was a chance that the kingdom and the neighboring countries would invade all at once, so the southern autonomous region would be the best place to escape.


    "It''s a mutually beneficial conversation, so I''ve decided on my own accord.


    ''I understand that but what did you get?''


    I didn''t get anything.


    My grandpa had been ignoring my pursuit of him, but when I kept asking him about it, he gave up and confessed that he had been given a bottle of liquor from the south. Moreover, he got four tortoises (one 20-liter bottle) of the high quality shochu liqueur that had been stored for 100 years.


    According to his grandfather, after the story of taking care of Amur was over, we talked about southern specialties, and when the subject of alcohol came up, he told us that he liked the liquor from the south, and Hana-san decided to share it with him, so he definitely had high hopes for it.


    For the time being, we agreed that Amur was the decision of our family patriarch (meaning the lord of the mansion in the royal capital, not the Otori family), but since I was sure it would be more difficult for me, I decided to take two of the two turtles, half of the liquor my grandfather had received. Because I think that grandpa would drink it all by himself, this one is going to be turned into a souvenir for someone he knows.


    As the noisy luncheon was coming to an end, an armed man came running to Hana-san''s side. The participants looked at a grim-faced Hana-san and a breathless man wondering what was going on, but they soon saw that the grimness had been removed from Hana-san''s face and they each resumed drinking and eating.


    Seeing that the man had left Hana-san''s side, me, Grandpa and Amour headed over to her to ask her what had happened, and Blanca, who had been following Sana-san around, and Viscount Lobo, who was stoned and drunk, arrived at the same time. Hana-san seems to have decided that the current Lobo Viscount is too drunk to be relied upon, so she was turned away to sober up in a corner of the hall.


    ''I''m sorry to hear you''re worried, but I hear the problem is solved. To put it simply, the troops that finished cleaning up the goblins were on their way back when they spotted two wyverns coming in Nanao''s direction and took them out. I heard that many people were injured, but no one''s life was in danger or dead.


    With a relieved look on her face, Hana-san took a nearby glass at random and chugged the liquid inside in one gulp, continuously refilling several drinks. There was a fairly strong odor of alcohol coming from the cup, but Hana didn''t seem to be drunk.


    ''The problem is that there were a lot of people who saw the wyvern flying around. Unfortunately, it seems that a group of merchants and travelers from the royal capital were near the troops. Well, they attacked the troops first and were defeated, so they didn''t do much damage, but if they didn''t do well, the number of merchants and travelers visiting the south may decrease next time.


    Even if the merchant corps and travellers were harmed, the Viscount family does not have to take responsibility, but if bad publicity comes to light and the merchant corps and others are discouraged from stopping by the south, the economy will be severely damaged.


    We need to take measures to deal with this, but it seems that the merchant corps and travelers will be arriving in Nanao the day after tomorrow.......what should we do?


    Even though she tried to ask for that advice, Blanca wasn''t much help, Amour was useless, and Viscount Lobo was out of the question. Sana, the only one who seemed to be able to rely on her, was not going to be able to get out of the way with her aunts celebrating her pregnancy. Perhaps that''s why Hana-san is glancing at me and my grandfather like she''s expecting something.


    "Hmm, if that''s the case, it would be good to do something to forget about the anxiety.......what do you have in mind, Temma?


    Well, perhaps inviting those merchants and travellers over for a celebration of the defeat of the wyvern would lessen the anxiety a bit?


    ''It''s a good idea, but it''s weak on its own I don''t think it would have much of an effect on the people in the merchant corps, let alone the travelers.


    I said what came to mind on the spur of the moment when my grandfather passed (roundly), but I couldn''t just adopt the idea.


    ''Then why don''t we complicate the wyvern as a blessing or something and make it a festival for the whole of Nanao by performing a ritual of thanksgiving? And the bigger the festival is, the less anxious I might be about it.


    Ummm, I need a push.


    Hana said that Blanca''s idea wasn''t enough for her, but she made a bullet point note of Blanca''s idea on the table right next to her.


    ''Come to think of it, what about the taxes and stuff that go into Nanao?


    Normally, when you enter a big town like Nanao, you are charged a tax like entrance fee, but in the case of my grandfather and me, we didn''t have such a story because we were emissaries from the royal family. When I asked him about it, he said that even in Nanao, the tax is usually collected first and allowed to stay for a certain period of time.


    If that''s the case, how about exempting the tax on the merchants and travelers for this one time only, and also reducing the tax on the sale and purchase of goods?


    That''s a bit harsh...


    ''Sis, you should try it once. You will not lose that much money if the festival brings in more money than it brings in in direct tax revenue, and if word gets out, the merchant corps, which has never been to the South, might be interested. If it''s going to involve a ritual, I think it''ll be more effective if we do that much.


    Hana-san was reluctant to accept my proposal, but before I knew it, Sana-san, who had approached her, was in favor of it. With that, Hana-san decided to adopt my proposal and the two of us began to work out the details of the conversation. In the meantime, Blanca seems to be selecting the participants of the ritual. So far, the number of contestants will be three from the Viscount''s family, two as guests (he wanted me and my grandfather to participate in this one) and three from the rest. I''ve heard that they actually want to hold a larger scale event, but they don''t have enough time and want to send out as many strong people as possible, so the other three will be chosen from among the people here.


    ''Anyway, it''s fine to participate, but what kind of things do we do for the rituals? Given that you''re the strongest, I can only imagine it''s a competitive ritual.


    ''Yeah, I''d better explain it first. This time the ritual is called ''Sumo'', a one-on-one fight, where you fight with one body in a ring called a ring called the ring. The general rule is that blows with knees, elbows, or clenched fists, or the use of magic to bite or strike at a vital point are foul, and if you can get your opponent out of the ring in any other way, or if you can get anything but the soles of your feet in the ring, you win.


    I''ve heard there are many other rules and regulations, but generally it seems to be no different from the sumo matches I know. Blanca said she''d tell us the detailed rules later and started gathering everyone together to decide who else would participate. Then most of the luncheon participants said they were going to participate in the ritual and started qualifying on the spot on their own, despite Blanca''s distress.


    Since it was a good opportunity, I decided to drink and eat in the sandbag to observe the wrestling here with my grandfather. At first we thought someone might make a complaint about our participation in the tournament, which was supposed to be special, but this was not the case, and the matches went on one after another at a fast pace. Occasionally someone would be pushed or thrown out of the ring in our presence, but it was impossible to tell if it was on purpose or by accident.


    And in the end, the three winners were........


    I don''t see any high ranking southerners.


    Yeah.


    The top contenders were all eliminated in the first round, even though they were thought to be strong contenders. Well, even the top contenders couldn''t seem to exert their power in their drunken state. The ones who grabbed a spot were the Wild Boar Beastmen, the Bear Beastmen, and the Tiger Beastmen.


    ''''Then let''s take care of it on the day. You know this, but as long as we are conducting wrestling as a ritual, you must keep in mind that any misconduct will be severely punished.


    Blanca was paying attention as she glared at the three of us. All three of them listened to Branca quietly, but they occasionally looked at me with sharp eyes. Apparently, they seem to think that they can beat me in a power contest without magic.


    I''m going to have to say that the Viscount''s side is my decision...


    Of course I do!


    Rejected.


    Amour, who had been oblivious behind me like air, jumped out in front of Blanca vigorously while announcing his participation, but Blanca refused as fast as she could. Amour was complaining about the boo-boo, but because sumo is a style of wrestling where, like in his previous life, he wears a spinning top and a spinning wheel, women are basically prohibited from participating. However, because the method of deliberately aiming for moros*xuals became popular for a while, women now wear shorts underneath their spinning wheels.


    Well, except for me, it''s better to choose from the troops that defeated the wyvern.


    Casually, Blanca ruled out Viscount Lobo, but there was no input from the people who were listening around him. Perhaps they had decided that they couldn''t afford to put the top people from yesterday in the match, but maybe they simply forgot about it.


    Those who had decided to participate were gathered by Hana-san and received a brief rules review and explanation, and then dismissed early. After a brief explanation of the rules and regulations, we dismissed early, but now we had to inform the entire Nanao community about the festival, set up the ring, and discuss the location of the stalls and taxes. It''s a very hard schedule, and there are only two days to spare including today, and the only day that can be used as a backup is the day after tomorrow, when the merchants and travelers are scheduled to arrive, and the festival will be held the day after tomorrow.


    The day after tomorrow will be the main event of the festival, I heard that Blanca will also be sent out, and there will be no one to teach me and my grandfather the rules of wrestling. I tried to ask Amur for help, but he told me he couldn''t explain the rules of sumo because he had never participated in a sumo match as a ritual, but he couldn''t explain the rules of the entrance.


    I caught a glimpse of Viscount Lobo out of the corner of my eye when I was in trouble, but I still hadn''t sobered up, and there was a good chance he was being eyeballed for Amur, so I decided that consulting him was the last thing I needed to do, so I decided to forgo it for now.


    Worst case scenario, I was discussing with my grandpa about getting Blanca to teach me last minute, and the top guys in the South who lost their first game came forward to be our leaders. They were busy and didn''t have much to do, and they wanted to get revenge on the people who beat them... It was a bit of a spite, but we were grateful for their help, so we asked them to help us.


    They enter in single file along the ring, stopping at equal intervals. Then they will do the same thing, bowing once inside the ring, then turn around and bow once. But then, once they are out of the ring, the ones who are called up step into the ring with each other... right?


    ''Yeah. Once you''re in the ring, you''re going to take a handful of salt from the side of the ring and spread it over the ring, and then you''re going to go to the line in the middle... it''ll be faster to actually do that part.


    So, we started to practice. It seems that they are not good at explaining things with their mouths. We didn''t have much time, and I was grateful for the help.


    After practicing the ring-entering ceremony a few times, we decided to try wrestling. There were four of us in this room, so we were divided into two groups, one of us to train with and the other to watch from the outside and correct any foul play or mannerisms.


    ''I''m at quite a disadvantage when I try,''


    In the practice phase, I was losing a lot of fights to one of the top guys. I was told that there was no problem in terms of manners and penalties, but it would be meaningless if I didn''t win. My grandfather, on the other hand, was fighting a more than even match against a superior opponent.


    ''''Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


    With a shout of enthusiasm from his grandfather, his opponent was thrown from the ring. This was Grandpa''s sixth straight win. Incidentally, he had lost his first four in a row, but once he became accustomed to wrestling, he was able to overwhelm the higher-ranked wrestlers with his unflappable winning style.


    By the way, he has lost his first four matches in a row, but after he got used to wrestling, he has been overwhelmed by the top-ranked wrestlers with his unassailable winning ways. The goal is to win!


    ''That''s great, Grandpa. I guess my goal is to get through the first round.


    Whereas my grandpa had set his goals largely based on the tone of his practice, I had set realistic goals.

 152-Chapter 9-11 The sumo tournament winner was ugly……

    The tournament will now begin. Contestants, enter!


    With Hana-san''s declaration, our entrance began. The first two representatives of the unit that defeated the wyvern this time, followed by me and my grandfather, then the three who won the qualifying round, and finally Blanca. This was the order that Hana-san had instructed, the first two were first in line for this year''s tournament, Grandpa and I were second in line as guests, the third was the winner of the qualifying round, and Blanca was the last in line for her family.


    I remembered the etiquette I had learned from the leaders as I went back to the waiting room to greet them on the ring, and my name was called out immediately. This year''s pairings are decided by lottery as soon as we leave for the waiting room, so the players don''t know their opponents until the last minute.


    "I''m in luck. I can make a name for myself early.


    Laughing at that is the boar beastman who won the preliminary round. In terms of size, he''s considerably larger than me, and is the third largest participant in this year''s competition, after the bear beastman and Blanca.


    Maybe I''m in better luck. It''s called a wild boar''s rush, and if you dodge it, it will go straight to the outside.


    The wild boar beastman seemed to be looking down on me, so I said a few challenging words to him as well. By the way, the physical nerves of a real boar are quite high, and it is said that a real boar can run at full speed and stop suddenly, or turn at almost a right angle while running, and can easily jump over an obstacle of about one meter in length, so the term "rushing and rushing" is a misnomer.


    You little bastard!


    However, this provocation seemed to get on the man''s nerves, and he was so red in the face that he would jump on me if it wasn''t in front of the public. The man''s face became even redder when I let out a deliberate noise while hiding my mouth with my hand.


    The crowd didn''t seem to hear us, but they seemed to understand that we were exchanging words, and that the man had been provoked, and that he had been provoked. Maybe that''s why the audience was so excited, even though it was still before the salt was sown. Well, from the looks of it, there was too much of a disparity in size, and yet it looked like the big man had lost a tongue-in-cheek fight against the kid (he actually lost, but I guess it didn''t matter either way to the audience). To the audience, it probably feels like a good pre-match entertainment.


    For now, the preliminaries were a complete victory for me, and I was able to throw salt in the ring comfortably. But I may have been a little too aggressive. At any rate, by the time I arrived near the center of the ring, the man''s face was as angry as a red devil''s.


    ''Hakkeyi, I''m left!''


    Phew!


    With the call of the event, I dove into the man''s bosom at once. It''s because I judged that if I made fun of him as a rush job, he wouldn''t jump out at me, but he had fallen for my plan. And since it was the moment I stood up, the man was surprised in that state, and luckily for me, his waist was high.


    ''d*mn!''


    The guy was in a hurry to get out his ketaguri (or something like that), but I quickly cupped his thighs before I could gain momentum and tried to push him back down.


    ''Don''t lick me, you little shit!


    The man tried to roll his body towards me and stretch out before he was knocked over, but that caused his hips (center of gravity) to be completely on top of mine (center of gravity).


    ''Se-no!''


    The moment the man''s body was close to me, I lifted him up as if I were pulling him off his feet, and at the same time I threw him backwards, twisting his hips in a backwards throwing motion.


    The man was probably more than twice my weight, but his center of gravity was floating, and the momentum of his attempt to reach me made it easy for him to be thrown off, and he rolled out of the ring with too much momentum.


    I threw a half-ditching move and ended up with my back to the ring, but the man was clearly the first to hit the ring, so I was the victor with no problem.


    The crowd was surprised at how easily the match was decided, but they soon cheered my victory. Surprisingly, I didn''t hear much harsh criticism of the man who lost. Apparently, it wasn''t so much that my opponent was weak, but rather that my strategy worked. Well, there are some people who laugh at my opponent, but I suppose that can''t be helped.


    "Well, for now, I guess we''ve achieved our goal.


    Normally, the winner is announced when the man returns to the ring, but this time the man fell out of the ring and was carried away on a stretcher, so he didn''t have to wait for his opponent to win.


    "That was a good way to win,


    On my way back to the waiting room, I was complimented by Blanca as I headed to my next game.


    ''Thanks I mean, next time I''ll be with Blanca or something.


    Of course, it''s not yet decided that Blanca will win, but the outcome is already decided just by looking at the faces of her opponents. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with them. At any rate, the face of the opponent who knows the difference in power the most had turned white beyond the pale.


    ''''........Blanca, don''t kill me if I''m wrong.


    "Who will kill him? That guy has enough power to be able to get to the top of the South if he''s able to show his true strength too...


    Blanca says so, but by the looks of it, it doesn''t look like he has that kind of power. Knowing what I was thinking, Blanca laughed and went to the ring. And sure enough, right at the start, my opponent lost to Blanca by a push.


    The next match was between one of the rest of the Wyvern Defeat Team and the Bear Beastman. The man from the defeating team also had a pretty good physique, but he was inferior to the bear beastman. The result of the match, as expected, was that the bear beastman won, but it was a pretty hard win... or rather, it was a loss in terms of the match.


    The bear beastman, who was superior in size, had been attacking with force all the time, but the man of the defeating team had made up for his loss in size and strength with his technical skills, and had succeeded in driving him down to the point where he was only one step away from victory. Just when it looked like the game was going to be decided, the bear beastman fired a taut blow at the bear beast and hit him in the shoulder, and he was attacked when he staggered for a moment and lost by a push. The bear beastman seemed to know best how close it was to a make-believe victory, and he left the ring with a bitter look on his face even after he was told he had won.


    The fighting style of the man from the defeating group just now was a helpful one for me. But if you ask me if it works for Blanca, I''d have to say no. Because there is too much difference in size between me and the man of the defeating team, and there is too much difference in strength between the bear beast man and Blanca. We can only consider it to the extent that there is a way to fight like that.


    By the way, Temma, did you see my match?


    Hmm? ...Sorry, I didn''t see it.


    Before I knew it, Grandpa''s game was over while I was preoccupied with Branca''s countermeasures. Blanca, who said he was watching properly, told me that he collided head-on with the tiger beastman and blew him away. The opponent fell on his buttocks in the ring when he was blown away, and the match was settled as it was.


    It seems that in a tournament like this one between select players, it is very rare to see a match that shows such a difference in power, and the audience praised Grandpa greatly.


    It''s a shame I missed my grandpa''s match, but I''ll have to wait for the next one.


    Oh. You have a lot on your mind, but have you got a better idea?


    ''I''ve tried to think of a few ways, but none of them seem to work.


    Can you say that? But when I told him that he should just try something else, he grinned at me... I thought that''s not a very good look for a man who would be a father, but I didn''t say it now because I felt that saying it would somehow make him feel depressed. I decided to


    ''At any rate, you called my name too, so let''s go, shall we?''


    I''m getting excited, like some fighting folk! He went to the ring with Blanca, who was like, "I''m going to go to the ring and sprinkle salt on the ground and take my position.


    ''Hakkayi, I''m left!''


    Hey!


    Almost at the same time as the event was called out, I put my hands in front of me and clapped them in front of Blanca''s face. I set up a so-called ''cat trick''.


    Although Blanca is not frightened by this kind of thing, she may have reflexively tried to take my hand, but her movements slowed down for a moment. Perhaps my judgment could not keep up with the unexpected move, but thanks to that, strategy number one was successful.


    ''Alright! I''m in!


    I ducked into Blanca''s pocket and held her left leg with my right hand while I did a kouchi-kake with my left leg and pushed her chest up with my shoulder while taking the turn with my left hand. This technique is one of the rules of sumo, and is called ''sanjo-attack''. I used this technique, which I learned from watching a special feature on sumo in a past life, in a performance, and it worked better than I expected.


    Nuh-uh! I''m going to....


    Blanca, who is an experienced wrestler, had never had a small soldier sneak into his bosom before, but he had never been this close to him before, and he was able to drive him to the edge of the ring. In the strategy, he had intended to decide the game with a push, but the wholesaler would not let him do so.


    "It was a close call, but we got him!


    Blanca was dexterously balancing and taking my turn with her right hand, trying to take the situation from inferior to advantageous for herself.


    ''Then win!''


    Before I could get to a complete disadvantage, I aimed for an inside thrown, splashing my left leg up, inner thigh style.


    ''That''s it!''


    Blanca didn''t care that she had her feet on the ground, she countered with a forceful upright throw. After a few moments of antagonism, we moved in kenken for a few paces, and me and Blanca both fell out of the ring at the same time.


    The event called the other referees, and after a few moments of conferring...


    Blanca the Winner!


    It was. Some of the spectators were complaining about the judges'' decision. After all, it looks like they performed a technique at the same time and fell under the ring at the same time. At the very least, it''s a re-drawing! Some people could be heard saying, "I don''t know what to do. There were even a few people in the crowd complaining that the judges had ruled in the Viscount''s favor.


    Well, I was satisfied with the result, so I left the ring without complaining to the judges. Incidentally, the reason for my loss was the difference between the two bales. It just so happened that Branca had stepped out of the ring on a wide, virtuous bale, and my foot had cracked it first.


    I left the ring quietly, and after the referees had explained the situation in detail and the footprints of Blanca and I left on the ground, the crowd finally calmed down.


    "Good day, Temma.


    If it wasn''t for Blanca, I could have just thrown it like that.


    Honestly, if it hadn''t been Blanca and it had been Grandpa, who still had a small size difference, I would have made it to the finals. Most importantly, though, Grandpa would have taken some countermeasures before he got into that position.


    I see, the reason for Tenma''s defeat is a lack of luck. Well, it''s strange to compete with me under those conditions.


    Blanca came back late and joined me and Grandpa in talking. It''s not the kind of relationship where you can be awkward about the outcome of a match, so although he was in a good mood, he was the same Blanca as usual.


    You can''t blame me for losing, but I''ll get my revenge.


    I''m looking forward to it.


    The two of them talk lightly about such things, but the match for Grandpa to advance to the finals is just beginning. I mean.........


    "You''re ignoring me~~!


    The other bear beastman is also here. The two of them had apologized to the bear beastman after making a face that said they had completely forgotten about it, but that seemed to offend the man''s instincts and only made him more angry. Well, judging by the content of the first round match, the bear beastman would be no match for my grandfather... most of all, I forgot to watch my grandfather''s match, but...


    Winner, Merlin!


    In the end, Grandpa won the game, as expected, and the game was over. The bear beastman returned to the waiting room, stunned, and was depressed in the corner. By the way, the clincher was ''hanging out''. Grandpa had lifted his opponent completely out of the ring right after they had teamed up. It was understandable that he was depressed.


    "Well, he''s so tall, it''s not hard to lift him up.


    According to Grandpa, he was able to do it because of the difference in strength between him and his opponent and because he got under the center of gravity, but it was still not a weight that the old man could lift.


    At any rate, this means that the final match is between Blanca and Grandpa, which is just as I expected or planned.


    We decided to finish eating before the final, because it seems that they are going to take a break before the final, and decided to buy food at the stalls that are lined up around the venue. Since there was still time to spare, I thought I could leave the waiting room in time for the finals, but something unexpected happened at the stalls.


    ''Take this one too!''


    Ours is the best because it''s freshly baked!


    If you eat more and get bigger, you''ll beat Blanca next time!


    And so I was surrounded by people who were watching the wrestling. But as more and more people came to watch me, the shopkeepers, realizing that I had come to the stall to buy something, competed with me to bring me what they were selling.


    I was surrounded by so many people that I couldn''t move, and I was in trouble, but I couldn''t despise them because they were just doing me a favor, and it was only a short time before the final game started that I was freed. The reason I was freed is because one of the people who surrounded me remembered the relationship between me and my grandfather and told the people around me, which paved the way for me to be freed.


    ''We managed to make it in time...''


    That was a dangerous part of the... Gefu!


    When I returned to the waiting room, Grandpa and Blanca had just entered the ring. In a few more minutes, the match would begin. By the way, when Amur said ''dangerous'', he wasn''t referring to the fact that he arrived on time, he was referring to the fact that he almost choked on a piece of meat that he got from a food stall while running back to the waiting room from the stall, and almost choked on it. Amur, however, has not learned his lesson, and he is still eating the skewers in the waiting room. With my two gourmands in tow........


    We''ll just have to watch it while we eat.


    I moved my chair to where I had a good view of the ring, took out the food I had just received, and the match started at the right time....


    Temma, I''m tired of this.


    Well, there hasn''t been much movement since a while ago.


    About five minutes into the match, Grandpa and Blanca were still deadlocked in the middle of the ring. Grandpa and Blanca were still deadlocked in the middle of the ring in a four-way stalemate. I can''t take my eyes off the two men because they don''t seem to be moving, but I can see that there are a lot of small feints and tactics going on, but it doesn''t go down well with the audience, who are expecting a spirited resolution like Amur. Another five-minute stalemate continues...


    Get away from me! Let''s start over!


    The event was announced as a water-induced reshuffle. The crowd, which had been complaining, watched the two wrestlers with bated breath, and perhaps in reaction, they cheered loudly as the event unfolded.


    ''You should have started over earlier,''


    There were a good number of spectators who wanted to see a spectacular fight, and naturally there were a few who felt the same way as Amur.


    Amur, instead of concentrating on the wrestling, was competing with Shiroumar and Solomon in eating food from the stalls. Because of that, my portion of food is greatly reduced. In the meantime, I was grabbing some easy to eat food such as grilled skewers while watching the sumo wrestling, so I''m not hungry, but this amount is definitely not enough.


    First, let''s eat as much as we can before the match resumes.


    That''s good.


    Ignoring Amur, who didn''t know whose fault it was that I had to make such a choice, I focused on what I hadn''t yet eaten and secured it to my plate. When I secured it, Shiroumaru and Solomon naturally took up a position beside me, but I ignored them since I didn''t have enough room to share it with them.


    ''Hakkayi, there''s some left!''


    It looked as if the division would change the way things were played out, but the two men stopped moving near the center of the ring, just as they had done before. There was one difference, however. That was that Blanca had decided on a morozashi (putting both hands under the opponent''s armpits to take the turn).


    Blanca brought him into the morozashi position, which is generally considered an advantageous stance, and after a while of antagonism in the center, he gradually began to push his grandpa. Granddad seemed to be doing all he could, but in vain he was leaned against and lost.


    When he broke the ring, the crowd was excited to hear that a local competitor had won. The one who cheered the most for Blanca was Sana.


    Sanna was more excited than one would expect from her usual ladylike demeanor, and was soothed by the women around her who knew of Sanna''s pregnancy.


    ''Was the difference between Grandpa and Blanca in terms of support?''


    Then you''ll be told to support me, but since Sana-san wasn''t the only one who supported Blanca, I wouldn''t have been able to fill in the amount and quality of support on my own.................I''ll think of an excuse now. Because my grandpa will definitely say something to me.


    ''If anything, if I couldn''t win with that much support, every time there''s a wrestling match in the future, Blanca will be teased by those around her.


    Sure, no offense to anyone around them, but I''m sure it will be talked about as a talking point. Especially those southern top-ranked people.


    ''''Come to think of it, there''s no prize money in this sumo tournament even if you win it.


    "It''s a ''ritual'' in the making, so all you get is honor. For that, though, I''m allowing myself to gamble.


    It may seem like a contradiction, but even if it''s a ''ritual'' for the fighter, it''s a ''festival'' for the observer.


    I feel sorry for them, though, that it''s only an honor. I wonder if there was something I could give you along with a pregnancy gift?


    As I was fishing through the magic bag while saying this, Slarin, who had been quiet until then, came up to me and went into the dimension bag.


    As I waited for Slarin to come out of the bag to see if he had any good ideas, Slarin came out with Gol and Jill a moment later and spat out two round balls of gold and silver in front of me.


    ''''Is this ... Gol and Jill''s thread?''''


    The ball of yarn was silky to the touch, and when I unraveled it a bit to check its color, it was a transparent gold and silver color.


    How much would you get for it if you sold it?


    I don''t know.


    I had never seen it before, so I had no way of knowing its price. But if Aguri''s story is true, the value of this ball of thread (about 15 cm in diameter) is immeasurable.


    Well, okay.


    I''ve been taking care of Blanca and Sana-san, and since I didn''t know they existed to begin with, I decided to give these two balls of yarn away separately.


    I''ve been asked by Hana-san and Sana-san to give you a piece of armor similar to Amur''s. I should get to work on it soon.


    The size will be fine if you refer to Amour''s, so you don''t have to ask. If it doesn''t fit, Sana will probably make some alterations.


    I have some tanned spear elk skin, so you can use that. By the way, I tanned it with slarin. Slarin takes advantage of the properties of slime (to melt and eat prey inside the body. On top of that, Slarin can choose what to dissolve, so it only digested the meat, oil, and other unwanted items on the skin), so it was possible to start working on it right away.


    ''''Temma~ why didn''t you support me right there........''''


    As I was planning for the future, my grandpa came back, as expected, and he opened up about his support. That''s where I mentioned my earlier excuse, but still Grandpa wasn''t convinced.


    As he was thinking about how to wrap his mind around his grandpa, Blanca came back with Sana after the award ceremony. When Grandpa saw her, he seemed to have lost the urge to complain to me. By the way, I was also unwilling to make an excuse to him because........ By the way, I didn''t want to make an excuse for him either, because....


    It''s so annoying.


    Because she felt the same way as Amur. Blanca appeared while holding Sana-san as a princess, and Sana-san also put her hands around Blanca''s neck to be close to her, and from earlier, she was giving off an annoyingly pink aura by pulling her face close and kissing her.


    ''Alright! Now that the sumo tournament is over, let''s go for a stall!


    Let''s go, let''s go, let''s go, let''s go!


    Yeah.


    The three of us ignored the (seemingly) glowing pink pair and hurriedly escaped from the waiting room.


    I heard later that they continued to make out in the waiting room without noticing that anyone was gone, and they told Hana-san, who was suspicious of us not showing up for a long time, "Enough! He was angry with me.

 153-Chapter 9-12 Carefully select souvenirs

    For a few days after the sumo tournament, I was holed up in the inn, immersed in the "Armor of the Bandit King" that Hana-san had asked me to work on. Until the next day after the tournament, I was out enjoying the festivities, but my face was completely memorized by the residents of the south, and I was surrounded everywhere I went. This made it difficult for me to move around freely and I refrained from going outside for security and mental health reasons.


    Amur and Hana-san, who understood my situation, took care of that, and brought me rare and popular foods from the food stalls, so I had no complaints, and I enjoyed my life in a sense of extreme comfort, eating delicious food in between work and soaking in hot springs for a change.


    ''''Yeah, that''s nice. It might be a little less durable in actual combat, but it''s good enough for everyday use. As for the color ... can''t be helped?


    When I handed the finished armor to Hana-san, she was satisfied with the workmanship and was in a good mood. The color of the armor was the brown of the spear elk, but the shape was made with the image of a tiger in mind, so it seems to be within an acceptable range. However, the size didn''t seem to be right, so he''ll ask Sana-san to fix it next time.


    And this is just for fun.


    With that said, I gave him a stuffed animal-like outfit. You can use this one for everyday wear, or you can wear it over your nightgown. I had a lot of spare spear elk skin left over, so I made this to pass the time. By the way, I made three costumes and gave them to Amur. I''m not too concerned about the size of this one, so making two or three was not too different. In addition, there are several other costumes that are still being made. I''m sure there are others who want them, so I thought I''d make them for them as gifts.


    So, what are Temma''s plans for the future?


    Are you looking for a souvenir for someone you know and preparing to leave as soon as you find one?


    In case you''re wondering, Hana was a bit thoughtful when I told her I was planning to stay for another week or so. And then.


    ''I''m sorry, but can I have one of those days? I''d like to show you a few things.


    I quickly nodded my head as he asked that with an unusually serious expression and voice. I didn''t know where she was taking me, but I decided that there was something I needed to tell her.


    I told Hana-san that it would be fine from now on, but it was decided that in order to get to the place, Hana-san would need to make preparations on her side, so we would leave in the morning, two days from now at the earliest. It was decided that Hana-san needed to make preparations to go to the place, and we would leave in the morning as early as two days later.


    We decided to tell him about this. It''s a good idea to talk to Sanna if you''re looking for a souvenir that is unique to the South, she''s the owner of a folk craft business in Nanao.


    So I decided to visit Sana immediately. My only concern was whether she and Blanca were creating a pink space like the one after the Sumo Tournament, but she told me that I shouldn''t have to worry about that since Amur had gone to visit her.


    ''The city seems to have calmed down a lot,''


    I left the Viscount''s house and headed for Sana-san''s house to check out the city, but since the festival had just ended, there was still some noise, but I wasn''t surrounded by people like right after the sumo tournament. Well, it''s just because I''m wearing a hood over my eyes, so it''s possible that the people on the street don''t notice me.


    ''''Hello~, is Sana-san there?''''


    Yes?


    With a flurry of footsteps, Sana-san came hurrying over. Behind her were Blanca, who was worried about Sana-san''s hurried pace, followed by Amur, who seemed to have responded to my voice.


    When I told Sana-san the reason for coming here and asked her to discuss it, she quickly nodded and led me to a room where the goods were lined up. However, that room seemed to have a lot of items that were rarer than what was normally sold, and Amour was angry with Sana-san for trying to handle them roughly.


    If you want to give a gift to a woman, gold-themed hair ornaments and necklaces, and silver bracelets for men are popular. However, many women are very picky about what they like, so these handkerchiefs or other small items are safer.


    Sanna was explaining various products, but none of them made sense to me at the moment. So, we decided to look at the classification of people who take souvenirs.


    First of all, we are acquaintances of Seigen, such as gin. This one is more likely to be pleased with food and other items than with ornaments. Especially for Master Ganz, it would certainly make him happy if you bring him some alcoholic beverages.


    And my acquaintances in King''s Landing. Among them, we''ll start with the people of Kukri village. Since there are a lot of people here as well, food, especially food and spices that can be served at the inn run by Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha, would be good for reference. Kelly and the others would be happy with alcohol, as would Master Ganz.


    And Jeanne, Aura and Amy. I think these three should have the Otori family crest on them. Since the three of them will be treated as my family members, they can be used as identification when the need arises, and if they get involved with some strange people, they can be expected to have some deterrence. Just to be sure, I asked Sana-san if she could make a handkerchief with the family crest on it, and she said it would take some time, but that it was possible. However, since it might be a bit lonely with just a handkerchief, I decided to buy some ornaments. Ah! Aina might as well have the same one. In case you''re wondering, Aina should still be registered in ''Oration'' and she might not like it, but I don''t think it''s a bad idea to have at least one matching handkerchief with Aura (her own sister). And Mr. Cliffe. That guy would be good for a simple, plain handkerchief.


    The rest is aristocratic. Albert and the three of them are fine with anything, but the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens don''t know if they''re in the royal capital or not, and we can''t send them anything too strange, so a set of several kinds of drinks, including the one I wound up with from Grandpa, would be fine.


    And then there''s the royals - probably something a little different, since I''m sure you know a lot of the southern items, so something a little different would be better. However, no matter what we choose, we can''t miss the requirement of ''high quality items'', so we''ll have something made by special order.


    First of all, the men, this one was ordered by Sana-san for clothes like samue. I don''t think it''s necessary to be as detailed as the women''s, so I told Sana-san about the size of the clothes (except for Tida, which is a little bigger in anticipation of her future growth) and asked for strong and high quality materials.


    And the biggest problem was the royal ladies. For the record, I don''t know what to give them because I can''t expect my taste to be the same as mine. In particular, Maria is the most difficult one. By the way, the one that seems to be the easiest is Luna, and I think Luna would be happy with any of them as long as I don''t pick a big outlier.


    ''''That being said, what should I take as a souvenir?


    If you don''t know, you should ask a professional, I asked Sana, but she said she didn''t know because she''s never given gifts to people like royalty.


    In such a situation where Sanna is at her wit''s end, an unexpected person came up with an interesting suggestion: "Don''t think so hard," she said.


    "Don''t be so difficult," she said, "Why don''t you just give it to your relatives? From the side, it looks like the queen is quite fond of Temma, and I''m sure she''d be happy to see you if it wasn''t a very good one.


    ''Blanca is right. That queen would definitely be sweet on Temma, so she''d be happy with something homemade!


    After listening to the two men who assured her, Sanna seemed to come up with something and walked to the workshop that she said was in the back. As usual, Blanca was still following behind Sanna-san around.


    When they returned a short time later, Sanna and Blanca had several pieces of cloth in their hands, each in a different size and shape.


    ''This is a sample shawl,'' she said. It''s a sample, so it''s only a simple one, but you can make your own by combining different colors and patterns.


    What I thought was just a piece of cloth was a sample of a woman''s shoulder-length (shawl). There was a square and a rectangular shape, and three different sizes, large, medium and small.


    Even if you say it might be okay to make it by hand, you won''t be able to learn to weave it in a day or two, so if you specify the color and pattern, I''ll have professional craftsmen weave it for you.


    Sana said that, depending on the degree, she could make a complicated pattern in a few days, so we decided to ask for five (...) pieces. The reason I asked for one more piece is because I remembered the existence of the Primera. When I was counting the number of tickets to order, I thought it was a bad idea to exclude one person, even though I was going to bring a souvenir to the Duke of Sangha and Albert.


    ''Five, all right. What about the pattern and the knitting?


    There are various ways to weave it, and after some thought, I decided on the most common way.


    It''s a larger size and a slightly thicker weave. There are five of them and the colors and patterns are.........


    Sanna wrote my conditions on the order form. As for the colors and patterns, it was too difficult for my taste, so I chose them from the samples with the colors and patterns.


    And could you embroider each name on it?


    But that''s just a combination of things that were there from the original, and I can''t really say it''s the original, but I can''t really say it''s the original, so I gave them Gol and Jill''s ball of yarn (which Slarin had secured separately from the one for Sana''s gift to her).


    What is this string?


    When Sana saw Gol and Jill''s ball of thread, she let out a loud cry and excitedly began to look at the two different types of balls of thread from different angles. I haven''t yet told you what they are, but Sanna seems to have understood the value of the ball of thread in front of her with just one look. In addition, I gave her the two balls of thread that Slarin had prepared for her as a gift for her pregnancy, and she was so excited that she hugged me, followed by hugging Slarin and rubbing her cheek. I don''t think it''s just my imagination that Blanca''s gaze became sharp for a moment when Sana-san hugged me. By the way, this yarn ball seems to be a special kind of yarn that Gol and Jill produce, and it seems to take a lot of strength and time to make a palm-sized yarn ball.


    We have received your order. The price is 15,000 g for 3,000 g each. The delivery date is in five days'' time, so I''ll give you some time to spare.


    Sanna said she would be happy to pay for the ball of yarn free of charge, but we decided to have it made at the normal rate, as that would not be worth the celebration. In the meantime, we decided to buy some souvenirs for the royal men at Sana''s place (also named by Gol and her team), as well as handkerchiefs and ornaments for Jeanne and her team to receive with the shawl, and decided to leave to buy other souvenirs.


    ''Well, let''s go around to the liquor store next.


    After we left Sana''s house, we (and Amr followed me) went to a liquor store and bought a bunch of liquor (but not the top-of-the-line stuff like the ones we got from Grandpa), and then we went to the grocery store and the grocery store.


    At the grocery store, we bought a few knives made with the same technique as Japanese swords, and at the grocery store we bought mostly spices. But the best thing I got wasn''t the knives or the spices.


    ''But I didn''t expect to get any seeds or seedlings of spices that would grow in the climate of King''s Landing or Seigen.


    We were able to buy chili pepper seeds, turmeric seedlings, and black pepper plants. I heard that they are not good in cold weather, but if you take measures against cold weather or dig up the turmeric seeds and store them in a magic bag, you can harvest them every year, unless you have a good reason to do so. If you keep the seeds, you can expect to harvest them every year.


    It was a bit pricey, but hopefully it will pay for itself in a year.


    They didn''t sell much black pepper and turmeric, but they did get quite a few pepper seeds, so if they could get Uncle Mark and the others to grow them, they wouldn''t be wiped out so easily.


    ''''Even so, aside from pepper and turmeric, if it''s possible to grow them as easily as chili peppers, it wouldn''t be surprising if they sold seedlings in King''s Landing or Seigen, would it?


    ''''Hmmm ... I think it''s simply because it''s hard to grow enough to sell. Then it''s faster and easier to buy them all in the south.


    I see.


    It''s true that, as Amur said, you''d need a lot of land if you were to grow enough of it to make a business out of it, and there''s a risk that it would be wiped out if a major cold snap were to hit. There may be people like me who grow enough plants for their own use at home, but they wouldn''t be able to grow enough plants and seeds to sell.


    That''s enough to give away.


    We bought a few food souvenirs, and I thought that would be enough for us to go back to the ryokan and relax....


    Temma, what did Albert and the others bring back?


    Ah!


    Amour reminded me of the Three Fools, and I bought a couple of good-looking knives (better than I thought they would be, so I bought some for myself and some for Kelly and Master Ganz) at a nearby blacksmith shop. It would be good to give them this, along with some southern food.


    ''All right! This really is the end!


    The Three Idiots were treated badly.


    I''m sure he doesn''t really mean it when he accuses me of being an idiot, and I think it''s worse for him to call me three idiots.


    But, Amur. You have to be very careful when giving gifts to women, or you will have a bad experience later on, but you don''t have to go that far when dealing with men. In the first place, I''ve only known those guys for a short time compared to other people, so that''s about right.......


    If you''re dealing with a guy, you can just say, "I don''t know if you''ll like it, but it looked good, so I bought it," but that''s not how it works with a girl. I don''t know what they are saying behind the scenes, even if they pretend to be happy when I gave it to them! Grandpa said.


    ''I see, I understand........so I won''t complain, buy me a shawl too!


    But I refused to buy it because it''s a gift for royalty and nobles (primera). Then, I was told that I could get the same handkerchief as Jeanne and her friends, so I had to go back to Sana''s house and order another one. It''s a good idea to have the handkerchiefs in the custody of the Ootori family (more precisely, of "Merlin the Wise"), so I thought they could be used as proof of identity... Well, since Amour was persistent, I couldn''t help but agree. ...


    I was planning to stay at the inn until I heard from Hana-san, but Hana-san''s messenger came to the inn that night and left with word from Sanah that we would be leaving in the morning two days later as planned.


    When we headed to the Viscount''s house early in the morning two days later, Hana-san and her friends were already ready to go, and they said they would leave as soon as it was OK with me and grandpa. By the way, the means of transportation is Raiden and I''s carriage, and the companions on the Viscount''s side are Hana-san, Amour, and Blanca. In order to distinguish her from Hana-san, everyone in Nanao has started calling her by the word "honorary" more than before. is a stay-at-home mom. This is not because the Honorary Viscount Lobo is useless, but because one member of the Viscount''s family must remain in Nanao (Sana is excluded due to her weight).


    I heard that the destination is quite far away, although it is possible to make a day trip, so Hana-san and Blanca, who know the destination, took turns being the coachman. Taking a break on the way, and also moved on foot where it is difficult for the carriage to pass, we were able to arrive at the place that is just a stone''s throw away from the destination, taking about four hours.


    But as far as I can see, there are no landmarks for the village, it just looks like an open area of forest.


    "I''m going to meet up with the person who''s going to pick me up around here, but...


    As Hana got out of the carriage as she said this, three hooded men appeared from the bushes a short distance away.


    ''Ah, there you are.


    Hana-san approached the three men who emerged from the bushes, said something to them, and then they all walked towards the carriage. I was somewhat wary at the time, but I knew that they were the people Hana-san was looking for, so I approached them to say hello first.


    When I was only a few meters away from the three of them, the person at the front of the three of them suddenly took off his hood, and I saw his true face. And when I saw his face, I instantly took a big step backwards. Because.


    Tiger....


    Because the face of the lead figure had almost the same face as an animal tiger. And the two people who were behind the tiger face also had almost animal faces under their hoods (or dog or wolf and cat faces).


    ''''Was this... that''s how it was meant to be?''''


    Grandpa, who was about to greet the three of us as well as I was, was surprised, but he muttered as if he noticed something.


    ''Temma, you''re right to be surprised, but don''t be alarmed. Those people are beastmen just like me.


    Blanca, who came down from behind my grandfather, called out to me. Amour, who was beside him, seemed surprised, but not as surprised as I was.


    Well, if it''s your first time seeing it, it''s understandable that you''re surprised. I''m just grateful that they don''t feel hostile or try to harm you.


    The tiger-faced man in the lead said that in a calm voice, as if he wasn''t used to reacting like me, but the two men behind him didn''t look amused.


    ''''You guys have had enough. Inviting an adventurer with ties to the Viscount family to the village was a decision made by the lord and the village chief. Understand that even though you are reluctant to do so, you guys have agreed to it at least once.''''


    The tiger-faced man told the two men behind him, and they looked away from me with frustrated expressions on their faces.


    ''I''m sorry. But you have to understand that some in the village are just as frustrated with outsiders, especially the human race, as these two are.


    No, I''m sorry, too.


    The fact that I apologized honestly made the two men behind me seem somewhat less puffed up. The atmosphere seems to have softened a little more than before.


    I think you might have gotten the general idea from these three, but the village we''re going to be going to is inhabited by beastmen whose blood is thick with our race. The head of the village will explain the details to you, but please do not look at them in a discriminatory light or speak to them in any way. If you''re not careful, it could lead to a deadly battle...I''m not kidding.


    Nodding to Hana''s advice, we decided to follow the three of them. According to what I heard later, in order to keep the location of the village as secret as possible from others, especially those outside of the south, they didn''t deliberately build an easy-to-find road near the village. Incidentally, since this forest is said to be managed by the Viscount family, it is said that southerners are basically not allowed to enter the forest without permission. However, on rare occasions, southern adventurers will invade the forest in search of rich resources, but most of them will be eliminated or captured by the village residents before they can approach the village. Of course, the villagers are said to disguise themselves with hoods and full-body armor so that their identities are not revealed.


    ''''Even so, aside from Blanca, Grandpa and Amur weren''t too surprised.


    Well, I have been to many places in my youth. I never saw them in person, but I heard stories from people I knew.


    It was my first time to meet her in person. But I''ve heard so much about you from your mother.


    Grandpa had been around for years, and he knew Amur as a member of a house at the top of the South.


    Still, I''m glad I didn''t take out my weapon on reflex at that moment. If it was that tiger-faced man, he might have forgiven me, but of course he wouldn''t have felt good about it, and the two men behind him would never have forgiven him. Therefore, it might be safer to leave the magic bag with the weapons in it with Slarin before arriving at the village, or pack them all together so that they are difficult to take out individually.


    With that said, I decided to take action immediately. Of course, it seems not so good to put out a weapon in front of the three guiding people, so I did it stealthily so as not to be exposed. In the end, I decided to leave the magic bag with the weapons in it with Slarin, who is better at managing things than I am. At the same time, I told Shiroumaru and Solomon not to attack or do anything similar unless they were harmed. In the meantime, I left Slarin in charge of the two animals, so they should be fine. I''m not at all worried that Gol and Jill will do any harm. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with them, because they are shy to begin with, so it''s almost impossible for them to appear in front of strangers. Moreover, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are in the safest zone, because if something happens, Surarin and his team will immediately protect them.


    The two of them were probably happy with the snacks they were given as a reward for the ball of yarn, and now they are working hard to mass produce yarn.

 154-Chapter 9-13 Bitter Experience at Hidden Village

    This is the village you want?


    I don''t see anything unusual about it.


    Amur heard my muttering and replied that. It''s true, Amur represented what I felt for him. The same impression was shared by my grandfather, who nodded his head without saying so.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. Other than the fact that it''s a hidden village, there''s no difference between it and a normal village.


    Our question was answered by Blanca, who said she had been to this village many times before. It was true that they were just different in appearance, but the rest of them were no different from the beastmen, so there was no way that their lives would be any different. Rather, the way of life centered around the forest might be similar to the life in Kukri village.


    We walked straight through the village for a while and stopped in front of one of the most magnificent buildings in the village.


    This is the village chief''s house. Hannah-sama is here, so I''m sure she''ll be fine, but keep in mind that if you harm the village chief, everything in this village will be against you.


    The three guides seemed to finish their work here, and with the words of the tiger-faced man, they left the front of the village chief''s house. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    ''''The village chief here is a gentle man and rarely gets angry, so just be normal and you''ll be fine.


    I guess she was worried about me and my grandfather, who had gone quiet about the people in hiding, and Hana told me that and told me about the village chief. And as it was, we walked into the house without a good greeting.


    ''''Come quickly. The village chief is waiting for you.


    We (including Blanca) hesitated as we went in, but Hana-san beckoned us to come through the door with half her body peeking out. The house is like an old house that looks like it could be found in the Japanese countryside, and the inside is just as I''ve seen it on TV.


    Come on, come on in.


    Hana went up to the front door as casually as if she were back at her parents'' house, opened a nearby sliding door and walked in. Inside the room was an old (seemingly) tiger-faced beastman.


    ''Don''t be shy, come over here,''


    The tiger-faced beastman inside was an old man and even more so a woman, just as I thought he would be. The tiger-faced old woman greeted us with a gentle voice and told us to sit across from her seat. According to Hana-san, she is the village chief and elder of this village.


    I took my seat, wary of my surroundings, just in case, but the only signs nearby were a different beastman than the one who had led me here (who seemed to be a guard, and who was waiting just outside the room) and what appeared to be a few women. Incidentally, the women''s presence was gathered in the kitchen, and they appeared to be family members or maids. In fact, one of the women brought the tea just after we were seated, but by all appearances, she was a normal (though cat-faced) woman.


    ''''Is this ... green tea?''''


    The cat-faced woman brought a complete green tea, and the name was accepted here as green tea, too. Green tea has been popular in the south for a long time, and apparently there is still a lot of work on how to drink it, how to make it, and breeding it. By the way, the green tea we were served was hot tea, but the elder''s seemed to be cooled enough and did not have any steam.


    We are not good at using our cheek pouches, so it is difficult to drink hot tea.


    The elders, who could tell from my gaze that I was wondering, answered my question. He also said that he is not good at chewing, and it is not easy to live in a city of beastmen like Nanao in terms of such a diet.


    ''''The main reason is that some of these beastmen have a sense of discrimination among them.


    It is said that this is because the beastmen, especially the younger generation, do not know that there are beastmen with animal faces like the elders in front of them. It seems that some beastmen, especially the younger generation, don''t know that there are animal-faced beastmen like the elders in front of them, and in the past, it was common for them to persecute or assault women who gave birth to animal-faced babies, claiming that they gave birth to a demon, or even kill their children, calling them demons. It is said that the heads of towns and villages, like Hana-san, know about it, and older beastmen can be taught by the older generation, but some of the older generation have a strong sense of rejection. What is not being taught to the younger generation is the old custom to prevent confusion that they might be close to a demonic race, but nowadays, there is a discussion about stopping this custom and telling them that animal-faced beastmen are rarely born from a young age.


    It''s difficult to do that because it would expose the people who live in these villages to the elements. Moreover, some of the people who live in these villages have experienced discrimination and threats to their lives in the past, so they have a strong sense of camaraderie, and some of them are very resistant to the idea of their fellow villagers being turned into a spectacle.


    And so it''s a lot more difficult than it seems. Moreover, even if they were able to clear these difficulties and live with the other beasts, there was a possibility of friction with the human tribe''s country this time.


    The main reason why the southern autonomous region was established in the first place was because there were many beastmen who were driven away by the human race in the past. One of the reasons why they were forced out was that the people persecuted the beastmen with animal ears and tails, claiming that they were not people like them. Even now, there are a few human tribes that do not recognize the beastmen as the same people and discriminate against them, and there are also nobles and those with similar power. If such people found out about the Hidden Village, they might become even more discriminating. It would be fine if they colluded to attack us head-on, but if they took a guerrilla-like strategy, there was a high probability of annihilation of every village or small town, and if that happened, it could lead to a war between the tribal nations and the southern autonomous region.


    ''''Perhaps the biggest problem is that even if we are going to raise awareness, it can''t be just in the south.


    At Hana''s words, the tiger-faced old woman nodded her head in agreement. Hana-san seemed to want to get on with the problem right away, but the elder seemed to think that she still needed a long time to get on with it.


    ''''So, why did you bring us here?''''


    Hmm?��It''s almost over now. I just wanted you to know that there was a village like this, and that Amur, as a member of the Viscount family, had to be brought in eventually.


    In short, you''d like me and Tenma, who has a lot of influence with the royal family and powerful nobles, to provide a buffer in case of emergency, or perhaps just tell the royal family what''s going on and hope they''ll take measures as well?


    As I was thinking that just because I want you to know, aside from Amur, that''s not a reason to bring us here, my grandpa, who had been sipping his tea in silence until then, opened his mouth. And from the look on Hana-san''s face, Grandpa''s idea seems to be the jackpot.


    ''''Well that''s right. I can''t bring this issue up from me, so I want you to convey it indirectly.''''


    If the head of the southern autonomous region leaked this sensitive issue, some people would have a problem with it, so they took this approach. By the way, if people found out that you brought me to this village, it would be a problem in itself," he said, adding that we happened to be on our way to the Viscount''s forest to gather and ran into some men who happened to be hunting there. They are going to make it to It''s a pretty unreasonable plot, but as long as there''s really a chance of coincidence (...), they''ll make it work as long as all the people involved are willing to talk about it. Incidentally, the reason why Hana-san and Blanca were together is because they wanted to keep an eye on us so that we don''t go near the forbidden area (near the hidden village)....


    "For the time being, all you have to do is talk to the king, right? Well, I''m sure Maria will be asking questions about what happened in the south, so I''ll just let it slip by accident. By the way, this tea is delicious.


    I''m sure there''s some good tea at home, I''ll give it to you as a gift.


    I''d like some of these tea plants as well.


    I''ll see to it.


    Since I hear Hana-san''s request, I decided to make a request here as well. It''s probably because they know that, that''s why Hana-san has kept her head down since a while ago. It''s a form of taking advantage of a weakness, but now we''ve got this green tea plant. If it works, we might be able to drink homemade green tea, and if it doesn''t, we can just buy the tea leaves through the Viscount family.


    ''''It''s not a substitute for a tea treat, but I just found some berries on our tree, so here you go.


    Saying that, the elder had him bring a small red fruit. I was wondering how he was going to eat them, but Amur grabbed a few red berries and put them straight into his mouth. Apparently there is a seed in the center of the fruit that takes up nearly half of the fruit, so he scrapes off the fruit around the seed in his mouth and eats it, then spits out the remaining seeds. It''s the same way to eat pomegranates and akebi.


    The seeds are sweet and sour and taste great, but be careful not to eat them too much, as they can keep you up at night.


    Hana-san warned me. I knew it when I heard that story. I''ve seen this species before. I''ve never seen them in the flesh, not in this world, but they look exactly like the processed seeds and the ones I''ve seen in books and on TV. What is this fruit....


    ''Coffee grounds''?


    ''You know it well. These berries are only grown in a few parts of the South, and the berries are so small that they aren''t even distributed outside of the South.


    Hana, Blanca and the elders were a little surprised and impressed. Amur was looking at us, but he seemed to be more concerned with eating the coffee berries than admiring them, and he was taking advantage of the opportunity, with everyone''s attention diverted from the berries, to eat them with his mouth full.


    Can I have the seedlings of these, too?


    Hmmm ... I don''t think that''s possible.


    I don''t think we can harvest enough coffee to drink on a regular basis, but even if we had a few, we could expand the range of our snacks, so I asked, but Hana-san refused to let me know. I had given up on the idea that the coffee seedlings were valuable because they were only grown in a few areas of the country, but I found that the situation was different.


    The problem is that the coffee plants are not very valuable, so it''s not a problem to give them away. The problem is the climate in the capital.


    According to Hana-san, the most important condition for growing coffee trees is to have a warm climate throughout the year, so even if it gets a little cold in some seasons, the fruit will grow, but in the winter, when it snows in the capital, it''s hard to know if the tree will grow properly, let alone bear any fruit. Incidentally, it''s not uncommon for people to say that they''ve never seen snow in the southern autonomous region, and as far as records are concerned, there''s no record of snowfall in the southern plains. The only exception to this is in some of the mountains in the southern autonomous region, where there are several mountains of thousands of meters in height, and it is said that snow can fall and pile up on the peaks and hillsides.


    It would be better to give up then. In that case, I''d better give up. Even if the berries do grow, I don''t think they''ll be enough to make you drink coffee.


    Do you want coffee?��What do you mean?


    Hana and the others (including Grandpa) reacted to the words he said casually. And perhaps they sensed that it was food-related from the content of the conversation, but this time, Amour showed the biggest reaction of the five of them.


    I''ve drunk coffee many times in my past life, but I''ve never experienced the stage of roasting coffee beans, and at best I''ve ground them in a coffee mill a few times. So I tried to explain to him as clearly as I could, based on the hazy knowledge I had seen and heard, but he didn''t seem to get it, so he actually made me do it.


    A frying pan was used to roast the beans instead of a coffee mill, and a cloth-wrapped crane was used instead. I should have ground the beans evenly, but I gave up because I didn''t have the tools to do so. Instead, I used a colander to roughly divide the beans, so it was better than nothing.


    The two ways I''ve done it are drip coffee and drained coffee, but drained coffee takes longer, so I excluded it this time. I substituted a thin cloth for the drip paper (I don''t know what it''s called, but I always called it that) needed for the drip coffee, and I actually made the coffee....


    ""Niiiiiight!"


    Everyone who drank shouted the same thought at the same time. Incidentally, when the elder was about to drink the coffee, his guard, who was waiting outside the room, drank it instead as a poisonous taste, so he was not harmed.


    ''''How can this be so bitter?''''


    Hana asked me over a cup of tea for a palate cleanser, but I didn''t know if this was actually the taste of coffee in this world or if I had just messed up, so I said, "I don''t know, I just heard the story, too, so I''m not sure. But I''ve heard that the coffee itself is bitter in nature," he replied.


    At any rate, I''ve heard that they drink it like this... just in case, they also dilute it with water or mix it with sugar and milk.


    To be sure, I tried diluting it with water or mixing it with sugar and milk, but the bitterness still prevailed and it didn''t taste as good as it should have. Maybe I''m making a mistake in the roasting stage, so if I have the time and beans, I''d like to experiment.


    I don''t need to force myself to drink coffee with this flavor.


    That''s what the elder said. But he said he will study it in detail because it could be a new specialty of the south part of the country, if he can sell the extra seeds he had been throwing away. The reason for this is because there are only a few seeds available, and they need to increase the production of seedlings in anticipation of future demand.


    I think it''s time to have a meal.


    The women who had been in the kitchen brought in platters of food one after another. In Nanao, the food was divided up for each person, but in most households, the food was basically served on a platter and divided into small portions for each person to eat.


    The dishes served were vegetable and chicken stewed or stewed in miso, and we thought that the Japanese transmigrant was largely responsible for the taste.


    After the meal, Hana-san and the others guided us to take a walk in the village (I think it was probably also meant to be a good look at the villagers), and we decided to leave the village before the sunset. When we were leaving, the elders gave us gifts of herbs and food (the herbs were to make an alibi that we were here to collect them, and the food was to replace them as we didn''t have any specialties). Well, we ate the souvenir dishes before returning to Nanao (mostly by Amur and our gourmand duo), and the souvenirs for the Honorary Viscount Lobo were gone... or rather, we all forgot about the existence of the Honorary Viscount Lobo.

 155-Chapter 9-14 Black souvenirs

    "Temma, there.


    On my way back from the hidden village, just as it was about to get dark, Amur, who was lying on the roof of the carriage, noticed something and informed me, who was sitting in the coach seat.


    ''Is there a demon in here?''


    He''s a monster, but he doesn''t look wild.


    Hearing those words, Amour looked towards the direction he was pointing at, and saw a large bird flying in the sky far away. Moreover, there appeared to be a person hanging from the bird''s leg.


    ''''That''s........Ted, isn''t it?''''


    After checking in "Search" and "Appraisal", we found out that it was Ted and his household, Thunderbird. I may be leaving after work, but it would be strange to see someone I know here and not call out to them, so I decided to let them know that we were here.


    ''Amour, keep your eyes closed don''t ever open them. That''s it!


    With a shout, I threw a magical ball of light into the sky. The ball of light rose about 50 meters into the sky and bounced. At the moment it burst, the ball of light emitted an intense light and illuminated the area. This is a modified version of the ''light'' that I used on Ash in the martial arts tournament in the royal city before, a magic like stun grenade without sound. I''m not sure I''m going to be the only one who can do that. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. But if you mix the magic power of other attributes, the difficulty level of the magic increases dramatically, so if you''re going to use it as a signal bullet, it''s more convenient to leave it as a white light and it''s easier for the opponent to see.


    ''''What''s going on!''''


    Surprised by the sudden light, Grandpa and the others rushed out and looked around, but the only thing that had changed nearby was Amur rolling around on the ground. Amur held his eyes, "My eyes, my eyes! And he was screaming like some colonel.


    ''Sorry, I saw Ted in the distance, so I used my magic to let you know.


    ''''That''s right. I was surprised to see an enemy on the scene... by the way, what is she doing here?


    Hana, who showed a relieved expression, looked curiously at Amour, who was still rolling around.


    ''''Apparently, I think I saw the light directly now. I nailed him not to look, but I think his curiosity got the better of him and he''s doing that.


    The sun was starting to go down and my eyes were just beginning to deal with the darkness, and I think the intense light I saw took away my vision temporarily. I don''t think he''s going to go blind, but there''s a chance that his eyesight will be damaged if I leave him alone, so I put a restoration spell on both of Amur''s eyes.


    ''''Oi~, Temma~''''


    Ted, noticing the light, approached with a wave of his hand as Thunderbird grabbed him by both shoulders and hung him up.


    ''Is this the work of a ''courier'' to this place?''


    When I introduced Ted to Hannah, who landed near the carriage, and then asked him what he had come to the South for, Ted took two letters from the magic bag on his shoulder and handed them to me.


    ''Sure, it''s business, but the person you''re talking to is Temma. The sender is Jeanne and the Queen.


    When I heard the sender, I thought something was wrong, so I took the letter from Ted halfway through and read the contents...


    What is that...


    It was a letter in which words like "What did it say?


    What did it say? Well.........that''s certainly a ''what''s that''.


    When I handed the letter to my grandfather, he read it inside and he felt the same way I did. However, Hana-san and Blanca, who heard the contents of the letter, said it was natural. The contents of the letter were........


    My neighbor''s house burned down in a fire. You wouldn''t think that would cause a riot over the site.


    The house next to the mansion in the king''s capital (with whom I have almost no association) burned down the house in a negligent fire and had to give up the land, and it was good until the buyers of the site were quickly gathered together, but apparently dozens of people came forward as buyers because it was next to our house. Then the neighbor got greedy and raised the price of the land, and when the price finally rose to ten times the usual level, the king waited for them.


    By the way, it seems that the only buyers who showed up to buy dozens of people were aristocrats and merchant families of big stores who had some kind of a plan because the fire was negligent and our house was also damaged by the jumping fire that broke the wall that separated our house from the next one. or that the trees and lawn near it were burned to the ground. Therefore, they decided to stop buying and selling the land until the magnitude of the crime was determined.


    Moreover, it seems that if the situation continues as it is, there is a high possibility that the neighbor''s land will be in the custody of the state.


    It''s a waste of burnt trees and lawns, but it''s not much of a problem because we can just go into the forest and plant trees from the forest and the fence can be magically fixed in no time.


    That''s right. As for the trees, you can dig up some good ones when you go to the forest and carry them in your magic bag or something, and for the walls, I''ve made similar ones many times in dungeons. In other words, except for the burnt grass, it can be fixed for free.


    The question is, who owns (...) the land over there?


    Even if no financial damage was caused (we''re just special), there is a possibility of trouble in the future depending on who gets that land next. Even if the state manages it, they shouldn''t just let the land in the royal capital to play around, so some kind of facility or other will be built. In that case, it could be more noisy than before. Other than that, even if the country sells the land, the buyers will be people who want to get to know us well, and in the worst case scenario, someone who wants to use us could buy the land. It won''t cause much direct damage, but it could be a stressful life.


    ''''At least, it would be nice if someone related to the royal family or someone like the Duke of Sangha or the Marquis of Samoens would buy it, but... it''s hard to do.


    You''re right. If the royal family or high ranking aristocrats were to use their power to buy the land, I am sure they would be criticized by some people. Moreover, if they wanted to acquire the land, they might make it look like an accident and start a fire.


    Most people wouldn''t believe such a rumor, but if they are close to the reformist ideology, they could conceivably use it as an attack material. They wouldn''t want to go to the trouble of having them create an attack material even though they don''t have much to gain (if you''re related to the royalty or the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens, there''s not much need to go to the trouble of securing the land next to ours). Even though it''s said that the relationship between the two of them is a good thing........


    ''For the time being, since the kings have seized the land, there''s no need to rush back that fast, is there? I''ll write a letter to them, though.


    I concluded that I would hire Ted to bring the letter home with me. However, it was going to be dark soon, and it would be impossible to fly the Thunderbird, which could not see at night, so Ted decided to have him fly to the royal capital early tomorrow morning. He had planned to do so himself, so he got a hotel room as soon as he arrived in Nanao. So he suggested that we give him a letter tomorrow to coincide with his departure.


    ''Well then, let''s get back to Nanao. Ted will ride with us, right? It''s about time for the Thunderbirds to become inactive and...


    And then Ted said thank you and went into the carriage. Thunderbird is going to put it in Ted''s dimension bag. However, Ted''s Thunderbird was quite reluctant to go into the dimension bag, as he didn''t seem to like it very much, but when Ted got mad at him, he went in.


    ''A lot of bird-shaped demons don''t like a space like a dimension bag... unless it''s as big as the one Temma has, but mine isn''t that big, so it''s too much.


    Apparently, bird-shaped demons don''t like spaces where they can''t fly freely, and large demons like the Thunderbirds are especially prone to this. Hearing that, I was curious about Amy''s eee-chan, but I was told that if you let her get used to a small space from when she was a chick, like those two chicks, she will often be quiet even when she grows up, so there''s no need to think too much about it for now.


    ''Well, unlike ours, a rockbird won''t have much of a problem if you leave it outside. Most of all, though, you''ll have to be careful not to mistake them for prey.


    Intentionally hurting or killing another family member can result in a heavy punishment for the attacker, but if the attacker is not clearly identified as a member of the family, he or she may be innocent. The bad news is that some people try to take advantage of this by killing other people''s family members to get their materials, so be careful.


    I''m sure you''re aware of the fact that you''re not the only one who has tamed the same bird-shaped demon, so when I''m not around, Amy often asks me for advice on how to raise the two birds and what to do. And thanks to the fact that we often met up, Eichan and Ted''s Thunderbirds got along very well with each other. The problem is that to others, they look like complete predators and prey...


    Since I hadn''t had a chance to talk with Ted for this long before, I was able to tell him some interesting stories other than those about Amy. I''ve been to many places as a ''courier'', so in a way Ted knows more about things than my grandfather. The first time I visited the place, it was a long time ago, so there was a difference in the freshness of the information.


    It''s a good thing that we''ve never traveled far since shortly before we met Tenma. This is the first time for Nanao to do so.


    Grandpa had come to the South once before, apparently, but he had turned back long before Nanao and had never set foot in the South since then.


    ''That''s a pity. If Master Merlin had met my grandfather then, I''m sure they would have hit it off.


    When Hana-san said that, Blanca nodded. If Grandpa Kay is as I expected, I certainly feel like we''d be on the same page, but when Blanca said afterwards, "Grandpa Kay was a dynamic person, but he was also a serious and hard-working person with serious roots. I heard that Merlin-dono also struggled a lot in the past, so there might be a lot of sympathy for him," he said, and I feel like he doesn''t fit the image of the person I''m expecting... Most of all, the person I''m expecting is based on stories and tales that have been passed down to future generations. So it''s unclear whether he was really the right person.


    As I was thinking about this, the carriage had arrived in Nanao before I knew it, and it had just stopped in front of the Viscount''s house. Hana-san invited me to have dinner with her, but I refused because of the letter, and decided to settle for a ready-made meal that was in a magic bag in my room. Incidentally, Ted was also invited by Hana, but he refused, saying that he would be uncomfortable in his absence and that he would have to take care of Thunderbird.


    Early the next morning, I gave Ted the two letters I''d written late into the night and the money for the trip and asked him to leave. In the meantime, I had no particular stops on the way back, so I would be arriving in Seigen in about two weeks. We want to leave as soon as possible, but the souvenir we ordered from Sanna will be ready the day after tomorrow, so we''ll have some free time until then. In the meantime, we checked the carriage and made sure that we hadn''t forgotten to buy anything else, and also decided to get some additional items (mainly soy sauce and miso) that we wanted to buy in the meantime. Once that was done, the rest of the day was spent making the rounds of greetings to our acquaintances, but since there were only the barons and the people from Lyuusaiken (the southern overlords had already returned to their villages and towns), we had to make sure that the people from Lyuusaiken were informed of the banquet that would be held on the day of our departure, and the barons on the night before and at the time of our departure. If we say hello at times, there will be no problem. For the time being, for today, we''ll start with an inspection of the carriage.


    At the banquet on the night before the departure that was welcomed like that, all the people involved in the Viscount family (with a very few exceptions) were enjoying themselves, as they were sending off Amur.


    ''''Come to think of it, Temma is using a sword as a weapon, right? Where did you find out?


    When the party started and a few drunks began to appear, Hana-san asked me about my sword, as I remembered.


    ''You see, in the south, but in other places, swords are minor, and it''s faster to find a good sword than it is to find one.''


    Grandpa and Blanca seemed to be interested in hearing Hana-san''s question, and they were staring at me.


    ''To put it simply, the swords were easier to use. The only swords in Kukri village are adult swords, which were difficult for me to use as a child, so when I would go into the forest, I would only bring large knives instead of swords, but as I did so, I became accustomed to single-edged blades, and I learned about the existence and characteristics of swords from my father. I''d heard about it, so I started using it, like I could use alchemy and make my own, but you know...


    What''s going on?


    Actually, it''s not a real sword I''m using.


    At my words, they all looked at me in wonder at the same time.


    ''Do you know how to make a sword, Hana-san?''


    Hana-san nodded and answered my question, but she had a look on her face as if that was what was wrong with her.


    ''No matter how much magic I can use, I can''t recreate such a complicated process. What I''m using is a ''sword in the shape of a sword''.


    I know how to make a rough sword because I studied Japanese martial arts in a past life, but I know very little about the important parts. So my sword is like a ''single-edged, slender sword'' that is forcibly shaped into a sword by pounding hot metal... well, it''s a pain in the ass, so I call it a sword.


    It''s certainly not the traditional way of making a sword. But recently there are more and more artisans who are making their swords the same way as Tenma''s swords, so calling them swords is not too much of a problem.


    Even skilled swordsmiths find it difficult to make swords with metals such as orichalcone and baboon kane using the traditional method (they are too hard to turn over properly, and if they are forced to do so, they lose strength compared to the original lump of metal), so they cast them and then beat them to make them stronger. Some other craftsmen who make mass-produced swords are said to sell their cast swords by grinding them.


    Some old-fashioned artisans don''t like the idea of a craftsman who does nothing but cast, but in the end, there are artisans who do nothing but cast because the demand is there.


    If it''s a cast sword, it''s cheaper to buy than a forged sword, and if you can use enhanced magic, it can last longer than a forged sword. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of it.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of it. It''s true that it''s easier to produce a high-quality sword by forging, but...


    In the southern part of the country, the home of the sword, there are two groups of people, one that calls a sword a forged sword and the other that calls a sword a sword according to its shape, and it is said that there are heated discussions among the craftsmen.


    "If you want to learn the proper technique, I''ll introduce you to a craftsman I know. Hana-san asked me if I wanted to study, but I refused because I didn''t think I would have enough time to learn properly.


    After that, the party continued until late, and I returned to the inn probably around the time of the change of day. Even though we would be leaving Nanao the next day, the heat of the Viscount''s vassals, who had been reluctant to part with Amour, had not cooled down, and this was due to the fact that there were only a few more things left to do, many times.


    The next day ... or rather, a few hours later, we came to the entrance of Nanao to thank the people of Ryushaiken for their hospitality. Hana-san and the others were already waiting there, and for some reason I could see the higher-ups in the south. I heard that as soon as my departure was decided, I sent people over to talk to them, and they all came to Nanao. Some of them came back to Nanao without unpacking because the messengers arrived at their village at about the same time as they arrived there.


    Thank you for seeing me off.


    ''So, I have something for you to take back, though it''s not a souvenir. Hold on a minute, goof!


    The moment one of the higher-ranking players looked into his dimension bag, a black lump flew out of the bag. The lump hit the bag''s owner and then fled from the scene with a swift movement. Then, following the black lump, another black lump came out of the bag, but it was slower than the one that came out first, and for some reason it advanced toward me and tried to pass between my legs.


    ''What is this ... a black sheep?''


    I grabbed the black lump that had been stuck between my legs and lifted it up, and I saw that it was a black lamb. The lamb looked like it didn''t know what was going on for a little while after I was lifted up, but when it realized that it had been lifted up into the air, it suddenly started to flail about. The most important thing to remember is that even though he was acting out, his movements were too slow, so although he may be desperate, looking at him from the side, it looks like he''s just moving adorably.


    "Meh~~!


    When the lamb I lifted up was tired and limp (I think the rampage lasted a minute or so), the black lump that had escaped earlier... the other lamb, the one that had escaped earlier... the other lamb, lunged toward me, screaming in anger. Was that move the same creature as the lamb in my arms? It was quite agile and had quite a bit of speed, which made me suspect that it was a very agile move. It would be so powerful that if it were to be collided with at this rate, it would be lightly blown away.


    ''''Gawp!


    ''Meh! Meh~~~


    Just at the moment the lamb hit me, it hit Shiroumaru, who intervened between us and was sent flying backwards. But to my surprise, the lamb that was sent flying landed on its back the moment it hit the ground, bouncing like a ball and landing cleanly off its feet.


    ''Garou.''


    ''Meh! Meh! Meh~!


    Even more surprisingly, the lamb is not frightened by Shiroumar''s threats, but on the contrary, it is screaming at the top of its lungs. If Shiroumar was serious, the lamb would be dead within seconds, but the lamb does not seem to want to back down.


    "Shiroumar, step back. You''re worried about this one? Sora.


    I checked behind the lamb and then lowered the one I was lifting to the ground. Then the one lamb that had been threatening me earlier said, "Come on! I let out a cry and called out to the lambs who came running up to me (I''ll tentatively call the one who was threatening me Lamb I and the one who was holding me Lamb II because it''s complicated).


    ''Meme!''


    ''Meh! ........meh!


    Lamb II was rushing towards Lamb I with tears in his eyes, but to his surprise, Lamb I head-butted Lamb II. Then, after letting out a single cry, he tried to run away with Lamb II.......but they were both easily captured together by Slarin, who was creeping up behind them.


    ''So what are these guys?''


    In my village, wool is one of their specialties. Every year a lamb is born. But our wool is white, and we can''t sell the black ones. So we sell the black lambs to other villages for meat, but these two... or rather, the one that was threatening me earlier was so vicious that I kept it in my own sheep pen. I brought it with me for food for the Temma and the others on their journey.


    So, good riddance, as in good riddance.


    You could say that.


    The superior who had been head-butted by the lamb said such a thing without offense. I thought it would be better to bring a dead lamb, but he told me that in his village the best lamb was the one that was dripping blood, so he had to leave it alive.


    It seems to me that he thought I would have no problem dealing with the rambunctious kid, but I''m not so desperate for food that I would kill a lamb to eat it. When I was thinking about that.


    Me..........me......me.


    Lamb I began to bleat in a different voice than before. It''s a voice that sounds like it''s trying to flirt with me.


    "Well, let''s take her home for now....


    It''s quite a bruise on the sheep''s habit, but since I feel some guilt after being taken this far, I decided to take them to the mansion in the royal capital for now. The lamb II seems to have a much more laid-back personality and won''t cause any problems. At any rate, I don''t know if he gave up after being captured by Slarin or if he''s simply tired, but he''s even sleeping with a calm face next to Lamb I''s flirtatious face.


    ''And that''s what you asked for.


    When me and the higher-ups were done talking, he brought out the cloth that wrapped the shawl that Sanna had asked for. I checked the inside of it and everything seemed to be fine.


    ''''Thank you,''''


    As I was taking the shawl from Sana and putting it in my bag, Slarin came up to me holding (and taking in) the two lambs. When I told Slarin to release the lambs on the spot, the freed Lamb I appeared to run away for a moment, but gave up when he saw Lamb II, who was sleeping next to him, and said, "I don''t know what you''re talking about, but as long as you don''t run away, I''ll take care of you.


    ''I don''t know if you understand the language, but as long as you don''t run away, you won''t be harmed. However, even if you run away and live in the wild, you will only be food for the demons. Most likely, though, there''s a good chance you''ll become meat here before you become food for demons in the wild.


    When Lamb I made a pretense of escaping, the higher-ups who brought these two animals were about to pull out their knives and pounce on them, so they wouldn''t be able to escape for sure. It seems that as a high ranking person in the south, they want to avoid the disgraceful title of being able to run away with the food they brought as a souvenir.


    ''''Meh!''''


    It wasn''t as if words were understood, but Lamb I seemed to realize something when he saw the superior who had his hand on the handle of the knife and responded with a spirited whine. And Lamb II, who heard Lamb I''s cry, opened his eyes dimly, but soon fell asleep again... Lamb I, who tried to oppose Shiroumaru, might be a big guy, but Lamb II might be a bigger guy than expected.


    I decided to keep these two animals (especially the Lamb I one) in the dimension bag that Shiroumaru and the others were in until we arrived at the mansion, since it was likely that if we put them in the carriage, they would have escaped before we knew it or something. Lamb I was quite resistant when I put them in the bag, but when I put Lamb II inside first (Lamb II went in plainly, without any suspicion), he went into the bag as if he had given up. There must be a clear hierarchy between the two animals, because before they closed the mouth of the bag, they could hear Lamb I thrusting at Lamb II.


    ''''You mean you can''t go against the top.......just like some sisters.


    Sisters? Those two animals are not related by blood. And the one who was pissed at you is a female and the one who was pissed at you is a male.


    ''You''re going to get your ass handed to you now........''


    This was the moment when he decided to be a little gentler when dealing with Lamb II in the future.


    ''''Temma, it''s time for us to leave.


    Grandpa said that at the guru''s table, so me and Amur said our goodbyes to everyone and then climbed into the carriage. Slarin went inside with us at that time, but Shilomar and Solomon were going to follow the carriage with some exercise, so they stayed outside.


    Thanks for your help. The next time you come to the capital, you should come to my house. �� Next time you come to the capital, come to my house and I''ll make sure someone is there even when we''re not.


    As soon as the words were finished, Grandpa instructed Raiden to move the carriage forward.


    The people who had come to see him off waved and called out to him thoughtfully, but among them, the Honorary Viscount Lobo was in a state of half-crying and waving his arms as if he was going to be cut to a thousand pieces.


    ''''I don''t care when you come back! I mean, I''ll be the one to see you~!


    You don''t have to come. I''ll come show you after the baby is born.


    ''No~~~!


    I responded briefly to the words of the Honorable Viscount Lobo as I leaned out of the Amur window and spoke of my unplanned desires. The Honorable Viscount Lobo screamed upon hearing those words, falling to his knees and expressing his despair with his body.


    Since my schedule was undecided, and there was no such thing on my schedule to begin with, I stuck my face in as far as I could to see the two lambs in my bag and pretended I didn''t hear them.


    In the bag I poked into to pretend I didn''t hear, Lamb I seemed to have messed with Gol and Jill and was being rolled around in a circle with strings. And Gol and Jill are performing a mysterious ritual of walking around Lamb I, doing a strange dance. Maybe they thought they were mistakenly thinking that the two lambs had been put in a bag as their food.


    ''Gol, Jill, you''re our new friend, don''t eat it. You can eat this instead.


    They looked a little disappointed at my words, and they received the shreds of spear elk I offered them and ate them before releasing Lamb I. For now, the lambs were no longer being eaten, but it was the moment I was convinced that Lamb II, which was still sleeping even after being certified as food, would certainly not be able to survive in the wild.


    ''''Meh~, meh~, meh~''''


    Later, Lamb I, who had been wrapped in spider silk, was rescued by Slarin, who noticed something wrong. After being rescued, Lamb I seemed to understand that the only one weaker than him in this group was Lamb II, and he was relatively quiet.

 156-Chapter 10-1 Handing out souvenirs

    We made it back to Seigen almost two weeks after we left the southern autonomous region. The only reason we were able to get back earlier than we did was because we knew where we were going, we didn''t stop for anything, and we worked in four shifts (three men and one animal), including Slarin, to get the carriage going from early in the morning until late at night.


    Raiden was a little unhappy with the fact that it made him work too much, but me, Grandpa, and Slarin kept him in a good mood by sending him magic on a regular basis. Most importantly, since we''re only planning to stay in Seigen for one day, we''ll soon be traveling for about a week, and now it''s a headache to figure out how to get in a good mood.


    ''''As for the entrance, we can get through as soon as we show the request form, so let''s just head straight to the apartment, what do you two want to do after that?''''


    I''m going to head to the guild as soon as I get to my apartment and gather information while I''m gone, then I''ll go around to the people I know and hand out souvenirs.


    Since it''s before noon now, Master Ganz, Karina and the others will probably be in the workshop or at home, but Jin and the others and Aguri may be hiding in the dungeon. If they aren''t there, I''ll visit them again in the evening and if I still can''t see them, I''ll have to give them a souvenir the next time I come back to Seigen.


    If you can''t see him, you''ll have to give him a souvenir the next time you come back to Seigen. I''m tired from a long time in the past, and I need to make sure that Raiden is in a good mood.


    ''I''m going along. Waiting is boring.


    Okay. Grandpa, I''m sorry, but you have to take care of Raiden for me. Slarin will stay here or you''ll have to deal with Raiden. Shiroumar and Solomon can come along if they want, but they''ll be safe.


    With that in mind, I headed to my apartment while making a brief schedule, parked the carriage in its usual position and greeted Carina and the others. I gave them a souvenir at that time, but since Amy has already been to King''s Landing, I decided to give it to her in person when I went to King''s Landing.


    When I returned to the carriage after having a quick chat with Karina and the others, Grandpa and Slarin had started to give Raiden some magic power and wash his body to get him in a good mood.


    After asking them again about Raiden and the carriage, I noticed that Gol, Jill and the two lambs hadn''t asked them what they were going to do, so I looked in the bag and saw that Lamb I had challenged Gol and Jill to another game and lost, so they were wrapped up in spider silk and were not in a position to talk (and communicate), and Lamb II was sleeping quietly. Gol and Jill seem to be fine with either of them.


    I decided to take Gol and the others with me, just in case (Gol and Jill don''t seem to want to leave the bag, but I have something to put Shiroumaru and the others in), and I headed for the guild with Amur.


    I ran a bit to relieve myself, so I got to the guild in no time. As I entered and was about to head to the bulletin board, I saw Aguri and the others gathered at their usual seats just in time.


    The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on some of the most important information. When did you get back?


    ''Just now. I was going to give you a souvenir from the South, and I was going to look for Agri and the others.


    Aguri and the others were all discussing their future activities, and they asked me if I would like to join the conversation, but I declined since there was still more to go around. In addition, I asked him about the djinn, and he told me that they had just returned from the dungeon yesterday, and today they were probably either hanging out in the city or sleeping at the inn.


    We talked for a little while about the recent past, but we didn''t get much good information from Aguri and the others. Instead, I had to listen to them complain that Amy had gone to King''s Landing and that she had a lot of time on her hands these days.


    After leaving the guild to escape the complaints of the Tamers Guild members (especially Aguri), Amour and I headed next to Master Ganz''s workshop. Considering the possibility of the djinn coming to the guild, we left a message for Aguri and the others that we would return to the guild after Master Ganz''s visit, and that they should either wait for us at the guild or at the djinn''s lodge when they arrive.


    I ran from the guild to the workshop, thinking about my later plans, so as not to take any time, but I didn''t get to see Master Ganz. It''s a good idea to have a good time to think about what you''re going to do later, but I didn''t get to see Master Ganz.


    It seems that a little while after I left, he got into a fight with one of the noblemen (because he ran out of time due to their recklessness), and because he had to spend a lot of time cleaning up afterwards, the deadline for some of the jobs he had been taking on is just a few days away. So, it seems that if I show up and hand over the drinks and other supplies to him now, the stressed-out master might start drinking to escape from reality, abandoning his work.


    So I didn''t call out to him, but left the message to my apprentice and decided to keep the alcohol for him. Instead, I gave them some food as a gift and left the workshop without being noticed by the master.


    ''''The rest is for the djinn, but........hmm?


    As I was leaving the workshop and heading towards the guild, a familiar group of four people walked in from the opposite direction.


    ''''Whoa! I''m here!


    Hey, Temma!


    The one coming with a wave of his hand was the Sword of Dawn that I was looking for. When we met up with them, it seems that as soon as we left for Master Ganz''s place, Jin and the others showed up at the guild, and were on their way to Master''s workshop when they heard from Aguri and the others there that I was looking for them.


    It seems that it would have been better to wait for them at the guild after all. It''s a good idea to wait for them at the guild, because if they had misunderstood, they would have lost their patience.


    ''''That''s right. He said he was going to come to the inn in the evening anyway, so we could have waited in the guild for him to report and discuss the next dungeon attack.


    Apparently, Menace and Leena wanted to wait at the guild, but Jin and Garratt forced them to come with them.


    ''''No, you''re sorry if they keep coming over when they''re bringing us souvenirs all the way over, right?


    If that had led to a misunderstanding, it would have only added to Temma''s burden.


    You''re lucky you got to see Tenma in one piece.


    ''''It means you don''t have to gamble until you''ve abandoned a surefire way to meet them. I''m just tired after just getting back from the dungeon...


    Menace and the others are in a bad mood because they are tired but they are being made to walk because of Jin and Garratt. They are called top-notch adventurers, so they should still be physically fit, but it''s apparently hard to be forced to walk while your body and mind are in rest mode.


    Resting is important. If you don''t rest when you can, you won''t be able to move when the time comes.


    I''m sorry.


    Jin and Garratt bow to Amur for pointing out the problem. They didn''t expect Amur to speak so bluntly, and it seems they were able to admit their mistakes in a straightforward manner.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of this, because it''s a great way to get to know your fellow man. Of course, Jin and Garratt will pay for it (for six people, including me and Amur).


    But even so, Menace and Leena seem to be quite tired.


    ''Well, you know, I''m more mentally fatigued than physically fatigued.


    ''Mr Temma, listen to me! When you come with these two, they just keep going on and on and on because they''re in good shape! Sure, it''s a nice miscalculation that we were able to dive four levels in a week, but only a very stupid or crazy person would go that fast in a place they don''t know.


    I''m sure it means pretty much the same thing to both very stupid and crazy people, but it''s probably that reckless... I''ve been attacking at a faster rate than that, so I''m probably even crazier than that, according to Leena.


    ''''Temma is always crazy, but that kind of attack speed is impossible for a normal person to achieve.


    The two of them may be too tired to think straight. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them. Just.


    ''I''ve bought all sorts of souvenirs but I don''t need souvenirs from a crazy person.


    After saying that much, the two of them finally seemed to have realized their gaffe. They were quite flustered and apologized for their gaffe. After teasing the two of them in one way, I gave them a souvenir as planned. It included items that normally wouldn''t last for a long time, but ''Sword of Dawn'' didn''t have a problem since they all had magic bags.


    I asked him for recent information before I got to the guild, and he said there was no major change. However, I heard that the price of the goblin corpses, which had gone up before we went to the south, has become cheaper. It seems that the experiment of using them as fertilizer was successful, and a certain effect was recognized, but it seems that the number of goblin corpses brought in before that time was too large, and so the request was made as a bailout for new adventurers who were strapped for cash (by setting them at a low price, it became a request that would take a lot of time and effort and would not make much money for veterans, etc.) He changed it.


    If that''s the case, then it was right to destroy the goblins then.


    That goblin?


    The goblins at that time were a bunch of goblins that were about to attack a village we stopped by on our way to the Southern Autonomous Region. When we handed over the magic core, we gave them the entire body of the goblins, and at that time, Amur said something like, "If the body is worth money, wouldn''t it be better to take it with you? However, in that situation, it was uncool to say "I''ll take the body after the demon nucleus is removed," and I didn''t want to waste time waiting for that amount of goblins to finish dismantling them, so I just asked them to take care of it and left the village.


    "I''m sorry to say this, Temma but you''re a monster!


    It''s not a matter of if it''s a cave or a dungeon or some other sealed off space, but it''s not possible to eradicate a horde of goblins camped in a forest, even if the country sends an army. At best, if we could take out half of them, we''d be doing very well.


    And it wouldn''t take much more than a few people to pull it off.


    But it would take decades for the mountain to return to its original state, and the surrounding mountains would also be thrown into ecological chaos. If that happened, the nearby villages would suffer worse than being overrun by a goblin horde, in a sense.


    Normally, I would have let the djinn who called me a monster take a heavenly punishment (stun), but after hearing Leena''s analysis, I decided to let it go this time. Well, if I used ''stun'' or something like that in the carriage, the horse would definitely be surprised and cause an accident.


    Continuing on with their trivial conversation and getting off at the guild, Menace and Leena ordered Jin and Garratt to deal with the post-processing of the dungeon exploration and started eating souvenirs at the table.


    Djinn and Garratt started to hurry up as if they didn''t want to be eaten up by the two of them, but since they ran into some adventurers returning from the dungeon, the procedure didn''t seem to be going as well as they would have liked.


    Menas and Leena didn''t eat up all the souvenirs, but the amount left for Jin and Garratt was clearly less than Menas and Leena. The only redeeming feature is that the souvenirs I bought were of two kinds, one to eat at the Sword of Dawn and one to eat individually.


    I was able to hand over the souvenirs to the Sword of Dawn earlier than expected, which was my biggest concern, so I decided to head back to my apartment.


    When I was leaving, the djinn invited me to dinner, and when I told them that I had to head to the royal capital tomorrow on a request, I was surprised at the hard schedule that an ordinary adventurer would not be able to imagine, and then when I heard the name of the client, I was convinced and felt sorry for them.


    After being escorted back to the apartment by the djinn (and the remaining members of the Tamers Guild), he returned to his apartment to find Grandpa and Slarin polishing Raiden up with a cloth. Moreover, from the light condition of Raiden''s body, it seems that they also used oil to clean him up.


    Oh, you''re back. We''re almost done here.


    Grandpa and Slarin polishing up Raiden, and they never skipped a beat while talking to me. In the course of the conversation, I found out that Grandpa and Slarin had originally planned to wash Raiden with soap and wash it down and wipe it down, and that was it, but when they saw that Raiden wasn''t satisfied, they got kind of pissed off, so they decided to have Slarin clean the inside of Raiden (the doorways and exits of Slarin, etc.), and then they were going to do it all over again. He''s been inserting the oil into his joints and applying it to his whole body. He''s now wiping the excess oil clean. Raiden seems to be in a pretty good mood as he looks at his cleaned up body.


    We can leave tomorrow as planned. Also, we''ll have dinner in a little while.


    Um, okay.


    I had to go to bed early today and get ready for tomorrow, so I quickly got to work on dinner. I didn''t make anything too elaborate, but it had been a long time since I''d eaten in a safe (and I''d been warded for the whole trip, so it was safe to say it was safe) place.


    ''Well, then, after the baths, I guess Amur will go to bed in his apartment and me and Grandpa will go to bed in the carriage.


    Even though I should have said the very obvious, Amur was not convinced and was negotiating with his grandpa to switch sleeping places. As expected, Grandpa had refused, but he didn''t miss the fact that he was almost ready to be persuaded. I would have to be even more careful in the future.


    The next morning, we left for King''s Landing as planned, but this time, the only people who came to see us off were Aimee''s family members, and it was more of an incidental request to ask them to say a few words to Aimee rather than a pure send-off. The djinn and the rest of the Tamer''s Guild probably overslept (possibly because of the souvenir (alcohol) I gave them yesterday), and the master is probably being watched by his apprentices to complete his request.

 157-Chapter 10-2 Chris, Runaway

    We arrived in King''s Landing with no problems. It would be roughly five days?


    We didn''t make any major stops along the way, but one thing about the wild cows bothered me, so I stopped at the meadow where we met Tida and her friends, but I didn''t see any cows there.


    An adventurer who happened to be hunting nearby told me that, apparently, after Tida and Luna''s problematic behavior, the other herds of cattle that used this area as their territory had moved to a different location. I was worried that the number of cattle might have been greatly reduced by that incident, but this grassland is home to more than one herd other than that one, and it''s unlikely that they will become extinct just because one herd is gone.


    Curious to know how the cows were doing, I asked the adventurer if he had recently hunted them, but the adventurer hurriedly shook his head and denied it. The adventurer told me that the guild had recently issued a restriction on hunting on the grassland.


    The guild has divided the targets into three categories: Vermin (vermin such as rats and rabbits that damage crops and people), Alien Species (things that come from other lands and breed or are likely to breed), and Native Species (things that are not vermin and have always lived in the grasslands), and basically forbade the hunting of the Native Species. It is. But as an exception, when it is necessary to thin out a party, the guild will ask for an adventurer or a party that is judged to be trustworthy to be appointed directly. Incidentally, this system was notified to the king''s capital and surrounding guilds in Tida''s name.


    I told the gatekeeper at the entrance of the royal capital that I received the request from Maria-sama and showed him the certificate, and after being lightly identified, I was able to enter. I''ve been wondering about the situation in the house, but I decided to go to report to Maria first, so we decided to head straight to the castle.


    I''m not sure if it''s the right thing to do, but I''m sure it''s the right thing to do.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on with the rest of us. I tried to give them a souvenir at that time, but Aina told me I couldn''t take it before Maria and the others, so I had to give it to them later.


    The room we were shown to was filled with the main members of the group, except for Tida and Luna, with Maria-sama sitting in the most prominent place. The king, who was supposed to be the head of this country, was sitting quietly next to Maria-sama...a composition that shows who is in power behind the scenes, if not on the surface.


    ''Thank you for your help, Temma.''


    This will be the reply from Viscount Hanna (...)


    Normally, Maria-sama (originally the king) would receive it, check its contents, and then officially announce it as a viscount, but as soon as Maria approached her with this story, Hana-san''s promotion was as good as decided. That''s why I dared to give him the title of Viscount, but when Mary-sama heard this, she was convinced that her plan had worked, and she smiled even before she read the contents.


    ''''I certainly received it. Once again, thank you for your hard work. ''This is the certificate of completion of your request.''


    At this point, it means that your request to me is done. Well, technically I have to take this certificate to the guild, but I can take it with me at any time (I''ll be pissed if I don''t go for too long), so it''s not an exaggeration to say that it''s usually over when I get the certificate.


    So how was the South?


    After the request was over, Maria-sama, who had returned from the relationship of adventurer and client (or so it seemed), came over to ask me about the events in the south in detail. However, although not as much as Maria-sama, the king and Lyle-sama also seemed to want to hear the stories of the south, they were unable to interrupt Maria-sama''s momentum.


    ''''After all, it''s a lot different from King''s Landing...By the way, is that girl...Amur going to return to the South in the future?''''


    Hmmm ... if Temma is going to the South, I''ll go with her, but if she''s not, I won''t go... no.


    ''Yes, welcome to King''s Landing. If you don''t cause any trouble, you are welcome here.


    Maria-sama heard Amur''s response and smiled and mouthed a welcome. Apparently, Maria-sama seemed to be dimly aware of the secret pact that Grandpa and I had with Hana-san (in exchange for taking care of Amur, we would use it as a refuge in case of emergency). So I guess that''s why he was a little relieved when Amur said he had no intention of leaving.


    ''Well, that''s it, here''s a souvenir from the South.


    I handed Maria-sama a shawl and other southern souvenirs, then handed each of them a souvenir. I left Tida''s and Luna''s, who were not here, with Isabella-sama, and Missalia-sama''s with Zain-sama.


    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that Maria and Isabella have been putting the shawl over their shoulders and giving each other some feedback, and I''m relieved to see that they''re generally pleased with it.


    In the meantime, the king and the other men (except for Mr. Kraiif) couldn''t change their clothes, so they put their work clothes against their bodies and said what they thought of each other. It was. Well, only the king and Lyle-sama were the ones who were excited, and the other two were just checking out how the clothes were made and how they felt to the touch after they were lightly applied to their bodies.


    ''''Temma, I''m sorry for all this lovely stuff.''''


    Instead of Maria-sama, who is still frolicking, the king is thanking me for the souvenir... well, I guess it''s normal for the king to step forward and deal with me, but considering the difference in power between the king and Maria-sama (it''s not a difference in power by any means), I guess it can''t be helped.


    ''That''s a pretty nice outfit.''


    It''s easy to change and looks just right after a bath.


    ''It''ll come in handy on a hot day. Thank you for Misery''s.


    I''m going to have to use it for my loungewear and loungewear.


    In order, Ernest, Caesar, Zain and Lyle. There are two types of souvenirs that we prepared this time: the long-sleeved, long pants "samue" and the short-sleeved, short pants "jimbei". Normally the two should be clearly separated, but Sana-san''s place has mixed up the two names. It seems that in this world, there are no clear standards for the two; it''s just that people call them different things.


    ''Thank you for our share,''


    The next two people to thank were Mr. Cliffe and Aina. I gave them each a handkerchief as well as a knife I had purchased in the South. At first Mr. Cliffe seemed to be interested in the southern weapons that came up in our conversation with Maria and asked to see them later, so I added one of the knives that I had purchased for myself. It was for the same reason that I added it to Aina''s souvenir list.


    After talking about the souvenirs for a while, we decided it was time to go back to the house. Aina told me that they had finished removing the trash and broken walls, but they couldn''t just dispose of them without permission, so they put them in the magic bag that Jeanne and the others had left for her.


    I told Maria-sama that she plans to purchase the land next door earlier, so she will be able to prepare the deed and other necessary documents for me in a few days.


    When I left the room after being sent by everyone, I met Jean-san who seemed to be waiting outside. By the way, I didn''t see Mr. Dinh and his team, he said that they are now training in the grassland outside the city. I heard that they are dividing the guards into two groups to train in shifts, and I heard that everyone I knew, except for Jean-san, was in the first group.


    When I asked the usual members of the Kingsguard to give me a souvenir, Jang-san was delighted to see that there was a piece of sweets in it for his personal use. I remembered that Jang has a daughter, so I picked out some sweets for her, and the response was very positive. However, it was a hot spring manjuu (personally, the sweetness of the sweet bean paste inside was not enough), so we might have had a different taste for the bean paste, but at worst Jang-san would have eaten it.


    While we were leaving Jan and heading back to the carriage station, I asked Aina, our guide, about what''s been going on lately, and she said that the main topic of conversation was the land next to our mansion, but nothing else was unusual. I thought it was peaceful, but then I heard that it was rare for a fire to occur in the royal capital, and furthermore, a fire that caused the loss of most of the property was something that happened only once every few decades. When I heard that, my grandfather said, "Come to think of it, I''ve never heard of such a story....


    The only major disturbance was a fire, but there were the usual number of crimes.


    No matter how tightly guarded the royal capital, a certain amount of crime and trouble can''t be avoided when various people gather there. Rather, considering the size of the royal capital, I think it''s a small number. Although I don''t have exact statistics, compared to Seigen and Gunjo City, there is less crime and trouble to the extent that there are more guards and so on, and even compared to the big cities of the last generation, it will be less. Well, there are differences in the population and other factors, but it seems that the slavery and death penalty are more easily applied than that.


    Aina and the gatekeeper saw me off to the mansion, and as I approached the mansion, I could clearly see the difference from before.


    ''''The mansion next door really is burning down nicely, isn''t it?


    Well I haven''t had much of a relationship with him, but seeing him in person makes me feel a bit sad.


    Temma, the house is in there, but there are burn marks and stuff all over the street in front of it.


    While my grandpa and I were only looking at the mansion next door, Amur noticed charred marks and burning debris on the street in front of the mansion.


    ''''It''s a good thing the other buildings didn''t catch fire... if there had been any deaths or anything like that, the neighbors wouldn''t have been killed.''''


    It''s a blessing in disguise that they were the only ones affected.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to get the death penalty for causing damage not only to your mansion, but also to your surroundings. It''s not a bad idea to call it a death penalty for a fire, but that''s the extent of the trouble you''ve caused in the royal capital. If the fire spreads, neighboring countries might take advantage of the confusion and launch an invasion or even a coup d''��tat. If all it takes is reparations, it would be a cheap thing to say... well, even if it was cheap, your neighbor would be on the verge of bankruptcy...


    I''m home.


    I''m home.


    When we arrived at the mansion, we ignored the onlookers around us and walked through the gate and approached Jeanne and Aura, who were working in the yard. The two of them were directing the golems that had been deployed to protect the mansion, clearing broken fences, cleaning up burned wood chips, and cutting up the burned lawn.


    ''Temma, Lady Merlin, welcome back.


    Welcome home........why is Amur there?


    Jeanne didn''t seem to think anything of it when she saw Amur, but Aura was expressing her doubts with all her might. When I told her that we were going to take care of Amur in our home due to a secret agreement with the new Viscount of the Southern Autonomous Region (Hana-san), Aura didn''t seem to understand the matter very well, but she was convinced that it was okay because it was decided by her grandfather (she also said she had stopped thinking about it).


    I asked Jeanne and Aura to clean up the extra rooms in the mansion in order to turn them into Amour''s rooms, since there is nothing urgent to do in the garden either. There are several rooms available, but it''s better to stay away from me and grandpa''s room, so I ignored Amour''s dissatisfied face and decided on a room near Jeanne and the others.


    Then I took a bath to clean off the grime of the trip and gave them both some southern souvenirs before finishing my plans for the day. Bringing souvenirs to Kelly and the three idiots would not be a problem after tomorrow. I''d like to relax at least on the day I got back from the quarry.


    The next day, I was able to sleep peacefully for the first time in a long time. Well, it was more like noon than morning because I was taking it so slowly, but it''s okay to do that once in a while, since I don''t have any plans.


    Today''s plan is to restore the garden and fence. Jeanne and her team couldn''t repair the wall without permission, so for security reasons, it was necessary to repair the wall first. Incidentally, although they told Maria and the others that they would buy the land next door, due to the procedures, they still couldn''t modify the land next door or place a golem there. However, the absence of a fence might be seen as an advantage to the thieves, so they''re going to build a simple fence.


    ''''Then, here we go.


    At the broken wall, I created a wall with earth magic. It''s easier to break than a wall like the one you would build in a dungeon, but if you want to break it, it''s not easy to do so without using magic, and it''s hard to imagine that you can use magic without being noticed by me, grandpa, and the security golems, so even a lazy wall is enough.


    ''''Even so, looking at it this way, it was a pretty tough fire.


    The fence was caught in the collapsed neighbor''s house and the wood used to frame the fence was charred. The fire must have been that intense. The broken fence was a short distance away from the house next door, but unluckily it fell towards our house. Moreover, the tree planted near the broken wall was also ruined, probably to prevent the fire from spreading, and had been cut down by a golem.


    "We''ve got to pull out the roots too.


    I tied the rope to the stump, and when I had used my earth magic to soften the ground around the stump, I called some golems to pull the rope off.


    The stump was easily pulled out of the ground by the golems, partly because I had softened the ground. Seeing the results, I prepared the rest of the stumps in turn and let the golems pull them out one by one.


    ''So much for this. Most of the big roots have been pulled out, and it''s not a problem if they remain in the soil for a bit... but then again, there are quite a few cicada larvae in here.


    While I was observing the stump I pulled out, I noticed that there were surprisingly many cicada larvae. It''s not a creature I would normally see, but it''s not a particularly cute bug, and it''s a bit gross to see that many wriggling around.


    ''Well, I feel sorry for them, so let''s just move them to another tree, even if it''s just a noticeable one.


    I took a bucket out of my magic bag and collected the cicada larvae as far as I could see. I dug a few holes at the base of a tree at a different location than the wall that burned down this time and released the cicada larvae there. I covered it lightly with soil, but I don''t know if this was a good idea. Well, even if it didn''t work, it didn''t cause any damage, so there''s no problem.


    After I finished migrating the cicadas, I figured it was just about time for a snack, so I decided to get something to eat in the kitchen. On the way to the kitchen, I decided to add two of them and two others who were trying to be a part of the party, and I decided to call the other two and one of them as well. Incidentally, the people who joined them on the way were the sister of the head maid, the housemate, and two binges...they really are a group of people with a strange intuition when it comes to food.


    By the way, what I made instead of a snack was okonomiyaki. We didn''t have any sauce, so we seasoned the batter with soy sauce or a thick broth and served it with mayonnaise, and it was pretty good.


    I got high marks from everyone, but I think they liked it more for the mayonnaise than for the okonomiyaki. According to Aura and Amour, it''s the first mayonnaise they''ve ever made in this world, and it''s rich and addictive. Jeanne, Grandpa, and Slarin'' seem to like it, so I''m sure it''s going to be a staple seasoning in our house from now on... although I''ll be the one who makes it, mainly.


    A few days after the mayonnaise descended, Chris and Aina came in with the right to the land next door. According to them, from the moment they received the deed, the land next door became my land. The reason why it wasn''t my land was because the Ootori family had decided to buy the right to the land, so it became my land. Incidentally, Grandpa also changed the name of the land on which he now lives to my name just as an incidental gift (according to him, it was a gift during his lifetime, although he won''t be dead for a few more decades), and this year I had to pay the taxes on both lots from In addition, the tax is 50,000 G x 2 (because the original land and the next land are about the same size) 100,000 G per year, and I decided to pay for 50 years in advance because it was said that I could pay for several years in advance.


    It''s unusual for an ordinary person to pay taxes in bulk like this.......or rather, it seems to be the first time, but since it seems to be a common occurrence for high-ranking aristocrats, it was judged that there is a precedent for this, and the payment was allowed without problem.


    ''''For now, my work for today is over~........come on, Shiroumaru.


    Chris seems to be planning to stay at our house, mocking Shiroumaru as he finishes his work.


    ''Totally Chris I''m sorry I brought you here.


    Aina apologized for bringing Mr. Chris with her (as a nominal escort), but she was checking on Aura and the others to see how they were doing.


    A few hours after Chris-san first mooed Shiroumaru (after Aina started supervising Aura and the others), a tired-looking Aura came into the living room to take a break. Then, when she saw Chris, who was happy to keep muffing Shiroumaru, she started to look at him and made some bad faces.


    ''Aura, your face is getting ugly,''


    Excuse me!


    Aura was denying the harsh words that Amour hit her with a strong tone, but me and Jeanne, who had seen her face, nodded to affirm Amour''s words.


    ''''Really rude! .........Chris-san, I have a better mofo for you~


    It''s getting uglier and uglier!


    Completely ignoring Amour''s point again, Aura approached Chris-san with a rubbing hand. That sounds like a vulgar tout in a colourful town.......I''ve never been there, but I''ve seen it. I''ll say it again because it''s important, but I''ve only seen (...) it!


    Ugh!


    I felt something sharp at my back, and as soon as I turned around, I saw Aina looking at me from a short distance away.


    (You really haven''t been there, have you? (Can you swear by Mary?)


    (I can confidently swear!)


    Aina asks me with a mouthful of food, and I instantly respond with a mouthful of food.


    Aina, who seemed satisfied with my reply, gave Aura an even sharper look than she was giving me. But unlike me, Aura doesn''t seem to notice at all, as if she''s occupied with Chris-san.


    ''Better mofo?''


    I''ll go get him.


    Aura hurriedly walked out of the living room. She passed by Aina as she left the room, but Aura hadn''t noticed Aina''s presence at all...................or rather, Aina had cleaned out her presence. I guess that''s the ''Art of Air Presence Blocking'' directly handed down by Cliffe.................I tried to say it appropriately, but I was a little scared that it was really likely.


    ''Sorry for the wait~ It''s the cutie you requested~''


    Aura returned a short time later and handed the dimension bag to Chris, smearing her clothes and face and ruffling her hair.


    ''You''re in here. Let''s see.......phew!


    The black creature jumped out and smashed into Chris''s face as he unsuspectingly opened the mouth of the bag and peered inside, and the black creature jumped out and smashed into his face with great force. Aura remembered what she had been hit with when she introduced the lambs, so she made Chris do the same under the guise of introducing Lamb I.


    Incidentally, Aura was the only one of us who got hit by Lamb I''s body in a decent way. Me, Grandpa and Amur usually dodged it, Shiroumaru played it back, and Solomon couldn''t reach it. As for Slarin, he was tangled up the moment he hit the body and was unable to move. By the way, Jeanne was the target of Slarin''s entanglement with Lamb I, but because Slarin was in between (entangled), she was not harmed. As for Aura, she looked at us and thought that Lamb I''s body hit wouldn''t be that big of a deal, and then she ate it the moment she was careless.


    ''''Meh! Meh?


    After successfully hitting Chris with his body, Lamb I barked as if it were a battle cry of victory? but was caught in mid-air before he could get away from Chris. And.........


    ''Fluffy mooch! Fluffy mooch, mooch, mooch!


    Chris-san ignored the bewildered Lamb I and continued to mooch the hair on his stomach with both hands while burying his face in the hair on Lamb I''s back.


    ''Meh, meh........''


    Chris freed Lamb I about 30 minutes after he started mauling her, and she was wobbling like a boxer on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, Lamb II was sleeping in his dimension bag.

 158-Chapter 10-3 Heaven and Hell

    Phew ... enjoyment.


    After releasing Lamb I, Chris sat down in his chair with a satisfied look on his face and drank his completely cold green tea. He glanced over and saw Aina pulling Aura, whom he had caught at some point, to the end of the corridor, but naturally he pretended not to see her.


    ''By the way, Temma-kun. What''s that girl''s name?


    The one Chris was catching earlier was ''Mary'' and the one sleeping in the bag was ''Allie'' "There''s another one! I say....


    Before he could finish, Mr. Chris went to get the bag that Mary was in. Then, after being released by Mr. Chris, Merry abandoned Allie and made a mad dash to leave the place...


    Come on out.


    Huh?


    Allie, who was sleeping in the bag, was caught when she heard Chris''s words and came out honestly and was muffled. The only difference with Mary is that Chris-san''s tension was a little calmer, and Allie didn''t get upset when Chris-san muffed her. By the way, I didn''t think that Ally''s guy would try to sleep while being mocked.


    As for his name, he couldn''t call himself Lamb I and II; he took it from a famous nursery rhyme and the Aries sign of Aries. ''Allie is a girl-like name, but with ''Ali'' it looks like a boxer, and I think it suits her because she has a more mature personality than the girl Mary.


    "I was thinking with Mary, too, how fluffy they are,


    But after coming back to the house, they were washed with shampoo and rinse, and as a result of washing them, they have become very soft and shiny coats. By the way, the ground is white, and in the dark, it looks like a pure white face is floating in the air.


    ''''Well I''d better get to work now. Chris-san, please take your time.


    Now that we''ve officially got the rights to the land next door, it''s time to start the land clearing process. I had planned to start on it as soon as I received the paperwork, but thanks to Chris''s outbursts, the timing of getting started was off.


    ''Since we''re going to be here, I''ll go take a look.


    I was surprised to see Chris, who was supposed to go into the mooching heaven with Allie and the others, unexpectedly said he would follow me... and then I saw him standing up with Allie in his arms. And with Shiroumaru behind him, holding the dimension bag that Mary has escaped from, he seems to be enjoying his mofo heaven outside.


    ''Shall I help you with that?''


    Well, I''m here to help.


    "Hang in there.


    Jeanne hurriedly offered to help as me and my grandfather were going to work. I guess Amour doesn''t like the idea of being the only one left.


    As it was, we all headed outside with everyone else and saw Aura being lectured by Aina while sitting upright in the corner of the corridor. Of course, we all turned a blind eye to it. Because they were all afraid of an angry Aina.


    ''For now, give me instructions on what to do.


    ''Let''s see, I want Grandpa to tear down all the walls that were bordering the area. Jeanne and Amour, I want you to clean up the wall that Grandpa broke while giving instructions to the golems. When you''re cleaning it up, put it all together, separated by material.


    You understand.


    Okay.


    Okay.


    I said what I wanted each of us to do and I jumped over the fence and began to preview the new lot. As far as I could tell, it was about the same size as the one where our mansion is located, and it was a rectangular piece of land, just like our house. So it would be easy to clear the land. The problem was to dispose of the trash and the cobblestones, the garden stones and the trees that had been placed for decoration.


    We can tear it all down and bury it in the ground, but we also want to build a field and a playground for the jubees, so we''ll have to take it out one by one.


    Fortunately, I have several large capacity magic bags, so I don''t have to worry about where to put them. When I first decided to do it, Grandpa, who had just finished breaking down the fence, came over to me.


    ''It''s done!''


    Just as well. First we''re going to remove the debris from the mansion and the rocks and trees in the yard. As I said before, most of the land over here is going to be used as grazing land for Joubert and his friends, so I want to collect all of it as much as possible.


    I understand. Well, let''s get some golems in here, shall we?


    ''Yes. And, in that order, I think I''ll go with the remnants of the mansion, the trees in the garden, and the garden stones and cobblestones, in that order.


    Hmm, what do you plan to do about the basement of the house?


    I''d like to recover the basement floor and walls and, if possible, dig up the foundation.


    Well, not completely. All we have to do now is pack up all the garbage and put it in a magic bag.


    So, please. I''ll go through it and then I''ll sort it into the ones I can use and the ones I can''t.


    We had a quick meeting and then we each started working from the other side. I had the few golems I''d called in to help gather up everything that was big enough to hold, while Grandpa and I used our magic (...) to dismantle things that weren''t big enough to hold (pillars, burned out walls, etc.). Occasionally we''d get carried away and smash some walls with our fists and kicks, but we just kept getting more and more small pieces, so we sealed it off from the middle.


    "Looks like it''s mostly cleared up,


    All right, let''s get the basement cleaned up.


    According to the floor plan we were given, the basement had two rooms, which were used as a storage room and food storage. To prevent theft of valuables and intrusion of rats, the entrance and walls of the basement are thickly built, and the drains are also fitted with sturdy fences.


    ''''Well, if you can use a certain amount of magic, it''s almost as if it doesn''t exist.


    The neighbor didn''t seem to think that anyone could break into the basement, or that they hadn''t considered defending against magic. Well, it doesn''t look like they didn''t put much stuff in there to begin with, but considering that they were able to protect it from the fire, it may have been the right decision in the end... but now it''s just a hindrance.


    The floor was left untouched and the walls were removed. The remaining holes will be filled in with dirt from the meadow or forest.


    I''m sure that''s all well and good, but I''m concerned about the bugs in the ground.


    Would you like me to burn it in the dimension bag before I bring it back?


    You''re right. Burning them in King''s Landing is bad for many things.


    I don''t think my grandfather and I would cause a jumping fire or anything like that if we used magic in King''s Landing, but there''s no such thing as an absolute, and using a fire in the remains of a fire would make the residents around us more anxious.


    I don''t want to burn too much in the bag, but it''s the safest way to heat up a large amount of dirt, so it could ruin the bag, but it''s not an option. Well, I''ve got a spare spare one, so we can use that.


    Are you going soon?


    ''I will. If I go now, I''ll be able to come back in the evening or so.


    The forest is where I went hunting with Jin and the others. That time we found and hunted a ground dragon, an event that was unprecedented in the vicinity of the royal capital, but I don''t think something like that would happen twice in a short period of time, and since I have some familiarity with the land, I''ll be able to gather them more efficiently than going to other forests.


    ''''Then I''ll follow you!


    Suddenly, Amur jumped out from behind me, he said that most of the work over there was done and he came to help us.


    Hmmm........well, okay.


    At first I was going to use ''flying'' on my own to focus on speed. However, I decided that if I put Amur on Raiden and I flew at that speed, even if it took more time to go and return, the total time would be the same if we could shorten the work in the forest.


    ''The rest is Slarin, Solomon and Shiroumaru...''


    Slarin and Solomon had no problem with Slarin and Solomon as they came after Amur, but there was an extra person at Shiroumar''s back. Mr. Chris.


    Instead of straddling Shiroumaru''s back, Chris-san was hugging him on his back and enjoying Shiroumaru''s fur with his entire body.


    ''You can''t do that Shiroumaru.......don''t ask me to stay.


    Gau....


    Shiroumaru seemed sad that he couldn''t follow me, but he couldn''t shake off Chris-san, who was always so loving to him, and he seemed to have given up crying. Chris didn''t even notice what I said, or that Shiroumaru had walked away, and was tripping on Shiroumaru''s back... To Chris, Fluffy Fluff is like a drug with a hallucinogenic effect. Ummm....


    I asked my grandfather to take care of the rest and we headed for the forest as soon as possible.


    On the way to the forest, we arrived without any problems, except that Amur was complaining about not being able to ride with me on Raiden.


    ''Well then, Amur will take a few golems and ask them to collect the soil. I''ll ask for about half of the dimension bag I left with you, and I don''t care if there''s grass in the mix, just go for the gunk. Solomon and Raiden will be on perimeter alert while Amur gathers the soil. Slarin, follow me.


    Okay.


    Cui!


    I instructed Amur and the others and we parted at the entrance to the forest.


    ''Well then, we''ll gather some humus.


    One of the reasons I came to the forest was because I wanted to collect humus. I wanted to make a garden while growing pepper and chili anyway.


    However, we don''t want to have any strange bugs in the humus, either. If it''s only a beetle, there''s no problem, but there''s a possibility that centipedes and other insects may be hiding in the soil, so we have to kill them. However, if we kill the insects by burning it, the drainage of the humus might be damaged, so we are going to freeze it to kill the insects.


    ''I''ll collect the humus on my end, Slarin, you can collect the worms.


    Having said that, I handed Slarin a shovel, a ninja rake and a bucket. If you only look at the gear, it''s the kind of equipment you''re going to be tide hunting with now. Or a fisherman collecting fishing bait.


    Slarin with his tide fishing equipment took a few golems with him and started digging at the base of trees and under stones.


    "Maybe I should get on with mine.


    As soon as we started, we moved a little farther away from the slalines, who were searching for worms one after another, and we used our foot senses to find the decaying soil.


    The way to collect it was simple: step on it with your foot and look for a fluffy spot, then lightly dig with your toe and if it''s humus, have the golem collect the soil in the indicated area. The strategy was that I would look for a place and have the golem dig and repeat the process to collect the leaf litter.


    Even if I couldn''t get a lot of humus in one place this way, I could still collect it at a fast pace because of the efficiency of the rotation.


    ''So much for that, we''re ahead of schedule.


    About an hour after it began. The humus collected by the golems filled nearly half of the dimension bag. I don''t know the exact amount, but it must be lightly over a ton or so.


    ''''Alright, right away, ''Blizzard''


    I unleashed the magic that once froze the Gs in Seigen''s dungeon in Seigen''s dungeon at the rotten soil I''d thrown into the dimension bag. Along the way, I stopped the magic several times and had the golem turn over the top and bottom of the humus, freezing the entire area evenly. If I let the rest of it go like this, the vermin and others would die. Well, the worms and other beneficial insects would die along with the pests, but the worms are not a problem since I''ve let Slarin collect them.


    ''''That''s fine on my end, but Slarin........''''


    When I finished my portion of the work, I looked in the direction Slarin was headed and saw a glimpse of a golem at a much greater distance.


    When he approached with that golem as a landmark, he found Slarin there, who had collected a bucketful of worms.


    ''''You''ve collected quite a lot... I''m used to worms with fishing bait and such, but when you gather this many, you don''t pull it off...''''


    I apologize to Slarin for sticking it out and collecting it, but the sight of the worms wriggling around, which seemed to be thousands of quicksilver worms, was quite shocking.


    Although there are too many of them, considering the size of the land, I don''t think a few thousand worms would be a problem, so I made a few boxes with earth magic and divided the worms appropriately. I left enough air holes that even worms can''t get through, so it should last long enough to get back to the mansion.


    I put the nuclei of the golems I had been walking with so far back into my bag and moved to Amur and the others with Slarin in my arms.


    ''''Well, Amur........well, if we follow these traces (........), we''ll be able to meet them without having to use the ''search''.


    When I arrived at the point where I left Amur, I found a series of traces in the ground that looked like they had been dug up. It was definitely the mark made by Amur and the golems.


    ''''Cui~!


    We followed the trail for a few hundred meters, and then Solomon, who had found us, literally swooped in.


    Oh, Temma.


    Following Solomon, Amur came along, scrambling through the grass. From behind him, the golems that he had deposited with them are lining up one after another and coming towards us.


    ''''Hm.''''


    Amur opened the mouth of the dimension bag he had deposited and showed me the soil inside.


    There was more soil in the bag than I had expected, more than three-quarters of the bag''s capacity. Roughly five tons of it?


    It''s quite a lot, but I''ll make it work. Thanks.


    I thanked Amur and I decided to disinfect the soil as soon as possible. However, even if I burned it with magic as it was, only the surface of the soil would catch fire, so I made a large hole in the center with soil magic first. I put crushed wood that had been drained of moisture (which I recovered while doughing up the neighboring land) and charcoal into it and used fire magic against it.


    After several rounds of fire magic, the fire grew and the charcoal began to turn a reddish color. As he did so, a large amount of smoke flooded out of the bag, so he used wind magic to disperse it. This was to prevent others from seeing the smoke and mistaking it for a fire.


    At the same time as using wind magic, I also prepared to use water magic at any time so that the bag itself would not burn. We''ve got to be prepared to use water magic at all times so that we don''t burn the bag itself, even if the mouth of the bag is closed.


    Just to be sure, we kept our distance from the bag on the ground and passed the time, watching for any danger.


    After roughly two hours or so, the fire in the bag spontaneously went out and the bag itself did not have any problems other than soot and discoloration.


    This is a dimension bag that I was prepared to dispose of, but I can still use this one. At the most, the smell of dirt and burning is so strong that Shilomar and his friends, not to mention Slarin, would not want to go in it, and they would not want to put food and other things in it, so from now on, it will only be used for things that can get dirty.


    It''s time to go home and look for Amur and the others (Amur, bored with sitting still and waiting, was running around in the meadow with Solomon astride Raiden), and Amur and Solomon are chasing around a horn rabbit on a rolling hill. For some reason, Raiden was running through the meadow alone, separated from the others.


    ''''Ooh, we''re about to go home!


    Solomon responded to my voice and flew straight at me, stopping his pursuit of the horned rabbit. Amur''s reaction was delayed, and he was well behind Solomon.


    ''Temma, I''ve got the horn rabbit!''


    The dimension bag held out by Amur, who came late, contained ten horned rabbits. However, with apologies to the boastful Amur and the others, the sight of ten horned rabbits hanging from what looked like a wooden clothesline with blood pouring out of their necks suddenly caught my attention, so I looked away and closed the bag without a second thought.


    ''Maybe we can use it for dinner tonight.''


    After saying that much, I started to prepare for the trip home. Well, when I say prepare to leave, it should only take a few minutes as I just need to make sure I haven''t forgotten anything and then call Raiden. As soon as I call out his name in a loud voice, Raiden comes running up to me, the ground shaking in response to my call. For some reason, his face was tinted red........


    Raiden....


    As he approached, Raiden flipped his body in front of me and tapped the ground with his paw hooves, as if he wanted to lead me somewhere.


    ''All right, just wait a minute Slarin, please.''


    When I was about to step over Raiden''s back, my palms were covered in a sticky red-colored liquid. I smelled it, and it seemed to be blood. I asked Slarin to clean up Raiden''s face, body and other parts of Riden''s body, since the crotch area would be covered in blood if this was the case.


    ''''Well, now that you''re ready, show me around.


    Go!


    As soon as I straddled Raiden''s back, Amour also got on behind me. Amur is small and Raiden is big, so there''s no problem if you just want to ride. If there''s one thing, it''s that the saddle is for one person, so it''s dangerous to run.


    If you run at full speed, there was a risk of Amur tumbling down, but the place you want to go seems to be close to here, and Raiden started running at about the speed of a gallop.


    It seems that the destination was close about two to three minutes into the run, and Raiden began to slow down.


    What I could see from above Ryden''s back were several lizards that had been cut in half. When you hear the word "lizard" you might think of something small, but the size of the lizards that were cut in half, one of them was lightly over a meter long.


    When I got down from Raiden and looked it up in ''Appraisal'', it seems to be a demon called a Sougen monitor lizard. Its rank is C, and from the looks of it, it probably attacks with its sharp claws, large fangs, and a thick tail. The girth of a large individual is over two meters, brown in color and rough like shark skin.


    ''''Is it edible?''''


    It was resilient like the parent bird in the sense that I touched it, and although it seemed to be hard, it seemed to be able to eat it. The skin seemed to be reasonably strong, so there would be some use for it.


    When I retrieved everything, Raiden happily stood up on his hind legs alone. He stood up so suddenly that Amur, who was on his back, almost fell off for a moment, but he managed to keep his balance and avoid falling off the horse.


    ''Raiden, look out!''


    He stood up suddenly, and Amour protested by hitting Raiden on the neck, but on the contrary, he seemed to have hurt his fist, and was fumbling his reddened fist with his opposite hand. In contrast, Raiden didn''t seem to feel anything and was unconcerned.


    ''Anyway, let''s go home.


    If I don''t get home soon, I might be late for my scheduled return to the compound. The work of rolling the soil will have to wait until tomorrow, but I''d like to at least finish dismantling the horned rabbit and the Sougen''s monitor lizard by the end of the day. Preferably before dinner.


    So, on the way back, we looked at a higher speed than we were going, but Raiden and Solomon were able to follow us with no problem. Amur was a bit of a close call, but he managed to get to the royal capital in one piece, gripping the grip that was attached to the front of Raiden''s saddle. We ended up arriving at the mansion just before dark, and Aina and the others were about to start cooking. So we hurriedly dismantled two horned rabbits and decided to cook beside Aina and the others.


    The dish we were going to make was fried rabbit. This one can be lightly seasoned and dusted with flour and fried, so you can make a quantity in a short time.


    "It''s ready to go!


    Chris was the first to get his hands on the dinner that had been laid out. He was followed closely by Amur, and then Aura. However, Aura was pissed off at Aina right after that, so it was the second-to-last one (and last one was Aina) who was able to actually put the fried food in her mouth.


    The fried food was gone in the blink of an eye, and Chris and Amour demanded more, but since we used all the dismantled horned rabbit, we couldn''t meet their demands.


    After dinner, I dismantled the remaining horned rabbit and stored it in my magic bag, ready to be fried at any time, and while I was taking a break before I started dismantling the sougen monitor lizard, I found Aina dragging Chris-san to the front door.


    Chris-san is wrapped up in a rope and muzzled and unable to move or speak, and if I hadn''t known about their relationship and not in our house, I would have definitely ruled him a kidnapper.


    ''Aina, what did Chris-san do to you?''


    When Aina noticed me, she bowed her head lightly and then began to explain her current situation.


    ''''I''m about to bring her home because she said in her sleep that she''s going to live here from today and make a mofo heaven. So I just tied it up with a rope so that it would be easy to carry around, even for me, who is impotent.


    Hearing those words, I turned my attention to Chris-san and his eyes were blatantly swimming. The right action I should take there is, of course........


    ''I''ll lend you a small carriage and a golem, so be careful on your way home. Also, give my regards to Mr. Dinh (...).


    The idea is to help us move Chris and bring him home as quickly as possible. I''ll have Mr. Dinh tipped me off when he gets here.


    Thank you, Mr. Dinh. I''ll make sure Mr. Dinh is properly informed of what happened today.


    Aina also (...) understood exactly what I meant and promised to report to Din-san. Of course, Chris-san also seemed to understand what I meant, and he suddenly started shaking his head violently. That''s already going to hurt the muscles in my neck, isn''t it? It was so intense that I was worried about it.


    I followed them to the front door and saw Aina and Chris off as they were being taken down, and then I quickly dismantled the Sougen''s lizard.


    Fortunately, there were many of them, but because they were cut in half, I didn''t have to worry too much about their quality, as I could cut their heads and legs off and scrape out their guts, then make a slit in their bodies and crunch their skins. I had saved the internal organs after removing the demon nucleus, but as a result of investigating them at a later date, I found out that they were useless for either food or medicinal purposes, so I burned them all together.


    Speaking of later, Chris hadn''t seen him in ten days since that day. I thought it was strange that we had a new furry friend, but it seemed that Aina had reported to Mr. Din that day that Chris had been trained so severely that he couldn''t come to our house, and when he next came to visit, he had been completely forgotten by Allie, who should have been relatively friendly to him. It was a hell of a ride.

 159-Chapter 10-4 Amy in Maiden Game?

    ''I''d like to turf a large portion of the land next door, do you know how to do it?''


    I don''t know much about the lawn, either, because the man who arranged the house''s lawn has done everything for it, and even if you leave it alone, it will be clean before you know it.


    The day after I went to pick up the soil, after I finished leveling the land, I realized that I didn''t know how to move on to the next step.


    I retrieved as much of the grass as I could from the previous owner, but it wasn''t enough to cover a large portion of the land, and I was worried that it would wither and die.


    So I asked my grandfather about it, but he didn''t know how to plant a lawn. He said it was all up to the king.


    I was just about to go to the castle and ask Mr. Cliffe, when the gate opened and a group of people came in.


    ''''Hmm? Mark and the others.


    Uncle Mark, Aunt Martha, and the others came to see me. Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha (plus the people of Kukri village) are allowed to come and go freely in this mansion, so from the time they moved to King''s Landing until I came, they''ve been taking care of my grandfather (he denies it, but from what I''ve heard, I thought they were just taking care of him).


    ''Temma, Merlin, I heard you were back and I had to stop by.


    Aunt Martha says so, but looking at Uncle Mark and the others behind me, I can tell at once that they are not just dropping by. After all, each of them is carrying food and drink. They were clearly intent on having a party. Well, it was a good time to do so, since there was a gift for everyone.


    It''s a good thing. I want to plant a lawn on this land, who knows?


    I could do that for you if I wanted to.


    As soon as I told him about the lawn, his voice rose. He was an uncle who used to raise goats in the village of Kukuri, and he always shared his goat''s milk with me when I was a baby. As I recall, he used to plant flowers in the square of the village. By the way, since Shiroumaru also grew up on goat''s milk, he still wags his tail when he sees a goat.


    The uncle picked up the soil and began to examine it. He said that the current soil does not drain well due to the clayey nature of the soil, and there is a possibility of root rot even if the seeds are sown in it. In order to prevent this, they need to mix in some sand to make the soil have better drainage. Also, he said it''s better to make a slight slope to prevent puddles from forming, not a flat surface as it is now.


    I heard that the uncle has a friend who deals in seeds, so I decided to ask him for help. If we sow them now, they will take root just before the snow comes. However, he said we should not let the jubaes go until they had taken root to some extent. It is possible to make the slope itself in an hour, but even if you ask an acquaintance of the uncle for sand, he said it will take time to get the right amount for this land, so he said it would be faster to get it himself.


    He said, "Well, let''s make a hill in the center. You''ll get more exercise that way.


    I say hill, but I plan to make it no more than a meter high. The water would flow better there, and it would be easier to create a slope that would be easy to see.


    Then we drew a simple plan on the ground and showed it to everyone. For some reason, Aunt Martha and the other women in Kukuri Village responded well to it. When I asked them about it, apparently it was because they planned to turn nearly a quarter of the new land into fields.


    To begin with, Kukri village was based on self-sufficiency, so each family grew a small amount of produce in their own vegetable gardens. But since moving to the capital, they hadn''t had much opportunity to touch the soil, so they could only plant flowers in small pots, which had been a source of stress for them, but with this plan, they were able to get rid of it all at once.


    For me, it''s mainly the things I plant in the field that can be used as seasonings, such as peppers and peppers, and other things that are in season, so I agreed to lend them out on the condition that you take care of them.


    With their approval, Aunt Martha and the others pulled the uncles into the proposed field and began to have them plow it so that it could be used as a field right away. The uncles seemed to be afraid of them, even though they looked like they were in trouble. We didn''t want to get caught up in them, so Grandpa and I magically crushed the stones into small pieces to make sand to mix into the soil. I asked Aunt Martha about it, and she told me that she had calculated the minimum amount of space each of us could freely use, and that a quarter was too small for us.


    We threw the farm to the old men, and Grandpa and I began to rebuild the soil. We just mixed the sand and humus that we had just made with the sand and humus, and then let the golems gather up the soil that we were laying down now. I changed nearly half of the entire mixture to sand, especially since mixing more sand would improve drainage. I''ll save the excess soil from that, once I''ve saved it in my magic bag, and then I''ll go dump it in the forest or meadow when I see an opening.


    It took about two hours to get rid of the previous soil and then fill it with new soil, but thanks to the use of numerous golems, it was hardly tiring.


    The men who were working the fields also finished in about the same amount of time as we did, but unlike us, they were all manpowered and looked exhausted. Unlike the men who were working, the women, who were mostly just giving instructions, were not so tired and were discussing what to plant.


    ''Ladies and gentlemen, isn''t it time to take a break?''


    Seeing that the work had been completed, Aina came over with wet hand towels. When she brings the number of people exactly cooled, I can feel the difference in maid power between her and her sister.......well, since the original specs are so different, it''s only natural to say that it''s natural.


    ''''It''s sad that the comparison is a thing(...), but thank you very much.


    And then you can read my thoughts without any hesitation... and they''re that easy to read? Who am I?


    By the way, this question, I later heard that the eyes went back and forth between myself (Aina) and Aura several times, and she looked at the poor guy at Aura''s place, which made me realize it. It''s a wonder why a maid is equipped with such martial arts mastery skills, but as a servant of royalty, this kind of skill is needed to a greater or lesser extent. Well, the only thing that helps is that Aina and Mr. Cliffe are the only two people who can use it to this extent. If there''s a bunch of people like this, it''s impossible to go to the royal castle casually. In terms of what would be exposed........


    For a late lunch, they decided to have a barbecue so everyone could eat together. When you hear the word "barbecue", it sounds like it''s just meat and vegetables on skewers, but it takes a lot of time and effort to prepare enough food to reach 20 people, and the meat and vegetables have been prepped and seasoned, so it''s about time for our maid of honor (provisional) to get it right.... ), but I don''t think Maria would let go of Aina in a quicksilver, and if I pulled out, it would give me and Aura less time to relax, and I don''t know how long it would take for Jeanne and Aura to grow up enough to be accepted by Aina. If I think about it that way, they''re currently doing perfectly well (from my point of view), even if it''s a one-sided effort, so I''m not sure there''s anything wrong with a (temporary).


    As I was enjoying the barbecue with that in mind, the gates opened again and a few more guests arrived.


    ''So-lo-mo - guffaw!


    The ones who came were three people I knew who were a few years younger than me in the King''s Capital, and their guards, the vice-captain of the Kingsguard and Aina''s boss, the butler. Incidentally, it was Luna, of course, who couldn''t say Solomon''s name until the end, because the moment she started running, Tida grabbed her by the back collar and strangled her. It was a dangerous act, but Tida seemed to be used to it, and she stopped Luna with the perfect amount of force.


    ''Sir, I''m interrupting you.''


    The last of the trio was Aimee. In her arms were Eee-chan and Shie-chan, with Haku-chan strapped to her back. The two birds have grown since I last saw them, and Aimee looks a little tighter in her arms. But when Shiroumaru comes close by, the two birds flap their wings and jump on Shiroumaru''s back. Koo-chan found Gol and Jill and charged at them, raising his paws. Gol and Jill also raised their paws and seemed to welcome them.


    It''s good to see you, Amy. And here''s a gift from the South.


    I handed Aimee, who was relaxing her lightened arms, showing her the pattern of the handkerchief I asked Sana for, and told her the meaning of this handkerchief. Amy was puzzled when she found out what it meant, but after a bit, she folded it up neatly and put it in her pocket.


    ''''I have other gifts for Eee-chan and Shi-chan, too.


    As if they understood that their names were being called, the two birds got off Shiroumaru''s back and came towards me. In addition, I accompanied Shiroumaru, who responded to the word souvenir...


    Here''s a worm I picked up in the woods.


    When Shiroumaru found out what the souvenir was, he suddenly lost interest and went to get some barbecue meat, but the two birds were happy to start pecking at the worms. They haven''t released the worms into the field yet, but as much as Eee-chan and Shi-chan ate them, they wouldn''t reach even ten percent of the amount Slarin caught.


    It''s not as if Amy is unfazed by worms or anything else, and she''s watching the two of them busily eating worms with a smile on her face, as if she''s not bothered by dancing worms compared to grated caterpillars. It''s a normal sight for a bird feeder, and I can just watch it.


    Afterwards, the five newcomers joined in on the meal (although, most importantly, Mr. Kleife was mostly serving), and the lunch was even more lively than usual.


    ''''Speaking of which, teacher, I think the school''s classes are too easy...''''


    Amy says that the part she''s learning now at the school was taught to her by Aguri and the others a long time ago, and it''s a bit of a letdown to say the least.


    ''What? That''s funny....


    That is probably due to a misunderstanding on the part of Lady Temma.


    Before I knew it, Mr. Cliffe, who had come around behind me, started to answer my questions in my ear. I almost jumped up at the suddenness of it all, but I managed to hold back, since I was in front of Amy. As usual, Mr. Cliffe disappeared and got behind me, which is extremely heartbreaking.


    What do you mean?


    I managed to hear back in my usual voice, but it''s probably obvious to this s*xist butler that I''m quite surprised. The proof of this is standing in front of me with a very satisfied look on his face.


    ''It''s a simple matter. When Tenma-sama asked Maria-sama about Amy-sama''s academic ability, she was told that ''there is an average,'' but Tenma-sama only inspected the school in the high school. And Amie-sama''s faculty is the middle school.......in other words, when Tenma-sama was asked about her academic ability as a middle school student, Maria, Tenma-sama told her the academic ability as applied to the high school. Although there may be a slight margin of error, there is a clear difference in academic ability between the middle school and high school.


    I was quite surprised when I heard that. I''m sure I only saw the lower-ranked students in the high school, but I didn''t think Amy''s academic ability was that high. After all, I only taught her up to around multiplication and division, and that was only because I taught her a handful of magic.


    "Perhaps, but with Tenma-sama teaching the basics and all of the Seigenteimers teaching their own applications, without realizing it, the content of their studies went beyond the middle school level and moved onward.


    Certainly, Mr. Cliffe has a point. Perhaps, but I''m not sure I''m going to be able to say, "Have you done this place yet? Then I''ll teach you beyond that." "Well, if you can do this, shall I teach you the application of that? But if you can do this problem, you can do this one too..."....and so on and so forth.


    In fact, Aguri, the oldest member of the group, is naturally the smartest, and the other members of the Seigenteamers are also surprisingly smart. They have their own businesses and special jobs, so each one of them has acquired different experiences, and they naturally acquire knowledge by relying on Aguri when they are in trouble. It''s a good idea to have an exclusive private tutor, as is often the case with aristocrats. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but you need to be able to find a way to make it work.


    ''''Well, it''s good to be able to study. There''s no harm in being able to do it! So, just think of it as a review and relearn the basics.


    Is that what it is?


    Maybe it''s something like that.


    At the end, I''m starting to lose confidence, but I''m sure I didn''t say anything wrong... Clife-san and Aina are giving me a cold look, but I ignored them and told them again that reviewing is important, because it''s important. In fact, it''s just that my studies at the school aren''t enough, it''s not like I have any other problems.


    ''''Well, that''s fine for the studies, how about the magic one?''''


    Magic is more fun!


    They can see all sorts of magic in the academy, so it''s fun to just observe it. On top of that, there''s a lot to do, unlike studying, so it''s not as if it''s not enough at the moment, apparently.


    However, the practical training is hard....


    ''''You know, Tenma-san, we have training with weapons in the school, but Aimee has a low rating in that one. Of course, when I say low, I mean compared to those with experience, and if you include magic in your overall ranking, you''ll definitely be at the top of the grade, let alone the class!


    Tida explained on behalf of a stuttering Amy, but it seems that it''s not just the practical training that''s hard for her.


    "Is it possible that there is someone in your class who doesn''t like Amy?


    "!


    ''''And those guys are talking behind Amy''s back about how they''ve put their grades on the shelf and are only bad at practical training?


    !


    And by the way, you don''t like the fact that Amy knows the royal family?


    !!!


    What?


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, and you''re right.


    It''s not hard to understand why people are jealous of the excellent newcomer, but it''s hard to be a part of that, but the quickest way is to increase the strength of Amy''s practical training.


    ''Then the fact that Master Tida won''t be involved with Amy in the future is...well, nothing.


    Mr. Jean may have just raised it as an option, but he quickly withdrew it when Tida gave him an amazing look and stared at him.


    ''Well, it''s an option it is but it''s a bad move.


    Tida''s face turned blue the moment I said something I approved as an option, but when I told her it was a bad move, she went back to normal.


    ''Why?''


    If Tida walks away from Amy, those harassers will assume that Tida has abandoned Amy, and they''ll start harassing her more next time.


    Ahhhh ... sure.


    Mr. Jang was also convinced by my explanation. In any case, they (probably the schoolgirls) must have a thing for Tida or want power as a future companion, so they will try to completely crush Amy (the dog) who fell into the water... because they are too caught up in the immediate future. He wouldn''t think about what the consequences of that would be. If you could do that, then you wouldn''t be harassing Amy in the first place, because she''s related to me and Grandpa, and Tida (...) wouldn''t be harassing Amy in the vicinity.


    ''So I guess the best thing to do is to make Aimee herself stronger, and the next step would be to make her understand that visibly harassing Aimee would cost her.


    ''I understand the first part but how do you get the second?''


    I chuckle as Jean asks instead of an anxious Amy and Tida....


    There''s another guy in King''s Landing who''s indirectly related to Amy, but is also from a high ranking nobleman, easy to use, well known in the academy, and if you call him up, there''s a very high probability that he''ll get an extra bonus.


    Amy and Tida don''t seem to know who they are, but everyone around them who was listening in said, "Oh! It''s him! He looked like. That''s.....


    "I''m in charge of the three idiot demons!


    ''Cain na. What happens when Amy learns to be a demon?


    Don''t worry. They''ll find out sooner or later!


    He was a confident Amur. Sure, he''ll find out eventually, but let''s make Cain feel like he''s someone he can rely on, at least at first. For Cain''s sake........


    ''By the way, by the way, Albert is an immigrant and Rion is a goofy brainiac. All three of them are three idiots! Or a rotten idol!


    Huh, huh...


    Aimee had a puzzled look on her face at Amour''s angry explanation. It''s certainly a strange thing to say, but when it comes to Albert, I think it''s not so much that he''s an immigrant, it''s just that he doesn''t stand out in particular compared to the people around him... I can say his face is handsome, but he just doesn''t stand out because of his resemblance to Duke Sangha... ...Yeah, it may indeed be an immersive personality. When it came to the idol statement and Rion, no comment.


    ''''Anyway, first we''re going to increase Amy''s ground strength. This one will mainly focus on physical strength building, with technique being secondary.


    Wouldn''t it be quicker to focus on the technique, even at the beginning?


    It may be true in the short term, but since Aimee is originally a tamer and a wizard, since she hasn''t yet established a style of cooperation with I-chan and the others, I''d like to improve her physical strength first, rather than her skills, and teaching the amateur Aimee a variety of fighting techniques will likely make her weaker.


    Well, it''s certainly a safer way to go.


    When I answered that to Jean-san''s question, I was convinced that I had an idea. It''s easy to forget, but since Jean-san is the deputy commander of the Konoe Guard, he often takes care of newcomers and so on, so he''s probably seen examples of failure for that reason.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I''m going to be focusing on ''enhanced magic'' when it comes to magic. It''s a good thing that you''re able to use this effectively, because just by using this effectively, your strength will increase by several orders of magnitude. In other words, in the long run, by training your body, you will become stronger, and in the short run, you will silence those who harass you with enhanced magic. It''s a strategy that aims to raise the level of magic power by practicing enhanced magic at the same time. Is the face-to-face meeting with Cain and the others like a show of deterrence?


    It seems like Aimee is going to be standing like the protagonist of a maiden game, but it would be my job to ensure Aimee''s safety as well. Besides, I need to meet with the three idiots about the souvenir, and since Aimee is a member of the Marquis Samons'' Seigenteimers, I was going to have her say hello to them eventually. My only worry is that Aimee might get stared at by the three fans, but knowing the age difference and her relationship with me and the Marquis of Samonth, she''s unlikely to mess with them. For what it''s worth, those three fans are a lot of well-behaved young ladies... albeit rotten!


    So I called him up as soon as I could.


    ""I don''t know what''s going on here!"


    As expected from a trio of people, it was a perfect match.


    ''Temma-san, how did you manage to find the three of us in such a short amount of time?


    To answer Tida''s question, I pointed to a butler who was, in a sense, an outsider.


    "It was not easy, but with my information network, finding the three of you was a piece of cake... By the way, Tenma-sama, no matter how much you''re dealing with a butler, I''m not impressed with you pointing at people.


    The information network of the butler is very interesting, but I ignore it because for some reason I''m afraid that if I ask, I''ll regret it. In addition, I ignored the advice, which was decent for a butler, because it seemed to have something to do with the backstory.


    ''Temma, please don''t ignore us.


    I guess he sensed that he was going to be forgotten as it was, and Albert was pleading with a serious voice and face.

 160-Chapter 10-5 Sanka Fool Staff

    As I understand it, only Temma is the only one who has ever had to deal with a nobleman''s next head of state.


    Albert was sighing with dismay after hearing my explanation. In contrast, Cain, who was the real deal this time, laughed, and Rion left the response to the two of us to enjoy the barbecue with Uncle Mark and the others.


    ''''Well, I don''t mind being a bug repellent. I was originally told by my father about Amy, and he told me to help her if anything happened to her.


    Cain said, and began to stroke Amy''s head. Aimee was surprised to suddenly be stroked on the head by an older man, but she didn''t seem to dislike it. When Tida saw this, she looked at me impatiently and for some reason, she looked at me.


    ''Cain, why are you petting that boy? Are you a type, by any chance?


    The one who appeared in such a situation was Rion, the three idiots'' badass brainiacs. With those words, Tida and I said, "Well done for listening to me! He looked at Cain''s reply, cheering heartily.


    ''No! It''s just that I rarely get to interact with kids this young. He''s like a sister... because my brother is that thing(s).


    Oh my god, I''m sorry.


    ''Totally. I''m planning to go on a blind date next time, and if I try to mess with Amy, it''ll end up in a lot of ways... socially and physically...


    Cain was annoyed by Rion''s question, but there was something in his words that he couldn''t miss.


    ''Heh? Cain, are you going on a blind date?


    That''s right.


    Cain replied to the stupefied Rion in a matter-of-fact manner. We were all quite surprised by her words, but the one who was most surprised was probably Mr. Cliffe. I was so surprised that my eyes were about to pop out of my head. Perhaps it''s because I gather information on the aristocracy for both hobby and practical purposes, but information I didn''t know about popped up in this place. Since it''s an excessively rare sight, if I had a smartphone, I would take a series of pictures and save them, and even keep a backup.


    It''s time to start thinking about the future.


    ''Finally, you''ve come to think that way too?


    Albert was the first to react to Cain''s thoughts. He wondered why he was talking like that.


    "Master Temma, Master Albert has a fianc��e. She is the eldest daughter of the Countess, I believe.


    Mr. Cliffe instantly gave me an earful, just to redeem my honor. Certainly, from Albert''s point of view, it wouldn''t be surprising if he had one or two fianc��es, but to think that the three of them were doing something stupid in a row while he had a fianc��e, I felt a little pity for Albert''s fianc��e, who I had never seen before.


    Since it would be troublesome to talk to these three people in a distant way, I decided to ask them straight. I was a little concerned about the fact that Rion hadn''t said a single word since earlier, but since it was more important to me whether the purpose of inviting the three of them was accomplished, I ignored it and asked, and Albert and Cain nodded more easily than I had expected.


    ''''I promise that I personally and the Sangha dukes will side with the disciples of Temma (...). But only to the extent that no harm will come to the duke''s family.


    ''''Of course the Marquis of Samoens will be on Amy''s side. As long as Amy is a member of the Tamer''s Guild and my dad is the representative, Amy is sort of in the ''royalist'' camp in a way.


    Although both of them have some hints, they have promised to back Amy. Of course, this would be on the condition that I don''t leave the royalist faction, but that would give the two of them an excuse to become the backbone of Aimee (civilian). That way, if the other nobles say anything, they can say that it''s to keep the Dragonslayer (Temma) and the Wise Man (Merlin) connected to the royalists.


    ''''So, what are you going to do about Rion?''''


    I don''t understand...


    At Cain''s words, Leon, who hadn''t shown any movement until then, slowly opened his mouth. And it''s a word of denial.


    ''''No, I''m not saying it''s unreasonable, but isn''t it in the best interest of the Howst frontier county?


    Hearing Albert''s words, Rion''s eyes widened as he stared at Albert and Cain.


    ''Not that way! The only thing I''d rather have in my corner is the kid''s backing, given the relationship with Tenma! What I''m trying to say is, why is Cain getting a matchmaking offer, and not just Albert! I don''t even have one coming to me!


    You''re over there!


    Hearing Rion''s heart cry, I couldn''t help but tsk-tsk. It''s true that considering the relationship between me and the Haust Frontier Earl family (a relationship that the world thinks is only a relationship), the matter of Aimee could help improve things from Leon''s point of view, so it would be strange to refuse. But still, as much as I want to scream, I don''t see how Rion can''t get an arranged marriage proposal? But for some reason, Amour stood in front of Leon.


    ''''It can''t be helped. The two of us over here are fine as long as we keep quiet and keep quiet. Rion''s too hot to keep quiet and quiet! If a woman who knows nothing about anything, it''s pretty obvious which one she''d choose!


    Amur points at Rion with a big smile and confronts him with the fact (...). Rion froze like a stone in shock at those words, Cain sat down and laughed hysterically while holding his stomach, and Albert held his mouth with his hand to hold back his laughter. And of course, we (including Uncle Mark and the others) who were listening to the conversation around them laughed out loud. As expected, Mr. Cliffe and Aina didn''t openly express themselves, but they seemed to be struggling to hold back their laughter.


    ''Well, well, it doesn''t help that Rion isn''t popular, but how do we get the three of them to connect with Aimee... it doesn''t make sense if we don''t make the people who are harassing us understand the relationship between Aimee and the three of them.


    Forcing the conversation back to the main topic, I left Rion, who was still stuck by Amur''s verbal attack, alone and asked Albert and Cain about it. The two of them were struggling to contain their laughter, but they began to think seriously as they were out of breath. And the answer they came up with was.....


    ''''The three of us will go to the academy under the guise of casing our future colleagues and potential vassals. We''ll have to tell the headmaster the truth, but I''m sure the other staff members will be able to cover it up. During that visit, I''ll take it in the direction of visiting Tida-sama''s class, which happened to be (...) teaching in the open air, and noticing Amy''s presence and talking to her.


    ''Then you can tell them I''m being asked to help Amy by bringing up my father. After smelling that he wanted to bring Tenma in through Amy, Albert and Leon noticed this and tried to prevent it, and both families tried to bring Amy to them as well. So let''s create a three-way tie-up, and then finally the three families will be able to help Amy, and we''ll be able to settle it as a favor to Temma together.


    Neither of us took the time to discuss it in detail, but we made a path for how it would feel and how we would take it. It would need to be boiled down a bit more, but it seemed to work well enough as it was.


    ''''But if they suddenly show up and start fighting, and then solve the problem themselves, wouldn''t that be too deliberate?


    All you have to do is let Amy know that she has more than one ally with considerable power, so even if the students who are harassing her find out, it''s okay if they find out, but some of the students might really become colleagues or subordinates in the future, so she''ll tell her parents'' house that the three of them don''t get along, or that they''ve been fighting in front of the students'' eyes If this is the case, they may try to use it as proof to cut down the royalists. Those close to the three of them wouldn''t mind, but the further down the line they got, the more they would believe it, and some of them might turn to the Reformers, fearing for the future of the Royalists.


    When I told them about this, they thought it was a bad idea and started to think about coming up with a different plan, but....


    So there''s no need to fight about it? The three of us just need to make it seem like you and Amy are good friends.


    And surprisingly, such words came out of Luna''s mouth. Sure, there was no need to fight if they were just going to show how well they were getting along, but the question was how to make it happen...


    Why don''t you tell your brother to stop? It was your brother''s fault in the first place, and he needs to be held accountable.


    And again, Luna made another suggestion. Indeed, if there was anyone who could stop the three of them on the spot, it was only Tida, the Emperor''s grandchild.


    ''It''s not so bad, is it? If Tida stopped the three of them at the time when they were about to turn nasty, it would look like nothing more than a small argument from a fight between the three of them, and that much was a daily occurrence for the nobles. Besides, Tida might be able to convince the students in the room that she has the wherewithal to restrain the three older men, and also the future royalist heavyweight candidates.


    ''Besides, the three people who want to sell their debt to Temma like that and Tida-sama, who has the wherewithal to keep it in check, make you think that Amy has her back... because even if the students couldn''t understand that, they would tell the story to their parents'' house... So there''s a good chance that the student''s parents will tell Amy not to mess with him or get along with him?


    ''I''m sure there will be some students who will flirt with Amy, but there will be almost no students who will harass her. That is, if they don''t have a pretty blown-up personality... but just for the record, not everyone in the class is harassing you, right?


    ''Yes. I don''t have many, but I do have some friends in my class.


    Cain''s question was answered by Amy, who had been listening quietly until then. Then he said that those kids and Tida would be able to get in between them, so that students with bad ideas would not be able to get close to them. I wondered if those kids had that kind of power, but at this point in time, the idea of befriending Amy, although there are some kids who sincerely think so, there are also kids (from the aristocracy) who are aware of their guardian, who is behind me, so if they have the backing of Tida (the royal family), they won''t be able to get in touch with her so easily. He explained. Of course, don''t tell Amy about this story.


    Anyway, our business with Rion and the others is done, and we were going to give them a souvenir and ask them to leave, but they decided to stay on because they were free and could eat something delicious. Amy and her friends also enjoyed the barbecue with the uncles because they had time before the school''s dormitory curfew, and after they finished eating, they played in the garden.


    ''''Me-~!''''


    Yikes!


    Their playmates were Merry and the others, and Luna had just been rolled over by Merry after she had been physically attacked by him. Most of all, Luna, who had been rolled over, laughed amusedly and went to bump into Mary just to return the favor, so they might be more on the same page than expected.


    ''Phew!''


    This time he was hit in the face by a body shot.


    Sir, I think I''ve squeezed enough!


    After watching Luna and Mary for a while, Amy and Tida brought a bucket of milk. They seemed to have gone to Juve and the others and asked Aunt Martha to milk Hiro.


    Since milk is the mother''s milk, it should only be produced if you are pregnant, but I heard that the cows in this world continue to store the nutrients from the food they eat inside their bodies, and when they exceed the allowable amount, they naturally try to get out. As a result, they either consume nutrients or increase their excrement (undigested portion) by themselves through natural fasting, and the female is said to produce it as milk.


    ''Good work. That needs to be fired up, so if you want to drink it, just tell Aina and she''ll bring you some okay stuff.


    Even though it''s possible to sterilize it with ''purification'' magic, it''s not a panacea, and there might be something wrong with it, so I wouldn''t go out of my way to make them drink unpasteurized milk, even at the risk. Well, if it''s me or my grandfather or something, it won''t upset my stomach - in fact, it was fine when I drank it before.


    ''As you work out, you''ll naturally develop a tolerance for it, and then I''ll make you drink the milk in a better condition. Or you can learn to use your own ''purification'' magic. Well, it''s only at your own risk.


    They looked envious when they heard that it was better milk, but when I told them that I would never let them drink it until they met the requirements, they were enthusiastic about learning the magic of ''purification''. It''s true that learning magic might be faster than training your body.


    ''''Then I''ll be fine. I''m working out, and I won''t get sick to my stomach for a minute or two!


    And then Leon came into the conversation from the side....


    Of course not. In the first place, since I told you two no, I''m not going to drink it right here, showing it off.


    No way in hell I''m going to do that, Leon.


    You''re a very shy one, aren''t you?


    When I refused, Cain and Albert also agreed. Not only Leon, these two seemed to be interested in the milk of the white wild cow, and they seemed to be listening in.


    ''''Aina, Aura, bring me some fire-roasted milk.


    Not only Amy and her friends, but also Albert and his friends started to wait near me when they heard that they could drink milk. When Luna saw everyone gathering, she came over to me, forcing Merry, who was acting up, to come over to me and when she heard that she could drink the milk, she was so happy that she took one hand off Merry and Merry fell to the ground.


    The fallen Merry bounced and rolled several times on the ground and stopped in front of Leon.


    ''Oops! This is the new cattle in Temma! That''s surprisingly beautiful hair!


    The moment Leon squatted down to pet Mary, who had rolled to her feet, tragedy struck.


    ''Meh!''


    Ugh......................


    The tragedy was caused by the fact that Rion''s hips were spread apart, Merry had been forcibly picking him up yesterday and today and was stressed out, and the fact that Rion''s groin was at Merry''s head level with Merry''s.... In other words, Rion was morosely hit by Merry''s head butt between his legs.


    ''''Ugh........''''


    The men present (me, Tida, Albert and Cain) saw the tragedy that occurred before their eyes and moved to get their crotch out of Mary''s line of fire before they could worry about Leon.


    ''Meh! Meh! Meeeeeeeee!


    Merry didn''t notice us casually separating, and as a further follow-up, she threw herself at Leon. However, fortunately, Rion was lying face down, so he avoided receiving a follow-up blow to his crotch (which was kicked with his paw).


    ''Whoa ... my crotch just hummed.


    We have to save Miss Lyon!


    ''It''s all right, Lady Tida! He''s tougher than most people, and he''s not going to get any dumber than that. In fact, if you approach him carelessly here, this one (between his legs) is in danger!


    Tida was the only one who tried to move to help Rion, but Albert lectured her on the dangers of approaching him while undermining him, and Cain casually took refuge behind me.


    ''''Meh~.......meh!


    Merry continued to kick Leon for a while, then finally stomped on his head and said, "I''ll give you a break on this one! He let out a squeal that sounded like... and left.


    ''Gone....''


    Leon, are you okay?


    Um ... is he alive?


    Want to throw a potion on it just to be sure?


    After making sure Merry was away from Leon, I checked on Leon''s condition and I wondered if he wasn''t breathing. He didn''t move so slightly that he was not moving. I checked for a pulse in my neck and took out an old potion from my magic bag and sprinkled the contents from Rion''s head to his crotch.


    ''''Ugh........here, between my legs.......''''


    Is it dead?


    The coldness of the potion brought Rion back to consciousness, and he seemed to remember the pain between his legs as he tried to get up. Hearing my words, Rion hurriedly checked his crotch, but was relieved to find that it had not been crushed.


    ''''Just when I was relieved, the pain started again...''''


    There it is.


    When I handed the old potion that was left over to Leon, who began to hold his crotch again, he told me to "cure me with magic, not medicine" or something like that, but I refused immediately because I didn''t want to touch Leon''s crotch. Even Rion, as expected, seemed confused about sprinkling the potion I gave her between her legs on the spot, and instead of pouring it on her, she drank it down.


    ''''Ahhh........I think it''s working.......''''


    Although it was an old potion, it didn''t seem to have deteriorated since it was kept in a magic bag. So I named it an old potion and gave it to Leon as a substitute for wabi.


    ''''Surprisingly, there''s a lot left.


    There were about twenty small bottles of the old potion (about two hundred milliliters in size), and Rion drank about five of them immediately after receiving them. Drinking a lot of it wouldn''t speed up his recovery, but as they say, sickness starts with the mind, and if Leon misunderstood that the more he drank, the faster his recovery would be, it might distract him from the pain a little.


    ''Master Temma, I have milk and cheese for you.


    Just as Leon finished drinking the old potion, Aina and Aura brought Hiro''s milk and the cheese made from it from the kitchen. This cheese was one of the first prototypes that my uncles asked someone they knew to make for me, and it was my share (for the ingredient donor). It wasn''t aged very well, but the quality of the milk is good, and the cheese itself is not too strong, making it a very high-quality (good) cheese even now.


    It''s very tasty!


    Maybe it''s the fact that it''s preserved so well that it tastes better than what we drink at home.


    ''Phew~ another one! Now hot!


    I''m with you!


    When Aina heard Luna and Amur''s unreserved request, she checked with me and then went to get another cup of hot milk. Aimee and Tida were also looking to drink the hot milk at that point, but when Aina came to check, I told them to bring a few of them in a pot, and they were happy when I told them there would be refills for everyone.


    ''Cheese makes me want wine,''


    ''The cheese is good, but the milk is on a level I''ve never had before. That''s a white cow.


    ....


    The three idiots, unlike Amy and the others, often tasted the milk and cheese and shared their impressions of it. However, only Albert and Cain were the only two who were giving their impressions, while Rion only nodded occasionally with a subtle look on his face. That didn''t change even if they drank the hot milk that Aina had brought with her. Because.........


    I''m so hungry, I can''t even taste it...


    I couldn''t tell the difference between my usual milk and cheese, which I''ve drunk and eaten many times before, and the milk and cheese from the white cow, because of the harm caused by drinking too many old potions plus eating too much barbecue.


    As for the stones, there was nothing we could do about it, and after we finished drinking, Albert and Cain approached us to buy milk and cheese (most of all, the cheese was a small quantity, so we immediately refused), but Leon was the only one who didn''t understand the value of milk and cheese, and later on, when he got back on track, he decided to have a small amount of milk to taste it to make sure it tasted good. He regretted it when he got home.


    Incidentally, Rion had come to our house the next day and wanted to buy some milk, but the extra milk had been bought up by Albert and Cain the day before and there was no milk left, and because Hiro hadn''t offered him any new milk (Aunt Martha had predicted that he wouldn''t offer it for a few days), Rion was crying and crying. He gave up the milk and left.

 161-Chapter 10-6 Lanitan Appears

    It had been a few months since they bought the land, and it was now the season when snow was dancing in the royal city. The seeds of the lawn that I sowed had sprouted and grown, but the cold weather had stalled their growth, and it was now impossible to enter the field because it would damage the roots. The field is now accessible from the original land, so there''s no need to worry about stepping on the lawn, but there weren''t much crops growing there, probably because we made the field in the middle of the season or because we didn''t prepare the soil well.


    ''She''s in good spirits!''


    Ahead of me, Aimee, Tida, and Luna were shoveling snow that had accumulated a few centimeters or so and having a snowball fight. Calling it a snowball fight was just a game of hurling snowballs at nearby opponents, but every now and then Shiroumaru would slip between the three of them and avoid the snowballs by making full use of his physical abilities as a Fenrir, so when Shiroumaru got close to the three of them, it was as exciting as if he was aiming for a bonus character.


    All the talk of Aimee being harassed before was put to rest as soon as the three idiots were on his side. This is simply because Sanbaka is treated as an idol at the school, and this may have had an effect on him, but the main reason is that the school''s officials told the parents of the student who had the problem that Sanbaka was close to Amy without a second thought.


    Most of the parents who found out about it didn''t think their children were doing such a thing (if they were, they thought it was only to the extent that they didn''t get along with the commoner students), and there were even parents who came up to me to apologize. However, some of the students were following their parents'' instructions, and the main culprit was the student who was the main culprit.


    That guardian also seemed to have come to apologize to us, thinking that since everyone around him or her had gone to apologize, he or she was just trying to make a formality out of it, and had a very bad attitude. He had a very bad attitude, maybe he didn''t feel good unless he was always looking down on me, or he left with the attitude that he had apologized and that it was fine, but later on, he was convinced that he had been wrong.


    As a matter of fact, some noblemen had visited our house at that time, and the king and Maria, who were worried about us, had come to check on us. The two of them didn''t do anything like they would have done in front of their guardians at that time, but when they returned, they told their closest people, including Caesar and the Prime Minister, about it. The next day, half of the people working at the castle, the next day, people outside the castle, and so on.


    The guardians, who were later informed of the story by a superior nobleman, rushed to apologize to me, but I had been told by Mary to not take it up, so I asked them to leave at the gate.


    I heard that he didn''t actually inflict any direct punishment, but until Tida abdicated, that family would rarely hold an important position until Tida was deposed. I learned from Albert and the others who happened to be visiting that there would be no more students to bully Amy now. However, the parents of the students who learned of Aimee''s influence on the case said that there might be people who think they can somehow force her into their children''s side rooms.


    Incidentally, the guardian of the student who was bullying him is a viscount and works at the royal castle, and his parents, children, and siblings are said to be mediocre or less than mediocre, and if the state of being stared at by the royal family continues for a number of years, it might be difficult for him to maintain his title as a viscount.


    I''m watching the three of them playing in the garden while remembering that, and I haven''t received any requests recently. But I''m not the only one who hasn''t received a request, many adventurers based in the royal capital at this time of year are closed for business. It''s not just because they don''t want to work while fighting the cold, but also because there are few monsters to be found in some places.


    On the other hand, dungeon cities like Seigen are said to be more crowded and attract twice as many adventurers as usual. Most of the adventurers who gather in Seigen are the ones who lack money, and the security of Seigen is said to be worse than usual.


    By the way, I''ve heard that some adventurers drop out of the dungeon city (Seigen) during this period. The reason for this is that even though they are short of money, they still have the least amount of equipment, so they are targeted by thieves and others who are looking for it.


    In addition, adventurers are often seen as good prey for starving demons who have no food to eat, and who walk on roads with little traffic. Most of the deaths of new adventurers during the winter months are attributed to bandits and demons that attacked them while on the move. In other words, there''s more danger on the way to the dungeon city than diving into the dungeon.


    That''s why me and grandpa decided to spend some time in the royal capital. We don''t need to be active during the more dangerous and difficult times of the year, and we''re not in need of money, so we''re going to spend this year as lazy and lazy people.


    By the way, until last year, I was not even an adventurer, and if I had spent a long time holed up in the inn, the innkeeper would have been quite suspicious of me even if I had paid in advance. It wasn''t until I was able to stay at the Manchuria Pavilion that I was able to relax and spend time with them, and even then, at the beginning, my father and wife were suspicious of me, but that''s because ''Didn''t I steal my parents'' money and run away from home?'' It was something like that, and after the worried old man used his old connections to gather information about me (that I was living in the guild, cashing in my prey for a living), he started to look at me as a normal customer. Incidentally, "Didn''t you ever think that you might have committed a crime to get money? I asked him if he thought he was a well-mannered, well-dressed kid, so he thought he was more likely to be a nobleman''s kid than a criminal, so he gathered information along those lines.


    ''Ooh, time to stop and come back. You''ll catch a cold~


    As I was thinking about this, I noticed that the three of them had begun to play, and I told them to take a break and warm themselves up. At first the three of them looked unsatisfied, but then they felt the cold as their concentration was broken, and they came back to the house quickly. Shiroumaru, who noticed the three of them, also hurriedly came back into the mansion. Perhaps he misunderstood that he would receive something when he saw the three of them returning at the same time. They must have been in a hurry to miss out on getting it.


    ''You three, go wipe yourselves off and get dressed. Shiroumaru, get Jeanne and Aura to wipe you down.


    The three of them and one of them were drenched from playing around in the snow. Aina and the others were waiting at the entrance, but as for the three of them, I decided to let them return to their rooms to change their clothes, as they were likely to catch a cold if they just wiped it off.


    The three of them actually got their own room in the mansion.


    Initially, since Amy is going to remain in the capital for the winter holidays, we decided to rent our room as a base of operations other than our own room in the student dormitory, but when it was mentioned, Tida and Luna also got a room of their own. It''s a good thing that they are so close to the castle, so they rarely sleep in the same room that they use when they are at home, but since they have secured a room, they have been coming over almost every day to visit. The two of them are happy to have more room to do what they want, although the rooms that the kings used to use when they came to check on grandpa (two rooms for men and two rooms for women) have been cleared out and made into a double room. Well, maybe Tida is happy because it gives her an excuse to see Amy, even during the holidays...


    Because of that, it seems that Tida and Luna plan to stay late at our house on this day, but even though they are children, they are both royalty, so there is a certain amount of work that exists. Therefore.


    Lady Tida, Lady Luna. Maria has asked me to come back earlier than usual today because tomorrow I will be working as a member of the royal family.


    When they were dressed and warmed up with a cup of hot milk, Aina told them Maria''s order (...). The two of them couldn''t disobey Maria-sama''s orders, and were forced to cry and prepare to leave (especially Tida).


    ''Temma, we have a visitor here, but he has something to do with Amur.


    While they were getting ready to leave, Jeanne came from the doorway and announced a visitor. But the purpose of the visit seems to be Amur, and she didn''t know if she could bring him up to the house, so she came to ask me.


    I don''t think there''s any problem, but I''m sure I''ll be fine. I don''t think there will be a problem, but I''ll be there just in case.


    Okay.


    Jeanne said and was about to head to Amour''s room (which was opposite the direction of my and Grandpa''s room and next to Jeanne and Aura''s room) when Aina, who had been watching us, overheard something and apologized for something with her peckish head down.


    ''Aina, what did you say to Jeanne?''


    It''s not a big deal. But since Jeanne is now a slave and maid, I just cautioned her master, Master Tenma, not to speak to her through her own words. Of course, I know Master Tenma allowed this, but it wouldn''t be good for her if she did the same thing outside the house, let alone in the house.


    Aina says so, but from looking at Jeanne''s situation, she might have said more than that. However, it''s true that she got into such a habit, and if she spoke to a nobleman in such a tone of voice, I don''t know what kind of eyes she would have to face if she knew him, but if it was someone she didn''t know.


    It''s not always me or my grandfather around, so it''s something you have to be careful about. Thanks Aina.


    No, it''s my job to educate them.


    It was something I don''t usually pay much attention to, so when I thanked her for making me aware of it, Aina seemed embarrassed for some reason. I don''t know why, but let''s just say that I was able to see something unusual.


    ''Temma, who''s your guest?''


    ''No, I called Amur because it sounds like I don''t know him... maybe he''s sleepwalking?


    As he watched Aina''s unusual appearance, a sleepy-eyed Amour came over. Perhaps Jeanne hadn''t forgotten to explain it to her, so she decided that Amour hadn''t listened well... but judging from the way she was sleeping even though it was well past noon, she must have fallen asleep again after breakfast. Come to think of it, I saw him at breakfast since we ate together, but I didn''t even feel him come down for lunch. By the way, in our house, when we are at the mansion, we all basically eat breakfast and dinner together, but we often eat lunch separately. The reason for this is because each of us often goes out for something at lunch. For example, Amur and I have been asked to be adventurers, Grandpa has been taking a lazy walk (never call him a wandering old man), and Jeanne and Aura have been training as maids at the royal castle, and so on.


    It''s a good idea to ask someone from Kukuri village to keep an eye on you, but I''ve never asked them to do so since I came to the mansion, although the worst case scenario is that the golems stay behind, so there''s hardly any security issues.


    Well, that''s how it is, and if I didn''t have anything to do, I wouldn''t notice if Amur slept all the way after lunch. Sometimes I take too many naps, too, and I can''t sleep at night...


    Anyway, I''ve got guests waiting outside, so let''s hurry up.


    Oh.................


    Amour, who had been following closely behind me while I was dizzy, seemed to wake up all at once from the cold outside and was making strange noises.


    ''There it is,''


    ''''Hmmm........ah!��Lanitan!


    When Amur found his guest waiting at the gate, he showed a little pretense of thinking and then shouted out some pretty name. Incidentally, he''s given the name ''Tan'' and so on, but the other party is a man with a plump figure.


    ''''Miss I''ve been there many times, but my name is ''Lani Tintin''.''''''


    Apparently, Ranitan seems to be a nickname given by Amur, and his real name is Rani Tintin... no, it''s just one more ''tan'', but it hasn''t changed much.


    "So, why is Lani Tintin here?


    ''''No, it''s Lani Tintin.......I was on my way back from a peddling trip and stopped by the royal capital, so I came to say hello. From now on, Hana-sama and the young lady will be communicating more and more through us, and it''s a chance for us to explore new business partners.


    The fact that he mentioned Hana-san''s name means that they must be reasonably close to each other. I''ve heard that he came to say hello once before, but he didn''t get to see you because we were in the south at the time.


    Amur, go upstairs for now. It''s not polite to let them stay out in the cold for too long as they might have more opportunities to meet with you in the future, and I''m cold too.


    Okay, okay.


    Hi. Excuse me.


    I ushered Rani into the parlor and tried to leave her and Amur alone because there were some things I didn''t want to divulge to the outside world, but Rani said she had something to do with me as well and asked me to listen to her if I had time.


    At this point, I saw that Rani had taken off her cloak and scarf (which was long and seemed to cover her entire face, but when I met her, she was wearing it around her head and neck), and I wondered if that was why she was wearing Tintin, but it was rude to tell her why, so I kept my mouth shut.


    ''So that''s why I''m here, the primary reason for my visit is to say hello, and the second reason is that I was told to ask you what''s going on with your daughter, and to see if there''s anything you want. And lastly, to Mr. Temma, to introduce you to some of our products in the South and elsewhere in the region.


    So, in addition to being a liaison between Hana-san and Amur, you''re also going to take orders from us?


    That''s right. We don''t do it exclusively, so we can''t bring you what you want immediately, but we can bring you items from the south that are hard to find in the royal capital at a discount.


    They mainly focus on southern products and it can take some time, but Rani seems to know that I like southern food and she doesn''t think I''ll ever say no to it. Even if I was to refuse at worst, he seems to think that it wouldn''t be a loss as his main purpose is to be a liaison between Hana-san and Amur.


    And that idea is right. There is no reason for me to refuse, and the fact that I trust Hana-san enough to use her as a liaison means that she is the most trustworthy person I know who deals in southern goods. You can''t completely forgive yourself for that, but as long as you don''t have anything against Hana-san, you should see no harm in it.


    ''''With the products we have now, I think this is something rare.


    Lani, who seems to have decided that my not saying anything gave her permission, placed a white board-shaped object from the magic bag that seemed to contain the goods on the table. It was.........


    Sake cake?


    ''Did you know. It''s not rare in the South, but you don''t see it much in other parts of the country... Come to think of it, you purchased a fair amount of refined sake in the South.


    I replied that it was because the clerk told me about it when I purchased the alcohol. I can''t say I know it from a previous life experience, because I can''t say I know it from a previous life. And by the way, the clerk told me how to use it, and I told him that they were just out of stock and couldn''t buy it.


    Then why don''t you buy one?��It was just ordered by a client I''m supposed to meet with later, so I can''t do everything, but I can make some accommodations.


    Rani said, "I can sell this one," and produced five boards of one kilogram of sake lees and said they were two hundred g each. Then.


    ''Lanitan, there''s no point in lying. ''This is the only one'' should be the truth, not ''this is the only one''. I don''t think this is going to sell that well outside the South. So I''ll give you all the rest.


    Amr tapped the table as he glared at Ms. Rani. Every time Rani-san tried to say something, Amour slapped the table to silence her, so Rani finally gave up and brought out the rest of the sake kasu.


    ''''There are only four left and more than half of them... As the lady said, the sake kasu that I brought as a sample of the new product, about ten kilograms of sake kasu, which I brought as a sample of the new product, they can taste it because it''s a rarity, but no one wanted it.''''


    Mmm-hmm!��You can''t fool my eyes!��If it''s all 1,000 g''s, I''ll buy it!


    With that, a smug-faced Amur paid 1,000 G to receive nearly ten kilograms of sake lees and carried them straight to the kitchen. As Amur walked out of the parlor.


    ''By the way, Lani-san. I heard once that sake lees don''t cost more than a hundred g''s per kilogram...


    ''Yes, I don''t. It''s about fifty to eighty g''s. Even with the fees we''ve brought here, if we get a hundred g''s, we''ll still make enough money... or something like that.


    I knew it was as I thought. Hearing Amur point out earlier, and hearing Lani say "I brought ten kilograms" when she brought out the rest of the sake lees, I thought that bringing only ten kilograms to peddle, no matter how many samples, was too little, as far as I was concerned. Even if they didn''t sell, they could prevent them from deteriorating by putting them in a magic bag, and the Royal Capital should be able to handle several dozen kilograms of rare products from the south, just because they were rare products. I''m sure that if you tell a vain rich person that it is something that ordinary people can rarely eat, even if you think it''s unpalatable, there are plenty of people who will buy it just to show off.


    ''''As I''ve heard, you can''t be too careful, Temma-sama. And yet the young lady........I will have to properly inform Hana-sama of this. By the way, I still have about 40 kilograms of sake kasu (rice cake) left over, would you like to buy some? Of course, I''ll give you a lower price than I sold to Master Amur.


    So I decided to buy the rest at 90G per kg. I was told that the ten G less than the asking price was a first-time offer.


    As I was paying, I asked, "Could it be that reporting to Hana-san is payback for being called a ''Ranitan''? I asked, and Rani smiled at me. It seems that Rani-san is angry with Amur to the extent that she gets even without Amur''s knowledge.


    By the time Amur, who doesn''t know what''s going on, came back to the parlor, the sake lees I bought had already been put into the magic bag, so Amur continued to make a smug face without noticing anything.


    In the parlor at this time, I was happy because I could buy sake kasu cheaply, Lani was happy because she could sell her stock and had the pleasure of getting even, and Amur was happy because he thought he could beat Lani to death....... The space was very nice.


    Lani asked me what I wanted to order. I told her I didn''t have anything for now, but next time I''d come back, I might ask for some miso or soy sauce, and she said she''d bring me a lot of things to sample next time.


    ''Tenma-sama, you have a visitor.


    Again?��I mean, you weren''t home yet.......maybe Luna was spoiled?


    When the discussion with Lani had come to an end, Aina came into the parlor to announce the visit of a new visitor. I thought she had already left with Tida and the others, so I was a little surprised by Aina''s appearance.


    ''No, I didn''t spoil it, but I just showed my waywardness by sluggishly changing clothes, forgetting things, and holed up in the bathroom.


    It''s the behavior of Luna that makes you think there is more to it than just being the king''s grandson after all. The moment Aina talked about Luna, she was so angry that she thought the temperature in the room had dropped below freezing.


    I was not the only one who felt Aina''s anger, Amour and Rani also moved to the edge of the sofa to get as much distance from Aina as possible.


    ''''For now, shall we go pick up our guests?


    He''s waiting for you at the front door.


    The fact that Aina was allowed on the premises means that it was someone close to me. And if it was the people of Kukri village or the kings, they would come straight to me, so it would be someone else.


    "Could it be that Albert and the others have come?


    No, not Lady Albert, but your father, the Duke of Sangha.


    I hurried to the front door, thinking it was unusual, and found the Duke of Sangha and his guard.......Steele waiting for me with his cloak off.


    ''''Sorry to have kept you waiting,''''


    ''No, it''s just that this one came out of nowhere. Besides, we haven''t been waiting for much.


    Since Rani was in the parlor, I was going to show her to the other room for now, but I saw Amur and Rani coming towards me from the parlor.


    ''Temma, Lani Tan is leaving,''


    That''s why it''s Lani Tintin.


    I was having an exchange that was becoming a routine.


    "Lani Tintin!��You''ve got the ear of the South coming to you!


    It was Steele, who had been quietly oblivious to Lani''s name, who responded to Lani''s name.


    ''''You like that, Shadow of the Dukes!


    Reacting to Steele''s voice and anger that was close to killing, Lani-san took a battle stance. But..........


    Steele!


    Lanitan!


    They were both stopped and lowered by the Lord and the main muscle. However, they both stared at each other in a position where they could jump out at any time. By the way, Steele was stopped by Duke Sangha in front of him, but Rani-san was stopped by Amur by being punched by him.


    ''''Southern Raccoon........''''


    The duke''s dog...


    Both of them are talking badly about each other as they drop. I guess we are more alike than I thought. By the way, Lani-san is a raccoon beastman. The reason I thought it was reasonable when I heard the word ''Tintin'' just now is because I remembered the song ''Tantan Raccoon''............ Also, Steele is not a dog beastman, but an ordinary human race. It''s just that Lani couldn''t think of any other bad words to say. And that was the line he''d had while rubbing his head after being hit by Amur.

 162-Chapter 10-7 Is it a book?

    I returned to the parlor, being careful not to let the two people who were staring at each other get too close, and made sure that Duke Sanga and Amur sat face to face across the table. Since I''m a neutral mediator, I''m sitting in a position where I can see the profile of the two men.


    ''''I''m sorry about our steal,''''


    It''s the same for me, Ranitan, I''m afraid he had a rough night.


    When Rani heard Amr''s words, she said in a small voice, "Miss! I said. Perhaps it was the pet-like way he said it that made me think, but it seems that I couldn''t scream out in front of the Duke of Sangha. The standoff reappeared, but this time I put it to rest with a small tap on the table. I feel like a judge.


    ''''Anyway, I think it''s safe to say that the behavior of these two earlier was not an altercation between the two families, but a personal act.


    When I cut them off as early as possible, the Duke and Amour nodded at the same time.


    ''''So, why are these two people so unhappy with each other? They both seem to be responsible for the intelligence of both families, so it''s understandable that they would be at odds over that, though there seems to be more animosity than that.


    I don''t know why they are standoffish to this extent, so I asked him what I wondered, but Amur shook his head that he didn''t know. Well, Rani''s direct boss is Hana-san, so maybe Amur doesn''t have that information.


    So when he looked at the other Duke of Sangha, he looked a little troubled. I was wondering if it was something related to the secrets of the duke''s family, but when the duke sensed what I was thinking, he said


    No, it''s a story I''d like to keep secret, but it''s not a secret. About ten years ago, there was a close call between the Sangha duke''s family and the then southern autonomous region, and it had something to do with that.


    At that time, the Southern Autonomous Region was not considered to be a completely trustworthy place (it still is, but the relationship has improved a lot due to the royal family and Hana-san reflecting on it). That''s why joint exercises by the kingdom''s nobles were often held near the southern autonomous region from time to time. From the kingdom''s side, it was an act of restraint on the southern autonomous region, but apparently, those who were subjected to the exercises naturally saw it as a provocation. It seems that when the noblemen of the Sangha family participated in the exercise for the first time, the southern autonomous region feared that they were planning to attack the south this time because of the arrival of such a big shot, and the tension on the part of the Sangha family, which sensed the presence of the southern autonomous region, was rising, and the level of alertness between the two sides was at its highest.


    One day in the middle of the night as the tension continued, a few spies from the southern side had sneaked into the duke''s position and stolen some information.


    Fortunately, the Duke of Sangha and other important people were not injured, and no one was killed, although a slashing contest developed between the intruders.


    ''''In other words, these two people who slashed each other at that time.......''''


    The two sides are almost evenly matched in skill, and with the arrival of the steal side''s reinforcements about a few minutes after they slashed each other, Lani-san seems to have escaped immediately. Both of them seem to think that they would have been able to defeat their opponents if they hadn''t been speared, and they still seem to be reeling from the feelings they had when they cut each other down.


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the marketplace. He seemed to think that he couldn''t do it and could only escape.


    Duke Sanga called off the exercise because of the information stolen by the intruders, but he didn''t want to participate in the exercise to begin with, so he doesn''t have a grudge against the South. He also advised the king to stop the exercise near the southern autonomous region, and the king apparently adopted it.


    In a way, the two men''s slash-and-burn was a factor in eliminating the source of the conflict between the kingdom and the southern autonomous region, but to them, it was like a stain on their work, so they couldn''t accept it and turned their dissatisfaction on the other party, said the Duke of Sanga.


    ''''As for me, though, if you''re going to have a problem with the South, I don''t blame you for abandoning the stele.


    ''I don''t have a choice, but if that happens, we''ll have to ditch the Ranitans too. Fortunately, we have Donitan and Renitan to replace Ranitan, so it''s not a big deal.


    At worst, if we cut off the two people in question, we could say that they had no intention of fighting the two families externally. When they were told that, they were puzzled, but eventually, when they realized that their master (the main source) was serious, they apologized to themselves and the other master, followed by an apology to me, and then finally, with a disgusted look on their face, they apologized to the other party as well.


    That was the end of it, the Duke of Sangha tried to stop the story, but before the Duke of Sangha could finish, Amul told Rani that the next time he had a problem, he would make him rub Renitan instead of Ranitan, and Rani was quite impatient.


    Duke Sanga seemed to be interested in the new name, but he felt that he couldn''t listen to the other family members, but Amul didn''t seem to be bothered by the Sanga duke.


    ''''Temma. Even if Ranitan is disgusted with him, it doesn''t matter because his sister Renitan is there. Rather, she''s better than Ranitan, so I''ll change her as soon as you tell me.


    He was revealing information about his place. He warned Hana-san that she might get angry with him if he told her too much information about the Viscount''s family, but Amur didn''t seem bothered by it, saying that it was common knowledge in Nanao.


    The one who was most surprised by this information was not the Duke of Sangha, but Steele, who seemed shocked that someone better than Rani, who was on par with him, and that it was Rani''s sister. It''s a good thing, but Steele might approve of Lani-san.


    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea. I''m finally ready for Luna-sama to get ready, so I''ll excuse myself.


    You''re still here?��Not long after that, Aina bowed and left the mansion. Duke Sangha was of course surprised by Aina''s sudden appearance, but more than that, the surprise of Steele and Lani-san was amazing.


    After Aina left, they said that they didn''t feel a sign, or that they didn''t even hear the sound of footsteps, or even an open door. Aina left with the liver of the two main occupants cold, and she wondered again if she was really a maid.


    After seeing off Luna, who was being donned, and Tida, who seemed to be sad to be away from Amy, at the entrance, I returned to the parlor to find Lani with a bump on her head. When I asked Duke Sanga why, it seems that he and Steele got into another standoff while I was away, and Amur sanctioned him with an iron fist. Incidentally, it seems that Steele was also punished by Sanga Duke, and was squatting down while holding his shins.


    Duke Sanga and Amur had to apologize again, ignoring the two men behind them. Aside from Rani-san, I thought that Steele would be discarded if he was not good enough, but I didn''t think that Duke Sanga would let go of someone who could be used for that much, so I stopped recruiting Steele. Even if I was able to solicit them, it would be awkward if they caused problems every time they met up with Lani-san, who is planning to come over occasionally from now on.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out that I''m not the only one who has a particular purpose in coming to the capital.


    As it was, we were having a great time talking about trivial matters, when Lani said she was going home because it was getting dark. He blurts out that he''s not ready to leave for the south tomorrow. Apparently, she couldn''t leave because she and Steele were competing with each other.


    When I saw Lani leave in a hurry, the Duke of Sangha also came to the front door, saying it was time to leave, but when I invited him to dinner, he turned back to the parlor.


    The Duke of Sangha was very pleased when we served dinner, mainly with southern ingredients, but Steele ate with an occasional complicated look on his face. Perhaps he was unable to genuinely enjoy the meal because of the flickering face of Lani-san, who had been playing around with him earlier.


    Duke Sanga didn''t stay overnight after the meal, as expected, but he had been drinking with his grandfather until quite late. At that time, he said many times that he wanted to keep the Primera in the capital. Well, Duke Sanga will have more opportunities to come to the capital than Gunjo City, and since Albert is in the capital, he can feel secure in many ways.


    By the way, he doesn''t seem to be too worried about Albert, even though his grandfather told him that I occasionally use him as a handmaiden, he said it was a good experience. In fact, he was even happy to hear the interesting stories about what Albert and the other three had done.


    As he was leaving, the Duke of Sangha spotted Merry near the front door and approached her to pet her, but Merry ran to hit the Duke of Sangha with her body.


    ''I won''t let him!''


    Quickly, Steele stepped in between and defended the Duke of Sangha, but Merry performed an unexpected move here.


    ''''Meh!''''


    Whoa!


    Steele, with Merry''s gaze on his abdomen, slumped down and took a two-handed stance to catch the ball, but Merry feinted for a moment like he was going to jump, and when Steele''s attention was momentarily turned upwards, he ducked between his legs and turned around behind him, aiming at Steele''s crotch with his back foot It was.


    Steele barely blocked the kick, but in the meantime, Merry started running towards the Duke of Sanga. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the event that you''re not able to make it.


    ''''I''m sorry, Duke,''''


    ''No, I''m sorry for approaching you carelessly. Maybe I thought a suspicious person was approaching.


    The Duke of Sangha forgave me for saying so, but I''m pretty sure Merry was just thinking about getting physical in lieu of a greeting.


    Merry was hugged by me and looked unhappy but quiet, but Steele was lightly depressed. I guess he didn''t expect the lamb to do it to him.


    When I told the depressed Steele that Rion had been hurt worse, Steele seemed to have recovered somewhat, although he still said that he had made a mistake. The Duke of Sangha was laughing hysterically when he heard the story of how Leon was hit, even though he felt sorry for him.


    ''''Maybe we''ll get another victim.


    As I watched Merry go back to her own bunk after seeing off the Duke of Sangha, I couldn''t help but have that feeling.


    That night, as I was going to bed, it occurred to me that Merry seems to be very strict with men. When I remembered that Mary was attacking men like me and Leon, she was attacking them with all her strength, but when she was attacking women like Aura, Chris and Luna, she seemed to be holding back somewhat.


    The reason is that no matter how critical the point of the attack, it was powerful enough to sink Leon in a single blow, but Aura only got red or fell on her buttocks where she hit him, and Luna, who was being attacked the most, only got a slight scrape. As for Chris-san, he is stronger and more physically capable than the other two, so he didn''t have any injuries.


    "I''ll tell Tida to be careful too........


    The weakest man who comes to visit us is Tida, so we''ll have to be careful. In the unlikely event that Tida were to suffer the same thing as Rion, it would be a disaster. Only Rion should be the one to suffer that kind of damage.


    I fell asleep while thinking terrible things like that.


    ''''Eeeeeeee!''''


    Imbeciles!


    When the mysterious creature suddenly appeared in front of me while I was asleep, I unintentionally slammed my right fist into it and tried to unleash a chase spell, but.......


    "Wait, Temma!


    Tenma-chan, that''s Namitaro!


    What?


    Hearing those words, I hurriedly interrupted my magic.


    When I looked at the direction of the voice, I saw that it was the Skill God and the Martial God who stopped me, and the one who punched me away was Namitaro, just like the two (two pillars) said.


    ''If I look closely, I see that this is that room... so it''s just another dream.


    If you look closely, you can see the Genesis God lying behind them, wrapped in a rope and gagged. The Genesis God''s face was crumbly and dry, looking like a step before a mummy.


    ''''~~~~''''


    The Genesis God seemed to be conscious at least, and when his eyes met mine (his eyes were concave and his gaze seemed to be unsettled, so I don''t know if he could really see), he said something. When I listened carefully, she said, "Tasukete-te". I couldn''t hear it too quietly, so I put my ear close to the mouth of the God of Creation and heard it for sure.


    It was too pitiful, so I untied the rope and removed the gag, but I didn''t know how to recover the cracked skin. So I used a water spell to moisturize her skin and she recovered as soon as she saw it. To be honest, it was a sickening sight.


    ''''I managed to save myself........''''


    When I was wondering why I was saved, the Skill God told me that I was on the verge of running out of magic power and was able to absorb the magic power that would help me recover.


    ''''So, why did he call you this time?��And why is Namitaro even here?


    ''As far as Namitarou is concerned, it''s a simple matter. I can even call Tenma-kun, so there''s no reason why I can''t call Nami Taro, who''s also in the reincarnation group!


    That''s not really why I called you here. If I had to ask, it would be at the request of Namitaro and myself.


    "Teppo.


    Out of the corner of my eye, Namitaro was doing something, but no one rushed into it.


    ''Because I didn''t have a choice!��I thought I''d be called up right away, but Tenma never calls up...


    ''No, then why don''t you just come and visit us like normal?��I''m happy with the seafood, too.


    Namitaro knows where my grandfather''s mansion is, and Namitaro would have an easy time getting into the royal capital...


    When I said that, Namitaro looked like the scales had fallen from his eyes.


    I didn''t think of that... and I thought I''d never get invited!��Well, I''m coming over there now~..................and goodbye!


    When he said that, Namitaro jumped in as if to dive to the ground and then disappeared. As expected of the dream world. It seems that anything is possible.


    Ah!��Oh no!��The Goddess of Love seems to have found out that Mr. Tenma is here!��Martial God, Skill God, block the entrance and exit immediately!


    I''m on it!


    Let''s do it!


    The two react immediately to the instructions of the Genesis God. By the way, the second line is the god of war. He was suddenly in man (Han) mode.


    ''Why the blockade?��Doesn''t it matter if you come?


    To my question, the Creator....


    ''I''ll put up with it if it''s okay with you, Temma-kun, but if the Goddess of Love comes and makes a lot of noise now, I don''t know what time Temma-kun will be able to return. Right now I''m forcing this space to be stable with my power, but if it becomes unstable, the timeline might shift.


    After all, Namitaro had been sitting in this space for nearly an entire day, and he had taken most of the Creator God''s power with him. Well, he said it was because he used his power to play with Namitaro...


    So he was against calling me at first, but as a result of Nami Taro and Takegami''s strong request and the Skill God getting into a bad mood, he forced himself to use the power of the Creation God to call me out.


    Apparently, if even the Goddess of Love is interrupted in that state, I don''t know what will happen.


    ''''And so........Temma-kun, good night.


    With those words, I was pushed to the futon I had just been sleeping on and forced to lie down. To be honest, I didn''t feel sleepy, but the moment the Creator God touched my forehead, I became distant in consciousness....


    ''Ah!��Speaking of which, Temma-chan. It looks like there are people trying to make up a story about Temma-chan, so you should check it out. Well, goodnight then........chu!


    Before I completely disappeared from consciousness, Takegami told me something that made me feel uneasy. I wish he had told me that kind of information when I was conscious.


    ''Morning.........''


    I don''t sleep enough and I have a slight headache, but I can''t bring myself to fall asleep twice when I remember the commotion in that dream, so I decide to get up and get back up. And if Takegami''s last words are true, it means that my story is in the process of being made or in the planning stages, so I''d better make a move sooner rather than later. In this case, the move in this case is to consult with Mary.


    There is a certain amount of privacy in this world (though not as much as in the previous life), and if a story based on a real person or a model of a real person is deemed too far from the truth or detrimental to the model, it is a crime.


    Furthermore, if the model has investors, you are not allowed to make up a story without their permission.


    For example, if you are not an investor, but you are a member of a knight''s club like Dinh, you will need the permission of his superior, the king, to prevent information from being leaked.


    In my case, it''s just a matter of course, but I belong to the royalist faction, so I ask the head of the group, Maria (.......) to control the publication.


    I don''t think I can stop my book from being published after my name has been sold so far, so I''ll ask her to choose a story with the royal family''s approval before that. Then all of my stories that come out after that will be considered fictional, except for the ones approved by the royal family.


    I hurriedly made my way to the castle.

 163-Chapter 10-8 The Road Where My Father, My Mother, And My Grandfather Come

    In a certain place, a man and a woman overcame many trials and tribulations to become husband and wife.


    The man and the woman lived happily together, but they were not blessed with children.


    Nevertheless, they spent their days thanking the Goddess that it was enough for them to live happily.


    One day, the goddess who had been watching over them appeared in the man''s dream and gave him an oracle to go to a place in the forest.


    The man went to the place the goddess told him to go and found a baby.


    There was no one near the baby''s supposed parents and the forest was full of carnivorous demons and animals, so the man understood that the oracle of the goddess appeared to him in his dream and asked him to save the abandoned baby.


    The woman was surprised to see the baby brought by the man, but after hearing his story, she decided to raise the baby as her own.


    At this moment, the man and the woman became "Father" and "Mother".


    The baby received the love and affection of his mother and father and grew up to be a very talented boy.


    His magical talents are so prodigious that even his mother, father, and grandfather, his mother''s teacher, are stunned by his talent.


    One day, the boy, along with his followers, Slime and Fenrir, rescued the king from an attack by a monster.


    The king thanked him and invited him to become a nobleman and live in the capital, but the boy, who loved his mother, father and grandfather very much, refused, saying that he would be happier living in the village with his family.


    The king was touched by his words and respected the boy''s wishes, telling him to come to the castle whenever he needed help.


    The boy''s happy days continued after that.


    He went into the forest to hunt with his father, to cook with his mother, and to study magic with his grandfather, but one day his happiness came to an end. One day, a huge dragon appeared in the village.


    Moreover, the dragon had become a dragon zombie, and it had thousands and thousands of men at its disposal.


    The soldiers who were supposed to protect the village were the first to run away from this marvel, and the boy and his family were left alone in the village with the villagers.


    The boy and his family are left alone in the village with the villagers. But the dragon zombies are a powerful enemy.


    Before he became a zombie, he was a legendary dragon that went on a rampage to destroy the kingdom.


    The boys are slowly being hunted down. But they believe they will win, and they keep fighting.


    The young boy''s magic defeats the dragon zombies.


    The family and the villagers run out to honour the boy when they see him lying motionless.


    But that''s exactly what the zombie wanted.


    As father, mother and grandfather run to the boy, the dragon zombie stops playing dead and stands up, firing its full length breath at the boy.


    Father and mother were the first to notice the dragon zombie''s breath, and they pushed the boy out of the breath''s range to save him. Grandfather, who is very good at magic, put up a barrier on the boy instead of himself to protect him from the dragon zombie''s breath.


    Thanks to that, the boy was rarely injured. But his father, mother, and grandfather were directly hit by the breaths.


    When the breath stopped, the boy saw the ground gouged out by the breath, the destroyed defensive wall, and the villagers who had fallen and were no longer able to move.


    Even the villagers behind where his father, mother and grandfather had been. The boy''s family''s survival was in jeopardy.


    The boy feels a deep despair and anger.


    The anger is like nothing he has ever felt before. The rage is so intense that even the dragon zombies are afraid.


    Then the anger reached the Goddess in heaven and she was horrified by the boy''s anger.


    The goddess then cast a spell to transform the boy''s anger into courage and power so that the boy would not be broken by it.


    Perhaps sensing the goddess''s presence, or perhaps realizing the boy''s newfound power, the dragon zombie turned his back on the boy and ran away from him.


    Relieved that it was much further away from the village, the dragon zombie stopped in its tracks and turned back towards the village.


    It was a complete carelessness made by the belief that it could escape from the boy.


    What the dragon zombie looked back at was a boy floating in the air a few dozen meters away.


    The boy had been able to fly by the goddess'' magic and was chasing the dragon zombies.


    He must fight. So when the dragon zombies were ready, the boy''s magic had already been activated.


    Just as the dragon zombie was about to attack the boy, a large tree suddenly flew from the side and smashed the dragon zombie''s body. And it wasn''t just one tree, but several....


    At first the dragon zombie was holding on to the earth with its claws, but gradually it couldn''t bear it anymore, and finally its claws were separated from the earth.


    The dragon zombie tried to grab the earth in a panic, but for some reason the body of the dragon zombie was moving away from the earth.


    The body of the dragon zombie was lifted up into the air and circled around the boy.


    It was a power that had been awakened by the goddess who had cast a spell on the boy. That power is the power to create a tornado around the boy. And it''s not just a tornado, it''s a huge tornado that will swallow even a dragon zombie.


    After being swallowed by the boy''s tornado, the dragon zombies were helplessly maimed and finally died.


    The boy defeated the legendary zombie, but there was no joy in his face.


    Having lost his father, mother and grandfather at the same time, he was on the verge of running out of energy and strength, and if he didn''t, he might die.


    The boy was saved by the boy''s household, who had escaped the disaster.


    With the help of the slime, Fenrir put the boy on his back and left in a flash, because although the dragon zombie had been defeated, its subordinates were still there. Because although the dragon zombies were defeated, their subordinates were still there.


    Slime and Fenrir''s quick thinking allowed the boy to escape, but he didn''t regain consciousness until after they had reached safety.


    He didn''t regain consciousness until a few days after he had defeated the dragon zombies.


    He spent the next few days returning to the village, but there was no one left in the village. Everyone in the village had left it, leaving it with a lot of sadness.


    But the boy was desperate to find his father, mother and grandfather. But in the course of a day''s search, he could not find any trace of them. But after a day''s search, he could not find any trace of the three of them, and his house, which holds many memories, had been destroyed by the dragon zombies.


    He was sad, but also tired, so he decided to sleep where his house had been that night.


    The dream he had that night was of a time when his family was living happily together.


    In the dream, the boy had been taught by his father how to hunt, his mother had taught him to study and cook, and his grandfather had taught him magic. It was a time of happiness for the boy, something that had been repeated as a matter of course until about ten days ago.


    The last of those happy dreams was the moment when his family disappeared by a dragon zombie bracelet.


    When the boy woke up in the morning, he remembered what he had seen in his dream and cried. He cried all day long, and the next morning he decided to do something.


    Let''s see the country, and when that is done, let''s see the world.


    And so the boy set out on his journey. This world where his father, mother and grandfather lived....


    What is this...


    When I came to Maria for advice, she offered me a book with that kind of information in it.


    It was the most decent book that was brought to me. He said he''s going to make a children''s book out of it, with pictures of everything.


    Maria said that a number of books had already been made and samples were delivered to her. Many of the authors decided that they couldn''t sell a book by someone who was backed by royalty, no matter how adventurous they may be.


    However, many of the contents of the book were romantic, and apparently Mary immediately rejected the production of the book. There were some authors who asked Mary what was wrong with the book, but she convinced them of the importance of the book and rejected it.


    Incidentally, most of the authors who brought in romance stories seemed to have some kind of nobleman''s breath in them, and some of them had a heroine who looked exactly like a real-life noblewoman.


    The next most common ones were based on requests that I actually received, which Maria-sama said she had high hopes for, but since my time as an adventurer was short, the number of stories that could be turned into books was small, so she had no choice but to give up on them.


    The writers who brought in books with decent content that didn''t seem to have the support of the aristocracy were given conditional permission to produce another book, but those who brought in books with unremarkable content were put on the blacklist.


    If an author is deemed decent, he or she will be given a chance, and if his or her next book clears Mary''s censorship, it will be sold as a book with the royal family''s approval, and if the author is rejected, his or her next chance will be undecided. Even if you sell a book without Maria''s permission, the royal family can criticize you for the nonsensical content of the book, and if you go too far, they will consider you to be in a fight with the royal family.


    So while there may be books with some exaggeration and convenient stories coming out, it should be harder to find books that are complete bullshit.


    The work that cleared Maria''s censorship this time around also doesn''t name any of the characters, but I don''t think it''s something that would be detrimental to me just because it''s identified, although it''s something that anyone with even a modicum of knowledge of my background would be able to figure out who the model was based on if they read it. At best, the book will raise my profile and cause me some embarrassment.


    ''I suppose I could say that I don''t allow all books about me to be published but that would be a bad idea, wouldn''t it?


    ''Yes. You could do that with the power of the royal family, but then you wouldn''t know what kind of books would be sold behind the scenes.


    ''''Well then, please continue to do so. However, please don''t allow only romantic stuff.


    ''I know, I know. Even if you allow it, at least after Tenma is married as far as I''m concerned, I''d like to be married now and have Tenma''s baby in my arms as soon as possible.


    I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to find out who it is, but I''m sure Maria-sama has a candidate in mind. Well, I''m sure there''s a condition that me and Maria-sama know the woman, so I have an approximate idea, but we shouldn''t do anything that would identify anyone there. If you do, it will be too late to leave.


    ''''Well then, I''ll have to go.


    I decided to leave Maria''s room in a hurry so as not to poke around in the bushes poorly.


    The place where we are now is a royal residence, so we tried to leave without taking a detour, but at times like this, when we are almost to the front door, we run into an unnecessary person... a king or a king or a king... ...


    Well, looks like you finished your errands for Maria. Then let''s go.


    I had a bad feeling about the king dressed in unusual, plain clothes, but I didn''t think it would be a good idea to force my grabbed arm out of my grasp, so I decided to follow him quietly, but....


    I knew I should have run...


    The place they took me to was Ernest-sama and Lyle-sama, and Luna. The only saving grace is that Tida was there too? If this is anything to go by, Luna can leave the tweaking to Tida.


    ''Sorry for everything...''


    Tida noticed my gaze and bowed her head apologetically.


    ''No, since Tida is probably a victim too... or whatever it is you''re going to do... do Maria-sama and Caesar-sama know about this gathering?''


    Tida shook her head at my question.


    If you have to run away, I''ll need you to do the same. And while you''re at it, Luna...


    I nodded silently to Tida''s request, but even if Tida couldn''t help it because she was involved, Luna would be actively participating in this gathering, so she wouldn''t be able to escape Caesar-sama''s sermon if I helped her.


    ''''Alright, I''m ready, so we''ll go with that one now.......And Temma, from this point on, we don''t need a sama (...). Three, please.


    Yes, sir. Mr. Wang (...)


    King I responded as Wang requested and I got into the carriage that he was pointing at.


    Hey!


    Let''s go, Mr. King.


    Phew! After you, Mr. King.


    Mr. Wang, you ride first.


    ''Well excuse me, Mr. Wang.


    In that order, Ernest (...), Lyle (...), Luna and Tida.


    That''s not what I''m talking about!


    Mr. King, if you make too much noise, Mary will know.


    That''s right, Mr. King.


    "Get on the d*mn train, Mr. King.


    "d*mn it!��Temma!


    Mr. Oh gets into the carriage while complaining about it. I understand what you are saying, but no matter how you look at it, changing a sama (...) to san (...) is not going to be enough to disguise your true identity. When I stressed in the carriage that he was the most famous person in the country, it was better to use a false name than to use his own name, I was able to get the approval of everyone except for Mr. Oh. From then on, Mr. Wang became the official alias.


    ''''So, where are you going now?''''


    Yeah, I didn''t tell you. I''m going to a diner I sometimes go to.


    Where does a hypothetical royal and supposedly military officer haunt! I thought, but after thinking about it, there was nothing unnatural about it. Because it''s Lyle-sama, and he''s the king''s son.......although I''m wondering if Maria-sama knows about it.


    The carriage entered the city center without incident, and they arrived near their destination about an hour after leaving the royal castle.


    Then take care of the carriage. Then take care of the carriage, and come back to this place in about two hours.


    Lyle-sama said that to the soldier who served as the guru (in disguise as a civilian), handed him the money and went into a back alley.


    We followed him, but the place he frequents is so intrusive that if you set foot in this place for the first time without any guidance, you would definitely get lost.


    ''''Hmm, it looks like an ordinary tavern.


    At Wang''s words, everyone except Lyle-sama nodded. They all might not have been able to dismiss the possibility of a shop that could do dodgy things somewhere in their minds. Well, that possibility was almost (...) zero when Luna was there, but....


    I''m sure of it!


    After reminding us of this, Mr. Lyle, as Mr. Lai, began to check our disguises once more.


    The relationship between each of us was that Mr. Wang and the others were introduced as Mr. Lai''s family, as a matter of course, and I was a child of Mr. Wang''s acquaintance, a soldier''s apprentice. In other words, we would be Mr. Rai''s juniors and subordinates.


    In terms of their appearance, "Mr. Oh" was dressed as a slightly wealthy official, with his hair pulled back all the way and wearing glasses.


    I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one who has done this.


    Luna, aka "Luna", wears a different school uniform and glasses for disguise, without her hair in a bun.


    This is the same school uniform and glasses as Luna''s. The same school uniform and glasses are used to disguise Tida, or Dino.


    I am Tenma, aka "Sora," and I''m wearing the kind of clothes that low-level soldiers often wear, a bandana on my head, and glasses.


    All I see is glasses...


    At first, only Mr. Wang and Dino were going to wear glasses, but Rae said, "They don''t all have their faces hidden! And I forced him to wear glasses, so that''s what happened.....


    Even though your uncle is pretty much the same as usual.


    It is. I''m wearing rougher clothes than usual, but I don''t look very different.


    Well, don''t worry about it. Let''s just get in.


    With that said, Rae entered the restaurant with a sense of ease, looked around the restaurant for a bit, then spoke to the female waitress and asked if a private room was available. When the woman replied that a private room was available, she went to the private room before being shown to it and quickly went in. Well, even though it is a private room, it is only easily separated by a screen-like object, so the voice is audible and depending on the angle, you can see what''s going on inside.


    It''s a good thing I don''t drink. I''ve brought my family with me today, and I''ve got the kids. Yeah, but you''re going to have to serve those two over there.


    It was Mr. Lai who was saying something like an excuse to the waitress who offered him a drink. From the content of their conversation, it was possible to know that they usually drank and ate at the counter, and Mr. Wang looked a little envious of their freedom.


    ''''It''s delicious. To be honest, I thought it would taste more sketchy since Lai-san recommended it.''''


    All the dishes served were spit-roasted and stewed, which could be both a side dish and a snack, but they seemed to have been carefully prepared, and there was no smell at all.


    ''That''s right, that''s right! Normally, offal is too stinky to be eaten in most restaurants, but here, you have to eat the offal!


    ''These intestine skewers are probably better than the ones I had at Te.......Sola''s before.


    And the liver doesn''t smell so bad either.


    Dino says so refrainedly, but Luna says it''s better than what she had at my place, and she''s munching on the offal dish that was served to her. Mr. Wang and Mr. Nest were also enjoying their food and drinks, wondering why they hadn''t told us about this restaurant before.


    After enjoying the various dishes for a while, we left the restaurant just as Luna was beginning to feel sleepy.


    After paying the bill, Rai carried the unsteady Luna on his back to the waiting carriage.


    We stopped using fake names as soon as we got into the field car.


    Well, I guess I''ll be leaving now.


    On the way back, I refused to take the carriage to the front of the mansion and got off at the fork in the road between the castle and the mansion, so I said goodbye to everyone and walked home, feeling like I had forgotten something.


    A few days later, Tida, who had been angered by Maria, Caesar and Isabella, accused me of running away.


    Most of all, I, too, was pissed off that I didn''t have any souvenirs for my grandfather and Amur and the others. A few nights later, I was made to pay the bill at Rai''s favorite restaurant.


    Incidentally, the next day, Maria scolded me too. The next day, Maria scolded me for not inviting my grandfather to the tavern when I took him there. That''s why.

 164-Chapter 10-9 The guy is here!

    Well.....


    I decided to pick a day when it was snowing and no one from the King''s Castle was coming to visit, and I decided to organize my magic bag and dimension bag. The reason for this was that I took my grandpa and his friends to a tavern the other day.


    It''s a good idea to make sure that you''re not going to have to worry about your own personal safety.


    That was largely due to my mismanagement, but it was also because if I put them in the magic bag, I could keep them almost permanently, I guess you could say. So I decided to check what was in the bag and get rid of the ones I didn''t need.


    I have seven magic bags now, four used and three unused, for a total of seven. I have five dimension bags: three used and two not used.


    The magic bags used include those given to us by the gods, and the dimension bags are the ones used by Slarin and his friends, the one dedicated to Raiden, and the one we use for storage. The Slarin''s bag is the widest because it is shared by all of their families except for Raiden, followed by the dedicated Raiden bag, then the unused bag and finally the storage bag.


    The bags that serve as storage are filled with items that need to be stored for time (pre-finished miso, soy sauce, aged meat, etc.), and when they need to be separated between room temperature and low temperature, they are separated using the spare ones. Right now it''s just miso and soy sauce, so there''s only one bag instead of a storeroom.


    "Just from a quick check, there''s a lot of food-related stuff in there...


    Most of the food is in the Magic Bag, but just from a quick check, nearly a third of it is food-related. There are ingredients, seasonings, and finished products in the bag, so it would not be a problem if I left them in there, but I guess that''s why I ended up with so much food in the bag.


    For now, I moved all the ingredients into the empty magic box and looked at the next most common ingredient-related items.


    ''''As for the ones with a large number of ingredients, shall we go sell them next time?


    I''ve decided to prioritize rare and frequently used materials, and sell the easily collected and unneeded materials to the Adventurer''s Guild. Basically, I''ll be selling low-ranked demon materials, but there are some B-ranked (or equivalent) or higher materials in there, so if I sell them all together, they''ll be worth a good price.


    This is also a temporary transfer to an empty magic bag, but in the middle of the process all the empty magic bags were full, so I stopped the process of transferring the materials, once I transferred the rest of the materials to the magic bag given to me by the gods, then I resumed the process.


    ''''I guess we have a break now.


    After about two hours of work, we finished separating the contents of the magic bag.


    The contents of the magic bag are divided roughly by type, but since there weren''t enough of them in the magic bag alone, we used an empty dimension bag as well.


    The categories are "Food and Ingredients", "Materials", "Weapons and Armor", "Items", "Money", "Items for Sale", "Garbage" and "Others". Some of the items in "Others" are furniture and carriages that couldn''t be divided into smaller categories due to the number of bags available, while "Materials" and "Items" contain ingredients for medicines and drugs, so I''ll have to re-sort them soon.


    There was so much ''money'' in there that I got tired of counting it, so I''m sorting it into boxes of different types in dimension bags.


    ''The problem is this...''


    The most troublesome part of the sorting process was the items that were not needed at this point in time, but that it would be a waste to get rid of.


    It is mainly divided into ''weapons and armor'', and although there are some scratches, etc. that can be repaired and used, the performance is not as good as the one you''re using now, and even if you throw it away, you''re very attached to it, but even if you sell it, you won''t get much of a price. If I have to say, I''ll keep it as a spare? And the first thought comes back to........


    ''I suppose the right thing to do would be to throw these things out with a bang but I can''t........''


    After thinking about it for a while, I decided to put an order on it for myself and then get rid of the lower order ones and repair the higher order ones. However, since there are some things that don''t fit even if repaired, I decided to give those things to Amy. It''s not surprising that the school has practice and practice in the academy, so there will be opportunities to use it, and since it''s an apprentice, it''s not surprising to give it to them.


    I''m going to take Aimee to visit Kelly''s place next time.......Kelly is probably not busy.


    Less adventurer activity means less work for Kerry, who does business with adventurers. Some adventurers may be reviewing their equipment at this time of year, but even so, there won''t be that many.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with the wooden and leather items that you don''t want, and you can talk to Kelly about the iron ones. Some of them could be for sale if we hammered them back together.


    With that, I finished sorting the ''Weapons and Armor'' and put the remaining items together in the dimension bag that held the ''money''. Then, in the empty magic bag, I put the items that I would ask Kelly to retype and discuss the disposal of.


    ''''Will we start consuming the ''food/foodstuffs'' today... or will we keep some of them, and will we have a banquet soon to consume the meat and other things at once?''''


    I was able to organize this one easily. Basically, I buy quite a bit of food and ingredients in bulk in one shopping trip and consume quite a bit in one meal, so maybe it''s because I feel like I''m getting rid of what''s left over at that time. The only reason I left some of that stuff behind was so that I would have some left over to eat during my adventures and requests. Later on, it''s better to keep the rare and valuable items, like the meat of the white wild beef, in case of an emergency. And it''s a waste to serve it at a party where you''re going to have a lot of drunks.


    The remaining ''food and foodstuff'' was put into the magic bag given to me by the gods, and I decided to leave the portions I consumed with Jeanne and Aura. There''s a decent amount there, but I''ve given the two of them a magic bag as well, so it wouldn''t be a problem to give them all of it.


    When I looked for them to organize the magic bag, I was in the middle of planning a dinner menu in the kitchen, and although they were pleased to see the increase in available ingredients, they were taken aback by the sheer volume of the bag. In addition, Shiroumaru and Solomon, who were waiting in the kitchen to get a snack from the two men, consumed nearly 10% of the food on the spot.


    Sir, I picked up something weird!


    Just as Shiroumaru and Solomon were finishing their snack, Amy came to the dining room, feeling flustered. Whatever it was, he picked it up just before the mansion, but I had to tell him not to pick up anything too strange.


    ''Amy, what if it''s something dangerous?''


    ''I''m sorry ... but this strange fish (...) was frozen in front of the teacher''s house with the ''teacher''s family crest''!


    I was about to pay attention first, when Amy released a disgusting word that I had a bad feeling about.


    ''Amy, get that (...) out here now!


    Yes!


    Amy tried to empty the mouth of the dimension bag that Oichan-Shih-chan is always in and take out a strange fish on ice from inside, but it''s too big to move even with Oichan-Shih-chan''s help, it seems.


    "How did you get this in there, (...)?


    Turning to Amy, I looked in my bag to get the strange fish out, and as I expected, I found Namitarou''s iced fish inside.


    ''I asked the golem at the gate to help me.


    Come to think of it, Amy, who could come and go in and out of this mansion at will, could give simple orders to the golem. Maybe it''s because I usually refrain from doing so, but Aimee doesn''t use the golem much, so I forgot about it.


    ''''That reminds me.......good, right!


    Even I couldn''t drag Namitaro out of the stone, so I summoned Gigant and took Namitaro out.


    ''''Isn''t this frozen to the core?''''


    It''s very ticking.


    Amy checked the hardness like a knock on the door, and next to her, Hai-chan Shi-chan was poking at the ticklish Namitaro.


    ''Temma, not dead on the stone, this?''


    As expected of Namitaro, this isn''t going to work for him...


    Jeanne and Aura, who had been watching behind me until then, seem to think that Nami Taro, as expected, is unable to do so in this state. But the opponent is that Namitaro. This is not the kind of thing that will kill you.


    "I''ll take you to the bathroom now!��Thaw!


    I feel like I could defrost it naturally, but it would be faster to defrost it in hot water. Sure enough....


    The water could be hotter!


    After coming up for air, Namitaro began to enjoy the bath. Jeanne and Aura, dumbfounded by its life force, went back because they had some work left to do.


    Aimee seemed curious about the creature she was seeing for the first time, but perhaps because of my last ''dangerous thing'' comment earlier, she didn''t approach it carelessly.


    ''So why were you out in front of the mansion again with all your strength?


    It was impossible for the fish to move through the snow. I managed to get right up to the mansion, but that was my limit!��You almost turned into ''Luive the Carp''!


    I wouldn''t eat it, even if it had become a rouve, and even if I had to eat it, I would always fire it up.


    ''''It looks kind of big, doesn''t it?''''


    ''What the hell!��There has never been a fish with a more delicate taste than I have!


    Namitaro tsked at Amy''s slightly off-putting words without missing a beat. That caused Aimee to hide behind me, but Namitaro didn''t care, he was enjoying his bath.


    .........auch!


    It seems that Namitaro jumped out of the bath with a lot of momentum and slipped and went straight into the changing room and crashed into the changing room shelf. When I examined the shelf later, I found that quite a bit of it had been broken, mainly where Namitaro had hit it.


    ''Sorry about that,''


    That was the first thing he said after rescuing Namitaro from the shelves I was quite annoyed. I decided to take Namitaro to the parlor for repairs next time.


    However, Namitaro is a self-aware stranger''s house, leaving Amy and me behind, and sliding across the floor in a swift manner... I touched the floor just to be sure, but it wasn''t wet or covered in slug-like mucus, so I didn''t want to get wet or have any mucus on it. I felt strange about how it was going, but I decided that since it was Namitaro, it could happen.


    ''Sir, what is a Namitaro?''


    In case you''re wondering, someone seems to know that she participated in the tournament as my family member, but she doesn''t know the details.


    To Amy''s question, I said........


    Actually, I don''t know much about it.


    I''m sure you''ll understand that Namitaro is one of the seven wonders of this world.


    Well, all kidding aside, we should get going too. If you leave Namitaro alone, there''s no telling what he might do.


    As I said this, Amy laughed and hurried to meet me.


    ''Wow!''��Wassup!


    As I approached the parlor, I heard an ominous call that gradually grew louder and louder. I opened the door to the parlor and looked at Namitaro, and it seems my premonition was right... not happy at all...


    Well done, Namitaro!


    I take it back. I was so f*cking happy. Because....


    Squid, octopus, horse mackerel, mackerel, sardines, bonito and tuna!��Snapper and flounder and flounder, scallops and clams, clams, oysters, turban shells, abalone and sea urchins!��It''s seaweed and aosa, hijiki and kelp~.................boom!


    For me, as a former Japanese, it was a very happy souvenir. Kombu might be the most delightful souvenir among them. The fact that it is dried properly is a high point. I''ve heard that there are also dried squid and octopus, and other marine products other than the ones Namitaro was singing about, and I''ve heard that less than half of the souvenirs offered here are from this place.


    ''Doyah!''


    I offered Namitaro the potato kettle in my magic bag as a token of my gratitude, and he snatched it from my hand with great vigor and threw it into his mouth.


    "Shall we use it for dinner tonight?


    Thinking about the various cooking methods, he threw them into the magic bag in the order in which he received the souvenirs from Namitaro.


    "The squid is good...


    While I was working, tearing and snacking on dried squid on the way, Shiroumaru and Solomon came soothingly to my side, all together opening their mouths. However, the two didn''t seem to like dried squid, as they tend to swallow it quickly because it doesn''t taste good unless you chew it well.


    Jeanne and Aura also seemed to be interested in the seafood, but apart from the octopus they had eaten before, what we have now are raw, seaweed, and dried squid, which seemed to be a bit confusing to reach for, so they decided to wait until it was cooked quietly. In addition, behind them, Amur is taking a bite of the dried squid.


    It is said that there are not many opportunities to eat squid in the south, but he said that if you can eat octopus, it''s okay to eat squid, and snatched the one I was snacking on from the side. Incidentally, since I was tearing the dried squid off with my hand, the indirect kiss that Amour wanted was never achieved.


    ''Sir, are there chestnuts in the sea too?''


    Aimee seems to be interested in sea urchins, but it seems to be more for their appearance than for their ''taste''.


    So when I cracked one of the sea urchins in front of her, Aimee, who thought it was a chestnut, was quite surprised. She had never imagined that she would eat the yellow stuff inside, and when I scooped up the sea urchin''s ovaries (testes) with my finger and ate them, she was a little taken aback.


    Incidentally, the sea urchins Namitaro brought to us were cooled down to below zero, so they seemed to have excellent freshness, and there was no problem eating them raw. The sea urchin was so delicious that I wanted to eat it on rice as it was.


    I hadn''t eaten sea urchin in a while. A big bowl of rice.


    Me too, please.


    Mine too.


    Sir, I''m with you.


    And the sea urchin struck the hearts of the ladies beautifully. Shiroumaru and Solomon came to me and begged me for it, followed by Amur, Aura, Jeanne, and finally, without hesitation, Amy lined up behind Shiroumaru and the others.


    We had no choice, so we prepared a large number of sea urchins and made them into a bowl of sea urchin rice to make them feel as full as possible, but that didn''t seem to be enough. We had already eaten enough for five people and five sea urchins (to our surprise, we even ate Slarin, Gol and Jill), and we had consumed nearly half of the sea urchins that Namitaro had brought. By the way, Namitaro had eaten enough sea urchins in the sea, and he didn''t want any more sea urchin bowls.


    I''m quite hungry, no more sea urchins. I''ll make a seafood bowl with other sashimi instead.


    It would be a problem if they consumed only sea urchins, so they decided to put up with other fish.


    When they were told that the sea urchins were finished, they looked disappointed, but when they saw what I had prepared, they started to put them on the rice with pleasure.


    The image I had in mind was a "self-serving bowl of rice". You can choose what you want, and since you can put various things on it in small quantities, you can taste all kinds of things at once.


    If you don''t, you can''t keep them all to yourself. Otherwise, there will be people who will try to keep it all to themselves...


    When I said that, I looked at Amur, who had only put the same thing on the table from earlier, and Amur gently put the deep dish containing the tataki tuna tuna back on the table. I say tataki tuna, but to be precise, it is a mixture of medium-finished and skinned meat, which I consider to be the equivalent of the main item in my preparation.


    When I asked Amur why he went after all that, he said


    Even the salmon was good there.


    That was it. When the others heard that statement, they hurriedly reached for a plate of tuna tataki, but it was Jeanne who picked it up first.


    ''Yes!''


    He was moving faster than everyone else, probably because he was originally aiming for Amur next. Aura was next, followed by Slarin, Amy, and last was me. The order was the order in which the hands arrived at the spot where the plate was (Slarin was the tentacle), and I was the judge.


    The only thing that surprised me was that, given Slarin''s personality, I thought he was going to give up the lead to Amy, but he didn''t.


    While I was thinking about that, Jeanne finished her scoop and it was Aura''s turn to be next.


    ''''Hmph.......Jeanne is sweet.''''


    For some reason, Aura smiled wryly and lifted the spoon stuck in the tuna tataki and lifted a pile of tataki sneakily from the bottom of the deep dish.


    ''This is what I call scooping!


    I didn''t know we had a plan!��But if you think about it for a moment, you will realize the danger. And sure enough, what I had feared was about to happen. It was.........


    Oh....


    Aura moved the spoon with the pile of tataki on it a bit towards the bowl, and the pile of tataki collapsed from the base and fell onto the table.


    ''''........''''


    ''Aura, you''re out!��Spoon, confiscate it~!


    After looking at the fallen tataki, Aura tried again as if nothing had happened, but Amour and Jeanne took the spoon from Aura with a breathless voice and movement, clanked what little tuna tataki remained on Aura''s bowl of rice, and handed it to the next slarin.


    Slarin took the spoon and immediately thought he was going to take a scoop of the tuna tataki, but first he moved the rice to just beside his plate.


    ''Mine too?''


    Slarin then reached out with his tentacles in front of Amy and accepted the bowl and placed Amy''s bowl next to his own, stabbing his spoon into the tuna slices with a flowing motion.


    ''''Oh!''''


    I''m done.


    When Slarin lifted the spoon, it formed a bigger pile than Aura''s earlier. Me, Amour, Jeanne and Amy marveled at the sight, but Aura was the only one who sent a curse to Slarin.


    However, Aura''s prayers were not answered, and without dropping a speck, Slarin placed a pile of tatami on Amy''s bowl, followed by a similar sized pile on his own bowl. Well, there were people who were on the verge of being corrupted, but they seemed to have just barely stepped away.


    ''''There''s hardly any left...''''


    Finally, it was my turn, and there was only a small amount of tuna whacking left after Amur''s concentrated attack, Aura''s self-destruction, and Slarin''s two critical shots. Most importantly, even in that state, it was more than Aura''s.


    For now, we decided to aim for the next one when the tuna smack was finished, but a new rule was added here. The new rule was that everyone had to point to the next target at the same time, and if the target was not covered, they could scoop it up first, and if it was covered, they had to play rock-paper-scissors to decide the order. And if you finished scooping first, you had to wait until everyone else was finished.


    Except for tuna tataki, sardine, horse mackerel, mackerel, sardine, and sashimi of bonito are popular, but shellfish and white fish are not so popular.


    After repeating this process until most of the items were gone, Amour and Aura''s bowl of rice was filled with about twice as much garnish as the rice, I had about half the garnish and half the rice, and Jeanne and Aimee had less garnish. As for Amur and Aura, I was like ''I knew it'', but the one that surpassed them was Slarin.


    Slarin''s garnish was three to four times the size of the rice, and the garnish was miraculously balanced to create a large mountain.


    ''''Slarin''s greed~!


    It was Amur and Aura, who were always said to be greedy, who were on a roll with it. They were enjoying tinkering with the slarin'', putting aside the fact that they were big enough to be told that they were too greedy to serve themselves as well...


    "Slarin'', gentle.


    Another plate. All right.


    What a surprise, Slarin began to share his bowl with Shiroumaru and the others. The bowl that Slarin made was divided between Shiroumaru, Solomon, Gol, and Jill and his own, so in the end there were fewer ingredients than Jeanne''s and Amy''s.


    Amur and Aura, who had been fiddling with Slarin, couldn''t stand Jeanne''s cold and unsatisfactory gaze, and Shiroumaru and Solomon''s covetous (biting) gaze, so they were forced to offer garnish from their own bowl. Incidentally, I decided to proceed with the attack on my own bowl while Shiroumaru and Solomon''s eyes were on Amur and Aura''s bowl.


    Amy had taken refuge beside me as well, but she couldn''t compete with Shie-chan and Toku-chan, who were peeking out of their dwelling dimension bags, and I had to share most of my bowl. And when I saw Aimee looking sad with a bowl that was less than half full, I had no choice but to share my own bowl with her. Well, I originally served more, and since the other person was Aimee, I didn''t have to give her that much.


    ''''Hm?��What were you all eating?


    As if he hadn''t finished eating, his grandfather, who had gone somewhere, came back and saw an empty plate on the table.


    It''s my souvenir!


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who can make use of the leftovers to make a ''white seafood bowl'' of whitefish and scallop sashimi.


    It was delicious, but I wanted to eat something other than white.


    My grandpa seems to prefer tuna and bluefish to whitefish, which have a milder taste, and he seems to be feeling a little unsatisfied with them.


    A few days later, Maria, Tida, Luna and the others came to our house out of the blue, and all the sea urchins were gone, and most of the tuna were gone.


    I''m sorry teacher. Luna-chan asked me what I had eaten, and I couldn''t resist telling her...


    And that was that. When he was playing with Luna and Tida, he was asked if they had eaten anything unusual recently, and he told her about the seafood bowl, which led her to Maria via Luna.


    Maria said that she sensed something was up when she saw Luna fidgeting, so she accompanied Aina and Chris to Luna and the others.


    And Maria-sama said to me with a smile. And, by the way, he also said that I wouldn''t have to tell the king, Lyle-sama and Ernest-sama because I''d lose my share...

 165-Chapter 10-10 After all, in charge of punch line

    The sea urchin...


    As I looked at the pile of sea urchins (the remnants) in the kitchen, I was secretly depressed. I guess this is no surprise, since all the sea urchins I thought I''d enjoy a few more times are gone.


    There are still some tuna and other fish left, so we can enjoy a seafood bowl with them on top, but I didn''t expect the sea urchins to disappear so quickly, so the damage is surprisingly significant.


    "Tenma-sama, how are you doing?


    As I was looking at the pile of sea urchins (leftovers) in a dejected manner, Aina appeared in the kitchen by chance.


    ''No, not really... but I wonder if sea urchin shells can be used as fertilizer? I just thought.


    You''re lying.


    I lied on the spur of the moment, but it didn''t seem to work with Aina. However, the shells of the sea urchins probably contain calcium or something like that, so I''ll keep them dried for experimentation.


    I''ve never seen a sea urchin before, but whoever ate it for the first time has a lot of nerve. Normally I wouldn''t expect to be able to eat something like this.......but when you try it, it''s delicious. I think I can understand why Temma-sama is so depressed. So let''s talk to Maria-sama about it.


    With that, Aina took the sea urchin shell and headed for the room where Maria was.


    ''Excuse me, Maria,''


    Aina, did you find Tenma?


    As soon as Aina knocked on the room, Maria-sama opened the door with a worried voice. And when she saw me behind Aina, she looked at me.


    I''m sorry, Temma.


    He apologized to me. The story that followed was that Maria knew I was depressed, and reminded me that people from the royal family used to eat and drink at our house. Well, Maria doesn''t often come to eat, but Tida and Luna, as well as the king, Ernest and Lyle, come over there often. I''ve brought some food, and Caesar has paid for Tida and Luna, but I''ve also taken out some of my own food. Most of the food that I took out was obtained while I received a request from the guild, but there were some rare ingredients that I bought in the south, so I''m spending a decent amount of money. I''m sure you''ll be surprised to know that Tida and Luna often come over to the restaurant to have a meal, but I''ve heard that they''ve been there a lot more often than I expected.


    When I regretted eating too many sea urchins, Aina and Grandpa told me what the kings had done, and I was so angry and apologetic that I didn''t know what to do, so I asked Aina to check on me.


    ''''Maria-sama, I have a proposal to make about that.


    As she was unsure of how to respond to Maria''s apology, Aina held the sea urchin shell in front of her.


    ''Aina what''s wrong with that?''


    Maria-sama looked a little annoyed that Aina had interrupted her from the side, and there was a slight spike in her voice.


    ''Actually, it seems that this (...) is what the sea urchin you just gave me is, but isn''t Maria-sama familiar with this (...)?''


    Maria-sama looked closely at the shell of the sea urchin on her palm as Aina told her to, and she seemed to recognize the sea urchin and made a surprised expression.


    ''''This (...) is that sea urchin... was this kind of (...) that good?''''


    ''I knew it.


    ''Yes!��That would be great!��Temma, I don''t know if this will ever be an apology, but I''ll make you bring a bunch of sea urchins from my home town instead!


    When Maria-sama found out what the sea urchin was, she suddenly got high and shook my hand violently several times.


    ''''Uh ... what the hell is that?''''


    I couldn''t keep up with the sudden turn of events, so I asked Maria to do so, but she began to write a letter furiously, as if she had forgotten about me... well, she was in too much of a hurry, so she crumpled up and threw away the letter she had failed to write so many times, but .........


    ''So, Aina. How did Maria come to this?


    As a matter of fact, this sea urchin creature is treated like garbage in Mary''s homeland.


    Maria''s hometown is a duke''s territory that faces the northern sea, and it seems that the fishing grounds owned by the duke''s territory are swarming with sea urchins, and the people of the territory don''t recognize them as food and they interfere with the fishing industry, so they regularly remove them and dispose of them.


    Aina said she didn''t notice the contents of the sea urchins alone, but when she saw the shells of the sea urchins, she realized that Maria-sama would be able to get them easily.


    ''It''s done!��Aina, hurry up and arrange for this to be delivered to my parents'' house!


    Yes, sir.


    When Aina received the letter, she went to give it to Gosha, who was waiting outside the mansion, with instructions to take it to the royal castle.


    ''Now you can have all the urchins you want!��Maybe eventually my father and brother will realize how good sea urchins are and move to make them a specialty, so before they do, let''s claim credit (and ingratiate ourselves) for discovering that they are edible so we can make sure we get them!��And some kelp, too!


    Maria says that nobody eats sea urchins (even in the surrounding territories and neighbouring countries), and if this is accepted, it''s sure to become a big industry. They''re going to sell this information to Maria''s brother (the current Duke) and father (the former Duke) so that they can get my share of sea urchins for free in return.


    Maria was so excited that she took my hands and began to dance. It''s not a ballroom dance, but it''s not the kind of dance that a drunkard would do in a bar, but in spite of that, Maria-sama''s movements were somewhat elegant.


    But in spite of that, Maria''s movements were elegant in some way, and when she hugged me at the end of the dance.


    Hey, Aina my son, what do you think the right reaction is to see this scene?


    "...wouldn''t it be nice to laugh?


    Aina, who was looking at me and Maria-sama with a blank expression, and Lyle-sama, who seemed to have detected something tasty with her unique sense of smell, were at the end of the voice.


    ''''......................''''


    The four of us stop time for a while. Lyle-sama didn''t know how to react, Aina didn''t give a d*mn, and Maria was embarrassed to be seen frolicking, while I tried not to say anything unnecessary until someone else started to move, resulting in a strangely tense space.


    ''Lyle!��Sit there!


    Oh, well...


    It was Maria-sama who first started to move. When her name was suddenly called, Lyle-sama sat there (in the corridor) quietly, as if she was going to do as she was told, for the time being. And that''s when the sermon started. Half of the sermon must have included Maria''s embarrassment. Well, half of the sermon was actually nearly double the content of the original sermon, since Mary''s shyness was added to the original sermon.


    ''Temma I''m seriously sorry.


    Lyle apologized to me for my past drinking and eating, about three hours after Maria began her sermon, and until then, Lyle had been sitting upright in the corridor while she lectured him.


    By the way, as a result of the sermon, Lyle''s monthly allowance has been reduced even further as a result of Maria''s management of Lyle''s salary.


    By the way, Lyle came to my house expecting to eat, but after Maria''s sermon, he couldn''t tell me to eat, so after apologizing to me, he immediately went back to the castle with Tida and the others. Now they''re going to have a second sermon with the king. In addition, I heard later that since Ernest was not there for the second sermon, they had to add him to the sermon as well.


    The day after I served Maria and the others a bowl of seafood.


    This is the armor I''m going to give away to Amy. It''s my old one, so it''s scratched, but it''s a good one, light and strong, so it''s good enough to use with a little repair work.


    Although it was later than planned, I decided to give Aimee the armor and other items I had in my magic bag.


    This is the armor that I used before I was active in Gunjo City, and it is made from the leather of the Lizardman, a bipedal lizard monster. It was said to be made from good parts, and was the pride and joy of the craftsmen, but because they insisted on making it from good parts only (...) it was too small for an average adult male to fit into it, and even for a female to fit into it.


    Thanks to that, the price was what I could afford, even with what I was making at the time. Well, the people at the store were suspicious that it was stolen money, but they thought it was better to pretend they didn''t notice and sell it than to just leave it there. After all, it was too tight even for a woman to wear it, and it was a size that only a child would be able to wear.


    It was my favorite piece of protective gear at the time because it was light, strong and easy to move around in, but after about a year and a half it got so tight that I changed to other protective gear before the second year. Even after changing to the other armor, I brought it to a craftsman several times to see if it could be repaired, but the materials were not available and the craftsman''s skills were not as good as they could be, so it had been sitting in a magic bag.


    Such was the Lizardman''s armor, but there is a reliable craftsman (Kelly) in the King''s Capital, and there are materials of wyvern variants and earth dragons for repairs.


    ''It should be a better armor than the one I was using.


    Brother, if you''re going to go that far, I think it would be better to build one from scratch using materials from a wyvern subspecies or something.


    Luna, who was pecking at the Lizardman''s armor behind Amy (it was yesterday, today, and she hadn''t learned her lesson), nodded her head and expressed her doubts, but there were a few reasons for that.


    It''s not a good idea to make a new one from scratch with the material of a wyvern subspecies or something like that, because one of the reasons is that it''s too hard to move when it''s new. The one I used to use is older but less damaged, and it''s been stored in a magic bag for a long time, so it''s still hard enough to use. Secondly, it''s too expensive and dangerous to make out of an almost wyvern subspecies or earth dragon material.


    If it turns out to be an expensive material, there will surely be someone who will try to take it away from Aimee and sell it, or break it up and use it. It''s okay if it''s enough to injure Aimee at that point, but we can''t have someone thinking of killing it quickly and then taking it away from her. In the meantime, I''ve given Aimee a golem for protection, but with the inexperienced Aimee, she''s probably more likely to be caught by surprise. So I''ll make her think it''s a good armor, but not something that''s worth the risk of forcing her to take it (or even killing her to take it away), and I''ll use expensive materials to repair it only in inconspicuous places.


    ''''Well, if it''s only a school exercise, the lizardman materials alone should be enough.


    I haven''t been told in detail what kind of exercises they''ll be doing, but I''m told that at most they''ll be going to a nearby forest or meadow.


    ''Thank you, sir!


    Amy seemed mildly excited to have her own armor, and her voice was more bouncy than usual.


    ''I guess I don''t mind the weapons we have here, but I think it''s better to look at them at Kelly''s place before I choose them anyway.


    So, we decided to move to Kelly''s workshop as soon as possible. The fact that Teada and Luna are with us means that Chris-san, who was following us as our escort, is also with us.


    So we have a large group, huh?


    When we arrived at the workshop, Kelly, who had counted our numbers, welcomed us with a dumbfounded voice.


    Since it''s a large group, the first members who came to the workshop (me, Tida and the other three, and Chris-san), plus Amour, Jeanne, Aura, Aina, Shiroumaru (who is moving out of the bag at Chris-san''s request), and for some reason Albert and the other three idiots, were also there.


    Amour starts getting ready as soon as I say I''m going outside, Jeanne and Aura follow me because Aina will be tighter when I''m gone, and Aina is going to join them as a watchdog (actually escorted by Tida and Luna).


    I can understand that much, but the reason the three idiots were here was because they happened to find us while they were trying to play somewhere, so they forced us to join them because it looked interesting.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them, but it''s also a good idea to have a good time with them. In addition, because of the fact that this is a man who approaches Amy, Tida has been wary of Leon since a while ago.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this, but I''m sure you''ll also be able to find out more about this, and I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.


    With that, and with Amy''s approval, Kelly wrote down Amy''s measurements on the wooden board. At that point, Tida was about to sneak a peek at the wooden board, but Aina had grabbed her arm tightly. Incidentally, only I, Aina and Chris noticed that. Aina and Chris took Tida to a corner of the workshop and preached to her so that everyone else wouldn''t find out. After the sermon was over, Tida was so ashamed of what she had done that she followed up by saying that it wasn''t surprising that a boy would want to know about the girl he liked, but Tida asked me if that was the case with me, and I replied that it wasn''t (in this life), and I ended up stopping her from doing the same thing It''s not a good idea.


    The depressed Tida was left to her own devices and armor, and Aimee consulted with others to decide on adjustments to her equipment and armor. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of the color of the armor.


    ''I want my armour to be bright red!


    I said. And when that voice echoed in the workshop, the one who reacted the most was Tida for some reason. The important thing is that Amy seems to be on board with the suggestion.


    ''Why do you want red?''


    When I asked Luna why she recommended red for the time being, she said it was because it was the same color as her armor, no matter what.


    The red that Luna-sama refers to has a special meaning in the royal family. Red as you say, Luna-sama, has a special meaning in the royal family.


    According to Aina''s explanation, royal men wear ''blue armor'' like the blue mail in their name, while women wear ''red armor''. Although some gold and silver are said to be used for the armor, it is almost exclusively red, and while other noblemen are not prohibited from using it, if they want to use the same color for their formal armor, they will use almost half of the other colors as a courtesy. However, it seems that there is no need to worry too much about color when it comes to armor used by ordinary people.


    ''''I see... but, you know, you shouldn''t use red.''''


    Hearing my words, the one who was most surprised was Tida. Probably, she was imagining Amy wearing the color of her counterpart. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about it. In contrast, Luna and Aimee have a strange look on their faces, but they don''t seem to think anything more than that. By the way, Amur and Aina looked at my words with a natural expression, while the other members looked like they didn''t understand why.


    ''Amy''s going to be an adventurer in the future, isn''t she?��In that case, red armor is too conspicuous. On the other hand, there are some guys who say that conspicuous armor attracts enemies and targets, but adventurers should use armor of a color like black or brown so that they won''t notice you.


    For example, in dungeons that Amy will use most in the future, there are many dimly lit areas, and colors such as red are easy for enemies to find. The same is true for the grasslands, and even if you try to aim at your prey, the red color is noticeable, so it''s easy to escape and be attacked by monsters that can fly.


    It''s a good idea to be aware of what you''re doing. To our allies, I''m fighting here too, and to our enemies, here''s the head you guys want.......


    Amy looked surprised when she heard the story and immediately said she would stop with the red. As if caught in the act, Luna also said she would change to another color, but Aina warned her that it was a royal duty.


    In the end, Aimee decided to change the color of her armor to a light green with brownish hues (or greenish-olive as it was called in her previous life).


    By the way, as far as armor colors go, Aina and I are black, Jeanne and Aura are steeplejackets, Chris-san is white, Amour is a black and yellow tiger pattern, Albert is indigo, Cain is gray, and Rion is dark green. The last three don''t seem to have decided on these as their official colors, and they just happen to be the colors they currently like.


    And about the color, Luna said that Amur''s tiger pattern stands out, but she was convinced when she said that that pattern has camouflage effects on animals (including animal-type demons) and is also a magic item with a cloaking effect... or rather, it''s just a bother to think about it. He seemed to have decided that since it was a magic item, that''s what it was.


    ''What about the weapon?''


    It''s single-edged like yours, but shorter.


    Apparently, sword-shaped weapons are in vogue at the school these days. Well, Amy said she would prefer a single-edged weapon even if it wasn''t in vogue, but Kelly had a difficult look on her face.


    ''Well, it''s fine if you insist, but you know what?��More and more people have switched their weapons to swords since the Tenma came into play, but most of them have switched back to the weapons they originally used.


    I''m sure you''ll be pleased with the results.


    There are many second- and third-rate swords, but even first-rate swords are said to have been forcibly struck by other swords because they don''t know how to use them, causing the blade to chip. And it is said that there were adventurers who were impoverished by the cost of repairing the blade.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of your time and money. But apparently the blacksmiths ended up with an overwhelming victory...


    Incidentally, the blacksmith was an experienced swordsmith, and the practice swords he made were usable, if not top-notch, and according to a southern peddler (a raccoon beastman) who happened to be passing by, "There''s no way you could buy a sword of this quality for that price.


    "So you''re Lani,


    It''s Lanitan.


    First of all, without a doubt, the peddler would be Mr. Rani. He''d noticed that swords were starting to become popular and was probably looking around to see if they were good for business.


    ''Well, the final decision is Amy''s, but if it''s a sword, I won''t be striking it. At least, I can''t strike at the level of something to sell.


    I decided to give some advice to Amy, who was wondering what to do after Kelly told me.


    ''Amy, if you don''t want a sword as long as it''s single-edged, there are weapons shaped like a sword.


    He took a blade from the workshop shelf and showed it to Amy.


    ''It''s a machete. It''s a companion to this one, called ''Ken-nata'', and if you only look at the shape, it resembles a sword and is very useful.


    The people who failed to switch to the sword were probably the ones who used it to strike down instead of pulling and cutting. There are many people in this country who use the weight and momentum of the sword to smash through, and it''s actually easier and doesn''t require much skill to do so. But with a blade as thin as a sword, I don''t see how it could be broken or bent that way.


    By comparison, a machete can be struck like when chopping wood and it''s thick, so it won''t break or bend even if you handle it a bit roughly. It''s a good idea to use the peak of the blade to make it look like a blunt instrument, and depending on the length of the blade, it can be used like a knife for cooking or as a tool.


    I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who are interested in it, and I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who are interested in it, but I''m sure you''ll be disappointed to know that we don''t have it. I''m not going to be able to get a good feel for it, so I''m going to be able to proceed in the direction of the weapon being a ken-nata.


    You can use the one I have for the material.


    When Amy and Kelly''s conversation got to the material, she handed Kelly a dimension bag containing the items she was going to get rid of. Kelly looks into the bag she was given and pulls out a few things that could be used.


    ''I could use this one, this one, and this one too,''


    Kelly took out weapons and armor made of magical iron, and she''s going to reuse them to make a few sword machetes. While Kelly was selecting the materials, a female dwarf employee had Amy hold sticks of various lengths and used weights such as sheet lead to determine the rough center of gravity of the sword-nata.


    ''We''ll have a prototype of the sword machete ready in the day after tomorrow or so, so you should come around then. The armor will come after that.


    Kelly said she was going to start preparing for production now, so I gave her the deposit and we all left the workshop. According to the female dwarf who came out to see me off, she said that she hadn''t had many customers lately and had been bored, so the sword machete would be finished in about tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow. Well, he said the day after tomorrow, so I don''t think he''ll be coming tomorrow.


    ''''If you don''t have anything to do from now on, let''s go to the guild!


    A short distance away from the workshop, Rion made such a suggestion.


    ''''It''s fine but what about you guys?''''


    When I asked them that, they all nodded their heads, so we decided to continue on our way to the guild.


    We finally arrived at the guild and hurriedly entered the guild to get away from the cold, and went straight to the tavern for a warm drink.


    There were a few adventurers drinking in the tavern, but Chris (a knight of high rank), me and three idiots (a nobleman) were there, so no templar adventurers who messed with children appeared.


    When each of us ordered a drink of our choice and took a break, I looked at the request form posted on the bulletin board, but again, due to the time of year, there was no easy request.


    ''Hey, would you like to take this?''


    When Leon said that to Albert and Cain


    ''Sorry, I''ve got plans tonight.


    Me too.


    He immediately refused. Then he turned his attention to me.


    It''s too cold.


    I told him no the moment our eyes met. I don''t want to go out of my way to work in the cold.


    This is how I ended up leaving the guild right away, but the plans Albert and Cain were talking about at this time were actually going to involve a woman, and apparently Leon was depressed for a few days.

 166-Chapter 11-1 Three years after that

    It''s been three years since she was born...


    I muttered something like that as I watched the tiger-eared (...) child reading a picture book in the storeroom of the mansion, absorbed in it.


    ''''Hmm?''''


    ''It''s nothing. For that matter, it''s time for a snack, so go to your mom''s.


    Yeah!


    The kid replied cheerfully and ran off with the picture book thrown out on the desk. I put it back in its original position and then headed to the cafeteria where the snack would be prepared.


    In the cafeteria, a child was already biting into a snack, and the child''s mother was also sitting next to her... while Shiroumaru and Solomon, who were begging for a snack as usual, and a few other people were sitting in chairs around the child.


    Amidst the passing of a peaceful time, an intruder suddenly appeared in the cafeteria.


    ''''Yoshitsune~!��Did you read the book properly by yourself~?


    Whew!


    The intruder is Blanca, the father of the child called Yoshitsune (...). The crying child tried to approach my child, Yoshitsune, breaking a strong face that would make her cry even harder, but Yoshitsune made a funny noise when she saw his face and hurriedly hugged her mother, Sana.


    ''Yes, yes, I''m not scared~. Your face is scary, but I''m not afraid of you~


    Sana is patting Yoshitsune''s back while saying something I don''t understand. Although Yoshitsune has tears in her eyes, she is still managing to hold it together. Blanca, on the other hand, was depressed by the situation that she was about to cry just for smiling at her own child.


    ''''It''s always happened.....For goodness sake, Blanca should get used to it or wear a mask at all times!


    Amur, who was sitting in a seat facing Yoshitsune and munching on a snack, is saying that while pointing at Blanca.


    In the meantime, Yoshitsune moved away from Sana-san in an attempt to distance herself from Blanca and took refuge behind me.


    ''''Phew!''''


    Amur laughed at Yoshitsune''s behavior. In the meantime, Blanca wavers up and approaches Amur. Amur is probably distracted by Yoshitsune and doesn''t notice Blanca''s approach. And.


    Whew!


    Blanca gripped Amur''s fingers, which were still thrust out against her, and bent them backwards in a firm grip. With his finger joints mastered, Amur screamed and tapped frantically on the table.


    ''That''s why you''re so scared of Yoshitsune,''


    Sana complains in a disgusted voice about Blanca''s behavior. Blanka looked up as if he had huffed at these words and looked at Yoshitsune, but it was already too late and Yoshitsune had fled to the corner of the room to get further away.


    ''''No, no, Yoshitsune!


    I don''t know what the difference was, but Blanca was desperately trying to clear up Yoshitsune''s misunderstanding, but before she could get close, Sana caught her.


    ''You stay out there,''


    Uh, uh ... yes ...


    Blanca, who had been kicked out by Sana, left the dining room looking exhausted. Yoshitsune checked two or three times to make sure that Blanca was gone, and then moved to Sana-san''s side. Seeing Yoshitsune like that, Amur laughed as he fought back the pain in his fingers.


    This Yoshitsune was born just before the tournament the year after I won.


    He doesn''t look like Amur and his friends (including Sana and Hana), and he doesn''t look like Blanca either (Amur was most relieved to hear that, and he''s been talking about it and getting fist-bumped by Blanca from time to time. (By the way, the second person I bring it up is Hana. ) Then who does he look like, he resembles Amur''s grandfather, "Mr. Crow", who is the father of Hana and Sana. Although Crow is the son of Grandpa Kay (the King of the Bandits), he was a gentle man who looked and acted more like his mother. By the way, Yoshitsune''s godfather was me.


    We participated in the meeting to name him, but we couldn''t come up with a name that Branca and Sana agreed with, and when we started coming up with names that looked like a joke (most of which were Amur''s ideas), Sana said, "He looks like his father. When I said, "Maybe you can name your son after the "Crow", the first thing I thought of was "Yoshitsune".


    When I uttered that name in a small voice, Sanah-san heard it, and for some reason it was mentioned as a candidate. And when asked the reason for the name, I said something like, "We''re going to multiply Crow by ''hardship'' and hope that ''good things'' will always happen to her, so we''ll call her Yoshitsune.


    The reason why the three of them nodded their heads was because Crow was not a martial artist like Grandpa Kay (although Grandpa Kay was not a complete martial artist and could do a lot of things like a civil servant, it seems that Grandpa Kay was judged to be a complete martial artist because of his physique and anecdotes), and when he united the clan, he was able to He was having a hard time being compared to them.


    After he built up and ruled the city of Nanao, everyone in the clan began to appreciate Crowe''s kindness, and no one licked him anymore, but the three people who knew this thought it would be perfect to name their great-grandson a Crow-like character.


    And in the middle of this story, Viscount Emeritus Lobo was kicked out of the battlefield early on, and Amur was kicked out as soon as he mentioned a name like the story.


    Yoshitsune had heard such stories from Sana and the others, so he''s grown fond of me. However, on the other hand, she is not very fond of her own father, Blanca...or rather, she thinks he is a scary person.


    The reason for this, in my opinion, is because of the "martial arts tournament" that Yoshitsune has been watching every year since he was born.


    In the tournament the year Yoshitsune was born, Blanca came second in the individual tournament, second in the pairs tournament and second in the team tournament. She teamed up with Amur in the pairs competition, and in the team competition, she teamed up with the top guys in the South.


    Normally, I would have won any of them, but I was the most popular in the individual competition, me and my grandfather in the pairs, and ''Oration'' with my grandfather and Amur in the team, with Blanca being the second most popular in all. And the tournament turned out to be just as popular. Incidentally, the next year''s tournament, I came third in the individual competition, second in the pairs competition, and did not participate in the team competition.


    This year, since I couldn''t participate in the pairs tournament, the pair of Blanca and Amur was the most popular, but they didn''t make the cut. I came in third again in the individual tournament, and the team of the southern high ranked players came in third.


    The reason why this result frightened Yoshitsune was because of the problems with Blanca''s fighting style.


    He is a martial artist and a bloodthirsty man who enjoys fighting. And on top of that, he was more than eager to show Yoshitsune a good show and put more than enough energy into the tournament.


    As a result, during the tournament, Blanca is wearing an atmosphere that could make you lose your will to fight just by facing your opponent. And it showed in the matches, which were so frustrating and one-sided that you felt sorry for the opponent. It was the same in pairs and teams.


    It was probably Branca who sold his name the most in these tournaments. In terms of spreading fear... but he still lost to me in each of the finals.


    Although it was a very close match in terms of content, if you only look at the results, it was a complete loss. After all, I''ve lost three battles.


    With that frustration in mind, I challenged him to the next tournament, where he met me in the semifinals of the individual tournament and lost. In the final of the pairs tournament, he hit me and my grandfather in the final and lost. The team didn''t play in the tournament because the rest of the team didn''t get together.


    This year, I had a chance to make it to the tournament, but I didn''t participate in it as a pair. It wasn''t because of the blanka, but because just before the qualifying round, my grandpa got a slipped hip. With only a few minutes to go in the qualifying round, my partner was not allowed to be replaced, and he had to retire. For some reason, there was a flood of complaints about this to the management, and the aftermath seemed to have reached the royal family, with my grandfather complaining to the kings, especially Ernest, about it.


    In the tournament that took place in the midst of all this, he was defeated in the semi-finals by a knight in full black armor. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with them.


    That person was Mr. Dinh, who is called the Black Lion and is said to be the strongest knight in the country. After all, he hadn''t had his blood pumping for a while, so he forced himself to compete.


    In the pairs of matches that I participated in after getting my mind back on track, Blanca and the others naturally became the most popular. Blanca was disappointed that I didn''t take part in the tournament, but she was still determined to have a chance, but the opponent that Blanca and her teammates hit in the first round of the main tournament was a bad one.


    The two opponents were a pair of guys who claimed to be a tiger mask and a masked knight... well, their identities were Hana-san and Chris-san... I had been aware of this since the qualifying round, but I had a chance to win and Blanca and Amur, who were in a buoyant mood, were caught by surprise and dared to lose. In terms of content, while Chris was holding Amur back, Hana beat Blanca and beat Amur two to one. They went straight to the final and grabbed the win.


    Then, in the team match, they hit ''Oration'' in the semi-finals and lost, which was a combination of bad luck and carelessness. If they had known the identity of their opponent in the pairs match, they might have been able to turn the tables on them...


    So what are you doing in there?


    With Blanca''s departure, the atmosphere was returning to a more harmonious one with Yoshitsune resuming her snack time, but there were two people in a not so harmonious mood. One of them was a woman who had been drinking since the high hours of the day..................I called out to Chris-san, one half of the champion of this year''s pair of matches. The other, by the way, is Amour, who is still struggling to hold back a finger that was hit by Blanca. Maybe there''s something wrong with the bones in his finger, so I''ll cast a spell on it later. Until then, I''ll let him reflect on what he deserves.


    ''There are no good ones out there! I thought I was going to be able to pull it off when I won, but I''m not getting any good stories~!


    Again....


    The reason Chris participated in this year''s tournament was, quite frankly, to find a girlfriend. In the past few years, many of his colleagues and peers have been getting married, and he is finally becoming the oldest single woman in the Order. By the way, the oldest so far is in her forties, but that woman is not counted because she has lost her husband, and there are four or five other unmarried women above Chris, but they all have lovers.


    ''Why are all the old men coming to me!��Sometimes people my age come in, but they have a bad reputation, or they''re looking for money, or they''re caregivers for their parents... they''re really not all bastards!


    ''I just don''t have a bodyguard... excuse me, you didn''t have much to be proud of in the first place.


    As I was wondering how to address her, Aina appeared quickly behind me and said something I shouldn''t have said to Chris... well, I said it on purpose.


    ''You''re just like Aina!��What''s the matter with you, you''re talking from on high!


    Rude. I''ve got more than you do.


    ''I''m not going to change!��And you don''t even have a girlfriend!


    "...phew.


    Aina snickers in response to Chris''s point. Seeing that, Chris-san has a look in his eyes as if he''s seeing something unbelievable.


    ''''Well, no way, you........


    It''s like this.


    What Aina showed me was the ring fitted on the ring finger of her left hand.


    ''''Aina........''''


    Aina showed a rare smug look on her face as Chris''s voice was lowered, but....


    ''I don''t see the idea of buying myself an engagement ring for myself, no matter how much I can''t have a girlfriend...''


    Chris was donged.


    ''Even I''m not that depraved, even if I''m a quintessential stone... Aina, you''re tired, gubey!


    Before Chris-san could finish, Aina slammed the tray in her hand into Chris-san''s face.


    ''It''s Chris-san''s fault right now, by the way, it''s true that Aina has a girlfriend. I promise not to mention her name, but I''ve met her.


    Before Mr. Chris could start his rampage, I made the first move and revealed that Aina had a girlfriend.


    ''Nah ... God''s dead ... or maybe God was a bastard too ...''


    Rather, I might have turned her into an enemy with what I just said.


    Ignoring Chris-san, who collapsed on the floor as if she was dead, and Aina, who was poking Chris-san with a victorious face, I decided to continue with my snack.


    Incidentally, Aina''s boyfriend is Din-san, who she hasn''t been able to marry because of the age difference and the position she holds. And it wasn''t only Chris who was damaged by the fact that Aina had a boyfriend, but also Aura, who listened to the conversation from a distance. And later, for some reason, Jeanne too.


    ''Thanks for the treat.


    In the midst of all this, Yoshitsune finished his snack and headed towards the stacks.


    ''Speaking of which, how long do you plan to stay this year?''


    ''Well I''m thinking of going back to the South in less than a week. I''m thinking of showing Yoshitsune some things on the way back this year, and we''ll be celebrating my sister''s victory.


    Last year and the year before last, they stayed for almost a month after the tournament, but this year, Hana-san won the tournament as a pair, so she could only stay for half of her usual stay.


    I asked him if he wouldn''t take Chris, the other half of the pair, with him, just to make sure he wouldn''t go with us, but he said it would be difficult for him to go to another noble family''s territory by himself because Chris belonged to the Kingsguard. I heard this is what Chris himself said.


    (If you''ve achieved so much, you should be able to get a girlfriend in the south...)


    In the South, where many of us have personalities that prefer talented people, it''s not surprising that the winner of the tournament is treated as an idol. Moreover, it is even more so if it is someone who works with the top of their game.


    ''''Really, Chris is out of it somehow. If you really want a girlfriend, you could go to the South now and choose one.


    Maybe she read my thoughts, but Aina is looking at Chris-san like she''s looking at an unfortunate child. Incidentally, Aura, who has received that look the most so far, is still frozen in place.


    ''''I''m back.


    As I was observing Aina and Chris, who was lying on the floor, I heard a voice from the doorway.


    ''Looks like Amy''s back. Which means the other two are with you.


    Almost at the same time as I muttered that, the door to the cafeteria was vigorously opened. It wasn''t Aimee who opened the door, but Luna, who had been following Aimee.


    ''''Luna-sama, it''s hassle-free,''''


    Aina said so, but Luna didn''t seem to mind it too much. Lately, Maria and the others were lamenting that their weirdness was beginning to resemble that of the king and Lyle-sama.


    ''''Brother, we''re hungry~''''


    Luna comes over to me at a moment''s notice and goes for the snack on the table.


    "Get dressed and go wash your hands first.


    I moved the plate of snacks away from Luna and warned Luna, and she grumbled and went to the room she was reserving for herself.


    ''Sir, I just left. Your request was successful.


    ''That''s good to hear. Go ahead and change, I''ve got a snack for you. And Tida, too.


    With that said, Amy and Tida also headed to their room.


    Aimee and Tida are receiving requests within reason, since they are old enough to register as adventurers this year, so they are receiving requests within reason. Well, aside from Amy, when Tida receives a request, someone from the Kinsmen''s Guard goes to the guild ahead of her and selects a request that is safe and the identity of the client is clear. Tida is reluctant to do so, but she is reluctant to do so because it is a condition given to her by Caesar and others when she becomes an adventurer.


    In other adventurer-related news, Jin and I have risen to S rank, Blanca to A rank, and Amur to B rank.


    Jin''s score in the past few years of competitions and his achievements as an adventurer, as well as the fact that the Sword of Dawn has reached the lowest level of Seigen''s dungeon, have been recognized, and Branca and Amur''s score in competitions and their past adventuring activities have been recognized.


    As for me, I''m currently breaking my unbeaten record in the tournament, and in addition to defeating the dragon zombies in the past, I was also recognized for defeating the Earth Dragon three years ago and the Running Dragon two years ago, as well as conquering a dungeon that had never been discovered.


    The running dragon was something I happened to encounter when I went to Nanao and defeated it alone, while the undiscovered dungeon attack was done last year when I visited Nanao again for another request and found a dungeon about ten stories underground on a mountainside a little ways away and conquered it.


    It''s a young dungeon (even so, it seems to be a few decades old) and there were no strong demons, and the boss demon (which was a humanoid golem) at the bottom level wasn''t a big deal, but because it was an undiscovered dungeon and resources such as ores were untouched, the economy of the south (especially Enao) skyrocketed! The aftermath of the event spread to the capital. And that was the deciding factor in my promotion to S-rank. It was a rather hasty promotion, but it became difficult for other adventurers to raise their ranks if they didn''t raise me to a higher rank, so every time I made some outstanding achievement, my rank went up.


    ''''Oops~''''


    The first to return was Luna, as expected. Her height is in the mid one hundred and fifty centimeters, and although she has grown in appearance (other than her breasts) in three years, she hasn''t changed much on the inside.......................or rather, I think she''s becoming more and more like the King and Lyle-sama. Maybe that''s why every time I see Maria and Isabella-sama, they even ask me if I can somehow train... or even educate them to become more ladylike. Well, every time they ask me, I tell them that I can''t, please give up, but they don''t seem to be able to give up.


    ''Luna, your mother and grandmother will be angry with you again!


    Tida returned next, and he''s grown into a handsome man who looks like a younger version of Caesar. The gap between my height and I is closing in on 170 centimeters, and it looks like I''ll be surpassed soon. It''s a good-looking guy who is popular at the school and at the nobleman''s gatherings, but he still seems to be the only one interested in Amy and doesn''t pay attention to other women (according to Luna), so it seems that the royal family, with the exception of Tida and Luna, has discussed the possibility of adopting Amy into a nobleman''s family and getting her engaged to a nobleman (according to Master Lyle). Incidentally, I heard that the two people who leaked this information to me were chastised by Tida and Maria respectively.


    Teacher, it''s a present for you.


    The last time Amy came back, she was carrying a basket of mushrooms from the forest she was headed to for her request. The last time he brought them back, they were all poisonous mushrooms, but this time they were all the decent edible kinds, so he''s learned a lot since then.


    Amy has grown a little less than six feet tall, but her breasts seem to be bigger than her age, and every now and then Tida glances at them. Luna seems to be quite jealous of her growth, and recently she has been eating a lot of dairy products and often has an upset stomach. Incidentally, she seems to be aware of Tida''s interest in her, but for the moment, she seems to feel like a good friend (according to Luna). By the way, I heard that Tida punished Luna for leaking this information to me.


    Thank you for that. Thank you, it''s still early, but I think we''ll have enough to eat. Maybe we''ll have some of this for dinner.


    As I received the mushrooms from Amy, thinking of several recipes with mushrooms, Shiroumaru and Solomon, who had reacted to the food, came to look at the contents of the basket, but seemed to decide that it wasn''t something they could eat right away, and switched their goal to snacks for Amy and the others.


    ''Temma-sama, Albert-sama and the others are here,''


    While I was helping Jeanne and Aura to sort and prepare the mushrooms, Aina came to inform me that Albert and his friends had arrived. I didn''t think they were the kind of guests to be bothered with, so I asked them to bring me straight to the dining room, and it wasn''t just the usual three idiots that appeared, but three related people behind Albert and his friends, and someone I''ve become accustomed to seeing recently.

 167-Chapter 11-2 Blonde Blonde

    Oh, Eliza.


    Almost as soon as Aimee noticed the person and called her name, the woman called Eliza also noticed Aimee and smiled. Then, after bidding me a quick hello, she immediately moved over to Amy.


    ''''I''m sorry, I apologize on behalf of Eliza...''''


    Well, it''s always been...


    I responded to Albert''s apology by saying that I didn''t mind, as I always did. In fact, my grandfather and I have been living in the country and wandering around for so long that I don''t really care much if my good-natured friends are like that. I can''t help but feel that over the past few years, I''ve become more and more aware of this because of one family....


    While me and Albert were having our usual exchange, Cain and Rion were led by Aina into the dining room to take a seat and eat tea and snacks. This was also the usual scene.


    To be honest, it''s a bother to do this exchange every time, so it would be better if Albert was just as dignified (churlishly) as the two of them, but Albert has his own reason (...) and that''s not going to happen.


    Incidentally, that ''certain reason'' is because Eliza is Albert''s fianc��e. In other words, since the actions of Eliza, who will be the next head lady of the Sanga duke house in the near future, could lead directly to the reputation of the Sanga duke house, Albert had to apologize, even if only formally. Once I asked him if it was okay for him to take it easy like the three of them (Cain + Leon + Eliza) where there were no other people''s eyes, but Albert''s answer was that he was afraid of getting used to taking it easy and poking around elsewhere, so I''d like to brace myself for the moment.


    When the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens heard this, they lightly warned him that he was too cautious and that he was in too much of a hurry, but apparently he didn''t say anything more than that. Grandpa said something like, "He probably thinks that if he''s going to make a mistake, it''s better to do it while he''s young," so maybe he really thinks that. By the way, Eliza, unlike Albert, is confident in her use of public and private life, but she doesn''t seem to be too concerned about it. In fact, when we met up with the king and Maria-sama at our house, they didn''t get ripped off, even if it was by surprise.


    ''''Amy, come on, be my sister.


    ''Well...''


    Like this, Eliza is always recruiting (...) Amy. As for why she likes Aimee so much, there was an incident about two years ago when Aimee was in the middle of shopping in the King''s Capital, she went into a back alley by mistake and was attacked by kidnappers. I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it.


    It''s a good thing that you''ve got a good idea of what you''re doing. But even so, as long as he or she is convinced, it won''t be a problem, and he or she invites Amy to join him or her every chance he gets. It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who''s tried to kidnap Amy, because she''s been beaten to a pulp by the three of them, as well as by the golems that I had on guard.


    ''Eliza, come on!��Amy''s going to be in trouble!


    Well you''re not in trouble, are you?


    ''Hahaha........''


    The solicitation has always ended with Albert giving Eliza a warning. Aimee should have clearly refused too, but since Aimee herself doesn''t dislike Eliza, and it''s fair to say that she is, on the contrary, fond of her, it was always like this.


    Here''s an introduction to Eliza, a nobleman who is the same age as Albert and the others and from the same school, and whose real name is ''Elisabeth von Schilfild''. Her family is the eldest daughter of a royalist county family.


    Despite the fact that she is always one of the best in her classes on magic at the school, she seems to have been ranked about the same as Leon in the overall rankings, and she is not happy about it. It''s not that Eliza is a failure other than in magic, but because she is so good at physical arts and the like that she overturned the school''s handicap in magic and academics (she''s a brainiac).


    It seems that originally the Silphild Count family was founded by a person skilled in wind magic, and it is said that the descendants of the Silphild family (the first head of the family) are, to varying degrees, more skilled at wind magic than other magic. I''ve been told that Eliza is not so good at wind magic, but instead is good at ''lightning magic'', which is unusual in the history of the Silphild family. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with your friends and family. And so on.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it. He is sometimes called "condescending" or "high-handed" by people who don''t know him, but he doesn''t feel that way at all, and he''s a clear-cut person who likes and dislikes things, but he''s basically a good person. By the way, he is popular among children because of his unusual hairstyle, and since Eliza herself loves children, she often goes to the orphanage that her parents run and the orphanage in the royal capital. By the way, it seems that her nickname is "Drill Big Sister" or "Gurukuru''s Big Sister".


    ''''Mostly, it would be pointless if Aimee disliked me for coming on so forcefully. There''s a more likely and uneventful way to make her a sister than that.


    What?


    Eliza shows a big reaction to Cain''s words (the part about how to make her a sister). By the way, I know that method because I''ve heard it before when Eliza wasn''t there, but it would cause a lot of trouble, so I quickly evacuated the cafeteria.


    So, do you have something to do with me, Leon? Or have you become a full-fledged male stalker?


    As I escaped from the cafeteria, Rion was sneaking after me, so he hurriedly approached me, trying to tease me about something that happened in the past. When Rion acts suspiciously like this, it''s usually when he has something to feel guilty about, so it''s very easy to understand compared to the other two.


    ''''No, I mean........take this!


    Saying that, Rion took out two letters from his pocket........


    ''What!��You two are like that...


    It''s too much, so I''m tempted to suspect that he was actually sneaking around in the shadows.


    ''I understand that there are those kinds of interests and preferences in the world, and I don''t blame you unless you are forced to get involved, but... sorry, Rion, but you''ll have to find another one.


    ''No, I don''t want that!��I''ve been told to give this to Temma for sure, and I''ve been entrusted with it!


    Told by who?��You''re not........you''re not using Tenma-kun to make some weird kind of money, are you?


    At my joke, Leon looked quite impatient and tried to forcefully hand me the letter. And Chris-san, who saw that, seems to suspect that Rion might be a delivery man who delivers letters to me. I don''t think he would normally come up with such an idea, but right now Chris-san is probably even more troubled than usual because of Aina and Eliza.


    ''I''ll take it anyway but it''s not really a strange letter, is it?��Like a love letter or something?


    Taking the letter with a reminder, I opened the seal and read the letter inside and found out why Rion was having trouble giving it to me.


    ''Rion, does Maria-sama or the king know about the contents of this?��If you didn''t know, it''s going to get pretty complicated,


    That''s all right. I have your prior approval and your word that it''s up to the Temma.


    Leon suddenly looked serious and said that he was well rooted.


    ''So what''s in the letter?''


    Chris seemed to be curious about the contents of the letter, but he didn''t take the liberty of peeking at it from the side. That''s probably because Maria and the King not only came into the story, but also because he noticed the family crest stamped on the seal on the envelope of the letter.


    The family crest on this envelope was ''The Howling Wolf'', representing Rion''s family home, the ''Howst Frontier Count family''. And since Rion, who can use the family crest, has received the letter, it''s obvious that the sender is someone from the Howst Frontier Countess other than Rion, who is able to liaise with the king and use Rion, the next head of the Howst Frontier Countess, as the messenger.


    "To put it bluntly, the Earl of the frontier Howst asks for my help.


    "Hmmm........and you''re going to take that request(s), Temma?��If Her Majesty said it was up to you, Temma, then it wasn''t a mandatory request or a nomination request, was it?


    A compulsory request is a request made in the event of a national security situation or a crisis in the town or village where the adventurer is staying. The adventurer does not have the right of refusal, with a few exceptions. It is also called "nomination request", which means that a person in power such as a nobleman uses his or her power to force an adventurer to accept a request.


    As the name suggests, nomination request means that the requestor nominates the adventurer he or she wants, but since the adventurer has the right of refusal, it is ostensibly (........) not a problem to refuse it. However, most of the time the client who asks for a nomination request is the ''proprietor of a large merchant association'' or a ''nobleman'' who has a strong influence on the adventurer''s guild, so there is a possibility of disadvantages later on. I''ve heard stories of people being treated coldly by the adventurer''s guild, or being sold defective tools and equipment... In the worst case, they were suddenly attacked by their party mates and forced to retire from adventuring. The companions who betrayed him were hired by the ''manager of a large merchant association'' or a ''nobleman'', and even if he complained to the guild, it was not a crime because he was being manipulated behind the scenes, but rather, it is said that the person who was attacked was at fault. The most important thing to remember is that these days, due to the development of the law, such things are rarely heard of, but it is said that they are still being done behind the scenes, just not in the public eye.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good deal more than you think. That''s why we have not received many nomination requests from anyone other than the royal family, and even if we have, it''s only from people close to us, such as the people in Kukri village and the Duke of Sanga. It''s a good idea to have a good memory of the royalty, so you may get some flak from your peers, but the fact that you don''t get a lot of crazy orders from people you know and trust, it''s a relief to be able to work comfortably with them.


    The request Leon brought to me was for help in defending his territory. It seems that some noblemen from the neighboring "Gilst Republic" are making moves that can be considered military action near the territory of the Howst Frontier Count, and in preparation for this, I tried to send the knights of the Howst Frontier Count to be vigilant, but unfortunately they found a swarm of demons elsewhere. Two of them at the same time.


    One seemed to be a swarm of goblins like the ones we had encountered in the south before, an estimated two thousand of them. This one is going to send the adventurers operating in the Haust Frontierland as the main force, and they plan to send a platoon (about fifty people) or a company (a few platoons, about two hundred people) of knights.


    And the second. This is the reason why the Count of the Hoost Frontier wanted me to come to his aid. Because.....


    A bunch of wyverns...


    A herd of wyverns, thought to be for breeding purposes, has settled in the mountains of the frontier county.


    It is said that the knights of the frontier county of Howst are the strongest in the kingdom, but the frontier county''s adventurers are looking out for the goblins in the Gilst Republic and sending reinforcements to the surrounding towns and villages to deal with the swarm of wyverns, but they have decided that it is impossible to deal with them. Well, if the reputation of the frontier earl''s strength is as good as the rumors say, it''s not absolutely impossible for the frontier earl''s knights to do it alone. However, instead, they would undoubtedly suffer quite a bit of damage, and if they''re not good at it, the borderline with the Gilst Republic might change. So at least the decision of the frontier count is not wrong.


    But rather than making that decision, I was more impressed that he had thought to ask me directly for help. It''s not that I''m criticizing the frontier count, but people who don''t know anything about my relationship with the frontier count think that we are on a very bad terms with each other. Of course, they''re not on good terms with each other, so I can''t say they''re completely off the mark, but at least they don''t have the same resentment and dislike as they used to. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get away with it. So.


    ''I''ll take this request. Since we are dealing with a swarm of wyverns, the reward will be bouncing for that. Also, I''ll take the request in ''Oration'', but Aura and Jeanne will be evacuated to a safe place in the middle of the request in some cases. Is that alright with you?


    ''No problem, thank you. I''m going to be able to tell my dad that you two are miscellaneous workers on the team and that you will be paid on a party basis, so there will be no problem. I''ll even work with you to get them paid individually for their accomplishments.


    For the time being, we decided on the general terms and conditions here and there, and we will negotiate the amount of remuneration directly with the frontier county. Normally, the amount of money offered would determine whether or not to accept a request, but this time, there was no way they would be unfairly priced out or not paid. Because, as the representative of the head of the family, Rion has agreed to the terms and conditions, and more importantly, he has talked to the royal family beforehand. If this is the reason why they are reluctant to pay, it would be like an act of disgrace to the royal family. A decent aristocrat would not do such a thing in the first place. It''s even more so if it''s a high ranking member of the royalist party.


    ''''I''m going to prepare now and leave right away, but what do you think about Leon?��Do you want to head out with us?


    ''''Please. I''ve sent out requests for reinforcements to those who belong to the frontier county families and to nobles who are cooperating with them, such as the dukes of Sanga and the Marquis of Samos, but I don''t think we can expect too many of them. If there are too many stones, the neighboring countries might be too cautious.


    Indeed, if he had gathered the knights of other nobles in a big way and kept them near the border, the other side might use that as an excuse to place their knights in the field with impunity. And then, for some reason, they would joyfully attack us. Regardless of which of those triggers was the cause of the attack. In that case, the side of the Haust frontier county that has the problem of goblin swarms and wyvern swarms would be at a disadvantage.


    In that case, the Gilst Republic, if it won, would carve out its territory and claim the rights to its land, and even if it lost, it could conceivably retreat while harassing the territory of the Haust frontier county as much as possible.


    I''ll leave such matters to the Count of the Howst Frontier. I''m going to have to deal with the wyvern swarm as soon as possible and stay close to the knights on the borderline just in case....


    The hard part would be left to the Earl of the Howst Frontier and the kings. Instead, the wyvern must be handled responsibly. In fact, this request is not only risky for the Earl of Houst Frontier, but also for me.


    The risk for the Count of the Howst Frontier is: ''Are you going to forget what you did to me and only use me when it''s convenient? It''s a rumor that says. No matter how much I and the Hoost frontier county side appeal to be on friendly terms, there are always people who don''t understand, or ignore it and make a lot of noise.


    In contrast, my risk is that if I fail to make this request or cause significant damage, there''s a chance that they''ll say, ''I''ve returned the favor to the Haust Frontier Count for my past. This means that even if the damage is done, there may not be a problem if the Count of the Frontier says that it is within the expected range, but it is certain that some people will make a fuss about it.


    But I''m sure some of them will be upset about it.


    He told everyone the report that he had decided to take the request from the Haust frontier county, and as soon as he told them what it was and the risks involved, they realized how much Grandpa was going to get.


    ''Right. First of all, fame. I guess this will be called forgetting the past and standing up to the wyvern crowd to help the Howst Frontier Count territory.......or something like that. Also, the fact that the Earl of the Hoost frontier spoke to the king first and then asked me for help was a big deal. Thanks to that, I don''t get a lot of direct requests for appointment from strange places from now on. To be honest, money isn''t a problem, so for now, the adventurer''s family business is just a hobby, so there''s no problem for me to take only the requests that I like. Well, I suppose I''ll have to take some unenthusiastic requests so that my qualifications won''t be revoked, but.......


    The reward from the Countess of the Frontier is significant, but the materials from the wyvern are even more so.


    I guess I''ll have to give a percentage of it to the frontier county family, but I''ll still be able to claim the rights to most of the material... well, it''s a take-it-or-leave-it scheme for now, but with me and Grandpa and Slarin and the others, not being able to take down a single wyvern means I''m not going to be able to take down a single one. There will be none.


    I''m here too, so it''s okay!


    Amur also seems to be on board. As for Amur, there was talk of him returning to the south, so I thought I would exclude him from this request, but he seems to be eager to follow me.


    But Temma-kun, when you''re dealing with a group of wyverns, isn''t there not enough people to go around?


    To Chris''s question, I counted the number of people on my fingers, but we certainly didn''t have enough people at all, considering we were dealing with a bunch of wyverns. The participants so far are........


    "Eight from ''Oration'' (excluding Jill and Gol to Raiden), of which Jeanne and Aura are out of strength.


    A thousand golems would be enough. As I was saying that to everyone, Chris-san, who was thinking back to my words, said, "Wait a minute! I shouted.


    ''Why am I in the count?��You won''t get enough time off to accompany me on that request, as it were. And there''s no way the captain would allow it in the first place.


    It says, ''Whoever you are, I don''t care who you are.''


    Mr. Chris snatched the letter from me and read it over and over again, and even looked at the signature on the letter to confirm it from various angles.


    ''Come to think of it, I had a letter from the Captain of the Konoe Guard addressed to Miss.


    When Leon took out a letter from his pocket as he just remembered and tried to give it to Chris-san, he was robbed by Chris-san when he put the letter out. Then Chris-san read the letter....


    This doesn''t mean he was picking me from the beginning!


    In the letter to me, it was written, ''Whoever you are,'' but in the letter to Chris, it was written, ''Go help an adventurer who is going to the Haust frontier county territory. Well, there''s basically only one person in the busy Konoe Guard who fits the category of ''someone who is likely to be in my immediate vicinity and who is also currently ''bored'','' so it was probably decided from the beginning when this story came up that Chris-san would be chosen.


    ''Let''s just go with it for now. At worst, if we unleash the ''Tempest'', we''ll be able to take out a bunch of wyverns... well, the surroundings might be decimated as well.


    Grandpa and Chris seemed to have understood the meaning of the lines he had muttered so that Leon wouldn''t hear them, and they looked at Leon with a pitying look. Incidentally, neither of them have seen the Tempest directly, but they have seen the site where it was used and heard from the people in Kukri village, and they know its power. Incidentally, the two of them saw the site when Grandpa looked for me right after the incident, and Chris was ordered by the king to investigate the dragon zombies and me. Both of them thought it was a dragon zombie at first, but later they decided it was my magic after listening to the witnesses.


    ''''Anyway, the sooner we get to the frontier county territory, the better, so I think we''ll make our preparations today and tomorrow, and leave the royal capital the day after tomorrow. According to Rion, it usually takes a month to get there, so we''re aiming for half that time, two weeks. It''s conceivable that we''ll start defeating the wyvern swarm right after we arrive, so don''t neglect your respective preparations. Aina will ask you to manage the mansion while you are away. I''ll tell Uncle Mark and the others to take care of Joubert, Merry and the others, so you can leave that to them. Then we''ll disperse!


    Well, in the case of Oration, when preparing for an adventure, all you have to do is put everything you think you need into a magic bag or a dimension bag, so according to the djinn (other adventurers), they envied the way you don''t think about the weight. It''s a privilege for those who can make their own magic bags and dimension bags.

 168-Chapter 11-3 The journey

    ''After experiencing this carriage, it''s going to be tough to go back to travelling in a normal carriage like we''ve been doing.


    Albert and Leon nodded silently at Cain''s statement. Chris said the same thing a while ago, so I still think Raiden and the Dimension Bag (Dimension Box?) The carriage that has been turned into a carriage is probably a foul combination.


    ''''Even so, Miss,'''' he said, ''''the girls are using the carriage, you guys should sleep outside,'''' even though the owner, Tenma, is over here. And how could you call yourself a ''girl'' at that age?


    Leon confirmed that Chris-san wasn''t there and complained about it as if to get rid of his daily resentment. It''s not that I don''t think about the carriage, but if hostile forces find out that Albert and Cain, who are engaged to be married, slept in the space with an unmarried woman (Chris-san), it''s hard to know what they''ll say (Jeanne and Aura are slaves, so at worst, they can cheat by saying it was a one-night stand. (Possible). That''s why Albert and Cain both quietly followed Chris-san''s instructions and chose to sleep outside quietly. Well, Rion, who doesn''t have a fianc��e, wouldn''t have a problem with it, but Chris-san wouldn''t like it, so Albert and Rion are thought to have taken Chris-san''s advice without saying a word. I guess you could say I was flattered.


    And I don''t think I have the same problem as Rion. However, Jeanne and Aura have slept in the same space under similar circumstances before, but I was hesitant to sleep in the same place as Chris-san. Because Chris-san has been giving off a dangerous vibe at times lately...


    They say you don''t go near a man when he''s in danger.


    I don''t know if I can call Rion ''Kimiko,'' though.


    No, he won''t.


    In response to my words, Albert and Cain show cooperation as if they were having a meeting. It''s not like Leon didn''t understand the meaning of "kunshi", but he seemed to understand that he was being ridiculed and was going to complain, but Cain said, "Do you understand the meaning of kunshi? He stood up and started squatting with his back to us. Probably trying to cover up somehow, he stood up, but couldn''t think of a good way to cover up, so he started squatting anyway.


    ''Temma, what''s your plan for the rest of your career?''


    ''We''re going to go through as many villages and towns after this as we can. We''ll be gathering information on the Wyvern as we go, seeing which villages and towns are on the front lines of Wyvern damage.


    We went straight to the first information we were given, because if the wyvern herd was moving from that location, the damage would be much greater. Therefore, I decided that it would be best to go there while gathering fresh information, although my movement speed would be a bit slower. You will be able to see the wyvern in the range of my search for now, but if you decide on a general direction to move based on the information you have gathered, you will eventually catch a group of wyvern, and if you go straight to the place where the group of wyvern is caught in your search, you will not miss the group by mistake. There won''t be.


    ''''It''s just that there''s a chance that the wyvern herd is moving farther than expected, though, so we might have to run from one end of the frontier county territory to the other then.


    In that case, our burden will increase substantially. Moreover, since there''s a chance that we''ll start defeating the wyvern swarms right after we''ve searched and found them, it''s a strategy that would normally be tantamount to suicide.


    However, even in that case, there is an easy way to lower the difficulty level....


    Well, Leon, in that case, you''re in charge.


    ''''That''s right. When I''ve ranked the people who are most likely to be useful this time, I''ll count from the bottom and you''re the one with the most physical strength among them. Besides, this request is from the frontier county family and this is the territory you will manage in the future. In other words, there''s no one more qualified than you!


    It''s a way to reduce other attrition by increasing the burden on one person. It''s simple, easy to do and has a high success rate.


    Cain and Albert, who came up with this idea, immediately sold their fellow Three Idiots Trio member, Leon. Incidentally, Albert''s rank order at this time was me and my grandfather at the top, followed by Slarin'' and the others, and then Chris and Amour, followed by the three idiots, Jeanne and Aura. However, I said at the beginning that I didn''t count Jeanne and Aura in the pure strength of the team, and because it''s unfair to force a girl to do something like that, they decided that the bottom spot would be the three idiots, and they came to the conclusion that Rion, who has the most physical strength (and brains) among them, was the best candidate.


    Rion tried to argue that that was a violent argument, but the two of them said, "Since it''s a matter for the Frontier Count family to begin with, it''s only natural that their successor, Rion, should have a tough time of it! He was about to be rounded up when he said in a voice.


    ''No, in that case, I''m going to ask the duo of Slarin and Ryden to do it. Raiden would follow Slarin''s instructions, and since Slarin doesn''t have a lot of effective ways to deal with flying opponents, he''ll inevitably be treated as a reserve force. That, and if Slarin goes to the rear, we won''t have to think about evacuating Jeanne and Aura.


    If the situation arises, the two of you can hide in the dimension bag inside Slarin''s body, and if anyone is injured, we can use it as a refuge.


    It would be better for me and Tenma to join you and not leave Slarin to his own devices, so that the three of us can take over at any time. It''s not a good idea to have a carriage that you can''t see running around, as that might give people who see you a false impression.


    Good job, Grandpa.


    ""Dear Merlin, thank you for making your rounds!"


    Grandpa, who had just returned from patrolling the perimeter, pointed out the shortcomings of the strategy and suggested improvements.


    Certainly, Grandpa was right, if a carriage that looked like it wasn''t being controlled by a person was blasting away, people might make a fuss about it being a new kind of monster. If the person who witnessed it was someone who wanted to get close enough to confirm his or her identity, he or she could get out of the carriage and explain, but such a person would be extremely rare. Most witnesses would not be afraid to approach such an unknown carriage and would run to the nearest village or town to deliver the information to the Adventurer''s Guild or Order. Then, depending on how the information spread, it might take a long time to clear up the misunderstanding.


    He adopted his grandfather''s idea as it was, and received a report of a patrol of the surroundings, but as far as he could see, there were no likely enemies, nor were there any signs or traces of them.


    ''''I''ve had Shiroumaru mark a few places, so I don''t think the demons will approach so easily.''''


    With that, Grandpa moved a little further away from us and laid down to take a nap.


    ''Well then, it''s your turn to make your next rounds, three of you. I''m going to bed too, so you can wake me up when it''s time to get out of trouble or when it''s time to go.


    I asked the three of them to follow me and I decided to sleep near my grandfather. Incidentally, Shiroumaru, who had returned with Grandpa, had chirped his way into the carriage and was getting a snack from Chris.


    The night watch on this trip was basically designed to take more of the men''s load, and the women would be in charge of the first or second, or near dawn at the end of the day''s encampment. This is partly because the three idiots (especially Rion) were defeated by Chris''s silent pressure, and partly because my grandpa and I accepted his plea (we almost got down on our knees because of our skin, etc.).


    That was one of the reasons why the women occupied the carriage, but no one except Rion complained about it. The reason is that Chris-san at that time had the power to make you even feel fear in a way. Instead, I gave Chris-san a certain condition (........) and made him drink it. That is.........


    Jeez...


    It''s Amur''s management that is looking for an opening here. At first, Amur said he was going to sleep outside, just like me, but I asked Chris to persuade him. Well, even so, he is still looking for an opening, so he doesn''t seem to have convinced me wholeheartedly, but.......seeing as Chris-san just pulled him into the carriage, he wouldn''t take a hard-line approach, even to the displeasure of me and Chris-san.


    The absence of Blanca (I prioritized sending Sana and Yoshitsune to the south) left me with some trepidation, but then the sun rose with no problems and we were able to leave the encampment as planned.


    ''Well, it looks like the Wyvern is less damaged than I thought.


    Three days had passed since the three of us had talked about our plans, and we made our way through five or so villages and towns to our destination, but contrary to my expectations, the wyvern herd hadn''t moved much since our first sighting.


    Maybe they had enough food for a while that they didn''t have to move, or maybe they''re just very comfortable.


    Cain, sitting in the guru''s seat beside me, responded to my mutterings with an easy-going look. That idea is certainly possible, but it''s been more than two weeks since the first report, so it''s hard to imagine that there was enough food in that place to keep the wyvern herd from moving during that time.


    Well, I guess we''ll find out tomorrow...well, I guess we''re about to find out where we''re going to camp today.


    ''I guess so. Tomorrow is the big day, and I need to rest and regain my wits today.


    The place where the wyvern herd is, there is no better place to hide than I thought, and it will be difficult to evacuate Jeanne and Aura as we had originally planned, so we decided to take them there as is. The plan for this was thought out yesterday. To put it simply, Slarin and Raiden will be assigned to two guards, and when they get close to a group of wyverns, they will be asked to leave the area.


    It doesn''t necessarily mean that they won''t be attacked by the wyvern when they move away, but I''ll let them have more than one golem in addition to Slarin and Raiden, and most importantly, the two of them have a Scorpion-type golem in their possession. The Scorpion-type golem is currently the best performer among the golems I''ve made in terms of speed, power, and robustness, so although it has difficulties with air attacks, it''s not a problem in terms of strength. If it comes down to it, all it takes is for me or my grandfather to go to them.


    I''m sure the three of them would like to stay away from Jeanne and the others, but I also received a reminder that they are responsible for their own safety, and I''ve given each of them about a hundred golems, so I don''t think it will be so dangerous.


    ''I''m sorry you''re following me after all this time. If it was just ''Oration'', you could have handled a bunch of wyverns.


    Well.


    The reason why the three of them went with us this time was not to help defeat the wyvern''s herd, but rather for the purpose of ''a royalist nobleman joining in the defeat of the wyvern''s herd''. It was also meant to be a foil for the three people who would have to support Tida in the future. Well, even if you just follow along with this request, you can claim that you ''joined in the defeat of the wyvern''s herd'', but the three of them didn''t want to be told by the reformers that they were just following along, so they wanted to at least get a shot in the arm, so they made a memorandum of understanding (in case something happened, the protest from the reformers, not the protest from the three of their parents'' households, was


    ''''Well, it only increased the difficulty level a little.


    ''It''s usually unthinkable to say that the difficulty level has only gone up a little bit even though three more people have been added to the baggage. Well, we (the baggage) are grateful for that.


    And, listening to Cain''s self-deprecation, we arrived at the potential encampment for today and made sure there were no problems around us before we began to encamp.

 169-Chapter 11-4 Wyvern Discovery

    That''s the target wyvern herd...


    Temma, I think this is the only place to keep Jeanne and the others in reserve.


    ''Yes. If I get any closer, I''m going to get distracted, and more importantly, there doesn''t seem to be anywhere to hide.


    I decided to take Grandpa''s suggestion and make a hiding place where Jeanne and Aura can hide and be safe.


    We are currently in the middle of our final rest and strategy meeting in the forest about a kilometer away from the rocky mountain where the wyvern swarm is flying.


    "I''m going to use some magic, so be on the lookout for the wyvern.


    I told my grandpa and the others, and then I worked my magic in a slightly open area in the forest where I was now.


    The first thing I did was to dig a hole big enough to fit a few people in. The depth is roughly three meters, and the walls of the hole we dug were solidified and a few air holes were extended a little further away.


    The next step was to build the roof, which was covered with an earthen wall (about the same strength as a stone wall) designed to look like a lid, and then lightly hardened with a layer of earth.


    Finally, the air hole was made in the opposite direction to that of the wyvern, and the doorway was covered with a cover made of hardened earth. It looks a bit like a hill, and you can tell at first glance that someone has made it, but few people would realize that there is a space underneath it for people to hide.


    ''I''m going to have you two wait in here, but I don''t want you to use the fire inside, but basically wait in the slarin'' I think the only time we''ll spend in the hole will be if something unexpected happens and Slarin has to go outside. It''s unlikely that the wyvern will notice this hole and try to break it, but if anything happens, run away from the entrance and get the scorpion shaped golem out as soon as possible to get as far away from it as possible.


    A wyvern that has escaped this way might notice this hole and attack it, but then someone else, minus the three idiots, will just have to run to it. Amur and Chris might take a bit of time, so we''d basically have to ask them to stay with the three idiots, but the rest of the team (me, Grandpa, Shiroumaru, and Solomon) would be able to run to them in no time. And if it is the one that ran away after being attacked by us, I don''t think it will do anything to stay where it can be seen, or it might just pretend to chase us and run away somewhere else.


    Well, it''s a hassle to find them afterwards if they escape, so if they try to escape, I''m going to snipe them with magic without thinking about the material.


    Basically, the plan we decided on is for me and grandpa to use our magic to attack the wyvern flying through the air, while Shiroumaru will be the first to attack the individuals that fall or land on the ground (Shiroumaru''s strategy at this time is to aim for a quick breakaway, aiming for a critical point rather than defeating it, so that he can deal with multiple wyverns. ), while Amur and Chris-san escorted the three idiots, the five of us decided to concentrate on attacking the closest individual of the wyvern that Shiroumaru attacked.


    The first goal is to eradicate the wyvern''s herd, the second is to not cause any deaths or serious injuries... especially the three of them. The only thing left to do is to avoid causing as much damage to the surroundings as possible?


    That last one can only be done by Mr. Temma or Lady Merlin, so it''s not our business.


    When Chris-san said that, the faces except for me and Grandpa nodded. Indeed, if we wanted to cause damage to the surroundings, we would have to use magic that was quite powerful, so it wouldn''t matter to Chris-san, who could only use (or not use) basic magic.


    ''''Well then, now that we''ve confirmed it, shall we go and hand over the reins to the wyvern crowd?��Jeanne and the others will go inside Slarin and stay in the hole, and Raiden will stay outside the hole and be on the lookout for anything approaching.


    They all nodded at my words and went into their respective weapons or into the hole. Among them, Raiden was the only one who stood tall and didn''t move even slightly. If you want to express it in golem-like terms, it would be in a pause, and if you want to say it in biological terms, it would be in sleep.


    ''I guess we have to walk a bit from here it''s a bit of a pain in the ass.


    ''Well, that can''t be helped. If we were to travel in a carriage and get attacked on the way there, it would take us a long time to get into position.


    ''Just think of it as a preparation exercise. Leon has all the energy in the world for nothing.


    "You guys need to keep your mouths shut and your ears open!��The wyvern doesn''t always come from just the front!


    Chris admonished in a different voice than usual at the usual shouting match between the three idiots. It''s true that we''re currently heading towards it while containing the entire wyvern herd, but there''s no guarantee that there won''t be individuals who will suddenly try to join the herd from a different direction. Well, as long as I''m using ''search'', the chances of being caught by surprise from the wyvern are pretty low, but it''s impossible to say that there aren''t individuals with ''concealment'' among the wyvern, so there''s no better way to proceed while being cautious of your surroundings.


    ''''Ussu!''''


    Yes!


    Yes!


    After hearing the three of them reply, Chris nodded with satisfaction. Of the three of them, Cain still seems to be joking around if he just heard the reply, but it''s clear from his expression that he''s deliberately trying to act as usual in an attempt to relieve his own tension.


    ''Temma, I think a few of them have noticed us.


    That''s right. They haven''t made any move towards us yet, but there are a few of them flying around, looking at us and I''m sure all the wyverns will be aware of us. Be careful, everyone.


    Amur and Grandpa noticed the change in the wyvern flying through the air and told everyone (especially the three of them) to brace themselves in the form of a report to me.


    ''Just around the halfway mark ... if we''re going to fight, it''s easier to do it around here.


    The area where we are now is a plain, and if we continue on for another hundred meters, the ground will be hard with rocks exposed here and there. If we''re going to move around, the hard ground is better, but I didn''t want to have the disadvantage of having to pay more attention to the rocks and stones lying under my feet.


    ''''Shall we try to provoke them by launching some light magic into the crowd?''''


    Grandpa wanted to fight here if possible, and he was the first to agree with my proposal. The other members agreed, as if me and grandpa would say so, and they readied their weapons to respond at any time.


    ''''Hoho!''''


    I fired a fireball into the center of the wyvern crowd. This fireball is only powerful enough to not do much damage even if it hits a wyvern, but it seemed to be enough to provoke it, and all of the wyverns were heading towards us as if they were being fished by the angry wyverns that were hit by the fireball.


    ''One, two, three....................Twenty-five in all?��Surprisingly, you''re here.


    Yes..........normally this would be a scene of desperate flight, but with Tenma here, I don''t think we''re going to lose at all.


    Hm!��I''ll do my best!


    No, I want to get out of here but if you''re in danger, you''ll make sure you get out of there, Mr. Temma!


    ''Ha!��There''s a lizard coming at me to get me!��They''re idiots!


    What do you really think?


    I want to get out of here now!


    Yeah.


    This is how the battle began, and the situation was always in our favor.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a few of them, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a few of them. There were a few that escaped the spell of my grandfather and I, but as soon as I saw that, I jumped up into the air and cut off the heads of the wyverns. This allowed me to get a skin coating of wyvern for a few of them that were in good condition.


    Some of the wyverns that fell to the ground suffered broken necks or concussions from the impact of the fall and were unable to move. Those that were able to move immediately flapped their wings in an attempt to jump up, but due to large holes in their membranes and their wings being cut off, they were unable to jump up, leaving them almost unprotected from Shiroumaru''s attacks.


    Shiroumaru had focused his attacks on the relatively soft neck area, so some of the wyverns'' heads fell off from Shiroumaru''s blows, and those that didn''t received what could be called fatal wounds.


    Amur struck the heads of the individuals that Shiroumaru had shot off with his weapon, smashing them, and slaughtering them one by one without fail.


    Chris kept an eye out for the three of them as he thrust his sword into the wyvern''s neck, and the three of them worked together to take on the wyvern.


    Solomon attacked the wyvern from above as it tried to attack the three of them, and then bent down and bit its head off.


    Grandpa followed up on the whole thing and alerted the surrounding area after the first magic, making sure that the rest of the team was out of danger except me.


    I watched everyone and collected the out-of-breath wyvern into my magic bag.


    ''Oh shit, I''m dying.''


    I can''t take another step.


    "I''m sure I''ll suffer from muscle pain tomorrow...


    You three are such sluts.


    Even Chris is smiling at his knees.


    The three of them fell to the ground together the moment they put a stop to the last wyvern, probably because they were released from extreme tension. Chris is looking at the three of them and saying harsh things, but just like Amour said, his knees are laughing, and if the three of them weren''t here, he would have been the first to sit down on the ground or lie down.


    Naturally, Amour is tired, but not as tired as the three of you or Chris, and although he is breathing hard, he seems to have plenty of energy to spare.


    I''m tired even though I''ve been enjoying myself the most, so I don''t blame you for being tired. I can''t wait to take a bath and relax.


    Grandpa said that and followed the three of us, but it would be different to say that I was having the most fun since I was actually moving more than the three of them. And if anything, I was probably the one who was having the most fun.


    ''Hmmm... but Temma used her magic first and took out the wyvern the fastest, so I guess it wasn''t easy.


    ''''Right. If you just look at the numbers, Temma-kun has beaten a fifth of all of them, and it''s not so much that he was enjoying himself as that he was conserving his strength so that he could move if something happened.


    I was a little embarrassed when Amour and Chris followed up with me, but fortunately I only had to be seen by my grandpa. Well, because of that grandpa''s grin, he seemed to sense that something was wrong with Albert and the others, but I was too tired to move, so I was able to cover it up.


    ''Well then, let''s go get Jeanne and the others... or rather, can the three of you move?''


    I can''t...


    I''m sorry, I can''t move.


    ''I''m sorry, I can''t take a step and I don''t want to move...''


    So I had no choice but to go and pick up Jeanne and the others on my own. Everyone else can meet up with Jeanne and the others and then pick them up in Raiden''s carriage, or maybe we can camp early today in the forest where Jeanne and the others are.


    With that in mind, we headed to the forest where we left Jeanne and the others....


    What the hell happened to...


    What I saw was a hideout that had become the site of a tragedy. Around the hill where Jeanne and the others hid, blood and flesh were splattered everywhere, and the smell of blood and organs filled the air, making me reflexively hold my nose.


    In the midst of such a tragic scene, what caught my attention most was Raiden, who was standing comfortably even though he was covered in blood.


    ''''.........So Jeanne and the others are safe!


    Distracted by the scene in front of me, I suddenly remembered Jeanne and the others and was about to rush to the entrance of the hideout, but before I could, Slarin crawled out of the air hole.


    ''Slarin, are you two safe?''


    As if to answer my question, Slarin opened his mouth wide and made a doorway. The two people who emerged from inside the building did not seem to be injured, but they looked pale, as if they weren''t feeling well.


    ''''So, what happened?''''


    Actually, after Tenma and her friends disappeared, a pack of orcs showed up here," he said, "and I don''t know why, but the orcs seemed to notice me and Aura and tried to dig in the dirt. And I don''t know why, but the orcs seemed to have noticed me and Aura and tried to dig in the dirt. So we got into a fight with Raiden...


    ''That''s why there''s so much blood and flesh splattered about...''


    Perhaps the orc had noticed the scent of Jeanne and Aura. If this was a goblin, he wouldn''t have noticed it, but orcs are quite nosy, much like pigs. It would be even more so if it was the scent of a woman.


    ''''Temma-sama, it seems that it wasn''t just orcs that showed up here, but ogres too.


    According to Aura''s explanation, a little while after the first conflict between Raiden and the orc swarm, they heard the footsteps and voices of two demons that seemed to be ogres this time (as for the voices, they resembled Gulliver, and from that, the two judged them to be ogres).


    ''So this is how much they''re trolling us...''


    If it was just a pack of orcs, Raiden would have defeated them more easily, but when two additional ogres were added, it seems that the damage around them was inevitable. Most likely, since it was unlikely that orcs and ogres would be fighting together, it would actually be a three-way brawl, with Raiden taking on a pack of orcs and two ogres at the same time.


    He didn''t need Slarin to be in that fight. Apparently, Slarin went out once to check on them, but he let them out of the hole for a bit, and they were sickened by the smell of blood and guts they smelled in that little while. Probably the smell of blood and guts was stuck in the hole.


    ''Then I guess we can''t spend the day here.


    When I told them that we were going to take a break here today, they objected in unison.


    ''Well, the smell of this place might attract other demons to show up. Then you two will go to Raiden to pick everyone up. Me and Slarin shall clean up the place a bit.


    If we leave it alone like this, it might cause a plague or a swarm of undead. Besides, if you''ve reduced them to mincemeat (since the main attack methods Raiden uses are stomping, body slamming and magic attacks... and magic attacks include body slamming while their bodies are covered in lightning), you can''t get materials such as meat, but you can get the magic nucleus. So we''re going to secure it as we clean it up.


    ''Can we just bury the trash in the hole and cover the perimeter with soil that was heaped on top of the lid at the end?


    We only need to put the rough meat and bones into the hole, as the bugs and other things should decompose any pieces of meat and blood that become too small.


    I had the golem help me with the work, so I could finish it almost as soon as everyone arrived. Everyone (especially the three idiots) had heard from Jeanne and Aura that they couldn''t rest in this place anymore, and they wanted to head to another potential location right away. According to Rion, a small village exists a few hours'' walk from here, and Raiden would not take more than two hours, so they all unanimously decided to go to that village.


    ''''Hmmm.......we''ve finally arrived. It''s a good thing we got there before it got totally dark. My whole body is buzzing.


    Chris, who is next to me, is looking at the village and stretching and relaxing his body. I heard that the operator''s seat, which has the highest vibration after the battle, was really tough and his body became stiff.


    We were able to take turns riding in the driver''s seat from that forest to this village, but the three idiots didn''t have the energy to sit in the driver''s seat, so the first half of the ride was Amur and Grandpa, and the second half was me and Chris, so we held Raiden''s gag. Incidentally, Jeanne and Aura were also exposed to the smell, so we decided it was not safe for them to sit on the coach, and let them stay in the carriage to take care of the three of us. The three of them are still down in the carriage.


    Chris-san, let''s go and explain the situation to the people in the village first. It would be better for Leon and the others to go there, but it''s impossible for them to do so with their condition.


    Since the three of them are unusable, it would be better for Chris-san (Kingsguard), whose official status is the second highest of the three, and me, who has been made the leader of this group, to go explain. Incidentally, the official status of this group is: Albert, a legitimate son of a duke, Leon, a legitimate son of a frontier count, Cain, a legitimate son of a marquis, Chris-san, a Kingsguard, Amur, a Viscountess, Grandpa, a wise man and former nobleman, me, a commoner and adventurer, Jeanne, a slave, and Aura, a slave, the former Viscountess. It would be. As a side note, if Jeanne is freed from slavery, if someone who doesn''t know anything about it hears it, it might be that Jeanne, the ''former Viscountess'', has a higher status than me. That''s how humble my official title is.


    Sure enough, when I was led to the village chief by the villagers, I was treated as a bonus by Chris-san throughout. Some villagers even stared at me and Chris, who looks beautiful, but they thought they were staring at me so that I wouldn''t be noticed, but Chris and I could see that it was obvious. In fact, it was more difficult to pretend not to notice.


    The way I was treated, however, changed drastically after Rion''s arrival. I had told the village chief that I wasn''t feeling well, but Leon suggested that it would be better to greet him in person, so I went to greet him before it got completely dark. That''s when Rion introduced me in detail, and my identity quickly spread throughout the village, thanks to the surprised village chief and the villagers who had been eavesdropping on me from behind the scenes. It''s a good idea to have a strategy to spread the word that he''s a close friend of mine, as he''s been known to have had a falling out with me in the past, but the chiefs seemed to think it was a warning for treating me lightly. The villagers who were staring at me, by the way, did not appear in front of me or even in my sight until we left the village. When I expanded the scope of my "search" to investigate, I found a group of people camped out at a distance from the village, so I assume they evacuated as soon as they found out who I was.


    Chris, who was the only one other than me who knew how to treat me in this matter, noticed that there was no sign of the villagers who had been staring at me anywhere and realized why, and seemed to be enjoying himself until he left the village. When Rion saw that, he asked, "Was there a good man in the village? He asked, and was stared at as usual.

 170-Chapter 11-4.5 What is a souvenir?

    ''Uncle, do you think a wyvern is good?''


    ''What, all of a sudden...?'' ''Oh, by the way, Temma''s on a wyvern hunt!


    To be precise, it''s the defeat of the wyvern''s flock, but for Temma and the others, it would be like dealing with a winged lizard. Temma and Merlin-sama may be grazed, but they won''t be badly injured, and Amur, who is the second most talented person in the group, will be fine. Chris might be a bit dangerous, but even so, he''s one of the most talented people in the Konoe Guard. I don''t think he''ll die. The question is those three (.........) or.....


    And is it good?


    Hmm?��Oh, the wyvern is good. I''ve had it a few times, and it was a fine piece of meat, cooked or grilled.


    When I taught Luna to remember the taste of the wyvern meat I used to eat, I took out a paper and pen from my pocket for some reason and started writing it down.


    ''Boiling is ... a stew?��It''s a hamburger to grill, and maybe some other fried food...


    Apparently, I''m trying to think of a wyvern dish to prompt Temma. My dear niece, your greed is on its own.


    Anyway, Luna is steadily being fed by Tenma... we''ll have to figure out a way to get her to marry Tenma, or at least keep her away from him.


    I''ll talk to my mother and the others about Luna in the near future, but for now, it''s important that the three of them are safe. I don''t think anything will happen to them as long as Tenma and Merlin are around, but if they were to be attacked if Tenma and Merlin are pinned down, the three of them would have no hope of surviving. If they die or become incapacitated, aside from the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens, who have unregistered (unmarried) children under their roof, I don''t know what will happen to the Countess of Hoost''s frontier family........we''ll have to adopt from our relatives. I suppose, but it''s possible that the adopted son is not a royalist, and the disruption caused by the heir''s inability to re-establish himself might reduce his power significantly.


    ''What would your uncle like to eat?''


    Me?��I''m a thick steak that''s been grilled with a sprinkle of salt. Good meat tastes better when you don''t mess with it.


    The simpler the dish, the more you can taste the meat, and most of all, you can''t get enough of the blood dripping down your cheeks and drinking with the oil and gravy still in your mouth.


    ''My uncle has a simple tongue. I''m a gourmet, so I can''t be satisfied with just grilled meat...''''


    Hey! Hey!


    My uncle hit me!


    He doesn''t seem to be seriously making fun of me, but I just dropped a single Genkotsu on his head for the time being. I think I relaxed quite a bit, and Luna doesn''t seem to be seriously in pain for the volume of her voice, so it''s probably the usual goofiness.


    ''In the first place, it wasn''t like Temma had decided to treat me to some wyvern meat, was it?��It''s not like we''ve made any promises.


    The discussion of defeating the wyvern was decided rather suddenly, so even if they did, it would only be a short-lived verbal agreement. Perhaps, it was so busy that I might have forgotten about it.


    ''''Eh?��How could my brother forget a souvenir?��Even if I forgot, I''m sure we''ll have some wyvern meat reserved for ourselves, and they''ll make it for us if we ask. If I can''t do it on my own, I''ll ask Amy to ask her to do it with me, and if that doesn''t work, then Granny can ask her and we''ll have a shot!


    No, you''re probably right, but you can''t count on anyone else to be the first to do so. It''s especially foul to bring out your mother, and the moment you talk about it, she''ll start lecturing you about it. The moment you talk about it, your mother will start lecturing you.


    But still, Temma has a soft spot for Amy and your mother, as much as Luna can count on it...and Luna. Aimee is her own apprentice, so I understand, but Luna and her mother make me wonder sometimes... not that Tenma doesn''t seem to be a pedophile or a mature woman lover....


    ''Ah!��My uncle is thinking the wrong thing!��I''ll have to report to my grandmother!


    Wait a minute!��I''m not even thinking about that!��I just thought Temma had a soft spot for you and your mother!


    He grabbed Luna''s back collar as she was about to run off and spoke quickly, telling her what he was thinking. Well, I didn''t tell her everything.


    ''Eh~ I wonder if it''s true~ Well, okay. Uncle, I heard that your brother has a soft spot for me, but that''s not surprising!


    I grabbed her by the back collar and Luna, who was hanging in the air, puffed out her chest.


    ''''There is no brother who doesn''t take care of such a pretty little sister!��Ah!��That''s excluding my own brother.


    Whether Luna is a cute (...) sister to Tenma is somewhere else, but she''s certainly right to be treated as a sister. Tenma was adopted and an only child, and apparently there were no children in Kukri village who were close to her age, and even after she became an adventurer and went out, she rarely had anything to do with younger people, so perhaps Amy, Luna and Tida were one of the few younger people she was close to. Among them, Luna is the one who spoils her without reservation, and that''s probably why she considers herself a handful of younger sisters.


    Then again, that would be mother....


    ''As for your grandmother it''s not because she''s afraid?��He''s all kinds of strict and nagging.


    Oh, I see.


    This is another compelling story. Temma witnessed him beating up your father right after he met your mother, so it''s not surprising that somewhere in his mind, he was instilled with fear!


    ''Well, I guess I''ll have to do it then!''


    Yeah, yeah, I can''t help it!


    ''Well, it can''t be helped...''


    The moment we heard the voice of a third party who suddenly broke in, time stopped for me and Luna. Usually that expression is used as a metaphor, but at this time I really felt my heart (time) stop.


    Slowly, we both turned our heads in the direction of the voice, and the person I had imagined was there, just as I had imagined. In addition, behind them, your father and all of his relatives were looking at us with a dumbfounded look.


    I''ve been looking for a tea party after a long time because I got some delicious snacks, but what you guys need is more of a sermon than a tea party......don''t worry, no matter how strict I am. I''ll let you go before breakfast (...) starts.


    Your mother says that with a smile on her face, but I''m sure she''s not going to preach for nearly half a day until breakfast starts!��It''s not even nightfall yet!


    No, I''ve got some work to do...


    It''s all right. Your men are good. Your absence for a day won''t disrupt the military.


    Oh, man, my half day might have been extended to a day.


    ''Grandmother, no!��That''s not what I meant to say!��I''m going to warn you that my uncle was thinking about something nasty with me, my grandmother and my brother, so I''m going to warn my grandmother that she''ll be mad if she hears it...


    ''What does that have to do with me being scared, strict, and nagging?


    After that, your mother''s sermon continued until the next day before breakfast. They asked me about the meaning of the "dirty things" that Luna tended to do, and as a result of my honesty, I got some understanding and succeeded in shortening the day that was originally planned. However, the shortened day was made up for by an additional lecture about his usual attitude and behavior.


    I was somewhat disappointed to see Luna, who was dozing off beside me, being lectured to, even though I thought it was unreasonable.

 171-Chapter 11-5 What is your name? (very loud laugh)

    We''re supposed to be working together at the border after this but what''s the situation now?


    After defeating the Wyvern''s herd, we plan to cooperate with the Haust Frontier Count army that is on alert at the borderline, but we couldn''t move without knowing where and what the situation is now.


    ''''If we can get to the nearest city, I think someone from our army will be packing it in...''''


    Well, let''s go!


    For some reason, Chris made the decision at Rion''s somewhat unsure words. Rion said something like, "The leader is Temma........" but he was completely ignored.


    ''Well, we have to go.......what''s going on?''


    I questioned Chris''s attitude and decided to ask him about it, but he was trying to cover it up by slurring his words. Then Amur said.


    ''Chris forgot his clothes. The worn-out sparrow, including his underwear!


    Hey!


    A sparrow?��It''s not that cute, Miss,


    Well what would be the perfect fit, then?


    Rion, who said something unnecessary, was cornered by Chris''s smile.


    ''Well ... peacock!��Yes, a peacock would be a good fit for Miss!


    It was like Leon had come up with a good bird, and he said it confidently, but....


    ''As I recall, peacocks are quite ''bad eaters'' and ''temperamental'', and I thought the only ones who are beautiful are ''males''?��The female was pretty ''plain'', wasn''t she?


    When Cain saw Rion''s smug face, he spoke to Rion in a questioning tone with a nasty look on his face. Naturally, so that Chris could hear him.


    "Rion, I think I know exactly what you think of me...


    ''Hey!��Miss, there''s been a misunderstanding!��Cain, dude!


    No questions asked!


    Rion is sanctioned by Chris with an iron fist. Watching this scene, it seems that Rion calling him a peacock wasn''t a mistake. Even if I''m wrong, I won''t say it out loud.


    I''m not going to be able to say, "For now, let''s leave those two alone.............................where is the town close to that border?��On a smaller scale, but hopefully we can at least buy a change of clothes for Chris.


    ''From here, it''s about six hours away by carriage. Since we''re talking about a normal carriage, it wouldn''t even take half that long in Raiden...


    It is said that Albert obtained information about this area from Leon in advance. It seems that he didn''t clearly predict this, but he thought this kind of possibility was quite possible based on his long experience with Leon. Incidentally, Rion, who should have told me this information, was knocked unconscious by Chris-san''s blow to his jaw.


    ''''Normally, this is a scene that could be punished by death for impoliteness...''''


    It''s okay.��In the first place, it seems that Leon''s father (the Haust Frontier Count) has tacitly approved of the iron fist sanctions against Leon... and from what my father told me in the past, he said he was grateful that he didn''t have to go out of his way to discipline him.


    Hmmm.......so what should we do to cooperate in the first place?


    Cain laughed at my blatant correction of his direction, but then he crossed his arms and figured out that there was no point in continuing to talk about Leon.


    ''I think Merlin-sama and Chris-senpai know more about such things than I do... but there are two kinds of things I can think of. Direct cooperation and indirect cooperation?


    The direct of what Cain says is simply to join the borderline county army as a force to use force in case of an emergency, and is said to be the most easily understood effect.


    In contrast, indirect means such as transporting supplies and so on, which is said to be similar to the Transportation Corps, standing by as a reserve force or doing miscellaneous tasks.


    Then I guess I''ll have to do it indirectly.


    ''I thought I''d say it, but it would certainly be better that way. I don''t mean to say this, but I don''t think anyone other than Chris-senpai is capable of military action.


    Chris-san is a member of the military, so I''m sure he''s trained that way, but I don''t think adventurers like me, grandpa, and Amur, who often act alone or in small parties, are suited to group actions like the military. Even if you''re three fools, you can probably act as a soldier to a certain extent, but since the three of us are in a position to give orders, it''s better to stay away from them and be quiet than to act poorly mixed up, ''the chain of command has been disrupted by the participation of the high nobles (sons of the high nobles)''....... What''s not going to happen, and it''s not as dangerous as it could be.


    ''Well, let''s try something like that then, shall we?��Come on, everyone. Shilomar, bring the rion.


    Won!


    For now, we decided to go to the town that was said to be close to the borderline and called out to everyone who was resting. However, Rion was still stretched out, so I told Shiroumaru, who happened to be near Rion, to bring him over, and Shiroumaru barked briefly and dragged Rion''s leg in his mouth.


    Chris''s chastisement and Shiroumaru''s dragging had left Rion covered in wounds, but it was a familiar sight and no one was worried about him.


    ''Hey, wake up, Rion. Isn''t that the city you''re after?


    "...hmm?��Huh?��What?


    About two hours after Leon fainted, we have arrived at a position where we can see our destination city. When I woke up Leon to check, he was looking around confused by the sudden change in the landscape around him.


    For the time being, let''s talk to the gatekeeper.


    He couldn''t say for sure because he was asleep and not thinking straight, but we decided to talk to the gatekeeper to make sure.


    Besides, they also noticed us approaching and there are a few soldiers with weapons waiting, perhaps as a precaution.


    Well, nice to meet you.


    Since one of us can go and talk to the gatekeeper and we have to get permission to enter the city, I decided to send Rion, who would be the first to get permission, over there.


    ''Oh, I''ll take care of it!��If I go, I get a shot!


    "Leon, get the hell out of here!��The store will be closed!


    Yes.....


    Rion was tense as if his turn had just come, but he was disheartened by Chris''s blackmail that he needed replacement clothes, and he rushed to the gatekeeper.


    ''''Well, I''m sure we''ll get permission soon, so let''s find a store that sells clothing first, shall we?


    Thank you, Temma, but I think Leon is having a problem with the gatekeeper.


    Chris-san was right, Rion was arguing with the gatekeeper for some reason. I enhanced my senses with magic and listened to him, and it seemed that the gatekeeper didn''t understand that the other party was Rion (the eldest son) of the Haust frontier county family.


    ''''Apparently, he doesn''t realize that he is the son of the frontier county family. Rather, they seem to suspect that Rion is a spy for the enemy.


    What''s that?


    I don''t know what happened and how it happened either, but it would mean that Rion would be trapped if we didn''t. That would be interesting, but that could cause the gatekeeper''s head to physically fly off, so I decided to go with Chris-san to help Rion.


    ''''I''m sorry!''''


    Chris-san and I talked to the gatekeepers, and when they finally realized their mistake, they all bowed their heads in unison and apologized to Leon.


    ''''Haha... no, that''s enough...''''


    When the gatekeepers didn''t understand that he was the son of the lord, Rion went back to the carriage with a faraway look in his eyes. Maybe it can''t be helped, because even though he went out so confidently, not only was his face not known, but he was suspected to be a fake, and he was almost captured in a few moments.


    By the way, the reason why I didn''t notice it was because Leon came to this town more than ten years ago, and at that time he was not conspicuous as a chaperone of the frontier county''s inspection, and also because of the difference in appearance between Leon''s appearance that I had heard about.


    Incidentally, the description of Leon that I''d heard was that he was tall, thin, muscular, wild and handsome.... The only thing that matches the actual Leon in that information is his height, so maybe it couldn''t be helped. In my judgment, the wild and handsome man was just barely a triangle, but in the women''s judgment, it was a complete bust.


    ''Oh no ... my stomach ... my stomach!


    ''Leon you''re going to kill us!��Death by embrace is going to go down in history in a way!


    Cain and Albert were laughing hysterically in their bellies as they watched from the carriage, watching from the carriage as Rion failed to get permission from the gatekeepers and nearly got captured for questioning his identity. The laughter was the most intense I''ve seen since I''ve known the three of them, Cain was laughing so hard that his stomach muscles were pinched from laughing so hard but he couldn''t stop laughing, and he was still rolling on the floor in pain while laughing, and Albert, though not as much as Cain, thought he was laughing so hard he thought he was going to cut a blood vessel in his head.


    ''Shut up you guys are going to end up like me one day...''


    Rion didn''t raise his voice as usual, as if he thought it would be detrimental no matter how he argued against it, but instead released ominous words to the two of them.


    The ''same kind of eyes'' that Rion is referring to is because the information about Rion''s appearance this time is due to a delusional (BL) book that uses three of the main characters (models) from a rotten girl''s work that was popular at the school in the royal capital as the main characters (models).


    By the time the character modeled after Rion reached this city, it became known that the book was based on Rion''s own appearance, which led to the current commotion. Apparently, not even the contents of the book were conveyed to them, but it''s possible that the contents of the book reached the other cities, which would mean that Rion and his friends are just like the book.


    ''Yes!��As soon as we get back to our estate, we''ll try to eradicate that book!


    ''I''ll make a law that designates mine as a forbidden book with bad content designed to discredit the Samons, and that even possession of it is punishable!


    Thinking that tomorrow is going to be their own day, the two of them are going to use the power they have to eradicate the book.


    ''''Huh ... maybe it''s already too late.


    Ignoring Rion''s words, which seemed to be enlightened, the two of them are discussing their future strategy.


    ''You just don''t have to get caught. If anything, it just strengthens the bond between author and reader behind the scenes.


    Hearing Chris-san and Amour''s words, Jeanne and Aura quietly nodded their heads in affirmation. Well, even in Japan during the Edo period, there were cases of painters who opposed the ban on extravagance and got excited by looking for loopholes like this and that, so it''s not as if there isn''t one in this world................................I think it''s going to be a great deal more exciting than before. After all, it''s mainly the noblewomen who are making up such stories. Even if her power as a nobleman is greatly inferior to the two of them, it doesn''t matter if she returns to her own territory.


    ''''It''s too late for them to get their eyes on you, so it''s crucial to give up... but really, when you''re three fools, you don''t understand.


    I should consider myself lucky in that regard. According to what I''ve heard, there are some fantasy (BL) books that use me, but thanks to Maria''s approval, all of them are not true, so that people think I don''t have the same proclivities as the three of them. Besides, the rotten girls are apparently afraid of being stared at by Maria-sama and are hesitant to make up a story based on me. Well, it''s possible that this has accelerated their obsession with the three of us but that''s just a possibility. It''s none of my business.


    ''Well, leaving the three of you out of it Mr. Chris, why don''t you go shopping for clothes soon?��Isn''t it time for the stores to start closing?


    ''Oh, shit!��I''ll be back in a minute!��You can have the innkeeper assign you a room. I''ll also borrow Shiroumaru''s. Let''s go, Shiroumar.


    Won!


    Chris says he''s going to continue to look around a few shops. He says the reason he''s taking Shiroumaru with him is so that he can rely on Shiroumaru''s nose to find us.


    I wrapped a piece of cloth around Shiroumaru''s neck as a landmark and saw Chris-san off. Jeanne and the others had been asked to go with us, but unlike Chris-san, they had brought their clothes with them properly, and I had refused on the grounds that we didn''t have enough time to do the shopping slowly.


    ''I wouldn''t be able to take my time looking around if I had to fit in with Chris,''


    I thought it was unusual for me to be interested in clothes since Amur had told me so, but the one thing I can''t go around slowly is that it''s with the food stalls.


    ''Surely there should be more variety of clothes in the royal capital, so there''s no need to bother looking in this city. Rather, as a maid, I''m more interested in what kind of ingredients are available and how they''re prepared!


    Aura goes out of her way to emphasize the part of maids to insist on that, so we decided to look at the stalls on the side looking for lodging.


    Except for a few stalls, what we found out is that the type and taste of the food served at the stall itself is not much different from the royal capital, but the price was quite cheap. I was surprised to see the same amount of food as in the royal capital, but at most nearly half the price is cheaper, but according to Leon, this is about the norm outside the royal capital and big cities.


    ''Ah, so the location fees and taxes are cheap. The other reason is because the cost of living is cheaper in the countryside?


    ''Correct!��It''s the quintessential Temma to come up with a reason for that, just because it''s commonplace in rural areas. It''s probably only recently that Rion realized the reason.


    Leon looked unhappy when he was quoted, but he didn''t complain if he was right about some of it.


    ''Temma, he said the inn down the road is where they want us to be.


    Jeanne, who seems to have heard the location of the inn from the stallholder, came running with a basket of dried fruit in her arms. By the way, we''re traveling on foot, not by carriage, because people are afraid of Leiden. The reason is because people in town are afraid of Leyden. I''m not sure if my neighbors are amused or intimidated by my newfound respect for their neighbors, so I decided to let them stay in my dynchon bag.


    I''m not sure if this is a fig?��That''s pretty good.


    I picked up a random piece from the basket Jeanne was holding and popped it into my mouth, and it was better than I expected.


    I''m sure you''ll find that this area is famous for its figs. Well, they also produce a variety of other fruits.


    This area has always been famous for its fruit. Among them, they produce the most figs.


    Other than that....


    Leon, you got a visitor before you do.


    Huh?


    I interrupted Leon''s words and pointed to a group of people coming towards us.


    ''''Yeah, they''re definitely our soldiers. The one at the front is the commander of the knight''s unit.


    As soon as Rion''s words ended, the man who was said to be the troop leader of the Haust Frontier Count Knights arrived in front of us and saluted Rion.


    ''''Rion-sama, I apologize for the delay in welcoming you,''''


    No, no. I''m more interested in the current state of the war.


    As soon as Rion, who was in a different mood than usual, said that, it was decided that they would head to the inn that the knights were using.


    ''''Well, we''ll go to the inn first, then. Let me talk to you later.


    Rion showed a surprised expression at my words, but everyone except Rion was trying to act the same way I did.


    ''Since Temma is able to request it, I thought you had to come with me!


    ''No, precisely because ''defeating the wyvern herd'' was the request I received. In case you''re wondering, I''m not supposed to have received ''cooperation at the border'' yet.


    In the meantime, the request I officially received was to defeat the wyvern, so there was no need for me to participate in the discussion about the defense of the border line, which was an added bonus.


    It''s a good thing that we''re in the middle of the discussion with the knights, because that''s why, right?


    And, I said to Leon and headed to the inn. In fact, at this point, we could have judged that we had entered into a partnership, but we had just arrived and wanted to take our time, so we decided to escape from the trouble.


    Incidentally, everyone but Leon seemed to have noticed my thoughts, but no one pointed them out. It seems that the other members were just as eager to escape from the trouble as I was, but the knights simply couldn''t say anything to me.


    Aside from the commander of the unit, the fact that he came for Leon means that he''s a knight of some high rank, so he probably knows more about the events in the old Kukri village than most people do. Therefore, he may feel guilty about what his subordinates and colleagues have committed.


    After this is all over, you will be on good terms with the Haussian Countess, so it wouldn''t hurt to take advantage of their weaknesses a little first.


    Leon and his friends are the only ones who get tired. We''ll just have fun and get the good stuff.


    I don''t know if it''s going to be easy, but it''s normal for an adventurer to make as little effort as possible to make a profit.


    We nodded in response to Amur''s words and hurriedly left the place.


    ''No! Now I can sleep better tonight!


    Chris, who met up with us at the inn, seemed to be in a good mood as he was able to buy something that he was satisfied with. I explained to him why Leon wasn''t there, but he just said "Oh," and that was it.


    Then it will be divided between Amur, Jeanne and Aura, Temma-kun, Merlin-sama and Shiroumaru and the other three idiots. So the men''s room will be on the third floor and the women''s room will be on the second floor?


    They assigned rooms in a combination that had become familiar to them on this trip, and then headed to their respective rooms with meal times set.


    ''Let''s take a quick bath, shall we? Jeanne and the others should join us.


    Chris-san called out to Jeanne and Aura while holding in one hand the dimension bag in which the bath I had made for this trip was filled. By the way, the one without the bag has a firm grip on Amour''s arm in the hand that isn''t holding the bag. This is to prevent Amur from going to me while Chris-san is taking a bath, and it''s an order from Maria-sama (to keep Amur away from me unnecessarily).


    The bag Chris is carrying is just a large bathtub, which he improvised while traveling so that he could use it when he stayed at an inn that did not have a bath. It''s not very good, but it''s quite convenient, so I''m thinking of making one when I return to the capital.


    "Well then, shall we take a bath too?


    ''We got quite a bit of sand in the fight with the Wyvern. Two of us could fit in there, right?


    "Of course!


    If we don''t take precautions against Amur, we don''t know what will happen.


    Touche!


    Nuh-uh!


    ''Wow!��Towels, towels!


    Cain!��Get out of my way!


    Young....


    We were startled and panicked by the intrusion as if the timing was right, except for my grandfather.


    When the intruder (Amur) appeared, I turned around and dove deep into the tub, Cain tried to throw his towel to Amur while looking away, and Albert jumped into the tub while hiding his crotch.


    ''Boys, can''t you relax a bit? Amur did not come here naked. Cain, use the towel to cover your own. I can see you in full view. Albert, don''t jump in the tub! You would have spoiled your drink and your snacks.


    We''re in such a hurry, and Grandpa is taking it easy and drinking.


    ''Look closely, Amour is in a swimsuit.


    Temma''s s*x Albert and Cain are dirty, perverted and voyeuristic.


    ''You''re treating Temma too differently!''


    I reflexively looked at Amour when my grandfather told me to, and sure enough, Amour was in a swimsuit. When Amur made eye contact with me, he deliberately covered his body with his hands and acted embarrassed, but he threw harsh words at Albert and Cain.


    ''''Amour~~!


    Just as I was wondering how to handle Amur, intruder number two suddenly appeared in the direction of the men''s room.


    ''You, I told you earlier not to go to the men''s room!��You''ll be out of sight for a minute, and then you''ll be in a men''s bath!��If they find out, I''ll be mad at Mary, though!


    Chris-san caught Amour''s arm in the form of a demon. But..........


    ''Chris'' exposure madness~. Soldier, here''s an exposed maniac~


    Amr wasn''t remorseful at all. On the contrary, he''s saying things that add fuel to the fire. After all, the way Chris-san is dressed right now........


    ''''Chris I''m not sure my pre-wife daughter should be moving around the inn dressed in a towel...''''


    ''Huh?


    When Chris noticed his outfit, he let out a dumb voice and then let out a scream that shook the inn.

 172-Chapter 11-6 Intrigue

    There were many things that happened, but after we cleaned up our stains from the Wyvern battle, we were able to eat dinner safely... It didn''t mean that we hadn''t gotten a call from the innkeepers and guests, who had heard Chris''s scream at the time and rushed over to us, demanding an explanation. But fortunately, the landlady, who knew she was related to the next lord (Leon), persuaded everyone, so we didn''t have to deal with anything. But she said some kind of apology was necessary, so I asked the landlady to offer some kind of service to the guests at dinner time.


    ''''But Grandpa you knew Amur was going to break in, didn''t you?


    At that time, while we were in a big hurry, only Grandpa was drinking without a care in the world. Even if he was a quintessentially old man with a lot of life experience, it was impossible for him not to show any reaction to a girl of his age breaking into the bath dressed as she might be naked. I suppose I would have at least taken a glance at it, but now that I think about it, it''s strange that I didn''t say anything to Amour at that time, but on the contrary, I felt strange about paying attention to us.


    To tell the truth, Amur wanted to surprise Tenma, so he asked me to break into the bathroom. It looked interesting, so we gave our permission on the condition that it was not naked.


    I was quite annoyed with my grandpa, who was laughing at me, saying things like. But Grandpa was drunk or maybe he didn''t notice my anger, he turned his back to me and was looking for a snack to drink. So.........


    No more muffins.


    I decided to play a little prank back.


    Well, I''ll just have a few more drinks until Chris finishes his sermon.


    When Grandpa heard Chris''s voice, which could be heard all the way to our room, he put a plate of nibbles in front of him and tried to grab a mortuary with a bottle of sake in it, but


    ''Grandpa, hypothetically, Amour is a baroness. What were you going to do if Albert and Cain made a mistake?


    I said, casually grabbing the virtue bottle first and pouring the sake into Grandpa''s boiler.


    ''Hey, Temma!''


    ''You''re not Leon, I wouldn''t do that!


    You don''t say you''re going to make a mistake...


    Grandpa tsked at me and paid attention to the two noisy people, so he didn''t notice anything unusual about the alcohol that had been poured for him. And then he took a gulp of it and....


    Uh-huh!��Haha!��Yikes!


    I struggled. To tell the truth, I had stuck a number of dried chili peppers into the sake bottle I had just poured. Moreover, I had made it spicy and hot enough to drink it all at once.


    ''''To poison Master Merlin...''''


    ''Temma what a horrible child...''


    Tenma, I''m sorry I''m sorry and I''ll get you some water...


    I heard that water doesn''t work, so I guess I''ll take milk instead.


    Ignoring their shocked expressions, I handed the milk to my grandpa, who asked for help. Grandpa seemed to have an idea why I had been peppered (poisoned). When I handed him the milk, he apologized again and started to sip it down.


    Hoho!��This could kill you in shock if you have a weak heart!


    Cain, who had taken a lick of the chili-infused liquor that he had given his grandfather to drink, has an evil look on his face while saying such things. Just by looking at that face, we understood that he was thinking about something stupid.


    "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. I''m sorry I''m late. Did you eat?


    At that time, Rion came back from the discussion at the right time. The minds of all the men, except for Cain at this time, were probably united. ''''Rion, it''s over....


    Not yet. We''re having a bit of a problem, and we''re waiting for the ladies to arrive. We''re going to have a drink and wait until the ladies are ready.


    Saying that, Cain poured the liquor with chili peppers from earlier into a cup and handed it to Rion. Before he knew it, he had a cup of water in his opposite hand for himself, and the moment Rion received the liquor, he said "Cheers" and brought the cup closer to him.


    In the sequence of events, Rion was swept away and lightly placed his own cup against Cain''s cup and agitated it at once. And then.


    Phew!��Phew!��Phew!��Hoho!


    The same thing happened to my grandfather. Cain must have been laughing so hard when he saw that........


    ''My eyes, my eyes, my eyes!


    He was rolling around on the floor after receiving a direct hit from the pepper wine that Rion had sprayed on him.


    By the way, Rion''s spray reached Albert, who was a short distance away from Cain, and Albert was rolling around on the floor just like Cain.


    ''Temma you must not manufacture or use pepper wine in the future it''s too much.


    Yeah. I''ll try to refrain from manufacturing and using it as much as possible from now on.


    I only agreed with the second half of my grandfather''s words, while he said, "At least don''t use it on me," but I dared to pretend not to hear him. Now I would refrain from going along with Amur''s pranks in the future.


    ''''Sorry for making you wait~...............................What happened!��Besides, my eyes are kind of stinging!


    Chris, who had apparently finished his sermon to Amur, was surprised to see the three of them squirming on the floor, and also complained of an oddity in his eyes, wondering if the ingredients of Leon''s spray of chili wine were still in the air.


    ''Well, it''s the result of the three of us flirting, as usual. And Chris, I think your eyes are better washed with oil or milk than water.


    Albert dealt with Chris and Cain by washing his eyes with milk, and Leon was sipping milk just like his grandfather.


    After Chris''s recovery, the three of them were questioned by me about why it happened, and I found out that it was because of the chili wine I had made.


    ''Ugh, my eyes are still twitching,''


    Albert''s still in a good place. I''ve had my mouth and throat damaged and my eyes damaged as well.


    But looking at it this way, it''s a rare sight to see Cain being the only one who''s angry with Chris-san. It''s usually just Rion alone, or all three of us together.


    Temma really does talk about things that don''t belong to him...


    Because it''s somebody else''s problem. For example, just because someone is killed by a knife, doesn''t mean the craftsman who made it can''t be punished as well.


    ''''Temma, it''s about time........why is Cain-sama angry this time?''''


    Maybe it was because Chris was too late to call us, but this time Jeanne came to the room. Apparently, Chris-san had called us and was planning to go straight to dinner. The reason why Aura and Amur didn''t show up was because Amur''s leg, which had been angered by Chris-san''s sitting on his back, seemed to be very numb, and he was late because Aura was moving on his back.


    ''So what''s going on at the border now, you say?


    After Chris-san''s sermon to Cain, we moved to the cafeteria and decided to order and immediately ask Leon what the discussion was about.


    It seems that the two sides are holding each other in check at the moment, and there is no movement. But since our side''s reinforcements are gradually increasing, it''s hard to say that they won''t force their way through.


    So you want to make a move that will scare them off?


    But if we attack them too soon, we''ll give them a reason to attack us and that''s a problem.


    At my words, Grandpa brought up the problem, and Chris and the rest of the noble group (excluding Amur) nodded in response.


    It''s a good idea to have a few of them in the back of the room, but if you do that, it could have the opposite effect. Let''s just say ''there''s nothing we can do'' and go home now, shall we?


    ''Yes!��I''m going to go home and mope around.


    ''''I''d like to agree with Amur, but since I''ve been able to request it, I have to show up at the site and come to a conclusion, and I have to meet with the frontier count to discuss the wyvern in the first place, right?��It''s a bad idea to go home like this.


    At Chris''s point, Jeanne and Aura hurriedly lowered the hand they had been about to raise.


    ''Come to think of it, it was. It can''t be helped, let''s just go there. Leon, you''ve been given the terrain of the place where we''re staring at each other, right?��We''ll use that as the basis for our strategy.


    Ooh, right away!�� I''m starving for quicksand.


    I noticed the proprietress bringing the food we ordered to our table with a sideways glance, Rion.


    There was no one to oppose the words of "I''m not going to be able to do anything about it," and we went straight into a lively dinner party. In the middle of the meal, grandpa offered everyone a drink, so we were not in a place to discuss strategy afterwards, but I heard Aura mutter, "If you''re eating good food in a place where your opponent can''t fight back, it''s going to be a huge harassment," and depending on how you use it, it can be quite effective. I got what I thought might be a hint that it might be


    ''Ugh I think I''m going to puke...''


    ''Hey, Leon, if you''re going to throw up, go outside and away!


    What makes Leon, on the client''s side, have the worst hangover of all?


    ''It''s because it''s Leon. Besides, he''s most efficient when he''s just standing there, doing nothing, saying nothing, just standing there.


    There was more of a sting in his voice than usual, as if Cain and Albert were a little pissed off. Well, I suppose that''s just the way it is. After all, Leon, who was supposed to be working the hardest, was useless due to the fact that he''d had too much to drink at yesterday''s dinner party. More than anything else, if they keep saying "I''m going to vomit" near them, they can''t help but get upset.


    Chris, Cain and Albert all seem to have some of yesterday''s liquor left in them, but it''s enough to not interfere with their movements, so it''s within the acceptable range.


    Incidentally, Amur is also in a pretty bad state of hangover, but since Amur''s position is different from Leon''s, he only needs a warning from everyone that he''s drinking too much.


    ''You two, I''ll stop the carriage for a moment, go get comfortable away from it. In the meantime, I''ll get you some medicine.


    After saying that, they stopped the carriage and ran into the bushes at once, spitting out the stuff in their stomachs in a grand manner.


    Chris and the others in the carriage didn''t seem to hear the sounds they made, but I, who was playing the role of an official, heard them perfectly.


    ''I''m going to make you drink something really bitter.


    I was the one waiting for the two of them, looking somewhat paler than I was going, as I prepared the bitterest of the hangover pills I had brought for my grandfather.


    ''It was a terrible experience...''


    Temma is an ogre.


    Stop complaining. Good medicine is bad for the soul. The medicine worked, didn''t it?


    They complained about the taste of the hangover medicine, but the effect seemed to be immediate, and they seemed to have more energy to complain about it.


    The plan is for the Frontier Count army to be in sight by now, right?��Someone will be coming to verify our identity, so be ready to prove your identity at all times, Rion. We''re not going to do anything like that town, for sure.


    I know, I know.


    As he said that, Rion took out a board from his pocket with the family crest of the Haust Frontier Count family engraved on it.


    Chris-senpai, please prepare something that identifies you as a kinsman just in case. We''ll prepare our own family crests, too.


    Yeah. Yeah, that''s a safe bet.


    The three of us begin to prepare something that can prove our identities, with Rion at our side, who can''t say anything due to the precedent, even if we wanted to. I also prepared a letter of request from the Count of the Frontier and the family crest of the Otori family, just in case.


    A few minutes after each of the preparations were completed, several knights appeared on horseback, as expected. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a good deal more information on this topic.


    It''s time for you to go.


    Okay, I''m on it!


    Rion is eager to avenge his past reputation, but behind him...


    A thousand G''s for not recognizing Leon.


    ''Then I''m a thousand G''s to ''I don''t know'' as well as Chris senior.


    Sufficient!��Me too!��A thousand Gs!


    Hmmm........then I''m two thousand Gs!


    I''ll ride. Five hundred Gs!


    A knight like you should be able to recognize the face of the next lord... 5,000 G


    "Well, let''s see, I''ll give you five hundred g''s for Master Merlin.


    And the betting was going on. Hearing this, Rion was getting angry, "Don''t be ridiculous," he said in a voice so small that everyone behind him couldn''t hear him. Maybe he wasn''t so sure about it either, around not getting angry in a loud voice there.


    ''''That carriage there........Rion-sama!��I''m sorry!


    The knight in the lead was about to stop our carriage as soon as he approached, but he noticed Rion right beside me and dismounted.


    ''Yup!��I want to see it!


    It should have been obvious, but Rion exploded with joy and barked at the five people behind him who bet on ''I don''t know''.


    The dismounted knight who was watching the situation was puzzled, but for the time being, in order to proceed, he showed them the request form, proved my identity, and told them that I had come to reinforce them.


    Incidentally, there were five knights who came to greet us (to warn us). Among them, three of them seemed to have noticed Rion''s identity right away, while the other two seemed to have lost their way for a moment and made a move on the other three. Well, there was no need to tell Rion. It''s just a cute little thing to do.


    ''''This is the operations room. The supreme commander this time is the Deputy Commander of the Haust Frontier Count Knights, Lord Lila Agrissa.


    Saying that, the guiding knight opened the entrance to the tent that served as the operations room and let us in. He said it would be better to greet the person in charge of this battlefield first, so in addition to me and Rion, Chris-san, Cain and Albert were to go with us. When I asked him if he wanted to go, he said, "It''s a bother, so I''ll just stay here and have a cup of tea. I''m worried about Jeanne and the others," he said.


    In front of the entrance was a supreme commander by the name of Laila. It''s a large, muscular.......woman.


    It''s been a long time, Leon-sama. Good to see you, Master Rion, and Master Cain and Albert. And thank you for the reinforcements, Mister Otori and Mister Chris.


    It seems that the deputy commander is also acquainted with Cain and Albert. Although the three of them returned the greetings normally, I was a little late in reacting to the term ''Otori-dono'', which I''m not usually used to hearing, and my reaction was delayed. When the deputy commander saw this, he said.....


    ''''No, an apology came first, rather than a greeting. In the incident in Kukri village, it was completely our knight''s (...) fault. I am truly sorry.


    I bowed my head and uttered an apology. As far as casually saying ''of the Order'' instead of ''of the Haust Frontier Count'', he may have intended to do so without looking at my reaction from the beginning. It''s probably a performance of some sort, but it looked like he was sincerely apologizing, and since he received an apology through Rion for that story in the first place, it would be easier to act in the future if he didn''t point it out and acted in accordance with the deputy commander.


    ''I accept your apology. I''d be lying if I said I didn''t care, but we''re past that. Well then, now that we''ve met face to face, I''ll step back once I''ve done so. I''m not prepared for this, as I just arrived. Also, if you see my family members, please notify them not to attack me. I''m not sure what they will do if attacked, since they are violent demons by nature.


    As I deliberately sounded spiky, a sour mood began to drift from the knights who were waiting around the Vice Commander, but I ignored them, shook hands with the Vice Commander and left the tent. When I looked back for a moment as I left the tent, the deputy commander was calming the knights around him with his hand clenched in mine.


    ''Hey, Temma-kun. What''s going on?


    I''m not doing anything wrong. I didn''t come here to get acquainted with you, so that''s pretty good.


    As soon as we arrived, we were called to the tent in the operations room, or perhaps it bothered them that we were called to the operations room''s tent, and as we passed through the soldiers of the frontier county family, hired mercenaries, and adventurers who had come with a request, we aimed for the carriage at a speed fast enough to leave a surprised-looking Chris-san behind.


    By the way, Chris was the only one who came out of the tent with me, and the other three had to stay behind because they couldn''t leave with me due to their positions. Probably because of me, the air in the tent is probably close to the worst, but I hope they will bear with me, even if it''s something that they have to experience as nobles.


    ''''Grandpa, do you have a place we can use?''''


    Ooh, I''m making sure we can use the tent at a distance from the other tents and in the middle of nowhere, just as Temma instructed.


    So, let''s get moving.


    Grandpa chose a spot where the nearest tent was nearly fifty meters away with no obstructed view around it, so it was easy to see if anyone approached here.


    ''As soon as possible, though, let''s get ready to make camp. Jeanne and the others asked them to build a fire at a distance from the carriage. Amur was on the lookout for anyone who might come close to us. Grandpa, go build a fence to prevent anyone from setting up a tent in the immediate area. I want at least twenty meters from the carriage.


    I instructed the four of them to set up a toilet for the people who would be standing guard outside... but...


    Hey, Temma!��What was up with that whole "pick a fight" thing earlier?��Maybe when you actually see each other in person, you remember the old days?


    Chris was so worried about me that he wouldn''t leave my side, so I thought I''d have a little chat with him...


    ''Temma!��What the hell is wrong with you?


    ''Leon was confused by the way he was acting all of a sudden.


    Albert and Cain are back. They said Leon was late because he had other things to talk about and was confused about coming back to me.


    ''Welcome back, both of you. By the way, how did the knights react after I left?


    What?��No, well, it was roughly two ways, wasn''t it?


    It was.


    How did the deputy commander react?


    ''That didn''t seem to bother him too much. He seemed surprised at first, but he was soon placating the knights who seemed to be antagonistic.


    I couldn''t help but smile as I thought the first step of the operation was a success after listening to the two of them.


    ''''Wow ... you look like a bad Temma.


    You mean, that was a deliberate act, right?


    ''What?


    Well, that''s the thing. It''s not really something to talk about out there, but actually, you know.

 173-Chapter 11-7 Spy Capture

    There you are.


    I''m sorry it''s so late.


    I visited the vice-commander''s tent just as the date was about to change.


    ''There are more people here than I expected,''


    In addition to the deputy commander, there were five men and women in the tent who appeared to be knights. They are not armed, but they are clearly wary of me. Although it was more than I expected, considering the fact that adventurers with no discernible intentions visit late at night in a place where the head of the army is in charge, it might be correct to express that there are only five of them.


    ''''It''s okay. These are trustworthy people. After all, they''re my boys.


    You have a lot of kids.


    I''ve left five other men near the frontier county.


    In more ways than one.


    ''So you didn''t come all the way out here in the open to talk about it, did you?


    Saying that, the deputy commander took out a piece of paper from his pocket. That piece of paper was given to me when I shook hands with the deputy commander when I came here, so that people wouldn''t find out. The content of the piece of paper is: ''I want to discuss a plan to break the current situation, so please wait for me around the time the day changes, with only those you can trust for sure.


    ''''You didn''t have to do this roundabout thing, you should have proposed it right then and there... you might have made some unnecessary enemies because of your attitude back then.


    ''''It doesn''t matter if strangers don''t like you, and to begin with, the number of people related to the Frontier Count Army alone is more than a thousand, and is still increasing, but the fact that there are five people who can be trusted for sure means that the deputy commander must be worried about the same thing as me, right?


    You mean the spies...


    The deputy commander muttered in a bitter voice. ''With an army this large, it''s rather strange to think that they aren''t there.


    ''''It''s a bit strange that the other side hasn''t made any moves when the situation is almost in our favor, so it''s better to act on the idea that there are spies there looking for an opportunity to turn the tables.


    So you act like you don''t want to cooperate, and then you sneak up on me to see me... so what are you going to do?


    As I spoke up to this point, the five people who had been following the deputy commander began to turn their vigilance from me to their surroundings.


    ''''The task itself is simple. First, we will destroy the opportunity for the one shot that that side wants. Next, we''ll raise our spirits and finally show our prowess.


    ''It''s simple, sure, but the question is how to do it... but if you get it wrong one way in any of them, you''ll have an avalanche of enemies coming at you.


    The man who was sitting next to the deputy commander had the most questions as well. It is said that the enemy''s imperial soldiers will come to the very edge of the border, but since they have not yet left their own territory, they cannot attack from us, and if they prepare to attack, there is a possibility that they will say that they are trying to invade the territory of the empire for defensive purposes and attack us. ''Yes,'' he said.


    ''''So if we win, we will carve out the kingdom''s territory, and if we lose and are attacked, ''''That was the outburst of some troops and not the will of the Empire. ''''I''ve already disposed of those who were masters, so I want my territory back''''?


    Hearing my words, the deputy commander and the man nodded. If that happens, as a kingdom that didn''t want to set things up with the empire if possible, they''ll have to return the land they cut out, even if they know it''s a lie.


    ''''Well, that''s going to happen. If that happens, it will be a big loss for us. With the cost of maintaining the army and paying the adventurers, we''re even now in the red.


    I thought it was a feminine way of thinking to worry about the pocketbook situation of the frontier county army when you''re standoffish with the enemy.


    ''''I can''t help what I''ve consumed so far, but if my plan succeeds, it might be a plus in the long run.


    ''Ho but it''s expensive instead, isn''t it?��I have to pay you.


    I say that with my mouth, but the deputy commander seems to be interested in my plan.


    ''''I''ll keep it cheap. Well, from now on, I might say something reckless to the Frontier Count family.''''


    We''ll leave that to Master Lyon.


    So, I guess we have a deal.


    The deputy commander, who had sold Rion to me in a quick decision, leaned forward to tell me his plan as quickly as possible.


    ''''My plan is........''''


    Deputy Commander SIDE


    Do you think it will work?


    Well, I guess it''s all right.


    My son, who is my secretary, looked worried. When I looked closer, I could see that the other four men looked the same way.


    ''I''ve heard he''s done something similar to phase one of the operation in the past. Phase two is just a little exaggeration of what we always do, and when it comes to phase three, it''s just what we usually do.


    The strategy Temma mentioned was indeed simple. But if it worked, it would be very effective, and in the long run, I would say it would pay off.


    ''Well, we''ll see when the sun comes up. Tomorrow ... or maybe today. You''ll be busy, so go to bed.


    Although I told my sons that, I myself do not really believe in Temma with all my heart. It is clear that in my heart, I was worried that I might not really forgive the old times and fail on purpose. Because of that.........


    ''It''s so early in the morning it''s a bit of a sleep deprivation...''


    The truth is, it''s more than a little, but the head of the organization can''t show that the head of the organization isn''t feeling well, etc., where you don''t know who is watching.


    With that in mind, I stepped out of the tent that served as my room and looked around with my chest out....


    ''Haha this is an eye opener...''


    ''Really, we may have made up the deficit....''


    Vice Commander SIDE finished


    How about this?


    I was taking a nap in the carriage after a quick job before dawn, when I was awakened by an audible surprise, and in my sleepy stroll I found the deputy commander and called out to him.


    ''Heh!''


    The deputy commander was so distracted by what I had made that the moment I called out to him, he made a strange sound and was surprised.


    ''''Oh, oh, it''s not even close to being good!��If word gets out to the engineers that you made this in a few hours, you won''t be able to sleep at night for fear you might lose your job!


    The excited deputy commander exclaimed in a swooping manner.


    ''So, how did you do this!


    With the momentum, the deputy commander was about to find out how I did it...


    Lieutenant Commander!��That''s enough!


    He was stopped by Rion, who was out of breath as he ran, and it was there that he seemed to notice for the first time that people were gathering around him.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to see that the top brass of the Howst Frontier Army are trying to rob an adventurer of his rights. At least, this is not the place to talk about it.


    Besides, if Maria finds out about this, she''ll have my head on a spike!


    ''Yes!


    Behind Rion scolding the deputy commander, Cain, who had sneaked up on him, performed an impersonation of Rion. If I thought it was a noble thing for Rion to say, it was because of that kind of concern... well, I had noticed it dimly. Because, you know, it''s Leon.


    It''s a good idea to go into the vice commander''s tent for now. If you want to talk about this, I won''t stop you, but since I don''t know what you''ll say, for the sake of reciprocity, I don''t think it''s a good idea to have this discussion here, do you?


    When Rion and Cain were making a fuss and the deputy commander was confused as to whether or not he should continue talking, the grandpa who had been chasing after them began to check the deputy commander beside me. Apparently, Grandpa seems to be a little angry with the vice commander.


    ''''I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to get carried away and I also want to formally apologize, so please come to my tent.


    When the deputy commander noticed Grandpa''s anger, he bowed to me and Grandpa and apologized, and then tried to invite him to his own tent as an excuse for his apology. However, he doesn''t seem to want me to use my veto, and as soon as he finishes, he grabs my arm firmly and tries to force me to escort him.


    ''Yes, I do. I have something I want to talk to you about as well, so I''m going to interrupt you.


    If you want to shake it off, you can easily shake it off, but if you do that here, there is a chance that people might think that the friendship you''ve built with the Frontier Countess (Rion) has broken down, and most importantly, since Rion told me about the deputy commander''s character beforehand, I expected him to do this much. They were. So, I decided to take the deputy commander''s suggestion.


    Hearing my reply, the vice commander smiled and walked away from me with my arm intact, smiling. It seems that he doesn''t intend to let go of his arm until he enters the tent, even after hearing the words of approval.


    ''Good for you, Rion. We avoided the beheading.


    "...shut up. Cain, you better hope your brother (Gary) doesn''t do it too.


    Ugh....


    Leon, who had been relieved to see me and the deputy commander, seemed annoyed by Cain''s words and was fighting back with Gary. Cain was choking on his words with a face as if he had bitten down on a bitter bug at Rion''s unexpected counterattack.


    Against the adventurers who were trying to approach us with such interest.


    ''''This is a restricted area from here on out. Any deliberate attempt to get close to them can''t be considered an attempt to harm a nobleman, you know!


    ''Master Temma is afraid of getting angry, so please don''t go beyond this point~''


    I''m really scared. You''ll have to step back.


    Gulp!


    There!��Back!��If you get any closer, Temma will hit you with a single finger tip!��So back off!


    ''I have no idea what Amur is talking about, but pissing off Temma will definitely hurt you!��And by the way, if you don''t want the Dukes of Sangha and the Marquis of Samons and the Counts of the Haust Frontier to stare at you, then don''t go anywhere near it from here.


    And the other aspects of the group were kept away. It''s not surprising that Albert, who can be recognized at a glance as a nobleman by Chris-san, who is wearing the armor of the Kingsguard, and Amour, who is a well-known name among adventurers, is naturally recognized as an aristocrat at a glance, and even against Jeanne and Aura, who are dressed as maids, the adventurers are unable to get close to me and the deputy commander because there is Shiroumaru, who is keeping an eye on them It was.


    As he did so, the knights gathered around and took over the task of keeping the adventurers away from Chris and the others.


    ''''With the possibility of spies in the area, it''s no wonder they''re this strict.


    I''ve got something to tell you about that, too.


    When I responded to the vice commander''s soliloquy, the vice commander looked surprised for a moment and immediately seemed to realize that the report was about spies, so he increased his walking speed a bit.


    Inside the tent, the five people from yesterday who heard the commotion are already waiting and have finished setting up their seats for the meeting.


    In addition, the people who will be inside the tent other than the deputy commander are me, my grandfather and the three idiots, Jeanne and Aura, because of their status as maids, Amour doesn''t want to talk about anything formal, and Chris-san and Slarin and the others will wait outside as Jeanne and the others'' guards and chaperones.


    ''I apologize for my excitement earlier. So, I''d like you to tell me about the wall(...) that surrounds our camp.


    As if the wall was really bothering him, the deputy commander broke off the conversation without so much as an apology.


    ''''Vice Commander........''''


    ''Leon, just go ahead but I can''t tell you the details, can I?


    I don''t mind that!


    When I called out to Rion, who looked dumbfounded by the deputy commander''s attitude, before replying, the deputy commander leaned forward and nodded as if he couldn''t wait.


    ''''The wall was built by applying the method we used in Kukri Village in the past. The important part is a secret, but to put it simply, we used magic to build a moat and then used the soil from that moat to build the wall.


    To my answer, the deputy commander said, "What''s this guy talking about, of course? They look like that, but in fact, they embedded the nucleus of the golem in the ground, activated it at the same time to create what would become a moat, and then lined up the golems to make a wall, so a simple explanation would explain it like that. Incidentally, it was Slarin who embedded the golems, and it was Slarin who recovered the nuke from the wall. Thanks to Slarin''s superior covert behavior, even if someone had witnessed the moment the wall was built, it would have looked like the earth suddenly rose up from the ground to form a wall.


    ''''Well, it''s not very strong, but that won''t be a problem if we reinforce it later.


    ''Oh, yeah, sure, no problem. Even if it''s fragile, it''s still very much a matter of being able to make an impact on them that the wall has suddenly been built... so what''s this report about spies?


    The deputy commander looked at me with a serious face this time, a change from the excitement he had shown earlier.


    ''''First of all, I don''t have the ability to determine whether someone is a spy or not just by looking at them.


    I cut off my words once and looked at the Vice Commander, and the Vice Commander nodded silently. Instead, my companions, including Rion, nodded their heads in unison.


    ''''On top of that, we have taken the liberty of detaining those we deem to be spies. Of course, it''s only those who have been acting as spies.


    ''I don''t have a problem with detaining someone who has acted suspiciously in this situation. Most of all, if you have a good reason to convince me otherwise.


    The deputy commander glanced at Rion, then flashed a sharp look at me.


    ''''That is most definitely true. First of all, please identify the person who detained you.''''


    Saying that, I opened the mouth of the dimension bag that was capturing the restraints and told the deputy commander to check inside.


    ''''Mm ... eh!


    Lieutenant Commander, who the hell is in there... huh?


    No wonder the deputy commander and the man who was sitting next to him last time were surprised. At any rate, the people bound in the dimension bag were six adventurers and four men in the uniforms or armor of the Frontier Count Army.


    Although the two of them seemed to have expected that there would be a spy in the army, they were still surprised to find someone trapped inside the bag. That person was.....


    Why did they put my commander in here?


    The first person to take a bite out of me was the man who was sitting next to the deputy commander. The man tried to crowd me, but the deputy commander held me by the shoulders and forced me to sit back in my chair.


    ''What reason did you have to determine that these men were spies?��From the look of Rion-sama''s condition, there was enough reason for Rion-sama to be convinced, right?


    ''''Yes, that''s right. First of all, these adventurers, these ones were trying to contact the outside world as soon as the wall was built. First of all, this guy, this guy seems to be a tamer, he tied a letter to the leg of a small bird demon and released it in the direction of the enemy lines. As it flew away, my attendants caught the demon. Here is the letter. And the man beside him climbed up the wall and was trying to send some kind of signal to the direction of the enemy''s camp using a mirror. These two men were interrogated in the presence of Rion and forced to confess.


    The other adventurers couldn''t be interrogated due to time constraints, but they caught the other adventurers who were surprised by the appearance of the wall and were about to leave their positions in a hurry. Maybe they weren''t spies, but they were acting in such a way that they could not help but be suspected. It''s no wonder they were judged to be spies and caught.


    ''''And these are the soldiers over here - the ones whose names came from the mouths of the adventurers we interrogated. We can''t say for sure that they are spies, but we captured them just in case. We asked them to accompany us voluntarily, but they all refused, so we have tied them up like this.


    I can''t dismiss the possibility that the captured adventurer just mentioned a name he knew at random, but he refused the request of Leon, the next frontier count, which is more than enough reason to suspect him of being a spy.


    ''''And there''s another person named as a spy from the troop leader''s mouth... I''m talking about you, secretary (...),''''


    ''What are you talking about!��How can this girl be a spy.... hey, hey!


    The deputy commander denied my words, but lost his momentum when he saw Leon''s somber face and finally looked at his own son, his secretary. And he seemed to understand that what I was saying was true.


    ''Why....''


    ''Deputy Commander, I have my doubts, but first we have to take the man into custody.


    When I approached the man with those words from Leon, he was surprisingly caught quietly. I was expecting resistance, so I was a little disappointed, but I decided to think about it after capturing the man first.


    The fact that my son was a spy, Rion''s decision to place him under house arrest until the vice-captain''s innocence is proven, and the Frontier Army was left without a commander for a time, taking care not to let the matter leak out to the outside world, ostensibly because the vice-captain was unwell, Rion would be the temporary commander until he recovered. I''m going to announce that I''m taking office.


    ''I think we''ve accomplished most of our request now but, while we''re at it, let''s change the terrain. Rion, there might be a bit of a disruption, so you''ll have to deal with it.


    What?


    As soon as the house arrest of the deputy commander is decided, it is also decided that the activities of the remaining sons will be restricted, and Rion is discussing with Albert, Cain and the others about the excuses for this and how to divide up the duties (it has been decided that the two will be hired by the frontier count army on a temporary basis. The title is the representative of the duke and marquis troops that will be arriving in reinforcements. (In addition, Chris and Grandpa will also be joining as temporary advisors.


    He didn''t understand what I said. "I''ve done the preparations beforehand.


    As I built an earthen wall, and at the same time I applied a certain trick to the other side of the wall, I thought I''d go and finish my business in a haphazard manner. The more you stop them, the more time Leon and the others will have, so it''s my way of protecting them.


    "Wait a minute, I''m going with you!��It''s not good to have someone do something terrible in a place you don''t know about, you know!


    ''Yes, that''s true. From now on, the blame for what Tenma did will fall directly on Leon, and maybe even on us.


    Hearing Cain''s words, Albert hurriedly got up from his seat as well and followed me with Rion and the others following close behind.


    ''You can come, but it''s going to be over really soon.


    Grandpa and Chris didn''t seem to have any intention of coming, and they were drinking tea and munching on the sweets I served while keeping an eye on the other four. Some of the sweets were mixed in with what looked like crackers, so in a little while Amur and Shiroumaru would notice the sound and smell and charge at me.


    With that in mind, I moved to the top of the wall with the three of them in tow. The adventurers had gathered near the wall, but since the knights were keeping a strict watch on them, there was no one trying to climb the wall. Well, it''s probably related to the fact that they announced at the beginning that anyone who did so would be arrested.


    So when I first tried to jump up the wall with my magic, I was almost caught by a nearby knight. Because of this, the three of them (especially Rion) teased me with a big smile as if it was the usual payback, so I decided that I would definitely pay this debt back in the near future.


    ''So what''s Temma going to do here?��And I apologize, so please don''t get even with anyone but me. You can add my share of payback to those two.


    Cain asked me what the purpose of the move to the wall was. In addition, he had sold the other two on the other two, with a sneaky apology so that they wouldn''t hear him. Cain is talking to me in a small voice as a reminder, but the other two are in the middle of being fished up the fence in turn by Slarin, so they can''t afford to care if they see me and Cain talking to each other.


    ''''No, it''s the three of us together when it comes to payback. In my mind, it''s the three of us together that are the three idiots. That''s not the point, I think it''s going to be pretty shaky (...), so you three should hold on tightly to Slarin.


    Hey!��The three of us together ... are we going to rock?


    Cain''s reaction was delayed because he didn''t seem to understand what I meant for a moment, perhaps because he was trying to protest that selling out his friends wouldn''t save him, but the other two instantly clung to Slarin and made a clenched fist and pointed it at me as if they were ready.


    ''''Well then, let''s go!''''


    Wait a minute!��I''m not ready yet!


    I heard Cain''s screams as I began to mentally focus on changing the terrain.

 174-Chapter 11-8 Wye soup for short

    ''Earthquake''


    As soon as I activated my magic, the vibration began to spread from around the midpoint between the frontier county army and the enemy army. The vibrations gradually increased in intensity to the point where I couldn''t stand up properly in a few minutes.


    ''''Is it like this?''''


    ''This is just ... too much ...''


    When the adventurers below me were too big to stand up properly, I stopped my magic and when I was satisfied with the results in front of me, Cain, who was clinging to me, let out a voice that sounded like he was in love with me. By the way, I floated into the air with my ''floating'' magic just before I used my magic, and Cain decided that he couldn''t make it to Slarin''s place in time, so he hugged me to my feet. Well, there was a chance that I would be startled and fall off if that was all I did, but it''s a form of safety with Slarin extending his tentacles to secure my leg and Cain in place.


    The other two seem to have lost their voice in surprise at the scene before them, as well as Cain, and would have fallen under the wall if Slarin hadn''t secured their bodies.


    What was the scene that startled the three of them....


    This is another amazing piece of magic. The plain has become a rocky place.


    The green of the grasslands that had spread out in front of me was just as my grandpa said when he heard the commotion and came to my side, and the green of the grasslands that had been spread out in front of me had been ruined by my magic and turned into the brown of the raised rocks (soil).


    Please explain it to Chris and the others or something....


    The ''Earth Quake'' that he used this time used a magic power comparable to ''Tempest'', so even though he wasn''t going all out, he was still feeling dull in his body.


    You can''t blame them. But when you wake up, Temma will explain it to you directly.


    Okay.


    Since it was early in the morning, I gave my grandfather a stern reply and returned to the carriage. Slarin retrieved Cain, who was clinging to my leg, the moment I said I was going back to the carriage to sleep, and set him down next to Leon and the others, creating a scene that is rarely seen, with the three heirs of the great aristocracy sitting on the fence looking stunned... ...Well, it''s not an unusual sight for me, so it wasn''t something I paid any attention to.


    Jeanne and Aura were in the carriage, and they asked me about the earthquake earlier, but as soon as I told them to ask grandpa for details, they seemed to understand that it was me, so they didn''t ask me anything else. In addition, Aura was about to send Jeanne into the carriage when she said she was going to sleep now, but before Jeanne could get in, she locked the door and I could hear the sound of her tongue clicking from outside... I thought that I could report to Aina. I got a little excited to see how he would react in front of Aina.


    ''''Kuh~''''


    Did I get about three hours of sleep?��I woke up to the sound of Chris banging on the door of the carriage, which seemed to have become unbearable, so I prepared myself lightly and went outside.


    As expected, there were Chris, who looked like he wanted me to explain the situation, and Amour, who was in a bad mood for some reason, and the three idiots who seemed to have been dealing with Chris while he was waiting for me. Jeanne and Aura seemed to be getting ready for lunch some distance away from there, and Shiroumaru and Solomon didn''t leave their side when I came out.


    ''Good morning Chris. Where''s Grandpa?


    You know what I''m trying to say, don''t you?


    ''Yes, I''m sorry to hear that, Chris. I don''t have a good man here either...how about we just stick it out with Leon?


    ''''I know...........................but I''m not going to compromise with Leon. No one likes to get a lottery ticket.................no!


    That was a little long and flippant... or so I thought... and then I saw the three of them struggling to hold back their laughter behind Chris-san. Well, I guess it''s right because I don''t know what Chris-san will say if I burst out laughing, but does Rion know that he is being made fun of?��Well, you don''t understand, because you''re laughing so hard.


    ''So much for the joke, you mean the magic you used before you went to bed, right?


    ''Yes!��If you''re going to use that kind of magic, you could have told me in advance!��Thanks to that, the horses and the adventurer''s (tamer''s) family members had a hard time getting out of control!


    I''m sorry about that for sure. Fortunately, no one was injured during the rampage, and no one was injured, but Chris told me that if I made one mistake, it could have caused a lot of damage. It was my fault for this, so I silently listened to the lecture as a sign of remorse, but I didn''t understand the meaning of Amur, who was standing beside Chris, showing his displeasure.


    ''I wanted to sleep with you too!


    With that one word, I understood that it was nothing to worry about. Let''s ignore Amur.


    ''So how are the Vice Commander and his sons doing?��Especially that secretary who was a spy?


    ''''You don''t seem too remorseful... well, it could be that you had to keep it a secret, so that''s enough... but the deputy commander and his sons, with the exception of the secretary, are on duty. I''m back to the Still, we can''t keep a complete eye on him, though, so we''ll have to keep an eye on him for a time.


    That''s why my grandfather is currently in charge of surveillance. Well, even if he says surveillance, he just sits in a corner and doesn''t impose any particular restrictions on his activities.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    ''And about the secretary, to some extent I understand why she became a spy.


    According to Chris''s interrogation (Chris led the interrogation, and Grandpa and Leon were also present), the reason why the man in the secretary''s office became a spy was because he wanted to prolong the conflict and have the other side attack him and take credit for fighting it off.


    For what it''s worth, the secretary is the son of the deputy commander, but he''s not his own son, and all of his younger siblings are also adopted. They were orphans and did not know what to do with themselves when they were rescued by the deputy commander, and they wanted to repay the favor somehow. So the secretary of the company thought of a way to repay the favor: ''I will succeed to the position of deputy commander. However, since the position of deputy commander is a position within the Frontier Count Army, it is obvious that one must have ability and accomplishments to be able to take on this position. Moreover, unfortunately, the secretary has excellent skills as a secretary, but he has only average skills and ability to command the troops, and he was worried that he would not be able to get the position of deputy commander if he didn''t. It seems that he was intrigued by the unit commander and did something like a spy. The unit commander said to me, "If you can repel the enemy forces that attacked here, everyone will recognize that you have the ability to become the deputy commander.


    In light of the fact that I was intrigued and dyed in the hands of the sub-commander and the achievements of him and his deputy commander so far, it was decided to commute the crime by one level and reduce the sentence to a slave. It''s a good idea to make sure that you have the right kind of information to help you get the best results.


    The secretary is the main culprit, but they decided that there was someone worse, and that the secretary will be reduced to a slave because she saved the man''s life and sold her debt to the deputy commander and expects him to continue to be loyal to the frontier county family. As for the troop commander, the testimony of the knights who were arrested together with him revealed that he was completely connected to the enemy forces, so the death penalty was confirmed without a word. I heard that the death penalty will be carried out after sending them to the Earl of Haust''s frontier, and the troop leader has already been removed by some trusted knights. The rest of the captured adventurers and knights have been reduced to slaves and will be sent back to their homes as soon as the knights come back from Howst''s frontier. There was a discussion of the death penalty for this one too, but the sentence was commuted for selling the troop leader''s information.


    ''''I feel like I''ve worked too hard...''''


    ''Right. In the aftermath of that, I got more work too... but not more pay!��Why the hell not!


    Apparently, one of the jobs of the Kingsguard is to watch for traitors, and in this case, Chris laments that it would be judged to be within the normal course of business to watch for a potential traitor.


    Just a little more patience, Chris...............and give up on your paycheck.


    The deputy commanders may have thought that the more they could accomplish, the more they could potentially reduce the secretary''s sentence. Hopefully, they might think that even if they couldn''t become masters of their secretary''s fallen slaves, they might be able to leave them in the care of someone they knew. As long as the frontier county family doesn''t take the secretary into custody and treat her badly, the deputy commanders will be an ally who will never betray them while they are securing her.


    ''So back to the beginning, what was that earthquake?��I could imagine that it was Temma-kun''s magic, but what kind of magic was it?


    It''s the same level of magic as ''The Tempest'' in terms of scale. It''s just that this time we prepared for it beforehand and suppressed its power, so it didn''t fall like the old ''Tempest'' we used, and if we hadn''t prepared for it, we wouldn''t have been able to move from the carriage for a while longer, even if we had suppressed its power.


    ''That''s how I was able to hold it down.......in the first place, a magic comparable to ''The Tempest''.......Temma-kun, a real natural disaster(.......)''


    Chris-san''s Tenzai (...) is definitely converted into a natural disaster. Well, both ''Tempest'' and ''Earthquake'' are undoubtedly phenomena called natural disasters, so calling myself a natural disaster isn''t wrong either, but I still can''t understand it.


    By the way, though... there is no other magic like that, is there?


    Well I''ll keep it a secret.


    When Chris-san heard my response, he had a dumbfounded look on his face, "You mean there are other things....... It''s not as difficult to do theoretically, and although it''s not as difficult as the Tempest and the Earthquake, there are a number of small-scale natural disaster-like spells that can be done.


    It''s a good thing that I''m not going to be able to get away with it. Well, I manipulate the surrounding air pressure at the same time as generating tornadoes, set the range and make the ground rise continuously and so on, but basically it''s a brute force technique using the massive amount of magic power I have.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s not a special kind of magic, because if you want to do it, grandpa can do it too, although the scale is different.......right?


    Let''s put it this way, it''s nothing special.


    Temma, that''s not possible.


    And Chris calmly returned it to me. I feel like she''s looking at me like she''s looking at a disappointed child.


    ''''Pfft........kukku.......''''


    Rion was struggling to hold back his laughter, but Chris-san was looking at Rion like that... or rather, everyone here, except Rion, was looking at Rion with the eyes of a more unfortunate creature. Of course, me too.


    Well, I guess we''ll have to do a little work on it.


    As it is now, some of the rocks are as tall as a man''s height, so they could be used as cover and shields in reverse, but once they are destroyed, all that''s left is a rough rocky area that takes a lot of time to move around.


    ''''Let''s let the Frontier Count Army do their best in that area.


    In the meantime, since the deputy commander''s people were spying on him and the deputy commander himself has written to the Haust frontier county to let them know that he is not involved in spying, additional knights will probably come. I intend to leave here in turns with those, but if there aren''t enough knights to replace the work Chris-san is currently doing (such as surveillance work), I''ll have to change my plans and extend the number of days I remain here.......in fact, Chris I think I''ll leave you and Leon and go to the Count of the Frontier to get a certificate of accomplishment for my request.


    Temma, we''re at a party, aren''t we?��Do you have something different in mind?


    Apparently, what I was thinking about was showing on my face.


    ''''No, I just thought that if it comes down to it, I should just leave Rion (...) alone...''''


    Yeah. That would be nice. Let''s do it!


    Miss, please don''t treat me badly!


    Leon shouted a protest, but none of us took it up. Everyone would want to leave as soon as possible if they could.


    ''Leaving Rion out of the equation so, Temma, what''s the rest of it going to be?��If this is the case, the enemy army, which has been cut off from its sources of information and has built walls and wastelands, won''t be in a hurry to attack us all at once, though?


    What Cain says is also reasonable. If the commander of the enemy army, or someone in a similar position, was thoughtless, he could be thought to attack without a care in the world.


    I''m sure you''re right.��The Wyvern would be an easy to understand marvel, even against a guy who''s in a hurry to come at you.


    The more you can slow down the other side''s belligerents, the more money you''ll make. And if we can boost the morale of the adventurers on our side, we''ll make more money.


    "Temma, if we''re going to dismantle the wyvern, I need some meat.


    ''''And while we''re at it, let''s treat the adventurers to some wyvern meat. Since it''s a necessary expense, we can make an invoice in Leon''s name later.


    Oh, hey, mug!


    ''Leon agrees. He says he''s going to charge the Haust frontier county responsibly.


    Yeah. Leon is glad to see you''re finally getting your turn.


    When Rion was about to say something, Albert and Cain quickly blocked Rion''s mouth and blocked his movements.


    I''m going to go and report to the deputy commander just to see what''s going on. Of course, I got Rion''s permission.


    ''Mr Temma, here''s your permit. I''ve put Leon''s name on it, so you can give it to me.


    Chris-san wrote a simple permission slip on the spot and added Rion''s name. It''s an obvious fake, but Rion''s handwriting is dirty to begin with, and his handwriting isn''t consistent when writing his signature, so this should be enough to fool him. Well, that deputy commander would pretend that he didn''t notice even if he found out it was a fake, especially now that he''s thinking about the need to leave as many good results as possible for his secretary (Musuko), so he''d dare to ignore it, even if it would cause trouble for Leon to boost the morale of the adventurers.


    ''''Well then, I''ll be off for a bit. Chris-san, make sure you have a place where you can dismantle the wyvern. Amour asks Jeanne and Aura to explain to him. Albert and Cain will take Rion into custody as is.


    ""Got it!"


    Mugabe!


    Rion barked as loudly as the four of them, but it was quickly subdued by Albert and Cain.


    ''Alright!��Allowed!


    The deputy commander heard my proposal and immediately gave me permission. When I told him that I had an instant permit with Leon''s (fake) signature, he took it out of my hands and put his own signature on it, and also said he would treat it as an official one.


    ''So with that said, let the cooking begin. First of all, I''m going to cut off the head of the wyvern.


    From the wyvern, he took the one whose head was almost severed and cut it off completely with a small crowbar.


    ''Amur, Slarin, go display this in the middle of the fence. Balance it so it looks like it''s facing the enemy lines.


    Hm!��Slarin, let''s go.


    Amour picked up Slarin, who had taken the wyvern''s face into his body, and ran towards the wall.


    ''There''s not a lot of meat in the wings, so I''ll cut this one off too... and the rest of it will be easier for Jeanne and the others to cook if we peel it off and turn it into a reasonably sized block of meat.


    I''m ready to go myself.


    It''s not easy to cleanly peel off the skin of such a large animal, so he asked his grandfather to make some cuts in the wyvern''s skin while he was cutting off its wings, and then he came up with a plan to pull it off in one go with the Guardian Gigant, the Guardian of Giants.


    ''''Oops!��It''s a surprisingly clean peel-off.


    It''s kind of weird, though, isn''t it?


    Seeing the way the skin was being peeled off in peripes, Albert was surprised that there was no flesh on the skin, while Cain, on the contrary, seemed to feel a little creepy because the skin was being peeled off too cleanly.


    ''''The dragon snake I dismantled in the past also came off cleanly like this, so basically the reptiles must be easy to peel off their skin.


    ''''No, Temma-kun the Dragon Snake and the Wyvern are both reptiles when it comes to reptiles, but they aren''t usually creatures of that size that can be dismantled so easily.


    I pretended not to hear Chris''s exasperated words as I cut up the skinned wyvern into 1-2 kilogram blocks of meat.


    Jeanne, Aura, Albert, Cain, cut the block of meat into thin slices. I''ll make miso soup, and while you''re at it, get the skillet out.


    Temma, you''re back. Mission accomplished!��And there''s a cook from the Order coming to help out.


    ''Surarin, Amur, thank you for your hard work. Amur, the menu is going to be miso soup. I will ask you to cut the vegetables with the cooks. Ask Amur for the size of the vegetables. Slarin, I want you to keep an eye on Shiroumar and Solomon to make sure they don''t snack on them.


    Mr. Temma, what about me?


    He asked them to wait quietly with their own cups or cups lent by the knights. And by the way, no matter how big a bowl you bring, there is a certain amount to distribute to each person.


    All right!��Come on, let''s go, Leon!


    Yoo-hoo!


    I left the adventurers to their less-than-helpful cooking duties and proceeded to dismantle the wyvern.


    "Can we leave the guts in the bag and deal with them when we have time?


    After dismantling most of the wyvern, I explained how to make miso soup to the knights in charge of cooking, and after showing them how to make it and letting them taste it, I decided to have them each make their own. There will be some variance, but they are all experienced cooks, so I don''t think they will make a big mistake.


    A short time later, the huge amount of pork soup, or wyvern soup, or Wai soup for short (named after Amur), was consumed in about half the time it took to make and contributed to the adventurers'' morale, just as I had planned.

 175-Chapter 11-9 Hausto Frontier House

    So I think we''re done with this one.


    ''''Oh, thank God. With the additional knights in place, it''s almost impossible to get through this camp with that many people. That''s all thanks to the wall that Lord Tenma built.


    A few days after the day I served the Wye soup, additional personnel from the Frontier Count Army and reinforcements from other nobles arrived, so the border army had swelled to a total of over 10,000 in size. That''s the number of noble knights and soldiers alone, so if you include the adventurers as well, the number must be close to 15,000.


    In addition, the knights who came as reinforcements were notified beforehand that spies had been discovered and captured, so they organized a gendarmerie squad of trustworthy people from their respective armies to keep an eye on them at all times, making it more difficult for spies to operate than before. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with your friends and family. It is important to note that these two reinforcements only account for a little over 20 percent of the total, but since the frontier count army was originally in the majority, the other noble armies together account for less than 30 percent of the total, it seems that they could not say anything.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about your opponent''s earth magic, because the walls have been reinforced since then, so I''m sure they won''t be broken by a little thing. I think it''s better to reinforce it as soon as possible. If possible, it would be better to use not only stone, but also wood and iron so that it will last longer against magical attacks.


    Although the earthen walls are compressed as much as possible, they are quite fragile when broken down by earth magic. So we need to find a way to extend the time it takes to be destroyed by reinforcing it with stones, wood and iron. When I told that to the deputy commander, he said he had already ordered the materials.


    ''''And I have a favor to ask...''''


    If anyone asks my opinion on your son, I will leave it at that... and as Rion asked me, I have no desire to interfere inside.


    If I interfere in this matter, if I''m not good at it, I might create a strange faction within the Frontier Count family. If there were any of the Frontier Count''s relatives who were thinking of taking over, they would likely at least make use of my power. At any rate, the royal family is behind me, and the current frontier lord is considered to be the perpetrator of the incident in Kukri village. I''m a handy palanquin for those who are thinking of doing the wrong thing.


    That''s why I''ve decided to remain neutral on the secretary''s case. Of course, I''m asking for a certain amount of payback in return.


    "I also want to be on friendly terms with the frontier master and Lila-sama.


    If someone who doesn''t know me, they might think I''m threatening the Vice Commander, but the Vice Commander seemed relieved. Instead, Leon had a disgusted look on his face. Because the contact person of the frontier county family to me is Leon. And it''s also because he is the one who suffers the most. Well, I''ve mentioned the names of the frontier count and the deputy commander, but the point is that I''m going to use Rion as a go-between.


    "Well then, shall we go to the Count of the Frontier?��Leon, show me the way.


    Yeah, I got it...


    His response was less energetic than usual, as if he was worried about being made a reward for himself, but he''ll be back to normal soon...................in three steps, although that''s probably not the way it''s supposed to go.


    ''Well then, let''s start with the town from the other day. Come on, everyone, get in the carriage!


    Our first stop was the town we stopped in before coming here, and the first official was Chris. The reason why Chris is sticking it out is.....


    Miss........have you run out of clothes to wear?��Let''s at least do the laundry, geez!


    No!


    ''Rion, the clothes and underwear were washed by Jeanne and Aura, so no matter how bad Chris is at housework, that''s not true!��I''m sure I just made an embarrassing stain that I can''t tell people about!


    Amur, shut up!


    When Leon was looking at Chris-san with a dumbfounded expression, he hit his knuckles and Amour lightly dodged Chris-san''s fist. Well, it''s not too late to know that Chris-san is not good at housework, and Jeanne and the others'' job is to take care of things around us, so it''s not a strange thing.


    As I looked at Chris with that thought in mind, he started to make some kind of defense, but everyone let it slide lightly and got into the carriage. Well, that ''embarrassing stain'' is probably the stain that was created when he got drunk from the alcohol he drank when he was off duty and threw up. Chris-san seems to be hiding it, but due to Amour''s tip-off, everyone knows about it. Then I heard the sound of Rion being hit again, but no one said anything as it was always the case.


    ''For now, we''re at the last inn, right?��I can be a little more flexible there.


    ''''I''m the next head of this territory, right?


    None of them answered Leon''s mutterings, and they each hobbled off to their assigned rooms. Well, Chris-san quickly left the room and went off to go shopping at a store that dealt in clothes.


    ''''Shucks, this town is getting a lot busier.


    That''s true, isn''t it? After all, this town is the most valuable place in the County of Housto Frontier.


    Well, the time of war is probably the time when prices rise the most, so this town near the border line in a situation that''s close to that, would be the best place for merchants to make a base of operations.


    ''''That''s probably only until the border line stabilizes, though.


    Well. There are some merchants who are calculating the future of their business because of Tenma''s success, and some of them are going to lose a lot of money. Well, they''ll get what they deserve.


    Normally, from now on, we would be able to do business with the construction of the base building and business with the military, which would be quite profitable, but the walls, which are considered to be the most costly part of the base building, have already been roughly completed by my magic. Moreover, the deputy commander is ordering materials for reinforcement with the budget he has immediately floated. This means that the merchants are selling them to the frontier county army at normal or discounted prices before they can raise their prices.


    Even if they wanted to make money on materials from now on, as far as the fence was concerned, there would be almost no demand for it, and if the enemy army pulled up the fence when they saw that the base had been built, there was a chance that the other trades would not make much money either. In that case, it''s conceivable that at best it would be a thumping, or at worst it would only increase the debt due to transportation costs and so on.


    ''Well, there''s no need to think that far ahead. It''s just business as usual anyway, and I just did what the frontier count asked me to do.


    Yes. Well, let''s just say that the frontier barons were better at it than the merchants, shall we?


    If something happens, we can just leave it to our client, the frontier count. In the first place, since Rion is accompanying us this time, all the responsibility lies with Rion.


    What we got for our fee, the glory of the wyvern extermination, the profits from the materials, and the credit for our little help on the borderline...right?


    ""No objection!"


    After finishing the theatrical talk with my grandfather, I turned around and asked the people who were listening behind me, and Amour, Albert and Cain replied in a loud voice. Since this means that we have a majority of votes, we have decided to make this our basic policy.


    ''''Well, I''m glad we were able to reach a consensus before meeting with the frontier count, I''m glad.


    No, we''re not unified!


    Rion is the only one here who has taken an opposing stance, but it was understandably dismissed.


    ''''Huh~ it''s higher than before and I''m devastated............What''s going on?


    Listen to me, Miss....


    After dismissing Leon''s opinion, Chris-san returned after finishing his shopping. Chris-san felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the room and approached Leon, who was closest to him. Maybe Rion was trying to make as many supporters as possible here, but....


    Of course I have no objection!


    It was a matter of course. Well, it''s not surprising, no matter what you think.


    Now everyone except Rion is on my side.......or rather, it''s clear that Rion is the only one who''s arguing with me.


    ''''Well then, we''re dismissed until dinner!��Each of you, if you go out after this, make sure you report properly to someone before you go!��Especially Jeanne and Aura.


    The two of them have made the mistake of going out without saying anything to Namitaro before and getting kidnapped without saying anything, so I warned them by name just in case. It''s a good idea to be cautious, because it''s precisely at such times that Aura fails, although I don''t think such a thing will happen since both of them should have grown up since then.


    ''''Why are you naming names~?''''


    Aura seemed unhappy, but Jeanne nodded. Well, as long as one of them knew what to do, it would be fine. For now, they each ignored Aura and scattered to their own thoughts. In addition, Aura, who was named, did not come out of her room until dinner, perhaps because she did not want to go out and be told what to do.


    ''''There it is. That''s the ''Shellhide'' where my father lives in the center of the Haust Frontier Domain!


    Two days after leaving the town near the borderline, we arrived at the city in the center of the Haust frontier county. Shellhide, the center of the frontier county''s territory, was built on a vast hill, and the entire city was surrounded by a wall. And it is said that there are a number of fields inside the walls that utilize water that gushes from all over the city. The reason for this is because it was designed to be a confinement battle in the event of an invasion from a neighboring country.


    In fact, it''s only been confined to one time. It was quite a long time ago, and yet it was over in a few days, so they don''t really know how long they can actually withstand it.


    The reason for this siege was not because they were directly surrounded by the enemy, but because Shellheide was in the path of the enemy''s advance and they were able to repel them in the field before they got closer. Moreover, they were able to expand their territory in the counterattack, so that the shellheids were far away from the border line. Well, if a confinement battle occurred that often, the residents would not be able to do anything about it.


    Speaking of specialties, it''s going to be horses.


    Edible?


    Amur reacted quickly to Leon''s explanation, but unfortunately, he said it was about military horses.


    ''''There are a lot of plains and hills around here, so even if you just graze them at random, you can naturally train your horse''s legs and feet.


    That''s why war horses produced near ''Shellhide'' are sold at a high price. Well, even those top-notch military horses wouldn''t be able to compare to Raiden.


    ''Temma, Raiden''s chance to stand out!


    No, Ryden is conspicuous enough to stand out, even if he''s not here.


    Cain tsked calmly at Amur''s words. Amur was convinced that that was also true, but I was watching him closely. The grandfather who is playing the role of Gosha this time reacted to Amur''s words and was straining his hand to hold the reins, but when he noticed my gaze, he hurriedly removed his hand from the reins.


    won''t happen, right?


    I''ll be fine!��Maybe.....


    ''Yes!��I don''t know, a thousand G''s!


    Me too!


    Me too!


    I''m in!


    This time!


    Albert, Cain, Mr. Chris, Amour, and Aura, this time Rion will do it!��I was hoping for the best. In contrast, Grandpa and Jeanne were betting on the one who could figure it out again this time, "That''s not going to happen," he said. And......


    Dare I say you''re an idiot.


    The result was ''I know'', as it should be. Well, even here, if he didn''t know who Rion was, Rion should consider declining to be his successor. Or, those who didn''t understand would be punished in Rion''s name. The most punishment would almost certainly make Leon''s face known, although it would come with the reputation of being ''the man who punished those who didn''t know his face as the successor''.


    ''''No, I knew it was a quirk, though.


    I knew it was going to happen but it''s more interesting when you don''t know.


    ''No, well it''s not Leon who is going to live up to our expectations here.


    ''I thought Leon would do it for me...''


    ''Your allowance...''


    Albert and Cain seem to have bet on "I don''t know (romance)" because they knew the outcome but thought it would be interesting, while Chris bet on the hope that "maybe", and Amour and Aura would be completely unsure... ...


    ''Well, that''s enough fun and games, and since we have to meet the Earl of the Howst Frontier, it''s time to change our minds.


    Now we''re on our way to the frontier county mansion, guided by knights called by the gatekeepers. The coaches were in charge of the two who won the bet. At first, Jeanne and Aura were going to be in charge, but grandpa said, "I want to know what''s going on outside in case something unforeseen happens," and so they were replaced by Aura. Well, I guess his true intention was to find out if there is anything interesting in the outside.


    But it seems that this idea of grandpa''s was too much for the knights of the frontier aunt family to handle. In the midst of the tension of welcoming a celebrity from the controversial Kukri village, even though it was a long time ago, the first thing to do is to talk to the person and try to calm down, when suddenly (according to Amour and Chris-san) a Lasbose-class appearance. Therefore, the knight who spoke to him without realizing that he was his grandfather froze in surprise when he realized who he was a few seconds after he spoke to him.


    ''''That knight, if it had been Temma-kun sitting beside Merlin-sama, his heart would have stopped beating because he was too shocked.


    Chris-san even said after the knight''s reactivation. And as if to back it up, the knight who froze up, said to his fellow knights during the move


    ''I feel like my lifespan has been shortened I wish Master Rion had sat down...''


    I was even whispering to myself. The future lord of the knights, Rion, may be a kind of tranquilizer for them.


    It''s a good thing that the city was built using the hills, so there are many hills. Raiden won''t have to worry about it, but it would be hard to do with any other horse.


    Well, that''s why there are so many different laws than in other cities. Some merchants from other parts of the world are often warned by the guards.


    He said that most of the roads in Shellhide are "one-way traffic except for pedestrians" and "right turn restriction".


    Shellhide has many slopes and there are many accidents when horse and carts pass each other. To prevent this, they are trying to reduce the number of accidents between horse and carriage by limiting one-way traffic and right turns on all roads except for the main roads.


    Some roads are one-way and left turns are forbidden in other cities, but Shellhide is the only city in which this is not allowed, and merchants and adventurers in their carriages are often unaware that they are breaking the law. The first offense is a warning, the second offense is a fine. Also, it seems that the fine depends on the total number of violations and the status of the offense.


    ''Looks like we''ve arrived,''


    I felt the carriage slow down and looked out the window and saw that it was just about to stop in front of a large gate.


    The gatekeepers seemed startled by Raiden, but the knight and Rion who accompanied us quickly opened the gate and led us straight to a place where we could park the carriage.


    ''''I''m sorry, but I''ll go ahead and get ready.''''


    I''m coming with you.


    Me too.


    Not only Leon, but both Albert and Cain had to leave for a time as well. Perhaps the two of them are receiving some kind of instruction from their fathers.


    ''Unexpectedly, it could be instructions on how to handle Tenma-sama..........Ugh!


    The moment Aura said something strange, Jeanne, who was next to her, released a pull-out hand into Aura''s side. With a warning, "What if the story leaks out to Aina via Chris-san?


    With those words, Aura realized her gaffe (never to me) and hurriedly looked at Chris-san''s face fearfully, but Chris-san smiled at her as if he had seen something interesting. When Aura saw that, she was exaggeratedly frightened, but honestly, I thought Chris''s expression was frightening too, so we can''t blame her for being frightened.


    As we were waiting in the carriage like that, Shiroumaru noticed that someone was approaching and let me know. So Jeanne went outside to check, and it was a woman in a maid''s uniform who came to take us to the frontier count.


    ''This way,''


    Following the woman''s lead, I followed behind her in order of me, Grandpa, Amour, Chris-san, Jeanne and Aura, and after walking for a while, there was a door guarded by two knights.


    ''''We have brought our guests. Please open the door.


    The knights showed a puzzled look for a moment before quickly bowing and opening the door.


    ''''Thank you for your service.''''


    The woman said that to the knights and stepped into the room with us at the head of the group. When I followed the woman into the room, I saw a man sitting on a sturdy-looking chair about two to three dozen meters away. In the circumstances, that man would be the Haust Frontier Count. The evidence of this was the three men standing quietly side by side next to the carpet that led up to the man''s front door.


    All three of them looked surprised by the situation, but they didn''t say anything, perhaps because they knew the place.


    The woman who led us to the frontier county is not showing the slightest bit of concern about the fact that we are in front of a frontier county.


    Please wait here.


    I led them to a distance of about ten meters from the frontier count, and then I moved directly to the side of the frontier count. Incidentally, Jeanne and Aura followed us into the room, but as soon as they entered, they moved to the corner of the room. This was because they are treated as my followers (maids), so they are allowed to enter the room, but they are not allowed to stand in front of the frontier count.


    ''''Ah........''''


    When the woman was in a form relative to us next to the frontier count, Chris-san let out a voice that sounded like she noticed something. And there was a rather surprised vibe coming from Chris-san.


    ''What''s wrong, Chris-san?''


    I whispered to Chris, who was right behind me, without turning around.


    "I just realized that the man who led us here is the wife of the Count of the Frontier.


    Chris-san replied.


    At that unexpected answer, not only me, but also my grandfather and Amour, who had been listening, couldn''t help but look at Chris-san for a moment, then immediately looked at the woman with all their might. At the edge of my vision, I could see Rion holding his head in his hands. Unlike Rion, the woman who turned out to be ''Mistress'' had a happy face, as if the prank had succeeded.

 176-Chapter 11-10 Rions Father

    Thank you for coming all the way out here. I''m Harold von Hoost, head of the Hoost frontier family.


    While I was wondering about the wife in a maid''s outfit, the frontier earl had begun to introduce himself.


    After all, he was a frontier earl, and he was quite powerful, even among the nobles I''ve met so far.


    There are two reasons why I thought ''just looks(...)'' here. One is that the Earl of the Frontier is Rion''s father, who is the "representative of the badasses and idiots" in my mind.


    The other reason is that the Earl himself, for some reason, seems to be more concerned about his "maid-dressed wife" next to the Earl, than me.


    "Thank you for defeating the wyvern herd and supporting the borderline.


    The frontier count, he broke off his words once here and glanced next to me.


    ''''And I''m sorry for the inconvenience I caused you about the Vice Commander of my Order. I''m sincerely sorry.


    While bowing his head, the frontier count again glanced over to check next to him.


    ''''About the various rewards, I haven''t received all the reports yet, and I haven''t finished the calculations. I''m sorry, but I''d like you to stay here for a while. Of course, we will pay for your expenses in the meantime. Also, we''ve prepared a guest room in the mansion for a number of people, but if you''d rather not be in this mansion, we''ve prepared the best inn in the city. If you have any other concerns, feel free to make a request to anyone in the house.


    With that, the frontier count lightly levitated his hips as if it were over and tried to sit back in his chair, but.......


    What a bunch of bravado...


    When he heard his grandfather''s mumbled words, he shuddered for a moment and sat still. It may have been a casual remark to Granddad, but it had quite an effect on the frontier count. Well, I was bothered by his attitude, but I paid more attention to the fact that he was concerned about his neighbor''s wife. Incidentally, that wife, while the Count was talking, was smiling the whole time. But.........


    Hmmm... 20... 15 points?


    Hearing the wife''s mumbled words, the frontier earl trembled louder than his grandfather did. His wife didn''t even glance at the frontier earl as she said this, just smiling and laughing.


    ''''Nice to meet you all, I am Edilia von Hust, wife of Harold von Hust and mother of Leon von Hust. Thank you very much for this matter. As well as killing the Wyvern, the support of the Ootori at the borderline has helped us not only defensively but financially as well. I also apologize for the frequent inconvenience my son, Leon, has caused you. If Rion causes you any inconvenience, you can ask him to beat his guts back without worrying about his status. And.........


    The Count of the Frontier took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and got up from his chair. And...


    Six years ago, the incident in Kukuri Village was our fault. Some people say it was the responsibility of the guards who were sent to the village, but that was the responsibility of the frontier count family, the frontier count, and me. I am sorry.


    He bowed his head deeply. Suddenly, me and Grandpa were lightly confused and looked at each other, not knowing what to do. All the while, the frontier earl kept his head down.


    ''''Temma-kun, Merlin-sama. How about talking to the Count of the Frontier for now?��Besides, I don''t think we should let the frontier lord keep his head down forever...


    Taking Chris''s advice, me and Grandpa decided to ask the frontier count to raise his head and then ask him for details.


    After raising his head, the Count of the Frontier was about to start talking on the spot, but Edilia-san suggested that we move to the next meeting room. As soon as they entered the conference room, Edilia-san started to prepare the tea, and Jeanne and Aura hurriedly tried to help, but Edilia-san pushed them to take a seat.


    When Ediria''s tea was distributed to each of them, the Count of the Frontier opened his mouth, but surprisingly, he was not very good at speaking, perhaps because he was not very good at it, but he kept reiterating himself in places.


    The first thing he said was that he had always wanted to apologize to me and my grandfather for the incident six years ago. He had gone to apologize to the survivors in Kukuri, but he couldn''t do it for me and my grandpa.


    The reason for this is because he couldn''t find out where I was for a long time, and also because he couldn''t leave the territory since he found out my whereabouts, as the movements of the neighboring countries started to get suspicious. As for my grandfather, I went to the capital with Uncle Mark and his friends as soon as I moved there, but despite his half-dazed state at the time, when he heard the word "Haust frontier count," he seemed to go into a terrific rage, and if the frontier count appeared in front of him, he would be killed for sure, according to the king''s He had to apologize for the visit, according to his decision. I''ve heard that he apologized to Uncle Mark and the others at that time, but because it was just after the incident, they didn''t accept his apology right then and there. It was shortly before they found out where I was, and the last time the frontier lord visited the capital, they accepted my apology.


    ''''Grandpa, did you get so violent?''''


    I don''t remember any of this.


    I heard that it was mainly Grandpa''s room that was broken, but if left unattended, the mansion could have been completely destroyed, and every time it was broken, Din-san was driven out.


    Incidentally, when I looked at the Three Fools and the Frontier Count as a confirmation, Albert and Cain nodded with a wry smile, while the Frontier Count and Rion were shivering with blue faces. Later, Rion told me that he spent his time being scared that if Master Merlin heard that they were in King''s Landing, they would be erased without leaving a trace of dust. Perhaps the frontier lord felt the same way as Leon.


    ''Well, as far as that is concerned, I can''t say that I have no resentment at all, but I''m determined to forgive.


    I told them that I had discussed this matter with Grandpa and Uncle Mark and the others many times and decided on it, so I told them that it was the consensus of the former Kukri village residents in the royal capital.


    Seeing my grandfather nodding in agreement with my words, the frontier count, Ediliyah-san and Rion showed a look of relief.


    ''''However, as I told Rion before, if the Frontier Count''s family turned against me or tried to force me into it, please know that this is not the case.


    The frontier count braced himself for a moment at what he said afterwards, but he quickly nodded.


    I have heard about it. I heard about it, and I also heard that this was the agreement made in front of the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis de Samoens. It may seem like the two idiot sons have been set up by those two, but I will make sure that my vassals know that this is what the Countryman and I agreed to.


    The frontier count seemed to have noticed the intentions of those two, but Leon had a surprised look on his face. Moreover, Albert and Cain, who were beside him, couldn''t hold back their laughter and blurted out, which seemed to confuse them even more.


    I''m not going to say anything else. And about our lodgings........''''


    As I said before, we have other inns in Shellhide that are considered to be among the best in the area. Would you like me to show you the inn?


    No, if you don''t mind, I would like to take care of you at the Count of the Frontier''s house. I promised Leon before that I would go to visit the Count of the Frontier family, so I thought it would be just the right time. It''s just........


    "Just?


    ''The room should be divided between men and women, and kept apart from each other. We are all unmarried men and women, and we want to avoid that kind of slander as much as possible.


    After hearing my order, the frontier count nodded widely and promised to prepare the room as I said, but on the contrary, Amour and Aura looked regretful. And for some reason, Ediria-san too........


    Then have your men show you your rooms as soon as they are ready. Until then, you may rest in this room.


    After saying that, the frontier count and Edilia-san left the room, saying that they had some business to attend to. Before she left the room, Edilia-san turned her gaze towards Chris-san once, so that frustrated look on her face must have been Chris-san related.


    ''''Huh.......my shoulders are kind of stiff. As expected, unlike Rion, I''m nervous to meet with the frontier earl-sama.


    Yes.


    His wife, for all her smiling, was kind of powerful and...


    As Chris-san stretched out in his chair, Jeanne and Aura agreed with him. Incidentally, the two of them had tried to stand in the back when they moved into this room, but Edilia-san had forced them to sit halfway down.


    ''''Maybe being next to another country like the frontier county territory makes it naturally more powerful.


    Perhaps. He was more of a warrior than the Duke of Sangha or the Marquis de Samoens.


    Well, your father and the Marquis de Samons are more of a civilian character.


    ''Most of all, I don''t think the power of the Count of the Frontier at that time was quite what everyone thought it would be.


    At those words, Grandpa and the others said, ''What do you mean by that?'' He looked at Cain, but Cain turned his attention to Rion with a laugh.


    So when they all looked at Rion, Rion had a somewhat complicated look on his face. And.


    My dad is nervous and has a shyness about him...


    And then an unexpected testimony popped up. Chris, who had met the frontier count several times before, didn''t seem to know this information, and in a way he was most surprised.


    That''s why Rion''s ineptitude is, in a sense, genetic.


    Dad says it''s not a problem because his wife has that covered.


    You only seemed uptight in your first address because you were nervous, weren''t you?


    ''And I wonder if the reason you were so concerned about your wife during the words was because you were showing shyness... If so, what were the fifteen points Edilia said after that?''


    Maybe it''s the fact that I was too nervous to speak up, and the way I acted when I was thanking and apologizing. Probably, my father is probably being criticized by my mother by now.


    It seems that even in the Countess of the Frontier, his wife is stronger.


    "What kind of a person is the Countess of the Frontier?


    At Grandpa''s question, Leon thought about it for a moment.


    Like supporting my dad from behind instead of stepping forward?��I heard that my mother originally entered the frontier family as an apprentice when she was a child, and then she caught the eye of my father''s mother, the former wife of the frontier count (my grandma), and they got married. Incidentally, the reason she wears maid''s clothes is because it''s easier to cook and clean, which is her hobby. Also, my mother''s family was a baronial family, and the vassals, who valued horizontal connections, tried to give my father a vassalage, but it didn''t work out because of his shyness.


    This is a rare kind of nobleman that I know of. But if it were the other way around, I''d hear about it all the time.


    ''''Ahh.......So when you were greeting me in front of His Majesty, after you first confirmed the position of the kinsmen, you never looked at me. That wasn''t so much a confirmation of their placement as it was a confirmation of which place to be without making eye contact with an unnecessary person.


    Maybe she''s right...


    Rion''s affirmative reply to Chris''s statement that he''d reached a point.


    I''m sure that''s why you can''t underestimate him, though. The first thing I heard was that he is not only a commander of an army, but also a skilled military man, and according to my father, he can go toe to toe with the captain of the Kingsguard.


    ''Mostly, I heard it''s a case of no magic,'' said Cain, and Chris-san continued, ''It''s a famous story. Well, I suppose that''s about as good as it gets, otherwise you wouldn''t be able to rule a territory that is adjacent to a neighboring country.


    ''If that''s the case, then Rion will have to work very hard. Mainly on the political front.''''


    Everyone except Rion laughed at my impressions, and when the punchline arrived, Edilia-san came in to say the room was ready. Chris-san, Albert, Cain, Jeanne and Aura seemed to think the timing was only good, but me, my grandfather who could use ''search'', my grandfather who had good instincts, Amour who was closest to the wildest, and Rion, who was my relatives, didn''t think the timing was good, but simply waited for Edilia-san to be out of sight at the door! I understood that it was from.


    The way he dismissed the signs was so close to Aina and Mr. Kleif''s that I wondered if he might have the knowledge of warfare as those two did.


    ''''These four rooms are for men and those three rooms are for women.


    The room Edilia showed me to was free of the distance between the men and women, as I requested. However, I wondered why there was one less room for women (I thought Jeanne and Aura are maids, so I wondered if it was just one room for the two of them, but two rooms were prepared for them), but just in time, there were only three women''s rooms that had been cleaned, so Chris-san had a room next to Leon''s.


    ''Hey, Albert, Cain. I''m sure of this, right?


    Yeah, I''m sure.


    ''Mr. Edilia, you''re trying to get Rion and senior Chris to stick together,''


    Ms. Chris seems to have been locked on by the current Countess of the Frontier as the next Countess of the Frontier. But Ms. Chris, who has been saying for a while now, "There''s no one but Leon.


    Countess of the frontier, you needn''t worry about that.


    And then he grabbed Amur by the scruff of the neck, who was leaning towards me.


    "There is this troubled child on this trip and I have been given strict orders by Mary to keep an eye on him. Therefore, I must be in the same room as this troubled child (Amur).


    Mmm.


    With that said, Chris-san had avoided Edilia-san''s attempts. As expected of the Countess of the Frontier, she had no choice but to back off when the name of the queen-sama, who had the highest power among women, was mentioned.


    ''''That''s right, mother. First of all, I wouldn''t feel safe if Miss Miss was in the next room... sorry, it''s nothing.


    Before Rion could say his usual light-hearted words, Chris-san glared at him and he became more mature. Edilia was watching the scene and looked very disappointed (probably because of missing Chris-san and Rion''s poor performance).


    After that, we decided on our respective rooms (I got the farthest end of the men''s room, and Chris-san chose the one furthest away from my room, ignoring Amour''s opinion), and then we had free time in our rooms until dinner time.


    Well, what are we going to do for the next few hours until dinner do we go to bed?


    It was halfway through the night to do anything, so we decided to get some light sleep for now.


    The room I rented had plenty of room for Shiroumaru and the others to get out (not at their original size, but at the size of their collars), so they each got out of their bags and laid down. In case you''re wondering, there''s a tag on the door that says ''We''ll sleep until dinner. We hung a sign on the door saying ''We''ll sleep until dinner, please don''t wake us up'', but if anyone came in, we asked Slarin to help or wake us up before we went to bed.


    And just before dinner.


    ''Phew!''


    Ugh.


    Shiroumar''s hand woke me up. It looks like Shiroumar was going to place his hand on my shoulder or chest, but I think he misjudged it a bit, and dropped his hand in the center of my face... very suspicious, but before I could get angry, Slarin scolded me (emperorized) and I''ll let him take over for you.


    ''Hey Temma, it''s time to eat!


    I can hear Leon''s voice from outside the door as he comes in to let me know it''s time for dinner.


    ''I''m coming,''


    After lightly grooming himself, he took Slarin and Solomon to join Leon. In addition, Shiroumar seemed to have been swallowed up by Slarin''s body (the dimension bag) and was nowhere to be seen. Well, Slarin would probably release him at a suitable place, so it wouldn''t mean that Shiroumaru would be the only one without dinner.


    ''''Let''s get going!��Because you all went ahead of me!


    Everyone else was shown around by Edilia-san first, and Rion stayed behind to show me around.


    ''I didn''t know Temma was sleeping, I went to pick her up to play in my room, but Slarin refused to let me.


    The three of them had no choice, so the usual three of them were chatting together.


    As I recall, Miss Amur was also collected by Amur when we passed each other.


    Then you''ll have to lock yourself up for the night.


    And so on and so forth, we headed to the cafeteria where everyone was waiting for us with Rion leading the way.


    In the cafeteria, everyone except me and Rion were all present and ready to start eating as soon as I and Rion took our seats.


    ''''Sorry to keep you waiting,''''


    I walked into the dining room and uttered an opening apology, and then Rion led me straight to my seat. The Count and his wife sat at the top of the rectangular table, with me, Grandpa, Amur, Jeanne, and Aura on their left side, and Rion, Albert, Cain, and Chris on their right side. They were divided into two groups: those who knew the frontier count and those who didn''t. I would have wanted to.


    Then, Kanpa........hmmm!


    Seeing me and Rion taking our seats, the frontier count suddenly tried to make a toast, but was interrupted by Edilia-san next to him poking him with her elbow. In the meantime, several maids poured drinks into their respective cups.


    ''I''ll have my tea, please. ''Amour, you have a bad drinking habit, so juice or tea. And Jeanne and Aura, too.''


    Chris-san refused the maid''s attempt to pour wine and forbade Amour and the others sitting across from her to drink anything with alcohol in it. Well, Amour is a baroness (although she is not aware of it), but she has a bad drinking habit, so it''s better not to let her drink in order to prevent blunders, and Jeanne and Aura are treated as guests, but they are maids, so it''s better not to drink them. They seemed to be aware of this, and they did as Chris-san said. However, Chris-san refused to drink alcohol and specified tea for a different reason than the three of them, I guess.


    Chris-san can drink more than most people do, but he has a tendency to get carried away. But he gets carried away and often gets drunk because he has a tendency to get carried away. In fact, when he comes over to our house because the next day is a holiday, he sometimes drinks in the afternoon, gets drunk, and stays in bed until the next morning.


    Well, at times like that, Aina stays behind to take care of him, and even when she''s not there, Jeanne and Aura are taking care of him, so my grandfather and I don''t have any contact with him (or can''t). However, if he gets drunk at the frontier aunt''s house, he could be thrown into Leon''s room by Edilia, who thinks Chris-san is going to be Leon''s wife.


    If a drunken Chris-san is carried into Rion''s room, if Rion is in a state of normalcy, he can return to his room without any problems (and be returned). However, there''s no way that Rion wouldn''t drink at a place like this. And since this is Leon''s family home, he will drink without reservation. And he will probably drink himself to death.


    If that happens, an unmarried man and woman will be spending the night. And since they were drunk and sleeping, they can''t prove their innocence. The rest of the time they would have to get married because of the world and their responsibilities.


    I think Chris thought that much before he refused to drink. And Edilia looked regretful when she saw Chris who refused to drink.


    To commemorate the acquaintance of the Ootori family with the Countess of Husto, I have arranged a small banquet for you. I hope you will enjoy it to the fullest. So, cheers!


    After all that under-the-surface bargaining was over, when everyone had had their drinks, the frontier earl, who didn''t seem to notice the bargaining between the two of us, made a toast.


    In the meal that followed, there was no conversation between me and the frontier count. The first topic of common ground between the frontier counts and I was the incident in Kukri village six years ago, and the other topics were the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens, but we had the legitimate sons of both of them (and I was close with them), so we couldn''t get on with our conversation.


    Leon was worried about me and the Earl of the Frontier, and unusually for him, he was trying his best to bridge the gap between us, but since that''s what Leon does, it didn''t do much good. In fact, it was probably better that he wasn''t there, since the frontier count would switch the conversation to where he could join the conversation.

 177-Chapter 11-11 Lock On

    Oh, my God, he''s a terrible guy and I don''t know what you''re going to do tomorrow, if you don''t mind me asking.


    After the meal was over, I was invited by Leon to play a board game in his room. And before I knew it, a round robin game had begun with all the men except Grandpa. Incidentally, Grandpa was sitting in his room enjoying a bottle of wine made in the Frontier County.


    The game he was playing now was reversible. The game he was playing now was Reversi, which was the same in shape and style as in his previous life. They don''t know who developed it, but it''s almost certainly a reincarnation that is involved.


    And in addition to reversies, there were also board games such as shogi, chess, and even things like the sukoroku human 0 game. While playing these games, I found out that I was the weakest at shogi and chess among the four of us. Well, it''s not that I''m weak, it''s just that I can''t stand up to Albert and Cain, so I''m battling for the bottom spot with Leon, who also keeps losing to them....


    I''ve been playing a reversi tournament since a while ago, because even I''m such a good reversi player, but it''s really only better, and the odds of winning were not good.


    Rion''s line just now was said in such a bottom deciding game.


    ''''Well, for now, I guess it''s just sightseeing. While we''re at the Adventurer''s Guild, I''d like to see what kind of requests there are in the Haust Frontier County.''''


    The reason I''m going to the Adventurer''s Guild is to quickly show that me and the frontier aunt family aren''t on bad terms, so I don''t plan on actively accepting requests. However, if there are requests that only require me to fit the materials I have on hand, I''m thinking of accepting some of them. It''s not for money or the adventurer''s guild, it''s simply because I think accepting the request will show off my name in the guild''s record, making it more appealing. Well, it won''t be enough to prove that I''m on good terms with the Frontier Count family, but it will help to prove that I''m not bad.


    ''''Good!��I won!


    "d*mn it!��I lost!


    The reversals, which continued as we talked, were settled by my victory. With this, Rion would be crowned the title of Reverse Triple Crown Champion, following chess and chess, plus Reversi.


    Congratulations, Rion!


    ''Ah!��Hey Cain, don''t litter my room with garbage!


    It''s not garbage. It''s confetti to celebrate!


    It''s garbage to me!


    I had noticed that Cain had been sneaking around making something from earlier, but I didn''t think it was to prepare something like this.


    ''But I had no idea that Temma wasn''t good at chess or chess.


    Yeah. I didn''t think it would be a good match for Leon either.


    You''re a good match for me, so you must be average or slightly above average.


    ''If it was a card game, I think it would be a more decent match...''


    It''s not clear to me why, but I am not able to anticipate the battlefield on the board. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect, but it''s not possible for Albert and Cain to read the future and move their pieces, and they lost 100 percent of their games with the two of them, and 80 percent of their games in the following game. By the way, Leon had a 100 percent loss rate in all of them. By the way, the two of us are almost evenly matched, and we''re always fighting in the mud.


    "It''s possible, though. In the case of Tenma, isn''t it bad to have two people with exactly the same abilities fighting each other?��And maybe it''s partly because I''m mostly a solo adventurer?


    What do you mean?


    In other words, Temma''s commanding ability is low because he''s too good at it. In chess and chess games, military officers play chess to improve their commanding abilities, but Temma is a solo adventurer, so he doesn''t need to be in command. But Temma is a solo adventurer, so commanding ability is not necessary, and even if he does form a party, it is a small number of people, and there are only a few highly skilled people who can help him in a pinch, so his ability to read the future is not developed as much as it should be.


    Cain says it in a questioning way, but he seems confident in his guess. I, myself, was partly convinced by Cain''s ideas, but partly unable to honestly admit it. Because.


    That would suggest that the nature of Tenma is more of a brainiac!


    I thought that they would say that. But it pisses me off to be told by Leon, the brainiest of them all... or so I thought.


    ''''Well, there''s no way to compare the level of brainpower that defeated an ancient dragon zombie with the brainpower that was nearly killed by a wyvern.


    Albert made a dumbfounded face and said something like that.


    ''Even if he was a brainiac, though, he defeated an ancient dragon zombie, so Temma will definitely be talked about as a historical hero to posterity. ��If I''m not good at it, might I be talked about as the baggage that pulled our hero (Temma) down?


    To begin with, Temma wasn''t asked to be a commander, so even if his abilities were a little less than that, he wouldn''t be considered a brainiac.


    And following Cain''s words, Albert also came to my defense. With such a situation full of enemies, Rion lost his momentum and said, "The wyvern almost killed you guys! But he countered by saying, "I (I) and I (we) are strong in both chess and chess, unlike Rion. I thought that was a bit of a misguided answer to Leon''s words, but he crumbled at that answer.


    ''''Well, let''s leave that one alone and play some other games, shall we?


    Yeah. I''m getting bored with board games and they take up a lot of time, so let''s play cards.


    So it was decided to invite Jeanne and the others as well.


    ''''Well then, Rion. As a punishment for the losers, go talk to the ladies.


    Tell him it''s not like there are any punishments.


    The two of them ordered me to go call for the ladies, but Rion was still in shock from earlier, and he had a dazed, zombie-like gait.


    As soon as Rion left, I asked him about what Cain had just said, because I felt uncomfortable with it.


    ''Actually, Rion, I once invited the same girls from my class to a card game when we were in school, but I had an embarrassing past where everyone I invited suspected that there was something behind the scenes, and no one showed up.''


    I''m sure Leon must have looked like a slut at that time. Well, we can''t say that we didn''t have those evil thoughts, but that''s just the kind of thing that easily shows on your face. Plus, there''s a lack of words.


    It was a matter of fact. Hearing that, I felt a little uneasy, but I decided to believe their words that Leon had grown up a little since then, and that he wouldn''t fail so badly against someone he knew.


    However, a few minutes later, the ones who came into the room were Jeanne and Aura, who looked frightened, Chris, who had an angry look on his face, and Rion and Amour, who were being dragged around by Chris''s collar.


    As soon as I saw that, I thought, "Oh........that guy Rion, he did something......." and we regretted letting Rion go alone.


    ''''Albert, Cain, Temma-kun.......what do you mean, let''s have fun without the old lady?''''


    We froze for a moment, not understanding what Chris-san was saying. The only time we were able to restart was when Chris-san, with a look of indignation on his face, stepped out of the way with his grip on the neck of Leon and Amour.


    We felt that this was not good, so we began to desperately plead our case. As a result........


    Well, let''s get started!��Here, Cain, let''s get it out of the way!


    We managed to clear up Chris-san''s misunderstanding. But that was a misunderstanding of the three of us, not that Rion and Amur were allowed to do so.


    As for the two who were not allowed, they were forced to sit on their haunches in the corridor. Moreover, they are made to sit in a position where they can be seen through the open door, so they can''t sneakily collapse their legs.


    By the way, the reason why Chris-san was so angry was because Rion told Amur, "We''re going to have to play Baba out! He said it was because he laughed so hard. It was because he was laughing so hard that we could only call him an idiot.


    By the way, Baba-drew was considered a bad omen, so we decided to change the rule to Jiji-drew.


    It was decided to change the rules of the game without jibberish. You''ve been strong against Amur lately, haven''t you?


    Cain, who had finished handing out the cards, was talking to Chris-san while preparing his own cards. It is true that Amour, who has a selfish side, seems to be listening to Chris-san comparatively...well, it''s only ''comparatively'', so there are many things that he can''t control, but even so, I think it''s amazing that he can make her listen to what he says. Incidentally, of all the people in the King''s Capital, Amour listens to his grandfather the most, followed by Maria-sama and Chris-san.


    Oh, it''s an easy thing to do. When Amur gets carried away, I just say one word to him: ''I''m going to tell Hana-san about it. Hana-san and I were paired up for a martial arts tournament, and we were talking about exchanging letters in the future. In the letter, she said, "If Amur does something bad, let me know. If he does, you must consider taking him back to the South. Well, I''m not an ogre, so I wasn''t going to let you know as long as you didn''t commit any crimes, but if it was too much for me, I''d have to let Hana-san know....hey?


    ''I''m sorry, Mister Chris. Please don''t let your mother know.


    Chris-san glanced at Amur at the end, and Amur immediately started apologizing on his knees. If he didn''t like being taken back to the South so much, he shouldn''t have made fun of Chris-san.


    ''''Conditional reflexes are so scary...''''


    It seems that Amur has a gene in him that he has to make fun of Chris. Chris-san seemed dumbfounded by that answer, and Amour''s seat on the floor was extended. Incidentally, during the exchange between the two men, Leon was completely silent. The reason for this was because his legs were numb and he didn''t have time to open his mouth.


    ''''Well, there''s no point in worrying about those two. Let''s get on with it.


    Chris-san said so, and so the gigi-removal started, but all the while Chris-san''s watchful eyes were on the two men in the hallway. Unaware of this, Rion would occasionally move to shift his foot position, but every time he did so, Chris-san would glare at him. Amur seemed to have more room to spare compared to Rion, but even so, sitting upright for long periods of time seemed to be difficult.


    Woohoo!


    Leon, shut up!


    He would sacrifice Rion and create a moment to make his own leg easier. By the way, the way it was done was that Amur would make it by tapping and tickling Rion''s leg with his tail. Well, Chris-san found out a few times and got a hard time.


    ''You''re out of it!''


    After a few jizzercises, they were now holding a millionaire''s tournament. It started because he had left the door open and his voice echoed in the corridor, and his grandfather came to hear him.


    When the grandfather came, Chris suggested that they should not play Jiji-pulling, so they decided to play with five players and the commoners took turns.


    I''m up to riches!


    Unlike chess or chess, the millionaire applied reversible rules such as ''Revolution'' and ''eight cuts'', so even Jeanne and Aura, who said they weren''t good at board games, were able to aim for the top spot. By the way, since Grandpa was sitting on the millionaire or the richest man from earlier, and Aura, for some reason, the poorest of the poor only became the richest man, these two have never been replaced.


    ''''Um~........how long are we going to sit on the floor.......''''


    ''Ah!��Cain, you''re too late to use the revolution!


    Excuse me. Temma, I''ll take your place.


    Like this, Chris-san and Cain have been ignoring Leon''s questions from earlier. By the way, Amur seems to have devised a way to make sitting upright for a long time easier by supporting his buttocks with his tail. Currently, he is sleeping quietly next to the suffering Leon.


    Hmm?��I think it''s time to call it a day. Jeanne is on the edge of her seat.


    Grandpa was right, Jeanne, who was waiting for her turn, was rowing the boat.


    ''Oh, it''s that time already. Then shall we break up?��Aura, take Jeanne with you. Amour, wake up.


    The women said they were going to return first, so the men briefly cleaned up Leon''s room before returning. While they were cleaning up, they said, "Amour!��Your room is not that way! I heard a voice say, "I''m sorry. It was probably because Amur was pretending to be sleepy and trying to sneak into my room.


    ''Oh, wow!��Albert, Cain....help me, I can''t get up....


    Rion was freed now that Chris-san was gone, but his legs were so numb that he couldn''t seem to stand, and he was screaming weirdly and asking the two for help.


    It can''t be helped. Cain, take that side. We''ll carry it together.


    Okay.


    I''m sorry, that''s a big help... but wait a minute!��Don''t drag it out!��She said her feet are killing her!��A-ga-ga-ga-ga!


    They dragged themselves to the bed with great vigor, holding Rion by his side. Rion screamed every time his numb legs hit the floor steps and chairs. His voice was so loud that Chris-san, who was supposed to have left, came back and scolded the three of them. I think that''s what attracted Edilia''s attention, Chris-san. In fact, while Chris-san was scolding the three of us, Edilia-san came over and nodded repeatedly as she watched Chris-san secretly scolding the three of us.


    ''''Ah!��Mr. Temma, let me have the Shiroumaru!


    After getting angry at the three of us, Chris remembered and asked to borrow Shiroumaru. Shiroumaru himself missed Chris-san, so he didn''t mind, but he didn''t understand what it was for.


    Is it for a pillow?


    ''That''s part of it, but this is for you, Temma.


    I was a little surprised when I half-jokingly said it was a cuddle and was instantly affirmed, but my doubts won out when he said it was more for me.


    ''Look, you can''t say that Amur won''t sneak into Temma-kun''s room while I''m asleep. I''d like to think that he wouldn''t break the lock to get in, but since Amur can sometimes act unexpectedly... I want to take Shiroumaru to his room to counteract that.


    Even if Amur were to move wildly, he would not be a match for a real animal (demon).


    ''Thanks. Then let''s go, Shiroumaru!


    "Woof.


    ''Huh?��Where are you going, Shiroumaru?��........Oh, the bathroom. I''ll have to get that done before I go to bed.


    Shiroumaru called out from his bag and jumped out of the window as if he had followed Chris into the hallway. For a moment, Chris-san let out an impatient voice, but after seeing Shiroumaru''s actions, he was satisfied.


    ''For now, I''m just going to spray water on him. Shiroumar, I want you to keep an eye on Amur.


    Won!


    I''m not sure if he really understands, but Shiroumaru gave a bark and then followed Chris properly this time.


    ''Good night then.''


    After greeting my grandfathers, I went to the bathroom and then went back to my room. Now that I''ve got the keys tightly in place and I can ask Slarin to take care of Amur, all I have to do is sleep until morning.


    ''Solomon. Don''t get caught up in the wrong snack and unlock the door.


    Swoosh!


    Outrageous! I squirmed under the covers, listening to Solomon''s cries of protest.

 178-Chapter 11-12 Sisters

    Hey, Grandpa. Time to call it a night, huh?


    That''s right. It''s really tiring to be around a tenma at my age. I miss the days when I was a little girl.


    The day after the Millionaire''s Tournament, I woke up early in the morning and was playing kumite with my grandfather, who also woke up early. He often talks about how old and tired he is these days, but according to the king and Mr. Din, his technique is much sharper than when he was shaken up in the past, and Mr. Ernest has assured me that he''s definitely stronger than when he was younger.


    Good morning........is it over already?


    I was doing some organizing exercises at the end of training with my grandfather when a languid Chris came over.


    I was doing some exercises with my grandfather after training when a sluggish Chris came over. You''ve been away from the Kingsguard for a while now, but you haven''t been paying attention.


    ''No, sir. This is because Amur woke me up several times in the middle of the night.


    I didn''t see any sign of Amur''s arrival in the middle of the night, so I felt relieved that he wouldn''t do anything reckless in someone else''s house, but in fact, it was because Chris had prevented him from doing so at the water''s edge. By the way, because Amur tried to open my room from the outside many times in my grandfather''s house, my room is bolted with a metal bolt in addition to the normal lock. By the way, the material is mithril.


    Thank you for your hard work, Chris. And thank you very much. I''ll prepare a cup of tea for you now, so please wait a moment.


    Please.


    I brought the table and chairs in front of Chris and hurried back to my room to prepare tea. I have food and drink stored in my magic bag, ready to eat in the dungeon and in the forest.


    ''Here''s your tea!


    Thank you.


    When I hurried back, Chris-san greeted me with an imitation of a nobleman''s child, but it didn''t look good on her, and it was obvious that she wasn''t used to it. Well, I''m not like Rion, so I didn''t make any gaffes....................but I had completely forgotten about it at this time. That is, even though Chris-san has broken off the relationship, she is a ''daughter from a quasi-baronial family'' and has the status of a ''baron (equivalent)'' as a member of the Konoe Guard, and together with the fact that she won the martial arts tournament and her achievements so far, it''s almost (...) confirmed that she will receive the status of ''quasi-baron'' or ''viscount'' in the future. In other words, he wasn''t like a nobleman''s son (...), but a nobleman.


    They didn''t find out that she was a noblewoman, but later on she accidentally slipped up in front of Rion and the others, and Chris found out through Rion.


    ''Amur, you were just sitting in the corridor yesterday asleep, and you keep trying to leave your room in the middle of the night. At first he said it was the bathroom or something, but when I sneaked after him, he would try to go to Temma-kun''s room... At the end, I had Shiroumaru sleep in front of the door. It was a nice cuddle pillow.


    Thank you so much for your help and what are your plans for today?


    ''Well I''d like to go shopping but I need to sleep, so maybe I''ll sleep in the morning and go into town in the afternoon.��What about you, Temma?


    ''I''m going to wander around the city at random. First, I''m going to go to the Adventurer''s Guild to see what kind of requests are out there, and if possible, I''d like to receive a request to just submit some materials. After that, I''m going to explore the city.


    Then bring Rion with you. It''s the most efficient way to show your friendship with the frontier county. By the way, you should take Jeanne and Aura along with you. If it''s just Leon, he might try to go to a strange shop.


    Chris-san seems to be planning to use Jeanne and Aura as stoppers in his absence. If she invites Leon, the other two will probably come, and if Jeanne and Aura are with her, then naturally Amour will also come along.


    I''ll go with you to the guild and then we''ll go our separate ways. I need to buy some gifts for Mark, Martha and the others.


    Grandpa is also going to come to the guild to show his friendship with the Frontier Count family, but after that, he plans to act completely alone. Well, Rion and the others will be nervous if he''s with his grandfather, so he''s probably thinking about that.


    ''''Oi, Temma. It''s about time for dinner. Merlin-sama, Chris-senpa, good morning.


    The three of us were talking about our plans for the day when Albert came to call one of us. When I asked him what happened to the others, he said that Leon and Cain had overslept and were in the middle of getting ready, and Jeanne and Aura had gone to the kitchen to help with breakfast. They hadn''t seen Amour, so he might not be up yet.


    ''''You''ve disturbed my sleep so many times and now you''re goofing off and oversleeping yourself...you''ve got some nerve!


    Chris went to the room where Amour slept, hoping to get rid of his midnight grudge.


    ''Well then, grandpa, let''s go.


    Yeah.


    Well, it''s always been...


    We walked to the dining room, seeing Chris off, and found Jeanne and Aura sitting there awkwardly.


    ''Huh?��I thought you two were helping Miss Edilia...


    Hearing what I said casually, they both freaked out and shook their bodies.


    ''''No, well, I mean........''''


    ''No, sir!��I''m not slacking off in any way... don''t tell your sister!


    Aside from Jeanne, Aura, who looked terribly frightened, was obviously suspicious, so I was wondering what to do.


    You didn''t let your mother help you anyway, did you?


    ''I''m sorry,'' said Rion, who came into the dining room with Cain and looked apologetic.


    ''Mother, I''ve always liked taking care of people. In this case, I think they interpreted it as a guest of a frontier aunt''s family, but a guest brought by her son. So I''m sure the refusal wasn''t because they didn''t want to let a stranger in or didn''t trust him. It wasn''t through any fault of either of them, by mistake.


    After hearing Rion''s explanation, the two of them had a relieved expression, unlike the one they had earlier.


    ''I''m relieved.......I thought you were angry because you did something you didn''t know about.......and if your sister found out about it....


    The relieved expression on her face was short-lived, but Aura seemed to have imagined Aina getting angry, and her face changed to a bright blue color.


    ''''I see...''''


    That''s all I could say to Aura, who was frightened. Jeanne also had a pale face, though not as much as Aura''s, and the dining room was filled with a heavy air.


    ''''What, this atmosphere........''''


    Chris-san and the others who appeared in the midst of all this made me feel that the atmosphere was slightly lighter. Well, it wasn''t because of Chris-san''s work, but because of Amur, who was being carried by Chris-san.


    ''''Chris-san, what''s wrong with Amur?''''


    Although Amur has changed into his normal clothes, he is asleep with a pillow in his arms, and Chris is dragging him along with both hands by his back collar.


    When I went to his room, he was still asleep, so I woke him up and made him change his clothes, but when I took my eyes off him, he fell asleep with a pillow in his arms. So I started dragging him around.


    Afterwards, he also said, "If I''m going to sleep, it''s better to do it after I''ve had breakfast..." but that was clearly an after-the-fact excuse.


    ''''Well, I guess we''d better wake up Amur for now. Hey, a........


    ''Actually, I''m just pretending to be asleep, Amur, and the plan is to hug Tenma the moment she gets close!


    Mr. Tenma, please stand back. It''s not safe for you to be here.


    I was about to call out to Amur when I heard Rion say, "I''m sorry," and Chris-san forbade me to approach Amur. And.


    ''Amur, if you are awake, stand on your feet while I count to three. Otherwise, I''ll exaggerate what you''ve done so far and tell Hana. Three, two, yi....


    Tsk.


    Before Chris-san could finish counting, Amour stood up, clicking his tongue.


    ''''Since we can''t let our guard down or have a chance I really should talk to Hana-san once.


    Please forgive me.


    The moment he heard Chris''s words, Amour decided to get down on his knees with a quick movement. We were surprised that he did it so quickly, but Chris-san said, "That''s the usual pattern. That means he often gets down on his knees in front of Chris, although we didn''t know it.


    ''Look, Amour. Your hands are dirty, so go and wash them quickly. And while you''re at it, wash your face.


    Hmm.


    Amour got up easily and walked out of the cafeteria to wash his hands, as if wondering what the kneeling down earlier was all about.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you''re definitely not sorry, right?


    Even senior Chris, who flushed it out, seemed to get used to it.


    I guess that''s just how routine it is for those two.


    The three of them were probably right in their guesses. It was such a natural progression. Chris, although he sometimes speaks harshly to Amur, seems to be quite lenient.


    We are like sisters, aren''t we?


    I guess so.


    Everyone seemed to agree with Grandpa''s opinion, and laughter naturally broke out.


    ''What?''��What''s going on?


    Chris made me an outcast!


    Normally, I would think it was Amur''s fault that he became an outcast, but he doesn''t seem to think so. And, as usual, he was subjected to Chris''s attacks. And when I told them why they were laughing, Chris and Amur both looked uncomfortable at the same time. They were really like sisters.


    We''ve eaten, so let''s get going!


    With Leon in the lead, we went into town. As originally planned, Chris said he was going to sleep, but he said he might join us at noon. We said we would leave Shiroumaru behind, but he chose to go with us, and that there would be no problem if we asked the people in town where Leon was and walked away.


    ''Well then, we''ll start with the guild. After we''re done taking out the wyvern and the goblin horde, we might not have too big a request.''''


    ''No, Leon. I don''t have time for big commissions. If you want to take it, you can go on your own, Leon. We''ll do some sightseeing in the city while you''re there.


    ''That''s right. We''ve been here a few times, and the guards know we''re in town. If the need arises, we''ll just have to rely on them.


    Perhaps Rion had forgotten that the purpose of visiting the guild this time was to make achievements in the frontier county family. He was instantly prodded by Cain and Albert and became quiet.


    ''''As I recall, the guild should be over here. Let''s go.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them. It''s a good thing that our parents are the best of friends, because they know the general geography of "Shellhide".


    This is the adventurer''s guild of this city. I''ve sent out a notice in the morning, so there shouldn''t be any commotion.


    ''You say it like you take credit for it, but that''s what Mr. Edilia did in the morning. I know that because you didn''t get up very often and I asked you to tell him.


    I thought it was a good move for Rion, but apparently Edilia-san had arranged it, and Albert had revealed it plainly.


    ''''Well then, shall we enter with thanks to Edilia-san?


    At my words, all of us, except for Rion, walked through the door with a laugh. There were quite a few adventurers in the guild, perhaps because they had already been notified that we were coming, but no one approached us. The only middle-aged man who saw us and tried to come by was sitting back in his chair when Leon stilled him with his hand.


    You''re not going to be able to get it right. Just remember that.


    Leon told me to check the man''s face, but I honestly felt confident that I would forget it once I left the city. That''s how uncharacteristic he was.


    I''m sure you''re not the only one who''s interested in this, but I''m not the only one. It may be that the head of the guild had something to say about it, but since we were here, I decided to show them the request without hesitation.


    I''m sure there are a lot of requests similar to the one for the royal capital, but which one do I choose?


    There''s one request here that''s a little too hairy for me...


    Just like in the royal capital, there were several requests to deliver medicinal herbs and demon materials, so when I was wondering whether I should accept one of them, Jeanne, who was looking elsewhere, pointed to one of the requests with a voice that sounded dumbfounded.


    ''''Let''s see........delivery of the wyvern materials. It doesn''t matter where it''s located. If it''s the whole thing, there''s additional compensation....


    The client was not the frontier count, but he was probably related to the frontier count. The date of the posting is today, and it''s clearly a request tailored to me.


    "Leon. Does this name mean anything to you?


    Hmm?��Let''s see........let''s see.......this is the name of the neighbor of my mother''s family''s house. That family was a merchant family, and they must have dealt in all sorts of goods.


    I''m not sure if I can judge him as a person related to the frontier count, but if the reward is 20 million G if it''s the whole thing, it''s a pretty good request.


    ''''Well then, do you want to take this... or rather, if I don''t take it, who else is going to take it, right?


    I''m sure it''s the Countess of the Frontier who''s in on it. Some of the reward is owned by the frontier county, to ensure that the name of Tenma remains intact, I suppose.


    They may decide that it''s better to bring in a third party than to buy it out themselves poorly. Since there didn''t seem to be any problems, we decided to take it as is.


    ''''Hey, Temma. Next time you come to visit the duke''s territory, can you distribute something to our guild as well?


    ''Ah!��Take care of mine, too!


    Albert, who had guessed the intentions of the frontier county family, made such a suggestion after thinking about it for a while. And in a haphazard way, Cain is also trying to take advantage.


    ''''If I get the chance.


    If I went to visit these two, I''m sure I''d go to see the guild there anyway, so it would be nice to at least get a request for a delivery while I''m there.


    ''''A request for a wyvern?!��Please wait a moment!


    The moment I lined up at the reception desk with my request form, the receptionist saw my face and immediately pulled away.


    ''I haven''t even said anything yet...''


    Maybe they were notified beforehand that Temma might take the Wyvern''s one... do you want to take this opportunity to swap it out with another request?


    ''No, that would be in too bad taste... well, if Rion was working as a receptionist, that would be one thing... but I feel sorry for him when he''s dealing with civilians.


    Hearing Cain and Albert''s words, Rion said, "I''d do it, wouldn''t I?! But they said, "Of course! I returned it.


    Many of the adventurers who were watching the three of us interacting with each other were laughing out loud, but for some reason, there were a few who were staring at the three of us and me with hatred.


    ''Temma, don''t make eye contact. Everyone else, too. I''ll tell you why later.


    Rion turned to them and warned them in a whisper. Jeanne and Aura were almost ready to turn their eyes to each other, but Amour was quickly poking them in the side to divert their attention. Well, he seemed to have misapplied a little bit of force, and both of them were in a lot of pain, but grandpa quickly said, "Don''t be silly here! I think he looked like he was playing with me from the sidelines for scolding me.


    ''Sorry for the wait. If you have any of the Wyvern''s material, would you be willing to put it out here now?


    The man who came to deal with the receptionist''s behalf was the man who was told by Rion earlier that he was the head of the guild.


    You are the head of the guild, aren''t you? Isn''t there any obligation of confidentiality in this guild?


    ''I''m sorry about this!��This request was said to be urgent by one of our guild''s clients, but there were no adventurers who could hunt a wyvern, and we were pondering what to do. And I''m sorry, but could you show me just one part of the evidence that it is a wyvern?


    Hey!��Guild leader!


    Well, okay, but you''re sure it''s only partly (...)?


    Yes, sir.


    Rion was reaching out to stop the guild chief, but there was something that was a bit disturbing to him, so he decided to take out a piece of the wyvern (...) as he was told.


    ''''Wait a minute.......do you want this one?''''


    I thought for a bit about what part of the body I wanted to serve, and then I remembered that I wanted to make an impact anyway.


    Hee!


    Geez!


    It was the largest wyvern head I had ever hunted. The scream I heard the moment I let it out was the one Jeanne and Aura let out. The two of them seemed to be in eye contact with the wyvern, and they were surprised by the suddenness of it.


    ''''Other than this guy''s head, which is in this magic bag, should I get it out here?


    ''No, this is enough. Please forgive me for my rudeness, I''m sure.


    The guild chief changed from his provocative attitude from earlier and bowed deeply. I''m not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.


    I''m sure there''s something more to it than that. Isn''t there somewhere we can get out of the way?


    We have a guest room at the back.


    With that, the head of the guild said something to one of the receptionists and then led us to the back of the guild.

 179-Chapter 11-13 Tintin Family

    ''Well, Leon. Before we hear from the guild leader, I''d like to ask you about those adventurers from earlier?


    No, they''re... well...


    I was ushered into the noble room at the back of the guild, and as everyone sat down in their chairs, I asked Rion a question about what I had just said. Rion didn''t seem to be able to answer, as if he was wondering how he should answer.


    ''The adventurers you just mentioned are the ones who were staring at Tenma-sama and the others when they were in the reception area, right?��They are all related to the soldiers who were punished for the Kukri village. They''re not close immediate family members, but they''re more like distant relatives or best friends.


    Hey!


    ''''Master Rion, I don''t mind. The Frontier Count family is completely responsible for that incident. The Borderland Earlords only punished the culprits responsible for their actions. If you have a grudge against the Borderline Earl, it''s not right to have a grudge against the victim, Lady Tenma. If those people wanted to harm Master Tenma for that, as the head of Shellhide''s Adventurer''s Guild, I would cut their heads off. Not in a metaphorical sense, but in the true sense of the word.


    And yet, when the guild leader said that he would easily cut off the adventurers, Rion stood up with a surprised look on his face for a moment, but he quickly sat back down in his chair.


    ''''Have you forgotten, Master Rion?��Because of those people''s relatives and best friends, this guild was on the verge of bankruptcy, right?��Honestly, it''s a wonder we were able to rebuild. And yet, if you''re going to let this guild go down the path of bankruptcy once again, it''s only natural to take steps beforehand.


    That mindset would be normal for a head of a guild. This guild chief isn''t siding with me, it''s just that he chooses the one that ends up being good for this guild.


    ''''So, the reason you had a part of the wyvern out there is because you needed to advertise it to the other adventurers who were there? Maybe you expected me to show my head?


    ''Yes. It could have been wings or a torso, but I knew that the head was almost the only thing I could think of for the ease and appearance of getting it out. Anyone who saw the head of a wyvern in that place would talk about it in various places when they went to other guilds. Because it would be more believable if they heard it from a third party than if we advertised it.


    That''s what the real client wants, isn''t it?


    Yeah.


    This guild leader seems to think more like a merchant than an adventurer.


    ''''Just so you know, I don''t think you''ll be using this guild much, right?


    Still, Master Temma''s ''one time'' and their ''number of accomplishments so far and in the future'' cannot be compared.


    I don''t know if I should say that much to the adventurers in my place, but for me, I''d be grateful for that, as it seems to be easier to understand and less likely to be followed. Well, I don''t want to use it again and again.


    ''''Then, now that we''ve finished talking, this is the reward for this time. Two million Gs for the achievement and eighteen million Gs for the delivery of the other parts, for a total of twenty million Gs. Please confirm.


    The guild leader had them bring two bags of rewards and placed them in front of me as he explained.


    ''''That''s quite a bit higher than the market rate.


    We do include the use of publicity.


    I was convinced by that answer, and when I put them in my magic bag without counting the number of copies, the guild leader let out a voice that sounded impressed for a moment.


    ''''Hey, Temma. What is the difference between Temma''s ''once'' and those people''s ''number of future achievements''?��And what''s the cost of using the publicity?


    As soon as I walked out and left for a bit after being sent off by the guild leader, Jeanne immediately asked me about that.


    I think that my one time was such that other adventurers would think that I had reconciled with the Frontier Count family, and their ''past and future accomplishments'' are the possibility that the adventurers who were there in the past would return to the Frontier Count territory that I had reconciled with in the future. Even if they were to leave the frontier county in the future because they were dissatisfied with the frontier county family that had reconciled with me, they probably think that as long as the veterans come back, it won''t be a problem. Maybe they''ve already done enough to pass my coming on to their old friends.��I think I''m going to tell the other guilds that the cost of using the publicity is that I mentioned my name then, and that I received a request in the frontier county territory to deliver the wyvern in its entirety.


    Well, I suppose that''s true. And I''m sure there''s also the ''Close your eyes for any information that might be of some use to the Countess of the Frontier or the Guild.


    It''s kind of unassuming, but more like a merchant than the head of an adventurer''s guild.


    It''s very clever.


    Mmm!


    After listening to me and grandpa, Jeanne seemed to have roughly the same impression as me, but I think Aura and Amour are just saying it appropriately. Because before I knew it, there was a skewer in their hands, and the oil from the skewer was on their mouths.


    It''s a good idea to buy them as soon as you get out of the guild and eat them as if nothing had happened.


    I think it''s time for us to split up.


    Grandpa is going to go separately after the Adventurer''s Guild, as planned.


    ''''All right. Make sure you''re back in time for dinner.


    Hmm. And Temma doesn''t want you to take Jeanne and the others to the weirdest places.


    I''m good to go.


    I pretended I didn''t hear something Amur said, but I pretended I didn''t hear it and glared at my grandpa for saying something unnecessary. Grandpa didn''t care that I was glaring at him, he laughed and dizzyingly walked away from me, peeking at the storefronts around him.


    ''Well then, let''s go.


    No, I''m not taking you to that place.


    ''Yes, Temma. If you were to go to a store like that in Shellhide, you''d be in Edilia-san''s ear. No matter how insecure Rion is about the quality of his head, he''s not that much of a stone... right?��It''s okay, right, Leon?


    I''m not stupid enough to be that stupid!


    ''''Well, Rion''s main battleground is the royal capital. Now, how about we start by wandering around the main street and having a meal at a restaurant we like?


    We agreed with the proposal (except for Rion and Cain), and we walked down the main street with Albert, the proponent, leading the way. Rion, who was disrupted by Cain''s pace, mumbled something like, "It''s my hometown.......", but since he couldn''t produce anything better than Albert''s proposal, he followed behind quietly.


    Although ''Shellhide'' is the largest city in the frontier county territory, the bustle of activity was the same as or slightly above Gunjo City. It''s not a bad thing, but it''s still only half as busy as it was in its heyday, according to Leon.


    The only question is how much activity can be brought back by the Wyvern of Temma.


    Right now, when they try to send out requests and jobs with a high degree of difficulty to adventurers in the Haust Frontier Count territory, there are often not enough adventurers to meet that level of difficulty, so they often have to send out requests to adventurers who are active in the King''s Capital or elsewhere.


    ''''Like me this time?''''


    ''Yes. Well, it''s rare that you''re dealing with a group of wyverns, but there are a few times a year when they show up near the city by themselves or in pairs. We can''t afford to send out an army each time, but we can''t leave them alone either. That''s why we need adventurers who can deal with those times, but...


    Every time, conveniently, there aren''t always adventurers available who can handle the situation....


    Yeah. So, we need a veteran who used to work in the frontier county and is familiar with geography and is able to guide the next generation. Well, it won''t be that convenient, so I''d like to see more adventurers who can at least handle a few of them against the wyvern.


    I don''t know if it''s possible for me to return once I leave, since adventurers are basically free. I also moved from the Haust Frontier Count (Kukri Village) to the Sanga Duke''s territory (Gunjo City), even if it wasn''t official, and now I''m mainly active in the vicinity of the King''s Capital and Seigen.


    Some of the adventurers who moved from the frontier county territory would come back, nostalgic for the old days, but there would also be those who moved elsewhere and took root in that place, unable to move from the vicinity.


    If that''s the case, it might be quicker to invite new adventurers to come back and take root rather than having the adventurers who were there before come back.


    But if you''re good enough to want a frontier county, of course they won''t want to give it up either, so it''s a difficult question.


    Albert and Cain have joined me and Leon''s conversation. The two of them will eventually have to run their family''s territory, and in the future they may have the same problems as Leon, so I guess they can''t afford to be someone else''s problem.


    ''''Why don''t we try a preferential treatment for adventurers in the entire frontier county?��If you''re going to operate in a frontier county, maybe exempt yourself from taxes for a certain period of time?


    ''Then you''ll be out at the end of that period, won''t you?


    They come to the frontier counties and rent out and sell the buildings they use as their base of operations at a discount to make it easier for them to settle in.


    Well, I guess I''ll have to give my dad a little advice.


    The story I just told Rion was an amateur''s idea, so I don''t think it would work that easily. Rion thinks so too, so it would be hard to cut his teeth, but since it''s free to say it, and the frontier count is the one who makes the final decision, it was like he was just going to say it.


    ''Temma, Rion-sama. I''m sorry to interrupt you while you''re talking but everyone is doing whatever they want.


    What?


    I looked back at Jeanne''s words, and before I knew it, everyone except me, Rion and Jeanne were moving as they pleased.


    ''''Even those guys.....


    ''Well, it was our fault for talking to each other. It''s almost lunchtime, so we should get to dinner. Hey, Amour, Aura. If you eat that much, you won''t be able to stomach it, even though Leon has offered to buy you a drink!


    Hey, wait!


    I''m fine!��I''m still hungry!


    I can still go, too!


    I''m ready to go!


    My belly is ready to go, too!


    Albert and Cain got on board with Amour and Aura''s spiritedness. As Rion rebelled against those four.


    Well, that''s no use, I''ll buy it for you.


    ''Ah!��I''ll put mine out.


    Yo!��Fatty!��The popular man!


    ''''That''s great, the next Duke and the Marquis!��Wrong vessel!


    The four of them started doing something together. Albert and Cain were a bit of a stickler, and Amour and Aura were exaggerating and praising them, occasionally glancing at Rion. Even Rion, the quintessential Rion, wouldn''t fall for such a small play, he thought.


    All right!��I''ll pay for it!


    And I was hooked to the best of my ability. And the next thing I knew.


    ""I''m going to be a gothic!"


    And all four of them had their heads down.


    Rion was in a completely framed form, but he couldn''t retract it once it was out of his mouth, or maybe he couldn''t retract it once it was out of his mouth, so he checked the position and thickness of the wallet and started walking with his shoulders slumped.


    ''''Phew ... I''m satisfied!


    It was a cheap price overall, but it tasted good.


    ''Well, I suppose the low cost of living has something to do with it, but you still seem to be doing pretty well considering the cost of labor.


    ''It''s fun to be here because you can ask for so many different kinds!��Hey!��Jeanne!


    ''Aura should be a little more reserved I don''t know what will happen if this time the story gets into Aina''s ears.


    Ugh!


    Led by Amur, who said he was very satisfied, each of them started walking down the main street again, talking about their impressions of the shops. The five of them peeked into the fruit and sweetness stalls that had been selling fruit and sweetness since a while ago, perhaps intending to have dessert after dinner, and bought and ate several times.


    ''''Feel free to eat...''''


    Thanks for the meal.


    Contrary to the lead group walking around contentedly, Rion was grumbling as he clutched his flimsy wallet.


    The wallet that had been there until he entered the cafeteria was only almost as thick as the wallet itself after payment, and now Rion was glaring at Albert and Cain, as if he couldn''t even have a little sweet treat at the stall........


    ''That''s it, Rion. Have you noticed?


    For what?


    I asked if Rion had noticed the people who have been following us since a while ago, but he didn''t seem to notice at all.


    He said, "There are people following us since we left the cafeteria a while ago. Well, it''s not much of a problem because they''re just following us, but they''re pretty good at it.


    ''Oh, my God!��Ow!


    Rion tried to look around in a hurry, so I made him stop with an elbow strike so that he wouldn''t notice the other guy.


    ''I''m sure they''ll notice you but Rion, just keep going and join the others. I take a side street a little further on and manage to get behind them. Don''t tell everyone that you''re following someone (...).


    If this is Albert or Cain, "Why don''t you keep it to yourself? But Rion nodded without thinking that far, and started walking towards where everyone was.


    I pretended to pass Rion at the intended side street and went into the side street, hiding behind Rion''s body. Then I quickly moved over the roof and got behind those who had been following me. Then.


    Don''t move. If it makes any suspicious movements or tries to turn toward you, its head will fall off.


    He added a wooden stick he had picked up on the roof to their (...) necks as he threatened them. However.


    I wish you''d stay where you are.


    Furthermore, a man appeared from behind me and pointed his sword at me.


    ''''Before that sword reaches you, I can definitely get these two heads off... but what do you want to do?


    I''ve been stuck in that state for a while.


    Then I give up. But you can''t cut off both their heads with that thing.


    The man threw away his sword and held up his hands. In response, I said.


    Yes. It''s just the head of a ranitan.


    He returned it and threw down the stick.


    ''So it''s Lani Tintin!��No more games, Master Temma!��I mean, I thought you didn''t realize it was me, because I was really scared!


    Following us were Lani, the raccoon beastman, and a man and woman who were also raccoon beastmen.


    ''Leni is so surprised, she''s been frozen for a while now. Even my father has been gone for some time now.


    ''That''s just immature of you two. I sensed beforehand that Master Temma was about to head this way, so I sneaked away.


    Sure, I was surprised to see that he was gone before I knew it, but I dared to ignore the man who was called my father, thinking he would be nearby. Mr. Lani and the woman called Leni seemed terribly surprised to be taken behind me because they hadn''t noticed my approach and the man''s departure.


    ''First of all, it''s your fault for being jaw-dropping when you were said to be one of the most skilled clandestines in the south and not paying attention to your surroundings when you were on your tail. Because of your negligence, poor Leni was sacrificed as well... By the way, Leni isn''t dead, is she?


    There wasn''t much movement, so the man pecked the woman on the cheek to make sure she was okay. As I recall, Leni was the name of a sister who was more skilled than Lani... but I can only wonder at the moment if she was really more skilled than Lani.


    ''''Ha!��I was so surprised, I thought my heart had stopped...


    As the man poked and prodded, Leni seemed to regain consciousness, and when she saw the man, Lani, and me, she understood what had happened.


    ''Be careful, brother, please be careful. I''m not very good at that sort of thing, and you have to be careful, brother!��Mr. Temma that''s right, isn''t it?��Please don''t surprise the frail lady, Temma!


    He was protesting to me and Ms. Lani.


    As it was, we introduced ourselves to each other, and Leni was definitely Lani''s sister, as Amour had mentioned earlier, and the man was their father, Doni.


    ''Feel free to call me ''Doni Tan''!


    I''m fine with ''Renitan,'' too.


    These two, unlike Rani, seemed to like the nickname that Amur had given them.


    ''So, why were the three of you following us?


    ''About that, sir, it was the young lady we were following. Well, the young lady was working with you all, so I''m sure she was following you all.


    According to Leni-san''s explanation, the reason why she originally came to the Haust Frontier Count Territory was because Hana-san had received information from a certain source (...) that Amur was going to the Frontier Count Territory, so she was ordered to go and check on Amur while obtaining information about the Frontier Count Territory.


    ''''Well, my father and brother are mainly tasked with gathering information, but I''m a bit different...''''


    Normally Reni-san doesn''t participate in this kind of information gathering in other territories, but she had a favor to ask Hana-san about Amur, so she followed them.


    I''m going to join Amur and the others for the time being.��There''s nothing wrong with that, is there?


    ''Master Temma has found out, and I''ve already got the information I want about your daughter, so there''s no problem!


    And with Doni-san''s approval, the four of us all headed to Amour and the others, who were moving quite a ways ahead of us. By the way, I''ve heard that Doni-san''s tone of voice is normal when used by people other than her family, but when it''s just her family, she has a more firm tone of voice.


    ''Ooh, Jouke-sama~!


    M.....Renitan!


    As soon as Leni caught Amour in sight, she ran out with a glance. When Amur also checked on Leni-san, he ran up to her. Then he hugged her.


    ''''Miss, after not seeing you for a while.......you''ve become ugly.


    !!!


    Amur is surprised at Leni who spits out the poison so easily. We, who were looking at the two of them, were also surprised at Leni-san who suddenly spat out poison.


    ''''Miss.......I couldn''t believe it very much after hearing so many things from Hana-sama, but seeing the young lady now with my own eyes directly, I understand that it was the truth.


    Amur felt like he didn''t understand what Leni-san was saying when he heard her words. It wasn''t clear to Doni and Lani, who were working together, or even to us.


    ''No, Leni. I don''t think the young lady has changed from what she used to be, do you?


    ''You can''t blame them for not changing in appearance. Growth is different for each individual. But on the inside I''ve become very ugly!��It wasn''t always like this!


    Leni kicked off Lani''s statement and held Amour''s face between her hands.


    Leni-nihilating, yee-nihilating...


    Leni-san then began to pull on Amour''s cheek, tears streaming down her face. Leni-san''s pull seems to be quite strong, and Amur is trying to dislodge his fingers from his cheeks while he''s half crying. However, there was no sign of being able to remove it at all, on the contrary, the force seemed to be getting stronger and Amour''s body gradually began to float.


    ''''That''s it!''''


    It was about time, when Amour''s cheeks were in serious trouble, when Doni clapped her hands in front of Leni''s eyes, bringing her back to her senses.


    ''Leni, you''ve gone too far. Master Amur, I''m sorry.


    The moment Doni-san apologized to Amur, Leni-san''s gaze was off Amur for a moment and went to Doni-san. And not wanting to miss the opportunity, Amur tried to run towards me like a de-rabbit, but


    ''Miss. I''m not done talking to you yet!


    Pfft!


    Leni-san grabbed us by our clothes and captured us, making strange noises.


    Amur still looked at us for help, but we were somehow afraid of Leni-san, and we all looked away from her. It was the same with Doni-san and Lani-san who had just stopped us and who had been kicked out.


    Amur has no allies. Just when it seemed so, that forgotten man came in.


    ''Ah, there you are. It wasn''t easy to find you, so I thought you''d gone back in a different direction.''


    It was Chris who showed up. Chris had gotten a good night''s sleep and was in much better spirits than this morning.


    ''Chris, help!''


    Um ... what''s the situation now?


    Three more strangers, and one of them has Amur in custody, but when Chris sees that none of us are trying to help, he tries to understand the situation first.


    So, I''m going to explain on behalf of him.


    ''Hmm you must be Leni. Hannah''s told me all about you.


    That''s the kind of person you are, Chris. I''ve heard from Lady Hannah, too.


    The two men often stared at each other, seeming to know only each other''s existence. Seeing the situation, Amour looked at Chris with a look of hope that he might be able to help. And then.


    Nice to meet you!


    Let''s go for it!


    They shook hands tightly.


    We were almost zapped by the scene. It was the same for Doni and Lani, and they looked like they didn''t understand what was happening. Only Amur noticed that the moment they shook hands with each other, the number of enemies had increased, and he struggled to get away from Leni again.


    ''''Amur, I''m not going to riot!''''


    ''Miss. It''s not safe for you to be here, please be quiet.


    In addition to Leni-san, even Chris-san took Amour''s arm and blocked his movements, and then they started to take him somewhere else.


    ''Hey, Chris-san. Where are you taking Amur?


    Speaking of which, where are they taking him?


    ''I think I will take the young lady to the inn where I am staying. There I will re-educate her as a lady.


    Chris seemed to just walk off in a flutter, and my question was answered by Leni.


    ''Then I''ll keep your daughter with me for a while. The young lady will also be forced to be taken to the south if she runs away, so don''t think anything strange.


    With that, Leni-san took out a letter and spread it in front of Amur. When Amur read the letter, he stopped all resistance and didn''t try to run away even though Leni-san and Chris-san let go of his hand.


    I was curious about what it said, so I asked Amur and Leni-san''s permission to read the letter. The letter that made Amur give up was, simply put, ''The Viscount''s Head (Hana-san) Order''. In content, it was ''Ask Leni-san to teach you how to be a lady'', and if you run away or refuse, you will be forcibly deported to the south. We will send Blanca and other high ranking people in the south at the same time to pick her up........ The letter conveyed Hana-san''s seriousness when it said that not only Blanca but also the other high ranking people would be sent out.


    It''s a good idea to have all of the high ranking people come together, they must have given up on the idea that there''s nothing they can do. Amur went quietly, and Leni and Chris donned him.


    ''''Amour''s affairs are a matter for the southern baronial family, so it''s not for me to interfere, but.......In the first place, I came here to gather information, but is it okay for me to appear in front of the next head of the frontier county family (Rion)?''''


    I don''t have a problem with that. I''m not planning to do anything bad, and I have nothing to be sorry about!��Well, while I was gathering information, I thought I''d make some money and go home... but as long as I don''t overdo it, I''ll be fine!��Maybe.


    After gathering information in "Shellhide", Doni and Lani are planning to head to the fort near the border line and do a little business there.


    ''''So, if possible, we''d like to ask the permission of the frontier county family, so here we are!


    That''s what he thought when he appeared in front of Rion. In other words, it seems that he thinks that he can get permission from Leon easily.


    Well, if you''re Leon, you can at least ask him if he''s an acquaintance of Tenma and Amur, and he''ll be able to talk to you.


    And with a little coaxing, it''s going to be easy to give him permission.


    Cain and Albert were right, Rion might be able to give them permission easily.


    If you don''t have any business problems, you can apply to the deputy commander at the fort for permission, but if you''re going to do it anyway, getting it directly from the frontier earl family will certainly be more valuable because it will set you apart from your other business enemies.


    ''''Well, it''s like a no-no and originally.


    Rani said, but he seems to think he has a good enough chance of winning.


    ''Well, if you know Temma and Amur, I''d like to hear about it but now that I''ve heard about it, I''ll take the matter to my father.


    But that would be too much for the two of them," said Rion.


    Then Rion asked Doni and the others where they were staying, and promised that as soon as he heard the frontier count''s answer, he would send someone in the house to inform them.


    A short distance away from Rion.


    ''''That''s where it would have been better to ask what business those two are planning to do first, and then let the frontier lord know.


    ''Right. That''s going to make it a double or triple whammy... I''m not going to tell you because it sounds like fun.


    And then Albert and Cain were ruining it.

 180-Chapter 11-14 Return Route

    I knew you''d be pissed.


    It''s so predictable, it''s actually quite boring.


    Albert and Cain were right, Rion was scolded by Ediria for his response to Doni and Lani. It wasn''t by raising his voice or being sarcastic, but they pointed out the bad points in a matter-of-fact manner, and made him think about what he should have done about it, and made him answer them one by one. In addition, the frontier count in the meantime was completely airborne. Rion said that he must have been very depressed that he had to meet Doni and Lani, whom he had never met before.


    ''Tadamama~!


    Mr. Chris returned to the frontier count''s mansion alone before dinner. Amur said that Leni-san would be accompanying him to educate him while he was in Shellhide, and Chris-san would return to the mansion in the evening and meet up with Leni-san in the morning.


    ''No~ Leni''s story was quite interesting. After all, Leni is the most popular woman in Nanao.


    Leni was the most popular woman in Nanao, he said, according to Amur. Leni told him about her experience as a reference for Amur, and Chris found it interesting and useful.


    Chris said it was interesting and useful for him.


    As usual, Rion teased Chris, but as usual, Chris''s fists didn''t growl. We were surprised by the unexpected turn of events, but the surprise of Albert and Cain was the greatest of all.


    ''Totally, Rion can''t get rid of the student feeling for any length of time.


    Hearing Leni''s story with Amur must have given Chris some idea of what he was thinking. Maybe this time, the Amur matter is starting to have an effect on Chris-san. Well, it''s just the beginning, so it can''t be helped that his fists are clenched tightly.......................but at this rate, it won''t be long before Chris-san has a boyfriend.


    Jeanne and Aura were asking Chris a lot of questions, as if they were curious about what Leni-san was talking about.


    While watching them.


    Hey, Temma. Miss, have you eaten something bad?


    And someone was really worried about him. Rion would be better off growing up, even if he was half as good as Chris. Albert and Cain, who could be seen at the edge of their vision, also had a dumbfounded look on their faces when Rion said that.


    That night, I thought they were going to have a millionaire''s tournament late into the night like yesterday, but the three women all decided not to participate. The reason for this is ''because it''s bad for your skin.


    The reason for that is ''because it''s bad for your skin. That''s just the beginning!


    You''re the man, Mr. Merlin and I''m going to do the "revolution" thing.


    Huh!


    Cain, you''ve been shooting at Leon for a while now and I''m up.


    So, if I''m going to be a poor man and I''m up, then Rion will have lost ten in a row.


    Since we don''t have any ladies, we''re doing it without a shift today, but as usual, Grandpa has a monopoly on the millionaire''s position and Rion has a monopoly on the millionaire''s position and Rion has a monopoly on the millionaire''s position. Well, Grandpa is defending his position to the death with his good luck and strong reading, but Rion has been unable to climb up from the great poor man due to his own lack of luck and misreading, as well as Cain''s interference.


    ''''Oh shit!��If only Cain hadn''t interfered over there...


    ''I''m sure I sabotaged it, but even when I didn''t, I lost. And we''re losing more when we''re not.


    Ahhhhhh... I don''t feel so good today.


    It happens all the time.


    All of Rion''s excuses were rammed into Cain and Albert.


    ''Let''s take a break and.......Speaking of which, Temma, what are your plans for the future?


    Rion ignored their tweaks and tried to buy time with a different story. Well, no matter how much time they bought time, when they resumed, they would start off with Rion''s great poverty.


    ''''In the future.......Since we''ve come to the Haust Frontier Count territory, I''m thinking of taking this opportunity to go to Kukri Village.


    Nuh-uh... are you okay?


    The first person to react to my words was Grandpa. Even with Uncle Mark and his friends, we had rarely talked about Kukri Village, so he was understandably surprised by what I had said.


    I knew I had to go to Kukuri Village again, but I never went because it was too far away or because I was afraid. If I miss this time, I have a feeling I won''t go again for some reason or another.


    I won''t say anything if you''re okay with it, but you can turn back if you don''t think you''re ready.


    ''''Kukri village is at the edge of the frontier county territory, so it''s quite far from ''Shellhide''. Well, it''s still closer than from the royal capital, though. If we have to turn back on the way, we can still go from the Royal Capital when it''s safe to do so!


    The moment Leon finished, Albert and Cain instantly moved in.


    ''That''s not the point!��Read the air, you idiot!


    And he was hitting him. By the way, Albert and Cain had punched him in the side and pigeon tail at almost the same time, making Leon scream in agony.


    "As expected, that was a bit annoying for me too...


    And then even Grandpa started to move.


    ''Please do it, Master Merlin!


    Take your pick!


    As soon as Grandpa stood up, they took Leon''s arms from both sides to block his movements.


    Wait, wait, I''m sorry...


    I feel sorry for the poor kid, so I''ll just have to take care of him now...


    Grandpa''s method of attack was a deco-pin. I don''t know what the peak strike was, but its power wasn''t half bad, and Rion''s head was turned backwards with such force that his consciousness was nearly flying as if he had suffered a mild concussion.


    ''''What noise!''''


    The noise of the commotion seemed to have reached Chris and the others'' room, and all three of them came in a hurry.


    Chris, don''t run in the hallway. Chris, don''t run in the corridor, you''re back to the same Chris you saw yesterday.


    It sounded as if you had hit something with a whip, though?


    ''It''s no big deal. It''s just that Leon said something stupid as usual and Lady Merlin chastised him for it.


    ''Well, ''Merlin-sama'' isn''t the usual, but that can''t be helped. Rather, Rion should be grateful that it was only that bad.


    After listening to Cain and Albert''s explanation, Chris was half convinced, but he didn''t understand the meaning of the chastisement by the other half of the grandfather.


    I guess this explanation gave me the general idea, but Chris didn''t ask me more than that. However, I felt I had to say why I was aiming for Kukri Village, so I decided to just ask him to listen to me.


    ''''That''s what happened I agree with heading to Kukri village. But if you just decided on a mission that you have to go there even if you''re forced to, then I don''t think it''s necessary now.


    It''s okay. I''ve given it a lot of thought.


    Then I won''t say anything.


    The conversation with Chris ended there, but Jeanne and Aura didn''t seem to understand the situation very well. Well, even if they were to oppose it, I can''t leave them at the frontier county house, so I have no choice but to take them there no matter what.


    You can''t disagree with Temma''s decision, and you can''t leave me here, so that kukri village?��It''s fine to go to.......but what''s going on in that village now?


    I heard that the village became uninhabitable after the incident and is now abandoned.


    So, you''re going to Kukri village on a day trip?


    ''No, I''d like to spend a few nights there if I could. I don''t know what''s going on in the abandoned village, but I''d like to clean up and do some simple maintenance after I visit the grave.


    I''ve heard that there is a grave of my father and mother, albeit a simple one, so I want to keep the area around them clean and well maintained so that it''s easy to see that the grave is there.


    The reason for this is that Albert and his friends don''t have to go that far together. And I''m sure they''ll make a few stops on their way back from Kukri village.


    If they went to Kukri village, it would be quite a long way, and if they were to take a further detour from there, the return to the royal capital could be stretched out by months. Therefore, I thought of leaving the three of them here, but they did not nod.


    ''''If we''re going to stop off on our way back to the royal capital from Kukri Village, that would include Gunjo City, right?��If that''s the case, I''d like to go and see Primera, as well as visit her. Even if you don''t stop by, I''d like to join you on the way.


    ''''Me too. It''s impossible to visit the Marquis Samons'' territory because it''s too far off the route, but if I''ve come this far, I''d like to visit the Duke of Sangha''s territory after a long time. Even now, I don''t have the opportunity to visit other fiefdoms, and that opportunity will be even less in the future.


    ''I''m in a situation where I''ve already accomplished my goal. The rest should be free to do whatever they want. Besides, if I leave Temma here, the other nobles will say that I''m using Temma only for the benefit of the frontier county family.


    And so it was decided that the three of us would follow them. Chris thought that because of his work with the Kingsguard, he couldn''t go any further.


    Of course I''m with you!��This time I''m ''following Temma-kun on business''. If Temma-kun is going to extend his trip, then automatically my assignment will be extended as well!


    I''m calling it a complete trip, but since the request of the frontier county family is over, it wouldn''t be wrong to call it a trip from here on out. Well, it''s unclear if Chris-san''s logic is valid, but even if I returned to the royal capital alone here, that would be a problem, so even if I got angry, I guess I could argue that ''the decision I made at that point was correct''.


    ''''Well, that''s what I''ll do then. For now, the details are undecided, but the general idea is to go to Kukri Village, pass through Russell City, and stop at Gunjo City........ Well, roughly, that''s the road I took to King''s Landing.


    To be exact, I didn''t go through Russell City to Gunjo City, but it is a city on the way to Gunjo City from the village of Kukri, so it''s good to have a good rest.


    "Hmm, maybe I know more about the geography of this area than the Countess of the Frontier.


    ''Then would you like me to lead you to the middle of the way and then change to Master Merlin when you get close to the Kukri village?


    Rion''s guide is probably a map owned by the frontier county family, but he''s making a taut appeal, as if he''s thinking of making up for his earlier blunder.


    ''''That might be a good idea.


    Yes. I have been to Kukri village by way of Russell City, but at that time, Mr. Cliffe was the driver, and I was the guard, so we were taken by surprise by the orcs.


    ''And it was a pack led by an Orc King. And for an orc, they seem pretty smart.


    I lightly covered Chris as he said to himself, "Chris,


    ''Yes!��For an orc, he was a crazy wise guy!��Besides, the person in charge at that time was the Deputy Commander of the Kinsmen''s Guard, Jean-san, so as a subordinate, I couldn''t even have an opinion!


    And then, after giving the Oak King more credit, he plainly said that it was Mr. Jan''s fault. It was as if he said that if he was the one in charge, it wouldn''t have happened, but Chris-san didn''t realize the meaning of what he said. Well, since I was the only person here who was likely to tell Mr. Jang what had happened, I could just keep my mouth shut.


    By the way, the reason why I''m the only one is because Albert and the other three aren''t close enough to Jean-san to talk casually about such things, and Jeanne and Aura can''t tell you because of their position (if they did, Aina wouldn''t be silent). Grandpa has the potential, but from the look on his face, he seems to think, ''I can''t help but ruffle a few feathers while the demon is gone,'' and Amour, who is most likely to do it, is not here. Therefore, I''m the only one who''s most likely to tell them.


    Chris-san doesn''t seem to realize that I''m thinking of such a thing, and he''s exaggerating somewhat about that time and telling Albert and the others about it.


    ''Temma........''


    While everyone was distracted by Chris''s story, Cain called my name in a small voice.


    You''re going to be a witness, okay?


    And then he gave a thumbs up. To which I gave him a silent thumbs-up in return. And Grandpa looked at us with a dumbfounded look on his face. But he didn''t pay attention.


    We didn''t pay attention, but he didn''t. "I don''t feel like playing cards anymore, and it''s late, so I guess we should go to bed.


    Right!


    Leon agreed with his grandfather''s words with a bite. He thinks that if he continues on like this, he''ll never get out of the Great Poverty.


    ''''That''s right. Then we''ll call it an interruption. Next time, let''s start with Master Merlin''s millionaire. And the millionaires will be in Lyon, of course.


    No, no, no!��Next time, of course you''ll start from the beginning!��Right?


    I don''t mind which one I am.


    So let''s let Cain, who came in second, decide.


    We''ll carry the results with us.


    "d*mn it!


    By Cain''s immediate decision, it was decided that the next time Rion would be from the great poor. And this time, the shouting echoed throughout the mansion, and Rion was not only angry at Chris-san, but also at Edilia-san and the maids of the mansion.


    The next day.


    ''''I''m nervous at the thought of meeting the frontier count-sama!


    No, he''s definitely more nervous than me.


    Doni and Lani were called by the county commissioner to do business with him.


    Normally, this kind of permission is done by submitting the paperwork to the authorities, and when the authorities can''t decide whether or not it''s okay to issue the permission, they come to the Count of the Frontier, but this time, since Leon clearly said ''I''ll take it to my father,'' it was decided to skip a few steps and meet with him in person.


    I''ve been visiting them early in the morning, telling them what happened and showing them to the house. The fact that Leon went out was punishment for doing something so rash. By the way, Leni-san didn''t come here. And Chris-san is not in the mansion either. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.


    ''''So why me?''''


    ''We would like to ask Master Temma to represent the young lady. It would be better if we had someone to identify us, even if only in form, but the young lady is busy with a lot of things at the moment and I''m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.


    It seems that I''m the replacement for the busy Amur.


    Other than Amour, the only people who are acquainted with Lani-san are me, Grandpa, Jeanne and Aura, but since I''m supposed to be the leader of the party this time, that''s why they said that was the reason.


    ''''Well, there won''t be much to do, so that''s fine...''''


    And after the visit.


    You didn''t really have anything to do. You know, you don''t think I should have been there?


    Not at all!��It could be that Tenma-sama was there to listen to us, and more than anything else, having Tenma-sama at our side must have been quite a pressure for the frontier earl!


    ''I''m sorry it sounds like you took advantage, but it certainly helped.


    What Lani says about being saved is that I introduced them in a way that guaranteed their identities, which means that if I refused or treated them with disrespect, I would lose my face, and the frontier count couldn''t do such a thing to me who owed me a debt....... It seems to be like that.


    It''s not something to be worried about, because my father would have heard about them even if Tenma wasn''t there. It''s not a problem for me to give permission to do business with them, since I''ve made a connection with the southern part of the country, which I''ve never had contact with before....


    If you don''t tell me that you''re a recipient of Mr. Edilia''s message, then ''''The quintessential heir to a great nobleman! It''s typical of Rion that Doni and Lani''s reputation could have been boosted by something like that, but then he just blurts it out so easily. Well, for me it''s better than just keeping quiet like that.


    I made Albert and Cain listen to the one I left out the last line, and they said


    "Rion doesn''t have the brains to think that hard!��Absolutely, someone must have gotten in on this!


    He said out loud and then immediately afterwards, "From Rion, we''ll get to the bottom of this! And then I went to get Leon.


    ''So, you said you were going to be in the business of serving food, but what are you serving?''


    That''s "pork miso soup"!


    I heard that Tenma-sama was pleased with the miso soup you made with the wyvern. So I thought I''d try a similar ''pork miso soup''.


    Since the "Wai Jiru" was accepted, the similar-looking "Pork Jiru" would also be fine, and since "Miso" was a rare ingredient in the frontier counties, it was unlikely to be imitated. For those reasons, they decided that the odds were high.


    ''''That alone won''t be enough for the adventurers and workers, so I''m going to sell it with an onigiri.


    ''Oh, that would be great to throw in the pork broth, and it''s good for your stomach.


    Lani looked startled for a moment when she heard what I had said casually, but she quickly grinned and


    You''re right, Master Tenma, you know what you''re doing.


    I said. He sounded as if I was some kind of bad guy or something.


    ''And if we stock up on cheap vegetables in a nearby town and change the ingredients, like a daily change... we can make some money.


    ''''Hmph.......of course. I''ve already had my friends precede me to a nearby town and have them stock up on cheap foodstuffs in large quantities................................at a higher price than the rest of my peers.


    Even if the cost of ingredients is a little higher, pork soup has the advantage of being able to add some bulk to the amount of water. With that in mind, they intend to cut off the stocking routes of their business enemies.


    ''''If possible, I''d like to stock up on Wyvern''s meat as well, but...''''


    ''For sure, we''ll be over budget. And that''s enough to turn a profit into a deficit.


    Yes. I''m sorry, but I give up. I wanted to make it the centerpiece of the last day, but what''s the point if we don''t make a profit?


    Even if I sold the wyvern meat for less than the market price, I wouldn''t make any money if it was enough to make wye juice. It''s just that I used my own wyvern that I hunted and I was able to make such a big deal out of it because I was able to split it up as part of my request. If you''re going to sell it, the amount of meat should be about a tenth of the amount used at that time, and you''ll have to take more than a hundred g for a bowlful.


    If they were selling it at a stall in King''s Landing, they might be able to sell it just barely enough to make a profit, but for the adventurers and laborers in the low-cost frontier county, it would only be a payday luxury at best. That would not be good for business.


    ''''Well, I''ll try to make a thin profit and do my best with pork soup and rice balls. But I''m curious about the taste of the wyvern, can you sell it to me personally?


    He wanted to know what the meat tasted like for when he handled Wyvern''s meat in the future, so he wanted to make sure it was available now, when he could get it for sure. Of course, at the friendship price....


    Well, I''ve had Lani sell me things for some discounted price, so it''s not that I have to give a discount, but I felt like a peddler when I brought that first discount to the negotiations for the meat of the wyvern.

 181-Chapter 11-15 Travelers

    By the way, Mr. Doni. Is it true that Mr. Leni is a better agent than you, Lani?


    While Lani-san was meeting with Leon about business at the border fort, I decided to ask her father, Doni-san, about something that had been bothering me about the two of them.


    ''You''re right, in a way,''


    Doni-san was a little surprised by my question, but when she found out that she had heard it from Amur, she began to speak with a sense of conviction.


    ''Even though they are called intelligence agents, they are different types, so I can''t say for sure which one is better, but on average, the amount of information we gather in a single job is definitely greater for Leni.


    Doni told me that Lani is good at sabotage and fighting, in addition to visiting and gathering information on the other side, like when she first met me, or stealing information like when she snuck into the Duke of Sangha''s army, and Leni doesn''t meet the other side in person, but gathers information from the surrounding area (e.g. She''s good at it (working at bars and other places in the area where the target lives and listening to the people involved).


    In Lani''s case, it''s often important information, but there''s a lot of danger in that, and Leni''s is more likely to gather information from multiple perspectives, although it''s all cobbled together, she said.


    ''Even if it''s not what you need, it''s still information, you know. The amount of information collected is orders of magnitude greater than that of other people who use the same method to gather information. As a parent, it''s a bit more complicated than that...


    Maybe that''s where it has something to do with Leni-san being the ''most popular woman in Nanao''.


    ''''Maybe we shouldn''t let her and Rion meet alone too much...''''


    ''''It would be better. Let me put it this way, but if you''re Rion-sama, you might be stripped naked... in terms of information about the frontier aunt family.


    They don''t want to destroy the freshly made relationship in a few days. It''s also said that although they want to get information about the family, they don''t want to overdo it and make enemies.


    That''s why I decided to call Albert and Cain and tell them why and ask them to help me. I''m sure you''ve heard the story of Doni and I. They said it''s possible for Leon to do this and immediately promised to cooperate.


    ''''I''ll tell Leni that, but.......even if she doesn''t intend to do so, she might set it up naturally, you know. Well, it''s called an occupational disease.


    Leon''s is similar in a way.


    If you ask Cain, Rion''s carelessness is like an occupational disease.


    ''Well, since Leni-san will probably stay with Amur, there won''t be any problems as long as someone is always with Rion.


    Just as I concluded with that, it looked like Rion and Lani-san had finished talking to each other. From the looks on their faces, the conversation was probably settled on terms favorable to Lani-san.


    After this, we discussed whether we should invite Doni and Lani to go into town, but it seems that they have business preparations and meetings to attend to, so they will return to the inn.


    ''''Well then, what should we do.......Jeanne and Aura are out with Lady Merlin, right?


    Oh, Grandpa said, "No need to be so formal! He said that he''s going to make the two of them accept a request for something, as well as a walk for Shiroumaru. After all, it''s a good experience for both of them to receive a request in a different place than usual, and I heard that receiving a request elsewhere will be a plus when raising your rank.


    In my case, I heard that the requests I received in several territories, like Gunjo City and Seigen, the royal capital and the southern part of the country, were also taken into account when I moved up to S rank. Jeanne and Aura are only about Seigen and the royal capital (both under the direct control of the royal family), so they''re going to take this opportunity to make the achievements of the Haust frontier county territory.


    ''''In other words, that means we''re going to be acting with only men.......''''


    Leon. I''m sure you understand but no naughty shops.


    We''ll have to wait until we return to King''s Landing for those places.


    I know!


    In response to their incessant prodding, Rion replied with a bit of a sour mood. Incidentally, it seems that both Albert and Rion have also been to such a nightclub like place before, but not in the last few years. The reason for this is related to the fact that Cain has a fianc��e.


    Albert''s fianc��, Elsa, thinks that it can''t be helped that men go to such places, and she also thinks that she would forgive a few things if it''s just for fun, but Cain''s fianc�� is not the type of person who cares about Cain going to such places. Therefore, Cain doesn''t go to such places anymore. The fact that Cain himself wasn''t interested in such places in the first place has something to do with it.


    I prefer to go out for a drink with friends who are comfortable with each other.


    When I asked him that, Cain answered that way. I was like that too, so I agreed with Cain''s idea. Albert seemed to be fine either way, and Rion said he likes to go to a restaurant with like-minded friends and women.


    ''Come to think of it, I''ve met Elsa many times, but I''ve never met Cain''s fianc��e.


    Yeah?��But she''s met Temma a few times, I heard she''s met Temma a few times. She''s never had a conversation with him, though.


    When I asked him for details, I did recall seeing a woman who looked like that. I don''t know her name, but I have seen her several times in the storeroom of the royal castle and in the library of the royal capital, so I would have at least bidden her a visit when I saw her eyes.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to find out what''s going on in the world. She''s so shy.


    ''Yeah, it sure sounds like that. Elsa didn''t know that, because she didn''t know that she was talking to him and she was worried about it, saying something like, ''I might have scared him off.''


    If Temma doesn''t mind, I''ll introduce her to you next time when I''m free. In any case, if you marry me, I''m sure you''ll see Temma more often than not.


    That''s what happened. Incidentally, during this conversation, Rion, who doesn''t even have a girlfriend, let alone a fianc��, didn''t speak a single word. You can see the color of impatience on his face.


    ''Albert, Cain. Seriously, Rion shouldn''t get close to Leni-san. On the contrary, you might want to keep him away from the other women, too. In his current state, Rion is one of the first to be treated kindly by a woman of his choice, even if it''s just a little bit. Even if it''s a woman of bad character.


    They both nodded seriously, as if they had the same idea, and swore to each other that they wouldn''t let Leon get near the woman for a while. Cain had a great smile on his face at this time, and it was a great smile.


    And a few days later.


    "Souvenir good!��Food good!��Passage good!


    We had to leave "Shellhide" a little earlier than planned because we were going to Kukri village. Therefore, we hurriedly bought some souvenirs and were just finishing our preparations so that we could leave tomorrow.


    I was just finishing my preparations. Are you just finishing your preparations?


    As I was finishing sorting the souvenirs and other items and putting them in my magic bag, Mr. Doni came over to visit me. The two people in ''Shellhide'' right now are Doni-san and Leni-san, and Lani-san went towards the borderline fort the day the permit was issued.


    ''Yes, we''re planning to leave tomorrow. If we don''t head there early, we won''t know when we''ll be back to the royal capital.''


    ''''That would be good. We don''t have to worry too much about it south of King''s Landing, but even so, if it''s too late, the snow might come down.


    Right now, it''s around October in my previous life. Even if we continue to make it around our destination smoothly, it will take us a little over a month more. Even if things go smoothly, it''s mid-November weather, and if something goes wrong or unplanned, we could be in December.


    ''If it''s just Leyden, the snow won''t be a problem, but that''s not going to be the case with the carriage.


    I''m aware that I''m using a much more powerful carriage than the usual one, but the wheels are still just as sturdy as the usual ones, so it''s not like I can go over the snow with ease.


    ''Depending on the snow conditions, it may be faster to travel on foot and use the carriage for a break. Well, that''s still an enviable enough thing to do.


    The method Doni mentioned is only possible if you have a large magic bag or dimension bag, so usually you either risk your life and shiver in the cold, or you don''t travel in the winter. With that in mind, having a place to rest in the snow that''s no different than home might be more than enough.


    ''''And I''d like to discuss... or rather, I''d like to ask you a favor...''''


    Doni''s request was, in a way, an obvious one.


    ''Each one of you is ready to go.


    Chris-san was making a final check on everyone....or rather, the three idiots while looking at them.


    Although they had left earlier than planned, they had each made their preparations in advance and didn''t seem to have forgotten anything.


    ''''Miss. Don''t worry so much, they''ll be fine!


    Rion is laughing and saying that............................but behind him is a group of maids carrying a large basket.


    ''''Rion I told you to come to the dining room to get a few days'' worth of food, didn''t I?


    Edilia-san, who was at the front of the group of maids, was blaming Rion with a smiling smile.


    ''''I''m ... sorry, mother.''''


    The fact that no one but Rion knew that he was preparing the meal for us means that he forgot to even tell us.


    ''Albert, Cain!��You two, check out Leon''s belongings!


    Ha!


    The two men saluted in unison as they were ordered to do so, and began to check Leon''s luggage. As a result.


    ''''Senior, we don''t have any of Leon''s weapons and armor!


    I couldn''t even find my wallet!


    If it was a wallet, it would be on the table.


    After checking them both, something important was missing from the trip. Cain took the wallet from Ms. Edilia and checked the contents on the spot.


    It''s empty!


    And he turned his wallet upside down to show that it was empty.


    Mr. Edilia saw this and sighed and went back into the mansion. Perhaps she would go get the money. In the meantime, Rion had rushed to his room to get his weapons and armor.


    ''No one else forgot anything, right?


    Well, I don''t leave my magic bag in the car. I never forget anything.


    Me too.


    Neither do I.


    I''m going to be fine, too.


    When we saw Leon, we all checked again and decided that it was okay. Aura was slightly suspicious, but Jeanne said she checked the room for the last time, so she was probably okay.


    ''Is Amour okay?''


    ''That''s not a problem, I''ve checked it out. At least you didn''t leave anything in your room.


    I checked with the innkeeper, so it''s not a problem.


    Following Chris-san, Leni-san was also said to be fine.


    As for Amour, who had been quiet since earlier, he checked his luggage again after the two of them said it was okay, and nodded after lightly adjusting his appearance.


    ''Jeanne, it''s bad. Amour is trying to evolve.


    ''''No, I don''t mean to say that I think it''s good that Amur is growing up, but I''m more concerned about Leni''s eagerness to follow me...''''


    ''Ahhhh ... sorry, I forgot to tell you two.


    Yesterday Doni asked me to accompany Leni on her journey to the capital.


    The reason for this is because Amur, the Viscountess of the South, needs an attendant to travel with her, but in reality, Leni said Amur''s education was not yet finished and she was willing to follow us, even if it was forcibly, so she asked us to officially accompany her.


    Chris agreed with Grandpa about this story, so I told the three idiots about it in the form of a post-mortem (although Albert and Cain were slightly disgusted that I had just sworn to keep women away from Leon), but I forgot to tell Jeanne and Aura.


    ''If it''s Temma''s decision, we won''t say anything, but ... what are we going to do when we get to King''s Landing?''


    "In King''s Landing, it''s up to Amur. But he has no intention of staying in the capital for long under any circumstances. After all, it''s because Nanao has a ''lover''.


    By the way, if Leni judges that Amur will not grow up before arriving at the King''s Landing, she will take him back to the south. And it seems that he''s going to sit down in the south and give him an education.


    ''''Sweetheart........''''


    They seemed to be convinced by my explanation, but at the same time, they seemed to be interested in Leni-san. Well, there have not been many women who have had lovers in their vicinity, and besides, they are not easy to talk to (or talk to), so Leni-san is in a good position to satisfy their curiosity.


    ''As such, it would be great if you and Leni could get to know each other as well.


    I''ll be fine!


    I''ll take care of it!


    He responded with a taut, dependable response.


    ''Sorry, sorry!��Now we won''t forget anything!


    Rion, who had gone to get his own weapons and armor, took the money from Ediria-san and tapped his magic bag to show that he was ready to go.


    ''''Looks like you''ve got it all together.


    When all the preparations had been made and all that was left to do was to leave, the Earl of the Houst Frontier came from the mansion.


    "Hey, I didn''t see my dad here. And what are you doing here?


    No, I don''t know what I''m doing here. I''m just here to see you off.


    At Cain''s tsk, Rion had a convincing look on his face, "So that''s what it is, too?" but everyone in the room except Rion said, "You know that much! He had a look on his face.


    ''You''ve been very good to me this time. I hope you''ll take this.


    The Frontier Count handed me a letter and a family crest inscribed with the ''Howling Wolf''.


    ''''As for the family crest, it will be useful in many ways within the Howst Frontier Count territory. At the very least, it should be more useful than Rion. And this letter should be given to the knight commander when you meet him, who is working to maintain the security of the territory. It says that you should do something for him.


    Thank you.


    ''''When stopping by a town or village in the Frontier Count territory, if you have the Frontier Count family crest, a pass, and Leon, you will be able to pass through most of them.


    I''ve been told that some of the adventurers who went to Kukri village and the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'' with a request have been reported missing. I''ve heard there are many others injured as well.


    Most of the missing adventurers are either young adventurers who are new to the Grand Old Man''s Forest or newcomers. The guild believes that they may have been killed by a powerful monster that went into the depths of the forest because they got greedy or went into the wrong place at the wrong time. Some veteran adventurers and adventurers who have been in the Grand Old Man''s Forest are injured, but they have returned safely.


    I''ve heard from adventurers and knights who know the old Kukri village and the Grand Old Man''s Forest that the forest is not as large as it used to be, but it has become eerie. It''s not just the size, but also the fact that fewer people have come into the forest, so that''s just my personal opinion.


    Also, if you pass an adventurer who is aiming for the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'' or something like that, he wants you to be careful with that.


    ''''I''ll do it if it''s that much, but...''''


    Some adventurers may not listen to their peers, but if you show them the family crest of a frontier earl and tell them you''re a former resident of Kukri village, they''ll at least give you a heads up. After that, it''s up to you. I have no further responsibility or obligation to you.


    You don''t have to do anything more than that. I''m going to remind you through the guild, but those issues are ultimately your responsibility.


    It''s a good idea. The reason why the knight commander is acting away from the frontier county is also for the purpose of alerting them to such things.


    ''''Thank you for all your help.


    Mm. Goodbye.


    The frontier count also seemed to have gotten used to us a bit and spoke more than usual, but still didn''t have the same ease as the Duke of Sanga and the Marquis of Samoens. Well, those two are some of the most communicative people I''ve ever had, so I feel like it''s impossible to compare them.


    Grandpa. About that frontier count earlier, do you think it''s possible to go missing that much?


    The medicinal herbs that can be found in the Grand Old Man''s Forest are said to be of the highest quality compared to those from other areas. Some young people and newcomers, who are not earning much money, may have to repeat the process. In the past, the villagers used to guide them to places with less danger, but we can''t do that anymore.


    ''''We''d better be careful too. It''s been years since we left Kukri Village, and it''s probably best to consider that it''s not the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'' as we know it anymore.


    That''s right. The area around the village may not have changed that much, but the forest ecosystem is still intact. Perhaps the demons that were chased away by the dragon zombies have settled in the shallow parts of the forest. You should never enter the forest alone.


    They all replied together to Grandpa''s advice. The words of my grandfather, who has different knowledge and experience as an adventurer, must have a different weight. If these were my lines, the people around Rion would have responded more lightly.


    With that in mind, I said my final greetings to the frontier counts, tied Raiden to the carriage and sat down on the guru''s seat. Next to me is sitting next to Leon, my guide and ID card substitute. The reason for this is that in the vicinity of "Shellhide", the home of the frontier county, it seems that the pass we got is more effective than the one we got.


    ''''Let''s go!


    I''m not going to be the only one who can do that. Because I hold the reins, and basically Raiden only listens to me or Slarin''s orders. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for, because it''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.


    ''''Let''s go, Raiden,''''


    As I lightly pulled on the reins, Raiden slowly walked away.


    The frontier count, Edilia-san, and the people from the frontier county family who had come to see him off, laughed as hard as they could at Rion''s embarrassment.

 182-Chapter 12-1 Lord of the Swamp

    Hey, Leon. How long do you think it''ll take us to get to Kukri Village?


    ''Well if you''re here according to the map, I''d say it''s been two to three days.��Even if I say it''s our territory, I don''t know exactly every inch of it. Besides, I''ve never been to Kukri Village.


    Rion says that where we are now is about halfway from Shellhide to Kukri village, where there are no towns or villages around.


    ''Then again, there''s no one in the area as far as the eye can see.


    Right now, they were in the middle of passing through a grassy field, so they could see a few kilometers in the radius of the carriage, but they couldn''t see a shadow or shape of a person.


    ''''Well, there''s nothing much to see around here. If it was spring or summer, I''d probably see a few people come here and there to mow the growing grass.


    The cut grass would be used to feed horses, cattle and other livestock, and would be a valuable source of income for inexperienced new adventurers who didn''t earn much money. It is said that 10kg of grass costs a little over 100g, and even if they sold it, the cost of lodging and food for the day would almost certainly be enough to cover the cost of selling it.


    Even so, as long as you use cheap lodgings and do it efficiently, it seems to be safe and you can make a decent profit. The basic idea for any new adventurer in this area is to buy higher-ranked weapons and armor with the money they''ve saved, and then gain experience by accepting requests to take on combat jobs. Also, while mowing the grass, sometimes there are weak demons like horned rabbits that can make a decent income. And also, adventurers who are asked to cut the grass a certain number of times are given a certain amount of preferential treatment in the frontier county.


    The profit is at least a request for extra income and experience, and it''s an indispensable request for both Shellhide and adventurers, where horses are a specialty. Incidentally, the preferential treatment that can be received is a slight increase in the reward for the next request to cut the grass and a slight reduction in the price of the guild and the inn and dining room run by the frontier county family.


    ''''For a rookie with a low income, that''s quite nice to hear.


    That''s how much of a boon it would be, which is why this request is the basis for a new adventurer. Otherwise, they would use places like the royal capital or dungeon cities, where jobs abound, as their base of operations.


    ''''Most of all, though, the discounts for the inn and dining hall were added after the incident in Kukri Village.


    There was also the purpose of preventing the outflow of adventurers and bringing back adventurers who had left, but even so, the adventurers who could become an immediate asset did not return. Well, those adventurers who could be an immediate asset would not be asked to cut the grass, and with that much preferential treatment, it would be more profitable for them to work in their current location instead of moving to the frontier county territory.


    ''''Well, I think it''s a policy that makes sense in terms of securing our strength for the future.


    Yeah, as long as they don''t miss out on the strength they''ve developed.


    That''s a problem that every fiefdom has, so it''s probably how much they''ll love it by the time they grow up. Or, I think we''ll have to make it attractive enough for them to come back when they leave.


    That''s where the future frontier counters are going to be.


    Yeah, I''ll do my best.


    Temma, this is my turn.


    As I was talking to Leon, Cain offered to take over and I graciously accepted.


    ''Okay then, Albert. I''ll take my turn too.


    Leon called out to Albert to switch places with me, too, but


    No Leon. You''d be lost without a guide!


    It was blocked by Cain. Then he said, "I''m just going to plow straight through and there''s no way I''m going to give you directions! I heard Rion''s voice say, "I''m sorry," but I didn''t hear him call out to Albert again, so I think it was Cain''s way of saying it.


    ''Hey Temma, Master Merlin,''


    We had been going on for a while with nothing going on, when suddenly Cain opened the window and called out to me.


    ''There''s some kind of swamp up ahead that Rion has never heard of.


    Cain told me that there was a muddy water pool like a swamp in a depression about fifty meters from where we were now.


    I got out of the carriage with my grandfather to check it out, and although I could indeed see what looked like a swamp filled with muddy water, it was clearly suspicious.


    ''Grandpa, no matter how you look at it, that swamp was made, wasn''t it?''


    Yes. As you can see, there''s a frog lurking around.


    Grandpa seems to have an idea of the Lord who created the swamp. In the meantime, I took a look at the swamp in ''Appraisal'' and found a few demons called ''Mad Poison Frog'' lurking in the swamp. I don''t know if the lack of clarity in numbers is due to the slight distance or the fact that the frogs have ''concealment'', but either way there doesn''t seem to be that many of them.


    Everyone in the carriage also heard that there was a frog demon in the carriage and came out with interest.


    When winter approaches, several individuals cuddle up to make a hibernation bed for the frogs. Usually they make their beds in woods or forests, but sometimes they make their beds in the open, such as grasslands. If you make a bed on the grassland, most of the time you will freeze to death because there is no protection from the wind," he said.


    Adventurers who have heard of frogs are often beaten back by the adventurers who have tried to challenge them, and the frogs are used as nourishment for hibernation.


    The frogs, though, can be several meters long. The one I saw once was nearly five meters tall. The name "poisonous frog" may put off some people, but its meat is quite tasty. The meat is very tasty, and it''s also very useful as an ingredient.


    The meat tastes similar to chicken, the skin is elastic, and the stripes are used as a bowstring. However, while it is a tasty prey as both a material and a food, it can be tricky to catch.


    ''First of all, blows are hard to effect. The frog''s skin and flesh absorbs the impact, so striking weapons like hammers are less effective. Blades can be used normally, but because the surface of the frog''s skin is poisonous, it can be used as a weapon if the flesh is discarded. However, I wouldn''t recommend it for close combat.


    When I think of frogs, I think of ''changing their color to match their surroundings,'' ''extending their tongues to catch their prey,'' and ''high leaping power,'' but I''m told that this is also true of the Mad Poison Frog.


    In other words, the frog''s tongue strikes before it gets close, and when it does, its vaunted leaping ability keeps it away. Strikes are less effective and slashes can ruin materials. In other words, if you want to defeat it efficiently, magic is the way to go. Moreover, freezing or numbing them is the best way to do it. Because of this, the monsters themselves are only C or B in strength, but if you''re looking for materials, it''s an A-ranked difficulty level.


    By the way, when Grandpa defeated it, he wasn''t looking for the material, so he used wind magic to cut off its head, and before the poison turned to meat, he crawled on the skin and ate only the hind legs. Because of that, he had to dispose of much of the meat, but the skin was clean, so the wholesale guild was pleased with it.


    ''''Well then, should I go alone?''''


    Yes. I''d rather be prepared to escape Temma''s spell and come to the carriage than go with you.


    The vanguard group of Rion and Amur looked a little disappointed because of the difficulty of striking and slashing, but more importantly, they looked at me expectantly because of the delicious meat they could get. Behind them, Shiroumaru and Solomon''s devouring group were also looking at me with the same eyes, so with a total of four pairs of eyes staring at me, I was fired up and determined that I could not fail.


    ''First, let''s get the golem out..............and move on!


    On my grandfather''s advice that I should lure the frogs out with the golem before approaching the swamp, I took out about five golems as big as a man. Since the material is dirt underfoot, they would be easily destroyed by a single frog strike, but as long as they don''t destroy the golem''s core, and most importantly, since they''re decoys, it''s not a problem for them to be destroyed.


    With their orders, the golems approached the swamp, side by side. And


    I got it!��........Oh, that''s dangerous!


    Four of the golems that approached the swamp were attacked by the frogs, and the frog attacks were even greater than I imagined. What I mean by more than I imagined is the speed and power of the frogs'' attacks.


    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family. And four of them at the same time. The pieces of those golems flew away at great speed, and I jumped back in a hurry.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. Well, it seems to be out of range here, but..................


    The position I jumped away from seemed to be out of the reach of the frog''s tongue, and it was slowly trying to approach towards me. However, if you''re not careful, it might jump at you, so I used the lightning magic ''stun'' to finish it off before that.


    Even though he had a tongue that could produce a speed as fast as a bullet, even if he had a tongue that could produce a speed as fast as a quicksilver, he couldn''t seem to do anything about it out of range, and the ''Mad Poison Frog'' turned over on the spot together.


    ''Looks like they''re gone in the swamp. Let''s just bury them for now.


    I ordered the only surviving golem to retrieve the destroyed golem''s core and reclaim the swamp, and I decided to clean the surface of the defeated frog with water magic.


    I was in a hurry when the golem was destroyed, but it looks like it ended up in one piece.


    After confirming that the defeat of the frogs was over, the grandfathers came up to me all together.


    ''''Wow the little guy is cute, but it''s weird when he''s this big.''''


    I guess I''m more scared than creepy.


    ''Either way, I don''t really want to deal with a frog that''s more than twice my size. Especially after seeing the way that golem got beaten up.


    At Rion''s words, they all looked at the golems that had been hit at once. The bodies of the destroyed and scattered golems were being thrown into the swamp one by one after the surviving golems had collected their nukes and were about to be thrown into the swamp and become part of the material for the landfill.


    ''So that''s what might have happened if the young lady had been dealing with the frogs?


    It''s not just Amur, it''s Rion, too.


    Amur''s face turned blue at Leni''s words, and Rion''s face was drawn up at Cain''s words. Well, these two would have been the first to go towards it if it wasn''t for Grandpa''s explanation, so there was a good chance of that happening. Incidentally, Albert, who would have gone to support Rion if he had gone there, and Chris, who might have approached the swamp to stop Rion, also looked slightly pale.


    ''Jeanne. When we go out from now on, let''s be careful to take out the golem that Tenma-sama gave us at any time....


    Well....


    The two men who had been kidnapped in the past and were in danger were also confirming the golem after all this time.


    ''The best thing is that everyone has a renewed sense of danger. That''s true, Temma. Do you know how to judge a frog?


    To my grandfather''s question, I replied that I''ve dealt with normal sized frogs before, but not this size, and he said he''d tell me when we took a break.


    ''Leon. Is there a watering hole near here?


    The closest place from here would have been a river running about ten kilometers away. It''s not that big of a river, but I think that''s a good place to take a break around here. Also, there''s a small village up that river, but it''s another 20 to 30 kilometers away from our destination.


    It''s a ten-kilometer distance that can be reached in thirty minutes in Leiden. We can reach the village further on in two hours.


    Then let''s take a rest by the river. Then let''s stop by the river and rent a place to stay for the night at a nearby village.


    It wouldn''t be a problem if we headed directly to the village up the river, but considering the fact that we''d be handling frogs and such, it might be a nuisance near the village.


    That''s why we decided to head for the banks of the river that Rion mentioned at the beginning. Just by the time we decided on where to go, the golem had almost finished reclaiming the swamp, so we collected the golem''s nucleus as well and got into the carriage.


    ''We''re here!''


    We got to the river a little earlier than planned, and we split up to prepare for a break. Well, as usual, it didn''t take much time as we just set up the chairs near the carriage and did a quick look around. And the most important part of the break, the preparation of the meal, was Leni''s responsibility this time. Normally, Jeanne and Aura help around me, so I have a little bit of free time.


    ''Grandpa. Can you teach me how to judge a frog while I''m waiting?


    That''s good. Well, I''m sure Temma will learn quickly. And if you''re free and interested, you should come along. I think it''s a good experience, and a little different.


    Grandpa told me that Chris and Albert and three others were going to join us. Amur tried to join us, but Leni-san caught him and took him to the cooks, so there were five students including me.


    ''''Well then, I''m going to go off for a bit, so Slarin and the rest of you, please be vigilant about your surroundings.


    There didn''t seem to be any creatures in the vicinity that might be a threat, but I asked Slarin and his friends to be on the lookout, just in case, and we headed down to the river.


    The first one is to cut the frog in three ways. The first is to cut it into pieces by picking the skin as you normally would. The second is to hang it from a tree. And the third one is to freeze it a little and then cut it. The first method cannot be dismantled cleanly without someone to hold the frog''s skin in place, but it is the most basic way to cut it. In the second method, you need something big enough to hang the frog from and also strong enough to hang it, but if you get used to it, you will be able to separate the flesh more neatly than if you lay it on the ground. And the last method requires more magic and skill to keep the fish completely unfrozen, but it is a way to keep the meat fresh and the skin easy to peel off.


    So Chris and the others used the first and second methods, and I used the third method to catch frogs. Personally, I was interested in the second method because it was like hanging an anglerfish, but I wouldn''t try it until I had successfully done the third method first.


    The second method is interesting to me, but I will try it first with the third one. The surfaces of frogs are often poisonous, and most of all they are dirty. Also, this frog has a poisonous pouch near its shoulder blades, so remove it first.


    They say it''s a poison, but it''s not strong enough to kill people, it''s just enough to numb them and slow them down in most cases. Even so, it is dangerous for children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems, and even adults can die of shock or go blind if a large amount is accidentally ingested, so it is important to be careful.


    There used to be places where they fished with this kind of poison, but nowadays it''s banned in many places because sometimes the fish you catch can''t get rid of it, and in a small area like a small river, it can uproot and wipe out the entire population.


    So I was careful not to wash the frog''s venom out of the river, but rather to use a bucket or something like that to scoop up the water and then clean it up some distance from the river.


    ''Let''s go all at once!��Seiyuu!


    I''m tied up!��How''s Cain doing?


    I''m okay!


    The three of them are struggling to somehow hang the frog from the two clay walls that Grandpa has magically created. Maybe they will hang them and then wash the frogs.


    ''Ugh ... it''s slimy and gnarly.


    Chris was washing the smallest frog (although it was small, it was well over a meter and a half) by himself with a scrubbing brush.


    ''You guys must be hard at work,''


    I had two golems holding the frogs and was using the water magic method like a high pressure washer to get the dirt and slippage off them.


    While washing, I felt a glance from behind me, so I turned around and saw Chris-san staring at me. And a hand held out to me silently.


    ''Your hand, sir?��No, I''m just kidding.


    I blurted it out lightly, but Chris-san silently began to scoop up the slip that had accumulated at my feet with both hands, so I hurriedly handed him two medium-sized golem nukes.


    Chris-san''s work speed increased significantly as he began to use the golems, and he quickly overtook me, Albert and the others. Well, it was only natural, since he was the smallest frog to begin with, but now there were three workers (and two laborers who could do the unpleasant work without complaining).


    Albert and the others who were watching Chris-san wanted to use the golem as a matter of course, but since the work of hanging the frogs, which required the golem the most, had already been completed, Albert and the others, who were all present, did not need to use the golem because it would be a hindrance to them.


    It looks like we''ve done a clean job with each of them. The only thing left to do is to take out the guts, peel off the skin, and dismantle it into a reasonable size, just like you would dismantle any other animal.


    Once the slips and stains were removed, the rest was normal procedure, so it wasn''t particularly difficult. If I had to say anything, it was just that Albert and the others who were hanging and dismantling it seemed to be the easiest to do.


    ''''The flesh is a beautiful color. It looks and feels similar to chicken meat in terms of elasticity, so it could be used in similar dishes.


    I cut off some of the flesh and lightly grilled it before tasting it, and as I expected it tasted more like chicken.


    It''s delicious, but when you eat it while thinking of a frog, it''s kind of complicated. Just thinking about it makes it taste a little less delicious.


    ''Is that about right?��I don''t mind, though.


    ''You know how I feel about senior Chris. This frog is definitely missing out on some looks.


    ''Well, I wouldn''t mind eating it without knowing it, so I don''t see anything wrong with it as long as it''s in its carved meat form.


    They were all raving about the taste of the food. After all, food should look good too.


    ''''We''ll use the meat as food for the duration of this trip, but the ingredients are my total take, right?


    ''No problem. If Temma-kun hadn''t done it, Rion would almost certainly have been in a lot of trouble, and the rest of us, with the exception of Lady Merlin, could have been badly injured.


    In a way, that frog might have been a demon with a first-time killing nature. If you get close enough to defeat the frog, it will attack you with its tongue, and even if you try to defend against it, its power is too dangerous.


    ''''It would be better to spread the word of this frog''s existence when it stops by the village. If this area is a basic place for newcomers, these frogs are far too dangerous. I don''t know where these guys came from, but since they were actually lurking in this place, we can''t say they won''t come again.


    Rion nodded at his grandfather''s advice with a serious expression. Well, if such a dangerous demon lurked in a place where newcomers could gain experience, there was a chance that there would be no more adventurers who would use this place as a base of operations. In order to prevent that from happening, it might be a good idea to send out an investigation to a veteran adventurer in the form of a request from the frontier earl family.


    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that I have found some interesting materials. The meat is good, and I would like to use this material to make some tools.


    So far, the only material the frog couldn''t use was its internal organs. The reason for this is that the internal organs are said to be smelly and full of germs in these creatures that lurk in the mud. I heard that there was no medicine for it, but it was hard to dispose of for that purpose, and it didn''t cost very much, so we dug a hole for it and burned it.


    The other material I found most interesting was the tongue muscle. From a quick check, it seems to have properties similar to rubber, and if it could be used as a substitute for rubber, it could be used for a variety of things. However, I couldn''t get enough tongue muscles to use for the experiment, so I''ll probably try a variety of things with frog skin and muscle as a substitute for the substitute.


    With a few blueprints in my head, we headed back to the carriage, where the food would be ready to go.

 183-Chapter 12-2 Rion, fierce

    "This one''s good!��Exquisite!


    I just salted it and burned it.


    Leon is raving about the taste of the frog he just dismantled. The other party is Leni, who cooked the food and brought it to him.


    ''''I''m sorry, but you''ll have to hold Leni-san back with Jeanne and Aura. Me and Cain will take Rion to the back of the carriage. Also, Amour will need your help.


    When Albert realized that Rion was appealing to Leni, he immediately set about separating Rion and Leni from each other. In the process, Amour was asked to be the one to confront the brutal truth to Leon, who knew nothing about it.


    ''What about me?''


    ''Senior Chris, please pay attention to Mr. Leni.


    The attention to Leni-san was to be given by Chris, who was comfortable with Amour''s affairs. Well, that''s because such attention between men and women is better given to women closer in age. However, even if the role was given to me and my grandfather, we didn''t know what to say to each other.


    What the hell do you want? We were having a nice conversation.


    Rion, who was forcibly pulled by Albert and Cain, was more than a little grumpy. For the most part, he probably thought he was in a good mood with Leni.


    ''''I have something unfortunate to tell you, Rion,''''


    Amur stood in front of a grumpy Leon with his arms crossed in front of him. And.


    ''Renitan has a lover!��That''s also the future we''ve committed to, and we''re getting married soon!��...and he''s the boyfriend that''s been talked about in Nanao!


    Well.....


    Leon froze for a few moments at the truth that confronted Amur. Then he got on his hands and knees on the ground at the same time as he squeezed out the words.


    ''What the hell was it that you were being so nice to me...''


    No, it''s just that he was like that, regardless of gender.


    Yeah.


    In fact, Leni''s attitude towards me, my grandfather, Chris and Jeanne and the others hasn''t changed. It was the same for Albert and the others, so of course it''s the same for Rion. The only place where Leni-san''s attitude is different is towards Amur. Leni-san was sometimes sweet to Amur and sometimes harsh to him. And if you looked around you, you would have noticed that her attitude towards you was normal... but Rion was flirtatious and didn''t notice it at all.


    ''It seems the goddess of love doesn''t seem to be smiling at me...''


    It''s kind of a cool thing to say, but before the goddess smiling or whatever, there would have been almost no chance of that happening because Leni-san''s side didn''t meet the conditions... even if it turned out like Rion''s fantasy, that would be a problem. Id.


    ''Well it looks like we''re done over there, so let''s get back to eating.


    Yeah.


    Cain replied to my suggestion, but Albert and Amur looked at Rion with eyes that looked at the poor thing and didn''t reply. And Rion showed no signs of moving from his position on all fours on the ground.


    ''Let''s go, guys. Time will tell on these things.


    Cain said and walked out in front of us, but I kept my eyes firmly on Cain''s face as he stifled a laugh as we passed each other.


    ''I''m sorry,''


    No, if you''ll just be careful in the future...


    In response to Leni-san''s apology, Albert answered on behalf of Rion, but Albert couldn''t say anything more since the original was due to Rion''s misunderstanding. In the first place, it can''t be said that Leni-san is responsible, and even for Leni-san''s apology, it had to be done because the other party (Rion) is a nobleman, so there was a delicate atmosphere between the two parties.


    ''''Well, let''s just talk about this!��From now on, Leni will stay as far away from Rion as possible. Rion will reflect on what happened and talk to someone else before he floats away!��That''s good, Leon!


    Chris-san held the moment quite forcefully. Leni-san nodded at Chris-san''s words, and Rion managed to respond by raising one arm in the position he was in earlier.


    ''''Alright, let''s get back to lunch!


    Chris-san, who concluded with just a glimpse of Rion, resumed eating early. We followed Chris-san''s lead and resumed eating, but.......Leon didn''t move. Seeing Rion like that, Jeanne and Aura were wondering if they should bring the meal with them, but Chris-san said, "Do you want to be mistaken for someone like Leni? With those words, he sat back in his chair and resumed eating.


    After that, I looked at Rion several times during the meal, but he did not change his posture.


    ''We''ve finished eating, now let''s get going. Let''s go, Rion!


    Rion, who was called by Cain, finally stood up and came towards us. Well, he was blatantly turning his face away so as not to look at Leni-san.......but no one made a pretense of shoving him into the quicksand. That''s even Cain, who is always making fun of Rion. Probably the reason why he started saying that he was going to leave right after the meal was because he didn''t want to leave Leon alone like that.


    "Well then, Leon, take care of yourself.


    The reason I continued to leave you in charge of Rion must have been to keep you as far away from Leni as possible.


    ''Everyone. I can see the village, do you mind if we stay there today?


    It has been less than two hours since we took a break earlier, but he said that if we passed this place, it would be an encampment. Hearing Cain''s suggestion, Grandpa said, "If we might make camp, we might as well make sure that we are here to nourish our spirits," and so the decision was made by a majority in the carriage before any other opinion could be expressed. Incidentally, Chris was the first to agree, followed by Leni, Jeanne and Aura.


    Traveling with the opposite s*x can be stressful, so it''s the leader''s role to find a place to rest without worrying.


    And after receiving a lesson from my grandfather, we decided to talk to the village gatekeeper who was wary of us in the distance. The people who will be talking to the gatekeeper are me and Leon. It''s a combination of me, the representative of this group, and Leon, the next lord of the village, but to be honest, I was worried that the village gatekeeper would know Leon.


    ''''I''ll go get the village chief, please wait a moment.


    And as expected, the gatekeepers were unable to judge Rion and had to wait until the village chief arrived. Well, since it''s a small village, it can''t be helped that I don''t know Rion''s face. Rather, if I just showed them my guild card without telling them that Rion is the next lord, they might have let me through more easily than expected.


    ''''Could it be that they thought that ''suspicious people claiming to be the next lord'' had come?


    ''Wow that sounds like a possibility. By the way, let me ask you, it''s not just my fault then, is it?


    It might be a problem if Rion isn''t known in a somewhat large town, as it was before, but in a small village like this one, it might not be a problem if the villagers don''t know Rion.


    When I said that, Leon seemed to be a little relieved. He seems to have recovered to some extent from his usual condition, and seems to be recovering from Leni-san''s shock.


    Later, the village chief, accompanied by the gatekeeper, didn''t know Leon''s face, but when he saw the family crest of the frontier aunt family shown by Leon, he immediately let me into the village.


    ''''That village chief must be too old to leave the village. It must be so.''''


    They were able to be let through the village safely, but Rion had been making such excuses for a long time. Incidentally, after hearing Rion''s excuse, Albert said, "In a small village, it''s not unusual for people not to know the face of the lord," and Cain laughed, "But it sounds interesting, so don''t tell Rion about it.


    ''''Well, now that we''ve got our lodgings, we can each do our own thing the rest of the time, but Grandpa will be at the village chief''s with me.


    Hmm.


    Even though it is a free activity, the village is as small as or smaller than Kukri village, so there seems to be nothing to look around. Even so, the women are said to look around the village to see if there is anything unusual, and Albert and the others are said to go around inside and outside the village separately from the women. I heard that it''s also meant to be an inspection, but it seems that they actually intend to keep Rion away from Leni-san and distract her.


    And me and Grandpa are going to go advise the village chief about the frogs we encountered on the road.


    Three Idiots SIDE (Albert)


    ''It''s a small village, but they seem to be doing a good job of defending it. It''s not very high, but they''ve built a wall of stones and reinforced it with earth and wood to prevent it from collapsing so easily.


    That should buy us some time.


    ''Yeah, well...''


    Despite the fact that I had taken him out, Leon was beginning to feel depressed again. He''s still far from fully recovered, and he''s still having his ups and downs.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you have to get information from Amur if you''re going to go after Leni-san. If you had done that, you would have known it was impossible before you suffered this shock!


    Cain, disgusted with the wincing Rion, suddenly started to get angry at Rion. Surely just getting the information from Amur would have increased the success rate dramatically, and he would have known from the beginning that he was an impossible opponent to begin with.


    ''Rion, Cain is right, this is your fault. It''s not your fault to make Leni feel awkward because of you. Is it your ideal of a ''man'' to bother someone you want to date, even if it''s only for a short time?


    ''Yes!��We have to think in reverse and see this as an opportunity to raise Leon''s stock!


    It''s quite a forced logic, but if you don''t force yourself to get back on your feet, it might affect your future relationship with the Southern Autonomous Region. I don''t know how much influence Leni-san actually has in the South, but it''s better to think that she''s trusted enough to be asked directly by the Southern Viscount. At the very least, Amour seems to have quite a bit of trust in him. From that line, I don''t think his relationship with the South will deteriorate anytime soon, but he won''t have any good feelings.


    ''That''s right. For the most part, this trip has the purpose of showing that there is no rancor between the frontier county family and Temma, but it would be useless if Rion were to cause trouble for Temma.''''


    It''s a bit mean-spirited, but if you bring out the Temma thing, he''ll try to force you to get back on your feet.


    ''Well that''s true too.


    As I thought, Rion was beginning to force himself to get back on his feet, saying he couldn''t bother Temma. At that moment.


    ''Hey, brothers!��Run to the village now!��There''s a bunch of goblins out there!


    A few villagers came running from the grasslands with a change in their blood.


    ''How many?''


    A flock of about thirty of them. Probably they''ve come looking for prey for the winter. There are a lot of them, but if we fortify the village and deal with them all together, we''ll be fine!


    He said he was fine, but his face was pale, and he seemed to think that some damage might be done.


    ''''Like a goblin, I can handle it!


    With those villagers in the background, Rion took out his gains from his magic bag and ran towards the direction the villagers had fled from.


    ''''That idiot we''re related to the Haust Frontier Count family. You guys should immediately inform the whole village about the goblins, just in case. And send for the others who are with us. Perhaps there will be a representative of ours at the village chief''s place.


    The villager was about to kneel in a hurry when he found out that we were related to the frontier county family, but he said it was an emergency and sent us running to the village chief.


    ''Cain, we''ll go after Leon too. I don''t think Rion will be able to keep up with the thirty or so goblins, but it''s still a contingency.


    ''I suppose. To begin with, Rion isn''t in the best shape right now so let''s hurry up.


    With a sigh, Cain and I followed Rion, probably due to his mental instability, acting rashly.......


    Three Idiots SIDE (Albert) Done!


    It must have been difficult for you, then.


    My grandfather and I were at the village chief''s house to warn him about the frogs, and then we were just chatting. The chief had been to Kukuri a few times and knew me. The chief had seen me from afar, but he remembered me because I was having more children than he knew. He also knew my grandfather and wanted to meet him because he was famous, but unfortunately, he always left the village whenever the chief came there.


    Hmm. Well, there are many things that happen to people when they are alive. I can''t believe how many times I have to go to the village of Kukri, even though it''s so far away from here.


    The medicines in Kukuri are very effective.


    I heard that he went to Kukuri Village with the intention of stealing the recipe for the medicine (but he wasn''t going to steal it by sneaking in, he was going to steal it by watching), but he couldn''t steal it, and when he asked for the recipe, he was able to learn it. By the way, the other party was my mother, who didn''t even know the ingredients for the potion until I asked her about it, since my father and I had gathered the herbs and other ingredients in the Grand Old Man''s Forest.


    I''m sure you''re aware of the fact that the quality of the ingredients is different, so we couldn''t produce a product of the quality we had in mind to make it a speciality. Well, it''s not enough to sell, but the number of people who die from injuries and illnesses has decreased dramatically thanks to being able to produce medicines that are more than enough for everyday use with materials from this area.


    Thanks to the measures taken against sickness and injury, the number of healthy people in this village has increased, which has resulted in an increase in food production. It is said that they also visited Kukuri village to buy medicines for their mother and to exchange ideas. I didn''t know it, but Uncle Mark had been to this village before and he told me that there was a connection between this village and Kukri without my knowing it.


    He told me that Uncle Mark had been to this village before, and that he had interacted with the village of Kukuri without his knowledge.


    Apparently I was too old to know about this village because I was too old and my grandpa had put my dad and uncle Mark in charge of the trouble.


    That''s why it was such a shock to see the village of Kukri attacked by dragon zombies. Kukri village is said to be the most well-armed village in the Frontier County, so if our village had been the one attacked, it wouldn''t have lasted more than an hour.


    The reason for the strength of the battlefield is probably because there were a number of former adventurer villagers, including my grandfather and my father and mother, who were able to hunt in the "Great Old Man''s Forest". Although there aren''t as many as in ''Shellhide'', it was said that if there were the same number, Kukri village would be stronger.


    After the incident, there was a lot of discussion about what to do if we were attacked by a horde of demons in this village. As a result of this, the youngsters have strengthened their patrols and built a wall around the village. Well, I don''t know how long we will be able to endure a demon attack, but it''s better than nothing, and the more we can prevent it from happening, the better chance we have of surviving.


    It is said that the incident in Kukri village has brought about a change in the small villages in the frontier county territory, for better or worse. It seems that these changes include focusing on self-preservation like this village, abolition of the village due to a number of people moving to larger towns, and strengthening of cooperation with other villages and towns. And at the root of such changes was the idea that ''in times of need, the frontier county may not be able to help you immediately''.


    ''We exchanged a lot of opinions with neighboring villages after that incident. But we can''t abandon our hometown so easily," he said. That''s why we decided to make preparations for a longer stay in this village," he said. And that''s one of the reasons we are well prepared for medicine.


    The incident has raised the level of concern among the villages in the outlying counties.


    While the grandfathers were talking about it, a panicked villager came running into the chief''s house. The chief scolded them for what had happened, but when he heard the villagers'' report, he began to panic.


    ''''Oh my God!��Master Leon to the goblins!


    The report was as much about our people as it was about our people.


    "I''m going out for a bit, Grandpa.


    I''ll go in the opposite direction to make sure. I''m going to look in the opposite direction, just to be sure. I don''t think ordinary goblins have the wisdom to pinpoint the problem, but if there is a higher-ranked species in the area, that''s not an option.


    So soon after, me and my grandfather left the village chief''s house and flew in the opposite direction from each other.


    ''''We were told it wasn''t that far away, so I''m sure we''ll be able to see it soon...''''


    Within a minute of taking off, what I saw was Rion, who was warriors against the goblins. The goblins were being slaughtered one-sidedly, unable to do anything to Rion, and half of them had already turned their backs and fled. By the way, the other half had already been cut down by Rion in one fell swoop.


    ''''You''re safe!��........I guess it goes without saying.


    Well....


    ''Well...''


    Rion seemed to be able to leave it alone, so he called out to Albert and Cain first, but for some reason they didn''t have a look on their faces. When I was about to call out to them to ask why, Albert and Cain remained silent and pointed towards where Rion was. There they were.


    I don''t know why I can''t have a girlfriend!��d*mn it!


    With tears streaming down his face, Rion was chasing after the goblins and cutting them in half.


    ''''Yeah... well, if that makes Rion feel a little better, then the appearance of a bunch of goblins must have meant something...''''


    Feeling rather delicate, I decided to follow the two of them and quietly watch Leon. Nevertheless, I thought it was just ordinary goblins, but it seems that nearly half of those higher-ranking hobgoblins are in the mix. Hobgoblins are said to have the same or greater strength than the average adult male, so if this herd had just invaded the village, there might have been some life-threatening damage.


    ''''I don''t know if it''s right to be arbitrary, but this time it''s a good play by Rion... both in terms of his and my strength and Rion''s emotions...''''


    I''m sure Chris will be angry with Rion for this dogmatic decision, but for once, we decided to side with Rion all the way.

 184-Chapter 12-3 Pachinko

    ''Leon. Just make sure you understand that what you did was a mistake that could jeopardize the position of everyone in this village right now!


    I''m sorry...


    Sure enough, Rion had been warned by Chris-san, who had arrived in a hurry. However, the moment Chris-san came into view, me and Albert stopped him, and told him why Rion ran into the goblin pack (but changed it to beautify Rion''s behavior), and thanks to Cain''s inclusion of telling Rion not to say anything other than ''I''m sorry'' in that moment, Chris It seemed that the three of them couldn''t come out as strongly as usual.


    Incidentally, what he said in defense of Rion was something like, ''''Thanks to Rion''s preoccupation, the goblins couldn''t get close to the village,'''' ''''In his own way, he took the initiative to protect the village in order to improve the reputation of the Frontier Earl family...'''' In fact, in a conversation with the village chief, he asked, "''How much can we trust the Frontier Count family? When I told him that there was a reason why they built the wall to increase the village''s ability to defend itself, Chris seemed to think that there was a reason for Leon''s arbitrary decision-making.


    ''Sounds like Rion played a big part in that.


    Grandpa, who had been watching for the right moment in the sky above, came down just as Chris''s attention was ending. No one seemed to have noticed Grandpa in the sky except me, and I was surprised. Maybe that''s why Chris-san, who was still trying to say something, completely missed the timing, and as a result, his attention to Leon ended there.


    ''''I''ve explored the perimeter of this village as far as I can see, and other than the goblins lying around here, I didn''t see anything that could be a wonder of this village.


    Some of the villagers who had rushed in after hearing Grandpa''s report went back to inform the village.


    ''So, Rion. What do you plan to do with the bodies of these goblins?


    What do you think we should do ... dig a hole in the ground and throw them in it?


    You can''t get that many valuable parts out of a goblin corpse, and they may be purchased in some cities to make fertilizer, but they won''t be of any use in this village.


    ''''I guess that''s fine for the corpse, but what about the magic core?''''


    ''Ahhhh I guess it''s only an allowance, but to be honest, it''s a pain in the ass to get it out. Right!��Someone tell the village chief to bring a few villagers who have experience in dismantling it. The demon nuclei taken from that can be used for the village''s share, but you can cash them in and use them to fund the banquet.


    The remaining villagers were reserved at first due to the fact that the demon was defeated by a nobleman (Rion), but when they realized that the person in question really didn''t want it, they began to dismantle it with those who were present. Even if we say dismantling, all we had to do was cut open the chest of the goblins and take out the magic core, so the process of disposing of the thirty or so goblins was over in the blink of an eye. After that, the corpses of the goblins were thrown into the hole I made during the dismantling and burned until they were reduced to ashes.


    When I returned to the village after all this, I found many villagers at the entrance waiting for Leon to return. To the unaware villagers, Leon''s outburst, which could be described as an outburst of revenge, was a heroic act for their own protection, more than enough to wipe away the distrust of the frontier aunt family.


    And speaking of welcome in the village, it was a feast for all the villagers, just as it was in Kukri village, where Leon was hailed as the next lord and hero, and he was popular with the crowd. From the old men, uncles and aunts........


    In this village now, the "young" men and women, both men and women, are in their thirties, and the "young" people below that age are either out of the village or already married. In other words, there are no "single women" of the same age as Leon.


    ''''That''s terrible...''''


    That''s too much...


    Even Cain, who usually laughs out loud here, is probably saying that the situation is so sad that he can''t do such a thing with a stone.


    ''''I''m beginning to feel sorry for myself as well... the most popular situation I know, and yet there''s no girl among them...''''


    Chris-san, let alone Cain, seemed to have no choice but to feel sorry for Rion now.


    ''''Well, it may have been disappointing as a ''man'', but as the ''next lord'' it was more than enough of an achievement, wasn''t it?��This village seems to interact with the surrounding villages and towns...


    We enjoyed the food that had been prepared for us as we watched Leon being praised in the center of the villagers.


    ''''I''m sorry Temma I''m not going to make it...''''


    Okay. Cain, put Leon on the phone.


    Roger that Rion, get some sleep.


    The day after the banquet honoring Rion, we resumed our journey to Kukri village as planned, but Rion was suffering from a bad hangover from the continuous drinking that had been poured by the villagers at yesterday''s banquet. Nevertheless, the villagers had gathered at the entrance of the village to see him off, so Leon kept leaning out of his seat and waving to them.


    The villagers who were near the entrance had moved away so far that they were no longer visible, so he asked them to take his place.


    I asked the chief for the direction of Kukri and the village on the way there, so I don''t think we''ll be going in the wrong direction. Besides, if we get close to Kukri village, Grandpa might be able to recognize it and Shiroumaru might remember the scent, so we''ll be able to make it work.


    Even if that doesn''t work, if I continue to use ''exploration'', I know the geography of a dozen or so kilometers or so, so I''ll be able to find something to use as a guidepost. But it''s tiring, so I don''t want to do it as much as possible, but.......


    ''Temma, what have you been making earlier?''


    After an hour or so after I switched with Leon, I switched too, and as I was working on my craft in the carriage, I was approached by Amur for the first time in a long time. If it had been Amur before, he would have tried to hug me at the same time as I called out to him, so maybe Leni''s education is paying off.


    ''I was thinking of using the materials from the frogs I defeated yesterday to make a hunting tool.


    The materials in front of me are the wooden sticks, frog muscles, and animal skin. The muscles of the frog have been processed into thin strings beforehand, and I intend to make the Slingshot by combining these materials. For me, "Slingshot" sounds more like a slingshot than a slingshot, but I think of it as a weapon or a hunting tool, so I chose the weapon-like name "Slingshot".


    ''''Tie the string together like this........just to give it a shape?


    Fold a 5 cm square piece of leather in two, make a hole in it and tie it, and then tie the other end of the string to the tip of a wooden stick, and you have a prototype of the Slingshot. It''s a prototype, but the string is folded in two, passed through the hole, and then tied in a loop at the end to double the strength of the string, so it should have some power.


    ''It doesn''t seem to have any problems with air strikes,''


    I pulled on it a few times and didn''t see any problems. The only thing left to do was to actually try flying the ball, but it was not good to fly it in the carriage, so I decided to hold back and put it away in my bag... but Amour and Chris got interested in it, and they took it somewhat forcefully.


    I thought that Amour''s behavior would make Leni-san angry, but surprisingly, after hearing about the use of the device, Leni-san seemed to go and look at the ''sling shot'' with them.


    When I was watching the three of them, I was able to predict what they would say next, so I decided to mass-produce the "Slingshot" before they said it. And we were able to mass-produce two ''sling shots''. The three of them are in the hands of three people who were watching the first one with great interest.


    ''Albert, Cain. It''s a little early, but I need you to find a place to take a break. It doesn''t have to be near a watering hole, but as soon as possible.


    Hmm?��All right.


    I''ve got something...


    Cain, sensing the situation, asked me if I could use the rocky area nearby. There are likely to be pebbles and targets strewn about there instead of balls, and it seems to be a good place to test out the "Slingshot".


    ''There, please.''


    Okay.


    And a few minutes later, as soon as the carriage arrived at the rocky area and stopped, the three of them got out of the carriage and began to test out the ''sling shot'' by using a nearby rock as a target.


    ''This is fun!''


    Just the thing to use as a concealed weapon in case of emergency.


    ''For an infiltrator like me, this size is easy to carry around. It''s a bit weak in power, but if you think of it as something to distract or exploit a falsehood, it doesn''t seem like a big deal.


    It seems that Amur was just a toy sensation, but the other two seemed to have a proper purpose for it. It is true that the portable size is one of the strengths of the ''sling shot''. This is why the power is less powerful than other flying tools such as bows and arrows, but if you increase the number of rubber (the frog muscles instead of the power source) and make it thicker, you can increase the power. Besides, if you change the ball to a pointed one like an arrowhead, or use an arrow like a crossbow, the killing power will be further increased. Well, I''ve never used arrows in ''sling shot'', so it''s unclear if they can be used properly in practice.


    After that, the three of us were still testing the performance of the Slingshot after finishing our early lunch. And then I created a new version of the Slingshot with those three people at my side.


    This new model has improved power, durability and precision. The changes from the prototype are: more substitute rubber (frog muscle), the body that connects the substitute rubber is made of magical iron, and the handle is shaped like the handle of a sword. By making the main body and handle like a sword, the handle could be adjusted to the size of the hand, making it easier to grip and therefore more precise.


    ''This is for Jeanne and this is for Aura.


    They had glanced at Amur and the others using it, but since the three of them hadn''t noticed their gaze, they had given up and were preparing their lunch. It''s not that they improved its performance instead, but the reason why they originally wanted to make the ''Slingshot'' was because they envisioned hunting in dense forests where bows and arrows would be difficult to use, and weapons for women who were less powerful than men. Incidentally, the three people who took the prototypes earlier were not very helpful, as they exceeded the muscle strength of the average woman (Leni-san is probably a little bit, but Amour and Chris-san are well beyond).


    ''Thanks, Temma!


    Thank you, Lady Temma!


    You can use it to protect yourself and others from thugs, but this is a weapon that can be powerful enough to kill people. You can use it to protect yourself and your thugs, but this is a ''weapon'' with enough power to kill people, so keep that in mind.


    I spoke so that not only the two people in front of me, but the three people who took the prototype could hear me, but it wouldn''t make much sense since two of the three prototypes seemed to be attracted to its potential as a weapon. Well, just keep in mind that it''s that dangerous, that''s all you need to know.


    The three prototypes looked envious of the versioned-up ''Slingshot'', but since they were the ones who chose the prototype, they decided not to accept returns or exchanges.


    ''''Nice........sounds interesting.......''''


    There was another guy behind me who seemed to want the ''Sling Shot'', but I felt like there was something dangerous about giving it to him, so I said, "I''ll make it for you next time when I get Chris-san''s permission," but since Chris-san refused to give me the improved model, Cain''s new equipment never materialized.


    It''s so simple to make, I''m sure anyone can make it if they want to.


    ''''No, we don''t have the essential frog material, so it''s not that easy to make them. Temma has all the materials for the frogs you''re familiar with, and...


    No matter how you say it, you have to have Chris-san''s permission to do it, Cain glanced at Chris-san and gave up with a sigh. Incidentally, the Chris-san that Cain saw was just about to ask to borrow the improved model that Aura had.


    ''Stop playing around and get ready to leave!


    With my grandfather''s encouragement, the guys who had been playing with "Slingshot" hurriedly began to prepare for it. Incidentally, Chris-san was unable to borrow it when he was so close to it because of the difficult negotiations with Aura. However, Amour''s asked Jeanne to try the improved model several times. Leni-san was trying out various things with the prototype she had to see if she could somehow improve it.


    ''Nevertheless, Temma. You took a complete prototype with you, are you happy about it?


    Let me ask you the opposite, Cain. Do you think you''ll be able to get it back from Chris and the rest of the guys who got it wrong?��Leni may return it honestly, but I don''t think the other two will let go of it for whatever reason.


    I don''t think it''s a good idea to demand restitution only from Leni-san, so I decided to give up on the prototype. Well, we paid back for that by not making an improved model for the three of them. It is obvious that if you are going to make it anyway, it''s better to make it with proper equipment and with the opinions of your main job, so I''m going to make my own after I return to the capital.


    ''''That''s true too. Especially the face of my senior when I asked him for permission for my share.......he was smiling, but it was very powerful.


    With the way things were going, there would be another request for an improved model after we returned to King''s Landing. Besides, if we were to make it in the capital, there would be at least three acquaintances who would ask us to make it for sure. The head of this country, the daughter of the royal family, or a high ranking person in the military.......


    ''Well, when the time comes, if I offer it to that person first thing, will they be a little more docile?


    If I take the first issue in King''s Landing to Maria-sama and ask her to be the point of contact for future ''Slingshot'' production requests, the three requests in King''s Landing will become more mature. It would always be the same without Maria-sama''s supervision....


    ''Anyway, it''s something to think about when we get back to King''s Landing. That said, we have to get going as soon as we can.


    ''Right. It looks like Chris senior and the others are almost done cleaning up, and if we''re late, what will they say...


    That''s why me and Cain hurriedly cleaned up our stuff and joined everyone else.


    Temma," he said, "I''m afraid we''ll arrive at Kukri in the next day or two. We''ll probably arrive at the village of Kukri in the next day or two.


    My grandfather, who was working as a coach, pointed to the mountain ahead and said this to me. According to my grandfather, there was a forest on the other side of the mountain in front of him.


    It''s a long way from there to the village of Kukuri. Maybe we should take a rest in front of that forest.


    From there, they said that they would pass through the foot of the mountain and then move along the ''Great Old Man''s Forest'', so there was a possibility that stronger demons might appear. So he said it was better to spend the night in front of the mountain where the danger was less, and pass through the dangerous area while it was still light.


    ''If Grandpa says we should do that, maybe we should. If Lyden was serious about running, he wouldn''t be caught by the slightest demon, but that''s not the case with the carriage. If you''re not good at it, it might break, and some of the demons that act in packs will ambush you.


    It''s possible that they could attack in packs against a higher-ranked demon like the "Dragon Snake" that attacked Shiroumaru''s parents in the past, so it''s best to avoid camping near dangerous places if possible.


    Then it''s settled.


    When it came to this point, Grandpa was more knowledgeable about the geography of the area than Rion, so he decided to leave all the resting places to Grandpa.


    It''s a good thing that I''m not the only one who''s been leading us to this point, but Leon was the first one to agree, saying it''s safer to rely on my grandfather''s memory and experience than the map of the frontier aunt''s house. Well, I guess he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders since he had been guiding the way with his near tepid knowledge up to this point.


    ''''Have you been around here before, Temma-sama?''''


    ''No, basically I''ve only been to the area around Kukri Village. I''ve played in the Grand Old Man''s Forest and so on, but when I went deeper into the woods, it was usually with my dad or grandpa.................I only went to Russell City once. When we got attacked by a bunch of zombies, we had to call for help.


    Maybe he''s thinking, "Even though it''s the end of the line, some of the people under my command......." or something like that.


    ''''Rion. He said it''s over now, so there''s nothing to worry about. Chris-san isn''t going to get hung up on you and make a funny face.


    Hey!��What''s a funny face?!


    Maybe Chris-san reminded me of the time I met my mom and dad. Except for me and my grandpa, Chris was the only person in this group who knew about Kukri Village, so that''s probably why he felt those feelings.


    ''''Whatever it is, don''t be any sadder than me and grandpa. You won''t know how to react, you''ll never know how to react.


    My light talk lightened the air in the carriage somewhat, but Rion and Mr. Chris seemed to be pushing themselves somewhat too hard. ''I don''t suppose they''ll be back so easily?��Well, I''ll feel better when I wake up after I go to bed," and I was hoping that tomorrow morning or so, I''d be back to normal...


    "You''re going to die quickly!


    f*ck you!


    The place my grandfather had planned for the encampment was now home to goblins, and was being overrun by two depressed people in the carriage to distract them from their distraction.


    ''''No, it''s not a bad thing to kill goblins but that makes those two look like the bad guys.


    That''s just what I''m talking about.


    ''Miss, I''d like to say that the way you put it.......but that''s not what I''d call it.


    I was followed by Cain, Albert and Amur. Leni-san was about to complain about Amur''s expression, but I gave up on the fact that it was inevitable after looking at those two.


    It is natural for adventurers and security knights to destroy goblins'' homes, but with the way things are going, it''s impossible to camp here today.


    The planned site, which had originally been defiled by the goblins, had been transformed into a place of scourge by the activities of the two of them, and in all likelihood, it was no longer a place that could be used as today''s encampment.


    ''''It can''t be helped. Let''s make a little further on as today''s encampment.


    The way things are going, I''ll just go in the carriage and make dinner since I''m going to have to deal with this place and all that.


    It would be bad manners to leave this place a mess and move on to the next planned camping site, so I decided to cook dinner so that we could eat as soon as we arrived.


    ''I''ll help you,''


    Hm!


    Me too.


    Me too!


    Immediately Leni-san said she would help, and soon after that Amour raised his hand, followed by Jeanne and Aura, but since the carriage was a bit small for a lot of people, they didn''t need that much help.


    ''Well then, Jeanne will help me, Aura will clean the baths, Leni-san and Amour will get the drinks and hand towels for those two... no, Leni-san will help me and Jeanne will be in charge of them along with Amour.


    Not that he treated her like a customer, but he somehow tried to dump a simple task on Leni and soon realized that it was a bad idea. After all, Rion''s first distraction was caused by Leni-san. It''s not good for both parties to bring the cause of the distraction closer to Rion. That''s why I''ve decided to switch Jeanne and Leni''s responsibilities.


    ''''What we''re planning to do is make miso soup with frog meat... what else should we make?''''


    ''Speaking of miso soup, my partner is white rice. And pickles are a staple in the south...won''t people get bored with all that miso soup?


    When camping, they often make it with dinner because they also need an evening meal for the person standing guard. For this reason, soup that can be made in large quantities and reheated is a standard dish. Even if you take the broth and add miso, you can make a dish of miso soup, which was a staple of my cooking. Well, it has a lot to do with the fact that I''m a former Japanese. Incidentally, the second most common dish I make is stew, but since miso soup is easier and quicker to make, it is inevitably the second most popular dish by a wide margin.


    ''Well, no one would complain about cooking with the encampment in mind, and if you say it, you just don''t make them eat it.


    As long as it''s good, they''re all adventurous-minded members who said it doesn''t matter if it''s good, so no one will complain about it. In the first place, if there was something they wanted to eat, they would request it. At the very least, those who would refrain from such things are not accompanying us on this trip.


    ''Well then, Leni-san, I''ll have some miso soup. I''ll make onigiri and asazuke.


    To be honest, I wanted to prepare something like pickles, but I didn''t have it, so I decided to make lightly pickled vegetables. I put shredded kelp and salt into the cabbage and carrots, rubbed them, and let them sit for a while.


    After that, I used the rice that I had stored in the magic bag, and I just made onigiri. I made a new batch of rice at the same time, because it was not going to be enough.


    ''Temma-kun, I''m hungry.


    Chris, who had eradicated the goblins and cleaned off the dirt in the bath, came to urge us to eat while wiping his hair.


    ''The food itself is ready, but you''ll have to wait until everyone is ready.


    Currently, the other women are in the middle of using the carriage bath after Chris, who was the first to bathe, and the other women are in the middle of using the carriage bath. And as for the men who couldn''t use the carriage bath because of this, they had brought out the tub they had made in the past to bathe in a little distance away.


    ''''Eh~''''


    While saying that, Chris-san was secretly reaching for his onigiri.


    ''''Well, it''s fine, but........it''s kind of like Amur.


    Ugh....


    He felt that it was a bad idea that he was re-educating Amur and that he was doing the same thing as Amur. Most of all, Amur doesn''t do those things anymore, so if Amur found out, Chris-san might lose his position if he was found out.


    Oh, Temma. Please don''t tell anyone about this...


    I don''t mind but Aura''s watching you.


    Like Chris, Aura was sneaking up on us, perhaps because she was trying to pick something up. And she saw Chris''s attempt to snack on it.


    Aura, excuse me.


    Aura sensed that she had stumbled into a bad place and tried to run away just before Chris-san turned around, but it was a little too late.


    Aura was then taken by Chris-san to the edge of the encampment, where he seemed to have negotiated to keep her quiet. However, I don''t know how the negotiations took place. What I do know is that it must have been the result Chris wanted, because Aura looked tired after the negotiations and Chris was in a good mood.

 185-Chapter 12-4 Mysterious Voice

    Then don''t take turns. If you''re going to heat up the miso soup for the evening meal, make sure you transfer the food to a small pot.


    Oh!


    Yes, sir!


    This time we decided to take four shifts on guard, with the first half being the women''s team and the second half being the men''s team. The first half is for me and Albert, and the second is for Cain and Leon. Incidentally, my grandfather won the lottery, so he didn''t participate in the watch this time.


    I''m sorry, but I''m at my limit. Don''t go ahead and take a rest.


    In the middle of taking over and giving them both a brief handover and a few reminders, Albert went into the male replacement tent first, saying it was hard to stand up.


    ''I understand most of it, so Temma can go to sleep too. If anything happens, I''ll wake you up then.


    Cain said he was fine, so I left the rest of it to him and decided to go to bed early with mine and went inside the tent. Inside the tent, Albert, who had just entered the tent, was sleeping in his sleep, and I decided to lie down next to him.


    (Found it....come on....)


    Hmm?��Sorry, did I wake you up?


    As I was getting ready for bed, I heard what sounded like a small voice from somewhere, so I thought for sure I had woken Albert up, but he didn''t look any different than when he entered the tent, and he was asleep.


    ''Is it my imagination...?''


    He could hear Cain and Rion talking faintly from outside, and there were insects buzzing near the tent, and maybe it was Albert talking in his sleep, so he climbed under the covers, thinking he wouldn''t have to worry about it.


    But just as I was fading in and out of consciousness, and I was almost asleep


    (A little far... well, okay I''ve waited this long, no need to rush...)


    The voice was quite small, but this time I could hear it better than before.


    ''Who''s there?''


    I stepped out of the tent and looked around, but there was no sign of anyone nearby.


    ''What''s going on, Temma?''


    ''Huh?��When did it come out?


    The two guards were a little late in noticing me, perhaps because they were focused on the outside.


    ''Cain, Leon. Did you see anyone near the tent?��I heard voices...


    They looked at each other at my words.


    No, no one went near you.��Right?


    ''Yeah. We were close to the fire the whole time, and if someone in the carriage approached the tent, one of the two of us would definitely notice... maybe they heard us talking. I''m sorry.


    ''No, I don''t think it was two voices...''


    That''s the one. He said it sounded different from his normal voice through the tent. I''m sorry about that. I''ll speak a little lower next time.


    I had a feeling something was different, but what Rion had said was the most likely to be normal, so I decided to go back to the tent and lie down again.


    ''Temma!��Hey, Temma!��Are you okay!


    What?


    I had apparently fallen asleep before I knew it, and Albert shook me awake.


    ''What''s the matter, Temma was having an awful nightmare just now.


    What''s going on!��What''s going on!


    What''s going on, I''m hearing Albert''s voice, what''s going on?


    As Albert was explaining to me, Rion and Cain continued to come in.


    ''Whoa!��Temma, you''re sweating like crazy!


    ''It''s true. I''m sweating like a waterfall.


    It was only when the two of them told me that I realized that I was covered in sweat all over my body. On the contrary, even the bedding I was using was soaked with sweat.


    Is there something wrong with you?


    Albert looked at me with concern, but other than a little sluggishness, I didn''t feel anything bad about it.


    ''It''s very early in the morning, what''s the matter with you?


    The addition of Leon and Cain made things a bit noisier, and Grandpa, who was sleeping in the tent next to me, woke up.


    ''Apparently he was having a nightmare in his sleep, the three of us were just worried about him.


    ''Hmmm ... do you feel a headache or an ache somewhere?''


    I told him that I had nothing in particular except for a slight malaise, but he said, "You must be tired.


    He said, "I suppose so. We''ll take care of the futon ourselves, so you''d better go and sweat it out.


    Albert said so too, so I decided to take advantage of his kindness.


    We have some leftover water from yesterday''s bath, so we can reheat it and get it in soon.


    Merlin SIDE.


    ''Since Temma says you''re not really sick I''m sure you''re not really sick...''


    ''Dear Merlin, is there something on your mind?''


    I agree. I have to tell you, since Tenma is not here, I don''t want her to go to the village of Kukri.


    I didn''t think I''d have anything against Temma''s decision to go, but my fears may have been correct.


    The truth is that Tenma is probably the most powerful man in the country. The fact is that she won a head-to-head battle with Dinh against a more powerful magician than me. You can win with magic or martial arts alone, but not with both.


    They nodded in agreement with me.


    But he is not mentally mature yet. They have just come of age.


    She is mentally much stronger than people her age, but she still looks her age. I was concerned whether such a Temma was able to withstand visiting the place where her father, mother and many villagers had died.


    I hope my fears are unfounded.


    Hearing my near soliloquy, the three of us kept silent and looked in the direction where Tenma was.


    Merlin SIDE Done!


    ''Wow I''m puddled with sweat.


    When I somehow wrung out my undressed clothes, a surprising amount of sweat poured out. I just didn''t feel any symptoms, but there was a possibility that I was on the verge of dehydration, so I hurriedly took some water and decided to just pour it over myself instead of getting into the bathtub.


    ''Is anyone in there~''


    "Jeanne?


    As I finished sweating and wiping myself off, I heard Jeanne''s voice from outside. If this were Chris-san or Aura, she would have come into the changing room (inside the alternative impulse) before I could call out to her. Amour has been improving lately, so I''m sure she''s fine... but honestly, I''m still not sure.


    ''Ah!��Was there a temma in it?��What about the laundry and stuff?


    ''Ahhhhh I''ll put it in the basket on the way out, you can take it with you later.''


    Okay.


    I was a little embarrassed to give Jeanne my sweaty clothes, but since it was Jeanne''s job to wash them, and she had washed them at the mansion, I decided to put them in the basket, thinking it was too late now. However, I didn''t want her to take it away from me while I was looking at it for some reason, so I told her to take it with her later.


    ''By the way, that voice yesterday... what the hell was that?


    Rion said something like, "I heard a different voice through the tent," but I had my doubts that it would change that much.


    ''It didn''t sound like any of the members of this group, and...''


    Maybe it''s a ''fairy''.


    When I came back from the bath and told my grandpa about the voice I heard yesterday, he said it could be the work of a ''fairy''.


    "The ''fairies'' in the stories and stuff?


    That''s right. However, it is said that no one has ever actually seen a fairy, so I don''t know what''s really going on.


    Hey, Grandpa, stop fooling around!


    When I protested, Grandpa laughed, but then he suddenly turned serious.


    ''Whether or not fairies really exist, the owner of the voice Temma heard could be a supernatural being. For example, of a being called ''God'' or something like that.


    God....


    When I met you in a dream before, you said you saw me from time to time, so maybe that was it...


    There are researchers who say such things. Others claim to have heard the ''conversation of the gods'' leaked in, or the ''voices of the dead'' or ''the voices of the grudge''.


    Others said, "My nerves must have been so high that some kind of noise sounded like a human voice. That''s what it was about. On the way, there was talk of something like a psychic phenomenon, but in the end, it turned out to be a mistake on my part.


    ''Good morning. Master Merlin, what were you talking about?


    Chris came out of the carriage and saw a group of men gathered around his grandfather and called out to him.


    He said he was worried that Tenma had fallen asleep and heard a ''haunted voice'' and that''s what we were talking about.


    Grandpa!


    What, Mr. Temma you couldn''t sleep because you were afraid of the ghosts?


    Chris grinned and teased me as he talked about his grandfather.


    ''That''s what you say, Chris, though it sounds like there are a lot of sleepless nights when you''re worried about being late.


    I was a little pissed off, and I said something that could be called a forbidden word. Chris looked at me with a smile at my comment. I also smiled and looked at him with a smile. And before I knew it, the grandfathers who were around us had disappeared.


    ''Temma-kun what do you mean by that?''


    I think it''s exactly as you said it would be, don''t you?


    The quiet battle between me and Chris continued until Aura, who couldn''t read the air, came in to let us know about the meal. She told me later that Jeanne had told her to go get us.


    ''Grandpa. How long do you think it will take us to reach the village of Kukri?


    Like I said, it''s going to take a few more hours.


    ''Temma it hasn''t even been an hour since you asked me earlier.


    Was it?


    I thought quite some time had passed since I heard about it earlier, but it seems not at all, and I was taken aback by my grandfather and Cain, who were playing the role of gosha.


    I was taken aback by Grandpa and Cain''s dismissal. You''re too fidgety now.


    ''That''s right, Temma. You''re supposed to be our leader, so what does that make you?


    Aside from Chris-san, I didn''t seem to be comfortable enough to be warned, even by Leon.


    ''Temma, would you like a cup of tea?''


    There''s candy. I''m saving them.


    Jeanne and Amour also looked at me with concern.


    ''But then again, I''ve never seen Temma so restless before. She usually seems more relaxed than we are.


    ''''Yes. I mean, when I first met you, you were calmly dealing with a bunch of orcs, and you didn''t seem too nervous when you found out who His Majesty was afterwards.


    I''d love to hear about it.


    Chris agreed with Albert, and when Chris glanced at the old days, Rion was interested in the story. Other than that, Jeanne, Aura and Amour also seemed to want to hear about the old days.


    ''''I was in a hurry at that time, really... His Majesty suddenly said, "This way is a shortcut! And then I forced them to change the path that Clife-san had decided on, and then the orcs attacked in a place with poor visibility. And because the Orc King was there, he was so well led that he was behind the curve. We were fighting against a rock wall, and then Temma-kun suddenly fell on us, and the situation was resolved in a flash... Honestly, the Konoe Guards lost all face. And even after everything was over and we went back to King''s Landing, the captain found out that we''d had a hard time with the orcs, and all the guards at that time were squashed... and it was hell.


    Chris talked about other things in Kukri village, but before I knew it, he was talking about his memories of Shiroumaru, and Rion was prodding him.


    Rion''s tweak made the inside of the carriage much livelier, but I still couldn''t calm down. In fact, I even felt my impatience growing stronger just by thinking we were getting closer to Kukri village. But I couldn''t let that impatience get the better of me when everyone was taking care of me so far.


    ''''Huh?��Is that a long way from the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest''?


    Chris casually looked out and saw that the carriage that was supposed to be going along the path along the ''Great Old Man''s Forest'' had gone a different way before he knew it.


    ''Grandpa, what''s going on?''


    "It''s a little bit of a detour, but it''s less dangerous this way. "It''s a little bit of a detour, but it''s less dangerous this way, so we can move faster. Maybe we''ll get there faster than if we had to follow the forest.


    He was making his grandpa and the others worry enough to make them change their planned course.


    ''I''m sorry, Grandpa,''


    What? I don''t care. I''m simply changing my plan because it reminds me of a safer and faster route to take than the one I''m on.


    Cain, sitting next to him, nodded at Grandpa''s words.


    ''And Temma. I can see a pack of orcs in the distance, so you can go rampage to distraction.


    When I looked in the direction of my grandfather''s pointing, I did see a flock of orcs looking at us. They are probably hunting in ambush in that area, but since we were approaching from a different direction than usual, there was nowhere to hide, I think.


    ''Right. Maybe I''ll have you come along for my distraction this time.


    With that, I flew through the air, leaving the slowed down carriage behind and attacking the pack of orcs from above.


    Merlin SIDE.


    He''s blown up...


    He must have been under a lot of stress.


    I''ve never seen Temma so impatient.


    Could it have something to do with the fact that we''re approaching the village of Kukri?


    Well, that''s the only reason I can think of...


    Even though Tenma is a non-standard existence, he is still a young man of eighteen, and his spirit is appropriate for his age.


    ''''Master Merlin!��Temma-kun just flew away at a tremendous speed!


    Chris opened the window, looking surprised. Chris opened the window and saw Amur with his back to him.


    "A pack of Orcs has taken up position at the end of the path we took. I let Tenma go ahead of them to ensure their safety.


    Oh, really?


    By this explanation, Chris and Amur seemed to understand what was going on, but Rion wasn''t happy, saying, "You don''t mind talking to me.... Rather than wanting to go on the rampage, he seemed to want to take the initiative in dealing with his own territory, but Chris and Amur told him to read the atmosphere. He was staring at me as if to say.


    ''Rion can''t do that. Because the orcs will scatter and run away while Leon gets to that point, and even if the orcs don''t run away, the meat of the orcs will be ruined with the way Leon fights. I don''t mind messing up goblin meat, but orc meat is a waste.


    Cain''s explanation convinced Rion that that was true as well. Behind him, Shiroumaru and Solomon reacted to the word ''meat'', ''''Today''s dinner is meat! He is wagging his tail.


    ''Ah!��I think it''s over.


    I looked at Temma at the sound of Cain''s voice and saw that the head of the last one had just fallen off.


    You are very good at that. It took a long time, but even more importantly, the way he defeated it, he did it so beautifully that you could see it from a distance. You could see it from a distance.


    Chris was right, the orcs were all decapitated and knocked down.


    ''Aura, I''m going to get you ready for your bath.


    ''But I don''t think Master Temma is going to be stained with blood, do you?


    Aura, even if you don''t get stained with blood, you''ll still smell it and you''ll still sweat. Do as Jeanne says and get ready for the bath quickly or I''ll tell Aina.


    Aura is missing in places. On the other hand, Jeanne is well aware of what''s going on. Besides, a bath will refresh you.


    Now, Raiden. Now, Raiden, go to the Temma.


    After I saw Aura, threatened by Chris, slamming her footsteps and going to help Jeanne, I sped up Raiden.


    Merlin SIDE Done.


    Tenma, are you feeling better?


    As I was putting the orc''s corpse in my magic bag, the carriage stopped beside me and Grandpa called out to me.


    ''Thanks a bit,''


    Not completely, but compared to before the rampage, I feel more comfortable as much as I moved my body.


    "A little bit... well, that''s okay, but Jeanne has prepared a bath for you, so you can take a long, leisurely bath and rest your body.


    Thanks.


    After using water magic to flush out the pool of blood that had formed around her, and lightly slapping the dirt off her clothes, she walked into the carriage, where Jeanne was waiting for her with a towel.


    ''Yes, a towel. You have a change of clothes, Temma, right?


    You can get dressed. Thanks, Jeanne.


    When I got the towel from Jeanne and was about to move to the bath, Chris and everyone else in the carriage (except Leon) looked worried. Shiroumaru and Solomon also slid over to me, as if they had noticed something wrong with me. Well, when I opened the door to get into the bath, Shiroumaru quickly moved away from me and Solomon followed him. Maybe Shiroumaru thought he could bathe, and Solomon thought maybe he could get a snack from someone else since Shiroumaru had moved away so suddenly.


    ''Well, I don''t feel like washing Shiroumaru now, so that''s fine...''


    I felt a little unreasonable about Shiroumaru''s attitude, but I decided to take a bath and rest my body. Incidentally, I fell asleep in the bath because of mental fatigue and post-exercise fatigue, and the magical power of the bath, and Albert and Leon, who were worried about me taking a long bath, rescued me. Fortunately, I was able to wake up before the women who came into the bathrooms were surprised to see me naked, because I shouted loudly when they found me. Well, after I got out of the bath, Grandpa and Chris were pretty pissed off at me... but it was a lot better than the awkwardness of being seen completely naked.

 186-Chapter 12-5 Bone

    Merlin SIDE


    It looks like Temma has gone to bed.


    I think. Temma, you were yawning so hard as soon as you got out of the carriage.


    We found a good spot to camp and had an early supper together, but Tenma kept yawning during the meal.


    "I slept in the bath and slept after I came out and I''m sure he was very tired," he said.


    ''''That''s right. Besides, you exterminated the wyvern of the frontier county''s territory in a martial arts tournament, and even built a fort, if you''re a normal person, you''d have fallen down a long time ago due to overwork. And on top of that, it''s Kukri Village...


    Chris said and looked worriedly at the tent where Tenma was sleeping.


    ''I''m not sure if it''s right to take Tenma to the village of Kukri now, but I don''t think it''s what Tenma would want to do if she came all the way here and turned back.


    ''''I think so too. If we leave tomorrow morning at the usual time of day, it''s far enough to reach Kukri village in the early afternoon... and there are still Ricardo-san and Shelia-san''s graves in Kukri village, right?


    ''Hmm. After the incident, we waited for Tenma, who challenged the dragon zombies, to return, but due to the state of the wounded and the state of mind of everyone, we needed to move to the city as soon as possible, and we couldn''t leave the corpse of the dead villager forever. Most of them, including Ricardo and Ciria, were spouses of those who were born and raised in the village of Kukri, or had been born and raised there. Some of them took the remains of their deceased family members with them, but we buried two of them near the graves of their parents in Shiroumar.


    I wanted to take their remains with me, but I was too injured to make such a decision, and Mark and Martha were confused by their deaths and by Tenma''s disappearance, so it was inevitable, but.... I still regret that fact, and it still remains with me.


    Temma-kun, I''m sure you''re going through a lot of things, but I hope you''ll get over it.


    You''re right. We may not be able to do much, but we have to have faith in the strength of Tenma first.


    I don''t know what kind of change the current Kukuri Village will bring to Tenma, but I have decided to do what I can to help her as much as I can.


    Merlin SIDE finished


    Grandpa, there''s an adventurer up ahead. They come from the direction of Kukri village.


    Yesterday I fell asleep as soon as I finished getting ready for the encampment, and the next thing I knew it was morning. I heard that someone other than me had been assigned to guard the camp at night, and I''ve been taking over for them in the morning.


    We were about two or three hours away from leaving the encampment, when we spotted a party of several adventurers heading in the opposite direction from Kukri village.


    This is the first time we''ve seen other adventurers since we came all the way from Shellhide," he said.


    ''Yes. At any rate, I have an appointment with the frontier count, so I''ll call on him.


    As we advanced the carriage in the direction of those adventurers, the other party seemed to notice us immediately. The closer we got, the more cautious the adventurers became, but they seemed to think that if they ran away from the carriage, they would be quickly caught up with or become suspicious, so they didn''t move from the spot where they had noticed Raiden, but were looking at us intently. The adventurers were a group of five people, all of whom seemed to be younger than me. They probably came to the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'' to collect some herbs.


    We are from ''Shellhide'', are you guys returning from Kukri village?


    Not wanting to alarm them too much, I stopped the carriage at a little distance from the adventurers and called out to them, to which one of the adventurers replied, ''Yes.


    ''We have been asked by the frontier count to watch out for adventurers operating in the vicinity of Kukri village.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of this project.


    That''s why it''s best to stay away from Kukri village if at all possible.


    When I told them that the number of missing people in the vicinity of Kukri village has been increasing recently, the adventurers turned pale and began to talk among themselves, saying things like "I knew it" and "I''ve been getting some strange vibes".


    What do you mean by ''I knew it''?


    ''We all grew up in a village like Kukri Village, where the forest is right next to us. So although we''re new to adventuring, we''re confident about the forest. So when we found out that the medicinal herbs in the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'' were being hired for a high price, we came to gather them... but it was kind of weird, so we turned back.


    They had planned to go to the "Grand Old Man''s Forest" in the early morning to look for medicinal herbs, after moving to the vicinity of Kukuri village in the middle of the night to take a rest. When they started gathering medicinal herbs in the "Grand Old Man''s Forest" as planned shortly before the sun rose, they felt an unpleasant atmosphere that was different from the ordinary forest, so they decided to cut off the gathering in the middle of the day and returned to the forest.


    I think that''s a good decision, but we''ve encountered a pack of goblins twice and a pack of orcs once before coming here. There may not be a pack of demons in the direction you guys are going, but you''d better be cautious on your way back.


    Hearing my advice, the adventurers'' faces were pale. They didn''t seem to be a party that was confident in combat, so they must have imagined what it would be like to be attacked.


    After that, we parted from the adventurers, exchanging information about the route that Grandpa knew was relatively safe (but it was a long time ago, so it was only comforting) and the recent information about Kukri Village. The adventurers left the place quickly, as if they wanted to get as far away from Kukri Village as possible before dark.


    ''''I think it''s better to think that something happened in the Grand Old Man''s Forest,''''


    ''''That''s right. We only talked briefly, but those adventurers seemed to know quite a bit about the forest, so it could be true that they felt a strange presence, and I''m also concerned about the fact that they encountered a bunch of demons three times before coming here.


    Based on the information we heard from the adventurers, we decided to set up today''s encampment not in Kukri village as we had originally planned, but in the "fort" outside of it. I''ve been told that the walls are quite broken, but the moat is still intact and is often used by adventurers who visit Kukri village as an encampment.


    ''''We''re finally here.


    No.


    After meeting those new adventurers, we arrived at Kukri Village as planned without encountering any other adventurers or demons. No, it''s better to say the place where Kukri Village was located.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of the buildings I remember of Kukri village, most of which were destroyed by the zombie invasion during the riots or by our magic, and the only church that remains is the one that was made of stone. Most of all, even though it remains, it has no roof and is in a half-destroyed state, so it would be dangerous to enter it, let alone use it for camping.


    That''s where my house used to be, isn''t it?��Next to it was my aunt and uncle''s house, and that''s where we used to have parties in the village.


    Many other memories came back to me, including the house my grandfather used to sleep in and the place where he first used his magic. But the place where I pointed out the memories that should have been there is nowhere to be seen, and it is only barely discernible by the few remaining pillars, floorboards and flower beds.


    ''''And this is my room........''''


    Looking at the slowly changing village, I reached the place where my home was, and remembering the old days, I walked into the house from where the front door was and came to my room.


    Really, it''s all gone...


    I was hoping that maybe there was something that had been used in the past, but there was nothing left.


    ''Could these burn marks have been a bed?��So that''s a chair and that''s a desk?


    Even if there was anything left from the fight with the zombies, the adventurers who came afterwards would have taken everything that looked like gold.


    ''''Temma. Is it time we went to Shelia and Ricardo''s grave?


    Yes.


    I was reminiscing about the old days when my grandpa called out to me. It''s just me, my grandpa, and Slarin and the others here. Everyone else seems to have refrained from us and is preparing to camp at the fort.


    ''There. "There they sleep with the victims of the village.


    We moved from where our home was, and we walked through the village for a while before arriving at our destination.


    ''Isn''t this place near Shiroumaru''s parents'' grave?''


    The grave of Shiroumaru''s parents is a short walk from here, though it is a burnt out area.


    Yes, that''s right. This place was originally covered with trees, but Temma''s magic turned it into a flatland. And this place was chosen because it was large enough to bury the victims.


    He was not well enough to move at that time, and the survivors built a grave in this place. When he left Kukuri, he visited the grave with the help of his uncle Mark.


    This is the place. This is the tombstone for Shelia and Ricardo.


    There was a stone about forty centimeters across where Grandpa had stopped, and on the stone were the names of his father and mother dug into it.


    ''Long time no see, Dad, Mom.......''


    I clasped my hands together to let the two of them hear about what happened after I defeated the dragon zombie, and finally took out the last thing I had made for this day. It was a tombstone with Otori''s last name engraved on it behind their names.


    "They will be happy to see it, won''t they?


    I hope so.


    After we finished visiting my mom and dad''s graves, my grandfather and I joined hands with the other villagers and cleaned their graves one by one. Because there were so many of them, Chris and the others came to look for them in the middle of cleaning the graves, but when they saw what we were doing, they joined us in cleaning the graves.


    After we finished cleaning, we went to the fort where we had made camp, and just as the adventurers we met on the way to the fort had said, most of the walls were broken due to the battle and weathering, and the moat was covered with broken walls and grass.


    ''''For now, I thought we''d make camp at that spot, so I made preparations.


    Chris chose to camp in a place in the fort that he thought was used by other adventurers. He didn''t have to do much with it, as there was a hearth that was probably made by an adventurer who had used it before, and an earthen wall to protect him from the wind.


    ''Jeanne and Aura made the meals, and the only thing left to do is decide on the order of the guards.


    Before that, though, I think I''ll leave the village of Kukri in the morning.


    My grandpa was surprised by my statement, as he had said he was going to stay in Kukri Village for a few days for a long time.


    ''I don''t know what''s going on in Kukri village right now, but I''m sure something strange is going on. That''s partly because of the increase in the number of missing people around Kukri village, and partly because of the signs that the adventurers I met when I was coming felt. Truth be told, I think we could turn back now, but if we don''t feel that we ourselves are part of the cause or a strange sign, there''s no way to report it to the guild either.


    Fortunately, there are many influential people here right now in various fields, so if one of us reports back to them with first-hand experience, we can organize an army and send them in to investigate.


    You do have a point.


    ''''Well, the guild won''t believe me if I just leave and report back. Instead, they might think you''re a coward?


    Even if there are missing people, the guild is likely not to accept it as a report to the extent that it might, since some of the guilds generate money (and make money) by sending adventurers and are able to run their organizations.


    ''I''m fine with it. I''d like to know what''s going on in Kukri village, too.


    Grandpa and Chris-san agreed, and with Rion agreeing with them, everyone else nodded their heads. Originally, no one except my grandpa and I had any feelings for Kukri Village, so we could say that there was no reason to oppose the shortening of our stay.


    The first group is Chris, Albert and Cain, the second group is Grandpa. The second group is my grandfather, Leon, Amur and Leni. How about me, Jeanne and Aura in the last group?


    As for the first group, Albert and Cain will be able to faithfully carry out their orders if Chris-san takes command. The second group would be safe with an experienced grandpa in it, and while I''m still a little nervous about putting Rion and Leni-san together, I don''t think there will be any problems with the two of them, grandpa and Amur. The last group is actually the most full of strength, as Jeanne and Aura will be underpowered in a time of need, but with me, they''ll have an extra (Slarin and the others) to go with them.


    It''s a good idea to swap the second and third in order, but when I thought about preparing breakfast and preparing Raiden, I thought it would be better for me to be the third.


    I even explained that to them, but they all agreed with me before I said it. However, as for the concerns about Rion and Leni, I decided to tell only Grandpa and Amur about them and ask them to keep an eye out for them. Incidentally, all three of them seemed to know the reason for putting Chris-san in Albert and Cain''s group, even if they didn''t say so.


    After that, we had a meeting to discuss the changeover time and how to deal with emergencies, and after that, each group had a discussion, and then we had free time until dinner. However, we decided to refrain from going alone because we didn''t know what was going on and to stay away from the "Grand Old Man''s Forest" as much as possible.


    Jeanne SIDE


    Well, good night.


    Okay, good night. Sleep well and have a nice breakfast.


    After greeting Chris and the others who were getting ready to stand guard in earnest, I climbed into the carriage that was being used as a place for women to stay. When I crawled under my own bedding, being careful not to wake Amour and Leni-san who were sleeping first, I found that Aura, who had entered the carriage a short while ago, seemed to be asleep already.


    (Come to think of it, Temma was fast asleep again today.)


    The closer we got to Kukri village, the more restless Temma was becoming, even from my point of view. Even I had noticed it, so everyone except Aura would have long ago noticed that Tenma was acting differently than usual.


    (It''s been a while since I''ve been on watch with Tenma, but Aura and I won''t be able to be a force to be reckoned with in a time of need, and since Slarin and the others are there, I''ll just have to get the golem out and immediately wake everyone up and run away to the carriage.)


    As I lay down and meditated, I went over and over in my mind the things I had to do when I was on guard.


    ''It''s cold...''


    Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep and was awakened by a sudden chill I felt. I decided to put my jacket on, which was hanging on the chair, to try to get out of the cold for now. The one I had left in the pocket of my jacket made a clinking noise as I put it on, but I was too sleepy to take it out.


    ''Water....''


    Feeling thirsty, I got out of the covers for the jug of water that must have been left on the table.


    There was no sign of Amour and Leni, who had been asleep when I entered the carriage, and Chris was lying down instead, so I knew that the second group was in charge of guarding the carriage.


    ''How much longer do we have to take turns?''


    Depending on how much time left until my shift, it might be easier to stay awake.


    With that in mind, I looked out the window, trying to judge by the darkness...


    "Temma?


    Wobbling, I saw Temma walking towards the forest(...).


    ''Why isn''t anyone stopping me!


    I thought about going after Tenma, who was obviously acting strangely, but I decided it would be better to wake Chris up first, so I shook him. But she didn''t wake up at all. I thought of Aura, so I patted her on the cheek a few times, but she didn''t wake up either, just like Chris.


    ''''Why!''''


    They were both breathing properly, so they weren''t dead, but they didn''t seem to be in a very normal state.


    ''What about everyone out there?''


    I hurriedly jumped out of the carriage and ran to everyone who was on guard, but they were all asleep in their sitting positions.


    ''Master Merlin!��Temma!


    Merlin-sama, who I thought would be the most reliable, was the same as Chris-san and Aura, and no matter how much he shook himself, he didn''t wake up.


    In the meantime, Temma had gone a long way off, and by the time I decided to chase after her on my own, she had already entered the forest.


    ''He was definitely walking in this direction, though.


    As soon as I entered the forest, I lost sight of Tenma. When I started to chase him, I thought, ''I know it''s a long distance, but Temma''s dizzy as a sleeper, and if I run, I should be able to catch him!'' But when we entered the forest, we found that the forest was more difficult to run in than we had expected, and because we were not used to the forest, we fell down several times.


    ''Temma, where are you...''


    I''ve lost sight of Tenma, and the situation in the dimly lit, eerie nighttime forest, not knowing when the demons will attack me, is just terrifying to me. But I couldn''t leave Tenma alone, and more importantly, I wasn''t sure of the way back. That''s why I had no choice but to keep going in the direction that I thought Tenma was walking.


    ''Temma........there he is!


    I continued to wander through the forest and came out into a slightly open area. When I got out there, I looked around and saw Temma a long way from my place. It seemed that Temma had come out to this place at about the same time as me. The reason for the distance between us is probably because we were heading in a slightly different direction as we were chasing Temma. We were extremely lucky to find Tenma in this place. If I hadn''t been able to go out to this spot, I would have been heading in the wrong direction and would have gotten lost.


    Temma!��Why is this........bad!


    The moment I ran up to catch Tenma, I saw what Tenma was aiming at (...). What Temma was aiming for, was a creepy monster (...) that hid its entire body in a hood.


    It might be strange to judge it as a creepy monster since it was far away and its entire body was hidden by a hood, but it had an atmosphere that could only be described as such. Most of all, the hand that was extended to Temma was bone.


    I intuitively felt that I shouldn''t let Tenma get too close to that monster, and I thought about using magic, but with my control, there was a good chance that I would hit Tenma.


    ''How could I... that thing!


    I thought of a stone if magic didn''t work, but the moment I hesitated, thinking there was no way I could reach it with my power, I remembered the ''Sling Shot'' that Temma had given me.


    It was the one I had left in my pocket when I put my jacket on. It was such a good play that I wanted to praise me for not taking it out at that moment.


    ''Now........yikes!


    I set the pebble lying at my feet on the sling shot and pulled it as hard as I could to send it flying at the monster.


    The pebble suddenly changed its course upward, hitting a tree branch that was growing above the monster and changing its course again, hitting the temma.


    When the monster realized that something was flying towards him, it realized that the culprit was me and thrust its hand out towards me.


    I couldn''t move an inch, even though it was clearly trying to exercise some kind of magic against me. It''s partly because it was a spur-of-the-moment event, but most of all it''s because I saw the face of the monster from the front. The face of the monster, as I had imagined when I saw the hand, was not a human one, but a human skull.


    The next moment the monster took a step towards me, who was standing there, the monster was blown backwards. I unleashed my magic, of course....


    Jeanne, are you okay?


    It was Temma.


    Jeanne SIDE End

 187-Chapter 12-6 Thunder

    (This is a dream...)


    I''ve had several lucid dreams in my life, but this is the first time I''ve ever had a dream as nostalgic as this one. The landscape in the dream that is spread out in front of me is that of the Kukuri village I used to see as a child.


    (There''s no one there...)


    But sadly, I can''t see any of them, even though I''m in a dream.


    (It''s a dream, so at least let me have a little fun with it...)


    In my dream, I''m apparently walking in the direction of my house from outside the village. After a while, I arrived at my nostalgic home, where I spent my time from the time my father and mother welcomed me into their home until I was attacked by zombies.


    And as it was, I pushed open the door of the house and went inside without missing a beat. But I didn''t stop at my room, I crashed through the house and walked out the back door.


    (Huh?��I thought you said the door to the house was the pull-open type.��(Besides, there wasn''t a door in this place, was there?


    Maybe it was a dream, so it wasn''t what he actually remembered, but the difference was somehow disturbing. However, without confirming such a thing, my body continued walking forward and went straight into the forest.


    (It''s been a long time ago... I remember setting a mal bird trap around here a long time ago and getting pissed off at my dad for unknowingly falling for it.)


    Remembering this, I continued deeper into the forest, parting the grass and trees.


    (I''ve walked a lot, but how far are we going?)


    It''s not uncommon for me to act unintelligible in my dreams, but it''s also unusual for me to just walk. It seems to be heading somewhere, but if I remember correctly, there are no landmarks ahead, just the continuation of the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest''.


    (You''re out in the open... hmm?��Is there something (...) in there?


    After advancing and advancing through the forest, we finally came to an open area. It was like I was in a dream, and for the first time I seemed to be in a place I didn''t recognize.


    As I stepped into such an open place, something (...) beckoned me out of the corner of my eye and called out to me.


    (Who is that?)


    Something (...) calling me is hiding its entire body with a hood, and I can''t judge who it is by its face. It seems to be a little taller than me, but I can''t tell its physique because of the hood, and I can''t distinguish between men and women.


    (Creepy guy... but for some reason my feet are going towards that guy, even though I should be on guard.)


    If this were reality, I would leave the place without approaching it, or try to use "appraisal" to confirm its identity. But in my dream, I was carelessly approaching an unidentified suspicious person.


    When he noticed me approaching, he stopped beckoning me and stuck his hand out in front of him.


    (You want me to grab that hand?)


    I couldn''t tell what kind of hand was stretched out toward me, even though I should have been able to see it. I didn''t know if it was skinny or muscular, male or female. I could only understand that they were somehow human-shaped hands.


    When I came to a distance where I could hold such a hand in a few more meters, or about a dozen more steps, something hit me in the middle of my forehead and my gaze was forcibly diverted from that guy.


    ''''There it is.........''''


    I reflexively touched the spot where the pain ran through my fingers and felt a slippery sensation, and when I checked my fingertips, there was blood on them. As soon as I recognized the blood and the pain, I understood that the scene I thought was a ''dream'' a while ago was ''reality''.


    ''Sleepwalking........nah!


    When I returned my gaze to the front to grasp the situation, the true identity of the guy who was calling me earlier was revealed.


    The true identity of the guy is "Skeleton". The hand extended to me and the face peeking out of the hood are human bones that I''ve seen on human models. There may be some flesh left in the part of the body hidden by the hood, but that''s probably a trivial matter. The thing in front of me (...) is not a person, but a demon or a being close to it (a monster).


    Such a monster is pointing in a different direction from where I am, and was trying to reach out to it and use some kind of magic.


    ''''What...Jeanne!��Let them!


    Out of the monster''s gaze, Jeanne was there. And the monster seems to want to get rid of Jeanne. Jeanne is apparently consumed by the strangeness of the monster and is cowering.


    If this is not the case, Jeanne will be killed by the monsters. That''s why I''ve decided to release the air ball of wind magic to the monsters. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing.


    ''''Jeanne, are you okay!''''


    I prioritized Jeanne''s safety over unleashing a chase spell on the monster, so I shielded Jeanne behind me and got in between her and the monster.


    The reason I was able to save Jeanne is probably because I was quite lucky. It''s not only because I chose to focus on speed magic, but also because the monster was going to use a certain amount of magic to ensure that Jeanne was killed, and it had even more of an aim. It would have only lasted two to three seconds, but that pool (...) of time saved Jeanne''s life.


    ''What the hell is going on?''


    I knew you were insane!


    Quickly, Jeanne told me the story of how I had wandered out of the encampment in a daze and walked into the woods, and how everyone but Jeanne had fallen asleep and hadn''t woken up no matter what I did.


    ''It''s an unmistakable anomaly by any measure ... and there''s no doubt that it''s caused by ...


    Out of the corner of my eye, there was a monster slowly rising to its feet. The hood it was wearing was torn to shreds, revealing the body of bones hidden underneath it.


    ''After all, the body is also a bone... it would be easier if it was a skeleton, but if he has enough magic power to trap me, grandpa and the others together, and his current magic is hardly effective... that guy... Is that what Rich is!


    In the image I have from my previous life, Rich is perceived as a powerful demon, even for so-called undetectable monsters such as zombies and skeletons. That''s pretty much (...) true in this world as well.


    However, unlike the programs that appear in the game, the strength of the monsters that actually exist have individual differences, and that can naturally be said of the Rich in front of me. However, demons born from corpses like Rich are often affected by the strength and condition of the original corpse, and even if they are born into the race of Rich, their strength ranges from the pinnacle of strength depending on the material. Well, you can''t become a Rich without a certain amount of strength, so as long as you''re a Rich, the degree of threat to you as a demon is different from small fry such as zombies and skeletons (though, both zombies and skeletons vary quite a bit in strength depending on the materials they''re made of).


    And the Rich who is facing off against the troublesome thing is almost certainly a demon that is close to a pin in the Rich.


    ''Jeanne!��Don''t leave my side!


    Okay!


    I took out ten golem nuclei and my beloved sword from the magic bag on my arm. I had three of the golems appear behind us and the remaining seven were directed at Rich.


    However, out of the seven that we sent towards them, the three golems that were in front of Rich''s front door were easily destroyed by Rich''s magic.


    ''''What magic is that?''''


    He had been using ''Appraisal'' against Rich since earlier, but he couldn''t read the status. Likewise, the identity of the magic that had just destroyed the golem was also unknown.


    ''''The remaining golems, pinch them from both sides!


    Two golems went around on either side of Rich, and there were no more golems between me and Rich.


    ''Stone or no stone!��Throw it around!


    I gave the golem a command and immediately fired a series of ''air balls''. Rich was trying to respond to my magic with some kind of magic, but due to the clumps of rocks and dirt thrown at him from both sides, he was unable to stand properly.


    ''So physical attacks are more effective than magic... then I''ll push through with this!


    I switched from the wind magic ''Air Ball'' to the earth magic ''Earth Ball'' and tried to defeat Rich. It''s obvious that Rich has become less relaxed than when he was in ''Airball'', and after switching to ''Earthball'', it was all he could do not to counterattack, but rather to keep him from falling.


    ''''I''m almost there!''''


    The moment I was sure I was going to win, Rich''s eyes flashed mysteriously. Then the golems who were throwing stones and dirt from Rich''s left and right stopped moving at once.


    ''''It''s broken!


    ''Temma!��Back!


    Nah!


    The movement of the throwing golem suddenly stopped, and I was distracted by the fact that it was destroyed like the first three by some kind of magic, when Jeanne, who was behind me, noticed something and raised her voice.


    That voice made me notice something strange behind me, and I jumped up from the spot, holding Jeanne in my arms. In the next moment, three fists (........) were struck down where Jeanne and I had been a moment ago.


    ''''You''ve taken over the golem!


    The identity of the three fists belonged to the three golems that we had let protect our backs. And the four golems that had been throwing stones at Rich earlier also turned their backs to him and walked away.


    ''''Temma, something like that is possible!


    ''I don''t know. At least I can''t, and I''ve never heard of it.


    If you''re touching the golem directly, there''s nothing you can''t do to take control of it. For example, if Rich made contact with the golems that were on either side of Rich without me knowing (like Slarin, by stretching out parts of his body, etc.), then it would be possible, but as for the three that were behind us, I don''t know how he did it.


    (I''m sure it had something to do with those bewitchingly glowing eyes... but whatever it was, I''d rather not use a golem.)


    Even if we know the cause of it, if we can''t prevent it, it''s useless. Fortunately, if that method worked on me and Jeanne, they would have used it before the golem. The fact that neither me nor Jeanne are being controlled like the golem, we should consider it ineffective or ineffective, at least for those who have a will to do so. However, it could be another way, but since I don''t know how they managed to manipulate me and put everyone else to sleep except Jeanne, I''m not optimistic.


    I destroyed the golems coming towards us and had to face Rich with no golems on my side.


    From that point on, the battle became a stalemate, with both sides lacking a decisive strike. To be honest, there was also a move to take advantage of the gap and grab Jeanne and run away, but since there was a chance that Grandpa and the others wouldn''t be able to return to normal if this Rich was not defeated, that was a move that could only be made at the last minute, when there was really nothing more that could be done.


    ''d*mn!��It''s even harder than it looks (...)!


    After deciding to defeat it, I hit Rich with dozens of rounds of magic. The first magic I tried was ''light attribute''. It''s a good idea to be able to use the same kind of magic as the light attribute, but it''s not very effective against the light attribute, because it has a very strong resistance to the light attribute. It''s a good idea to use ''fire attribute'' magic, which is as effective against the Andet system as the light attribute, but the risk is too great to use fire magic in the forest when you think about it afterwards.


    I''m not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do this. But fortunately, despite Rich''s high magic and physical resistance, his movements were slow, and I kept pushing him, albeit a little at a time. Most importantly, since I was defending Jeanne, it was a situation where even the slightest mistake could turn the tables on me at once.


    ''I got it!��"Earthlance!


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of it.


    It''s a good thing that I''m not the only one who''s been in this situation.


    It''s not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it.


    ''Did you manage to defeat it... eh?''


    Demons always have a demon nucleus in their chest (heart). Although the core is one of the materials that symbolize demons, the loss of the core does not mean the death of the demon (broken pieces can lead to death, and the impact of being destroyed can kill a demon). ) However, the situation is a little different for undetectable monsters: the loss of the core is death. The theory that this is due to the fact that they are using the core as a heart, but I don''t know the details.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time with your friends.


    Oh, shit!��Jeanne, get down!


    What?


    I was distracted by the scene in front of me, and I realized that Rich was just before he launched his attack. Rich was dexterously preparing his magic so that I wouldn''t be distracted, while he was performing an act that took a lot of time to pull out the ''earth lance'' on his chest (...).


    Jeanne didn''t seem to understand what I meant for a moment, but she still reflexively laid down on the ground with her head in her hands as she was told.


    The magic that Rich unleashed was an earth magic that resembled a spear similar to the ''Earth Lance'' I had fed it, and although it was smaller in size than mine, the number was over ten instead.


    ''''Earthwall!''''��''Earthwall''!


    I responded to the incoming earth spears by using the Earth Wall twice in a row. Most of the spears that flew at me were smashed by hitting the earth wall or kicking up from underneath, but I couldn''t drop the spear that was flying in front of me, so I cut it off with my sword...


    "Phew!


    Temma!


    The impact from the side sent me flying through the air.


    Rich moved while hiding behind the "Earth Wall" that I had created and sent a magic similar to the "Earth Ball" flying from the side.


    It was my left arm that was hit by the magic, but the compressed chunks of earth hit it with considerable speed. The bones in his arm were shattered, and a few ribs were broken. However, it doesn''t feel like the broken ribs are lodged in his lungs or heart, and it''s not an injury that will kill him if he doesn''t get treated now.


    It''s not that Rich''s movements earlier were surprisingly fast, but they were clearly different from the sluggish movements he''d made before. That''s what caught me off guard and caused me to take such a large amount of damage.


    If Rich is still hiding his hand, it would be counterintuitive to leave the extra power in the current state and act with the later in mind. Even if you wield all of your strength here and now, it seems more likely that you will survive if you try to defeat Rich.


    ''''Jeanne!��Come near me!


    Okay, okay!


    As soon as I called for Jeanne, I threw a small crowball at Rich''s skull. Rich looked more panicked than ever before and crossed his arms to protect his skull from the approaching kowarasumaru. Although Kogarasmaru was unable to penetrate Rich''s skull, he was able to catch the bones of both crossed arms in the gap between them, blocking Rich''s movements.


    ''I knew you''d be hiding it in there (...)


    If there was no magic nucleus in the chest, he figured that the possibility of it remaining was in the skull. I know that it''s safer to protect it with a skull that can completely hide the magic nucleus than to protect it with scantily clad ribs. But I''ve never heard of moving one''s own magic core, and if he actually does it, then that Rich is a bigger monster than I thought he was.


    ''''Hey, hey, Temma!''''


    Quiet!��Make sure you bury your face in me!


    I came to my side and pulled Jeanne into a hug, and although she was surprised by the suddenness of the situation, I made her obey with a strong tone of voice. I saw that Jeanne obeyed my words.


    ''The Tempest''!


    I activated my biggest trump card.


    The tornado was getting stronger and stronger, and Rich, who had been blocked by Kogarasuma, was helplessly swallowed by the tornado, lowering his body and holding on to it to keep from being blown away.


    ''''Tempest F2!''''


    With even more power, Rich crawled to the ground, grabbing a nearby stone with both of his unrestrained arms and stepping on it. Above Rich, the stones and trees that were caught in the "Tempest" were flying around.


    I''m not sure if I''ll ever be able to get caught up in the flying stones and trees like I did with the dragon zombies, but Jeanne and I are close to our limits.


    We''re in the center of The Tempest, so we don''t have to worry about getting caught up in the rocks and trees, but the pain in the left half of my body is increasing due to the change in air pressure, and although it''s not as bad as the outer part of my body, it''s still having its own impact on us.


    "Jeanne, hold on a little longer. Tempest F3!


    When he raised the power to the power that the dragon zombie he had defeated in the past had just barely withstood, Rich''s body finally floated up. The power of ''Tempest'' was higher than in the past, and even though the size of the dragon zombie and Rich were too different in the first place, it was surprising that he was able to withstand it to this extent.


    However, that wasn''t the only surprising part. Rich was caught in the storm, and even though he was being messed up by rocks and trees, he was still holding his shape.


    It seems that that guy is not only more than I thought, but even more than that, he''s a monster comparable to a dragon zombie in a way.


    "Te, nma.......I can''t do this anymore.......


    Jeanne''s limits seemed to come first, even before Rich''s.


    ''Jeanne, when you stop The Tempest, cover your ears, close your eyes, open your mouth and lower yourself.


    Jeanne responded to my words with a blue face, moving her head up and down.


    ''Three, two, one ... now!


    I gave the signal at the right time, and Jeanne did as she was told and got down on the ground. I set up a ward around Jeanne as she lay on the ground and aimed at Rich, who rose high into the sky and began to fall.


    Fall away Takemikazuchi!


    I activated the magic.


    The ''Takemikazuchi'' is a magic named after the ''Takemikazuchi no Kami'', the god of thunder and the god of swords, the power of which surpasses the ''Tempest'', and it''s such a great magic that if you can hit it properly, you can even defeat a dragon zombie in one hit. However, its activation takes time and effort, and if the conditions aren''t met, it won''t work. That condition is that there is a cloud in the sky, and the cloud must be charged with magic power.


    This time, the magic power was mixed with the surrounding clouds gathered by The Tempest and the clouds created by the change in air pressure to meet the conditions for activation.


    And there is one last important element. That is to hit the target, Rich.


    It''s not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you''ll be able to get your hands on it. That''s why I waited until Rich was high in the sky for the Tempest.


    As I had planned, Takemikazuchi attacked Rich from above. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more information on this topic. I hastily used my recovery magic on my eyes, and the first thing I saw when my vision returned was Rich''s battered and bruised form after being hit by the ''bamboo claws'' at the moment he hit the ground.


    Rich hit the ground so hard that the bones from his chest down were shattered, but the bones above him remained in a bust-like state with his arms crossed in front of his skull.


    ''''Oh shit...''''


    I gritted my teeth and searched for Rich, even though I felt like I was about to jump in and out of consciousness several times. Rich didn''t show any signs of moving at all, but he could be playing dead. So, to see how he reacted, I decided to get a little closer and then pick up a stone at his feet and throw it at Rich. However, due to the fact that I was in a dizzy state, I couldn''t step on it, and the recoil almost knocked me over.


    ''''Watch out!''''


    Jeanne held me up on the verge of tipping over, but it seems that Jeanne wasn''t in the best condition due to the impact of the "bamboo claws", and we both fell on our asses.


    Even with such a gaping hole in the ground, Rich didn''t show any signs of moving, so I decided to ask Jeanne to aim at Rich with the Slingshot, even though he might actually be dead.


    Jeanne accepted my request and after missing her aim a few times, she successfully hit Rich''s skull with a pebble. Since she was in such a hurry to get that much of a shot at her skull, if Rich is still alive, she should have some kind of reaction.


    As I looked at Rich with that in mind, the moment the pebble hit him, the skull fell backwards. And as if that was the signal, the remaining bones crumbled like sand.


    ''''Looks like it''s over...''''


    I''d love to...


    I was sure that Rich had been destroyed when I heard a voice in the distance calling out to me.


    I looked in the direction of where the voice had come from and saw Grandpa and Solomon in the sky, plus Amour on the back of Shiroumaru. I don''t know if they''re in too much of a hurry, or if they seem to be shouting, but I can''t hear them except for my name and Jeanne''s.


    The next moment I recognized them, it was pitch black in front of me.

 188-Chapter 12-7 Spider Thread

    Ugh....


    ''There you are!��Temma!


    When I came to my senses, Grandpa''s face appeared in front of me and he started touching every part of me.


    ''Tickle me, Grandpa!


    That''s it!��From what I can see and feel, there are no serious injuries.


    After checking on my injuries, Grandpa helped me up from my sleeping position as if he were caring for me and sat me down on the bed. I thought I could do that much without help, but due to the effects of the battle with Rich, I couldn''t put as much effort into it as I would have liked.


    ''Speaking of which, Rich!


    I remembered the part where Rich''s torso was shattered, but I hadn''t actually seen it shattered up close, so I thought that maybe it was a mimicry to make me think it was dead.


    ''Hmm. Jeanne told me that she had seen Rich''s body, but as far as I could tell, he was dead. At the very least, I don''t think that the wreckage will ever come to life. It''s just that....


    I was worried that my grandfather had stammered on, so I waited for him to continue.


    I didn''t find the Demon Core.


    The fact that we couldn''t find the nucleus of evil means that there''s a chance that Rich is still alive.


    It''s more than likely that Rich''s magical core was unable to withstand the magic of Tenma and shattered like his bones. The magic of the Temma...what''s that called?


    You mean "Takemikazuchi"?


    That''s right. That''s right. The Takemikazuchi is just as unstandard as the Tempest and Earthquake. It''s so powerful that it could be called a man-made natural disaster. It''s not surprising that a blow like that could crush the entire nucleus of evil.


    The instantaneous power of Takemikazuchi is much higher than the other two, so it''s not surprising that the magic nucleus disappears without a trace. However, I am sure that I am somewhat unconvinced.


    There is no way to know for sure, so it''s not something to think about. We have no way to know for sure, so it''s best to rest ourselves for now.


    With that, Grandpa left the carriage. It was then that I looked around, but I seemed to be the only one left in the carriage.


    ''''It''s lazy...''''


    After my grandpa was gone, I suddenly felt sluggish and collapsed into bed and lay down.


    (Then again, was that Rich really dead?)


    It''s true that I succeeded in hitting the most powerful magic available at that time in a near-perfect manner, but I was still concerned that I couldn''t find the magic core. That''s probably one of the reasons why I fought Rich for the first time and also because Rich was many times stronger than I had imagined.


    (There''s a lot to think about, but I guess I''ll have to get my body back on track like Grandpa said...)


    If Rich was alive, as I feared, and he came to take revenge in his current state, I was worried that Grandpa would be the only one who could counter him with magic. It''s not that Grandpa and everyone else is lacking in power, but I''m afraid that Rich''s magic (trap) that set up everyone except Jeanne is unknown.


    (It''s hard to say that all I can do right now is rest.)


    It was the first time I had ever been worried about when I would be attacked, but I couldn''t count myself as a force to be reckoned with. My body was tired despite the agony of such anguish, so I was asleep before I knew it.


    ''''Whew!''''


    Suddenly, a strange scream echoed in the carriage, and I woke up when I heard it. I moved my face to look for the owner of the voice, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aura, who was on her buttocks.


    That Aura is now on her buttocks and her eyes meet mine and she is frozen in place. Next to Aura, Jeanne was looking up at the heavens.


    ''''Ehhhhh.......are you okay?''''


    ''Aura would you rather be in your head?''


    The two of them must have come to check on me. As proof, Jeanne had a tub of water and a towel in her hand... I''m really glad it wasn''t Aura who was holding it.


    ''How long has it been since then?''


    ''Well it''s been roughly three to four hours since the fight with Rich ended?


    ''That''s how long it''s been?��It looks like it''s a lot brighter out there?


    Light was coming into the carriage through a gap in the curtains, and from the brightness of the light, I thought the sun was rising, but I guess I was wrong. Jeanne said that they had increased the number of bonfires so that they could spot the enemy faster than the risk of being discovered by them. And the fort has already been moved because of the danger of the possibility that Rich is setting a trap.


    ''According to Master Merlin, this is a place more than ten kilometers away from that fort.


    The guards have all joined in, and furthermore, they''ve sent out most of the golems they''ve left in Slarin''s care to keep the surroundings alert. They said they came to check on me between breaks. And they said that Aura had messed up.


    ''So, did something funny happen?''


    ''No. Occasionally a wolf or something will come close, but the golem will just run away when it gets close, and so far we haven''t had any major problems.


    They all seem to be exhausted because they''re more uptight than usual, but they''re all more enthusiastic than usual. Among other things, Grandpa is said to have been very depressed while I was asleep, saying that he didn''t notice Rich even though he was called ''the wise man'', but after I regained consciousness, he''s become more and more afraid of the way he''s riding his spunk. I heard that Grandpa is now actively joining the golems in being vigilant about the area. However, he seems to be so overzealous that his eyes are bleary, and he''s been mistaken for a demon three times. By the way, the people who mistook him for a demon were Leon, Chris and Amur. He said he didn''t attack his grandfather, but he said it was as powerful as that.


    The sun will be coming up in a few hours, so we''ll stay here to defend ourselves until then, and after it gets light, we''ll proceed to the next town at once.


    The next destination is ''Russell City'', the closest city to Kukri Village. There should still be people there who know my grandfather well and are familiar with the incident that happened in Kukri village. So they are going to report Rich''s presence and battle in Russell City, and the possibility that he is still alive. I was originally going to stop by Russell City, so I''m just a few days ahead of schedule.


    I think I can do the minimum amount of work, so if anything comes up, let me know.


    Yeah, I get it.


    Jeanne said and placed the towel and tub in front of me. She said she understood, but it was in a lightly mocking way, so she probably wouldn''t let me know until the last minute if anything was wrong.


    ''Aura,''


    Yes?


    I called Aura while Jeanne was away and gave her a top-secret order (........) to call her if there was anything wrong.


    Aura was puzzled by the order, but I made her obey it in a slightly threatening way, saying things like ''Who is Aura''s master?'' and ''If you can''t obey the order, you''ll have to consult Aina''. Most of all, I don''t think it''s possible that he was in that much danger and didn''t realize it, but it''s an insurance policy for not being in perfect condition.


    ''What did you tell him?''


    ''Huh?��No, I mean....


    I asked Aura to calm Grandpa down.


    Jeanne was suspicious of Aura''s behavior, so when I used the excuse I had been thinking of, Jeanne immediately assured me that she couldn''t do it. But when I told her that if she did something stupid like she always does, she might get disgusted and go back to normal, this time she looked serious and thoughtful.


    ''I didn''t do that, though!


    Aura was in denial, but Jeanne glanced at Aura and then sighed. I''m sorry, but it''s a form of exploiting everyone''s image of Aura. Well, ''as usual'' is an exaggeration, but it''s true that she often does stupid things and screw ups and gets angry at Aina, and even if she doesn''t, I have the impression that Aura often does stupid things.


    ''''Well, I wouldn''t have a hard time if Aura''s screw ups were enough to make Merlin-sama go back to normal.......Aura, do you want to try it?''''


    Do you want to try it?��And there''s no way you can screw up!


    "Jeanne, Aura what are you doing?


    Skipping out?


    As I watched them ramble on, Chris noticed the commotion and quietly opened the door and grabbed them by the neck. Behind them stood Amour, who also had a disgruntled expression on his face.


    ''''No, um ... Aura''s a bit ...''''


    I''m innocent!


    Jeanne sold Aura, but it didn''t seem to work for Chris, and she looks more painful than before as her grip on her neck has increased.


    ''Jeanne it''s always the case that Aura does it.


    ''Amur is right. It''s your role, your partner, to follow up on Aura''s screw-ups. What''s the point of making a fuss about it together?


    Chris and Amour said, and with a look of dismay, led them out.


    ''Ah!''


    But then, only Amur came back.


    For a moment, he said, ''What''s your prank?'' I suspected that there was a good reason for this, but since Amour has grown as a woman since joining up with Leni, there must be a good reason for this.


    ''Temma, this,''


    Amur pulled out of his bag what looked like a black stick.


    A closer look at the stick revealed that it was Kogarasumaru, the one who had pierced Rich before using the ''Takemikazuchi''.


    ''''Hmm. I retrieved it.


    He and Rich had been hit by a direct hit from the Takemikazuchi, soot and other stains on their swords. In addition, the impact of the Takemikazuchi had caused the hilt and the sword to disappear. To be honest, it''s a wonder that the sword blade remains intact.


    ''''Thank you........Amur?''''


    As he reached out to take Kogarasmaru, Amur pulled him back just before he did.


    ''Temma, do you promise to put Kogarasumaru in the bag right away?''


    What?


    ''I have a feeling that since it''s Temma, he''ll start taking care of Kogasumaru, saying he''s free. That would delay my recovery.


    If Amur was right, and I had received Kogarasumaru without being told what to do, I would have definitely started grooming him first.


    Wouldn''t Amur''s concern about such a thing demand something from me, even for a moment?��I was ashamed of myself for suspecting it.


    ''Thanks for your concern, Amur. But as it is, Amur is right, I''m worried about Kogarasmaru, so can you leave him with Grandpa or Slarin?


    Okay. I think it''s better that way.


    When Amur heard my words, he nodded and tucked Kogarasuma into his bag.


    ''Also, tell them to take a proper break and then hand these out to everyone. I''m sure Jeanne or Aura has the tea, so just tell them and they''ll get it for you.


    Having said that, I gave Amur a piece of candy that I always keep in my bag. Taking a break while eating something sweet would calm my grandpa down somewhat.


    ''''I''m in charge!��...Can I have one first?


    I nodded, and Amour threw one cookie into his mouth, then walked out with the candy.


    A little while after Amour left, I heard a bright voice from outside, so I guess it was somewhat of a change of pace.


    ''Ah!��Temma, I''m up.


    How are you doing?


    The next time I woke up, Amour, who was next to the bed, was the first to notice me, followed by Chris, who asked me how I was doing. He seemed to be moving quite fast, as the carriage was shaking and bouncing a lot from time to time.


    ''He''s not feeling all right, but he seems to be getting much better.


    I checked my body by rolling my shoulders and other things, and although I felt sluggish and weary, I felt more comfortable than before I went to bed.


    Chris is probably just as concerned about the fact that he was useless as Grandpa was.


    ''That Rich looks like a substandard demon, and we''re all safe, so we don''t have to worry about it.


    I was about to call out to Chris and get out of bed when he grabbed me by the shoulders. Mr. Chris was about to put me on the bed, but when he realized that I needed to go to the bathroom, he hurriedly moved his hand away. But


    Watch out!


    Let''s go to the bathroom!��And just as I stood up and took a step forward, the carriage bounced at the right moment and I lost my balance. The moment I lost my balance, Chris-san and Amour supported me by holding my sides.


    ''Temma-kun, you''re not ready at that rate I''ll give you a shoulder to lean on.


    With that, Chris helped me to go to the bathroom, lending me his shoulder. On the other side, Amour did the same.


    I tried my best to resist, saying it was embarrassing, but in my current state, I couldn''t resist them, and the door to the bathroom (unit bath) was getting closer and closer. There was no way he was going to stay with her while she did her business, but being cared for by a young woman at his age was a lot of things that were hard.


    I''ll change, Amour, I''ll change. I feel sorry for Temma.


    Cain, who had been asleep due to the commotion when he resisted, woke up and decided to stay with me instead of the two of us. It''s still a care-like thing, but just changing that person from the opposite s*x to the same s*x calmed me down a lot.


    ''Cain, please!''


    Okay, okay, I''m on it.


    I clearly named Cain, so Chris-san and Amur handed over their caregiving duties and went back to their original seats. I couldn''t see Amur''s face at that time, but Chris-san looked somewhat disappointed.


    ''Temma your chastity crisis is over.


    As soon as Cain closed the bathroom door, he said something like that in a whisper. I was thinking the same thing, but I also wanted there to be at least half a chance that it was because I was genuinely worried, so I could only return a bitter smile to Cain.


    ''While you''re at it, you should wipe yourself down.


    Cain had prepared a tub of hot water and a hand towel for me after I finished using the bathroom. As I was told, I sat down on a chair by the tub and wiped myself down.


    Temma, I''m afraid the entire Kukri village will be sealed off as a danger zone. Of course, if the investigation is completed and it is determined that there is no danger, then it will be lifted, but since the full extent of the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'' is still unknown, we don''t know when it will be lifted.


    We started talking about such things. I say maybe, but I''m sure this is something we''ve talked about with Albert and the next frontier count, Leon, so it''s up to the frontier count to decide, but as it stands, it can be seen as a decision.


    And about Rich, I think a gag order will be imposed. There is a demon that cornered the martial arts competition winner Temma to the very edge, and we can''t spread the word on a general level that his life and death are unknown or that there is a possibility that there are other similar demons as well.


    The detailed information would only be shared with the king, the upper echelons of the military, and a few of the higher nobles, and to the lower nobles and officials, it would be edited into information that would be convenient for the country and passed on.


    ''''Please, Temma, don''t let the information be passed around blindly, either.


    Although the way he says it is using the word ''please'', it is safe to assume that it is practically a nobleman''s order.


    I''m going to follow the decision of the king and the frontier lord.


    There are some things I don''t agree with, but I don''t want to confuse the frontier county territory by blowing it up poorly. When I agreed, Cain''s mood softened.


    ''''I''ll tell Rion what Temma thinks from my end. He seemed to be having a lot of trouble figuring out how to ask Tenma for help.


    Rion wondered how he should cut me off, and then he decided to postpone the conversation, and now he''s playing the role of grandpa.


    Amur and the others told Merlin-sama and Jeanne that it was up to Tenma, and Chris-senpai said it was up to His Majesty, so the stress on Rion must have been very great. But now that Tenma is convinced, the majority of them will be on our side, so maybe this will make it a little easier for Rion.


    Cain talks about Rion in a joking way as usual, but I guess he was worried about her because she was still his best friend.


    Spending time like that.


    Cain, Temma, how much longer?��I need to use the bathroom too.


    Albert called out to me as he knocked on the door.


    ''Sorry, I was just wiping myself off in the meantime. I was wiping myself off while I was at it, so it took me a while.


    I quickly dressed and went outside to find Albert waiting for me at the door.


    ''I''m sorry to have rushed you,''


    I handed over the bath unit to Albert and returned to bed, supported by Cain, and Jeanne and the others were up too.


    ''Temma, do you want some porridge?''


    Jeanne was about to prepare some porridge, but I had no appetite, so I just asked for water and sat down on the bed.


    ''''Yes, water........are you okay?''''


    Well, you know...


    As soon as I sit down on the bed, Slarin and his friends come rushing in. Slarin reaches out with his tentacles and rubs my shoulders and back like he''s massaging me, while Shiroumar and Solomon rest their chins on one of my thighs. Even though they are smaller with the collar, they are still quite cramped when they are both at the same time, but they don''t seem to be willing to give up on each other, so they force themselves on.


    ''All three of them were worried about Temma, you know. So, what about Gol and Jill?


    As usual, I''m holed up in my bag and working inside. Probably doesn''t know about Rich or that I''ve been down.


    This is not because they are heartless, I think they just don''t really notice it. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you go out of the bag, and even if you do, it''s mostly inside the house. It is impossible for such two animals to go out to the camp, so I can''t help but think about them.


    I''m happy that the two of them are working hard at their jobs, though.


    It was Cain who came into the conversation with Jeanne. The reason I''m happy is because the more yarn that is made, the more likely it is to go to Cain. The more yarn that is made by the two of them, the more they can pull, and the more yarn I didn''t use, the more I sometimes share with someone close to me. And Cain says it''s almost his turn to get his own. By the way, I don''t know what order they are waiting for. But since Maria-sama is involved in the management of the order, no one has complained about how long they have to wait, and there has been no trouble.


    ''Not the high quality of the two animals standard, but the lesser yarns are generally super high quality, so let''s do that one, shall we?


    The high quality of the two fish standard is at the national treasure (but not surprisingly) level, medium quality is generally rated as super high quality, and low quality is rated as high quality. And below high quality yarns are produced in larger quantities than high quality, and there''s enough inventory to give to Cain. However.


    ''I won''t. I want high quality yarn anyway, and if I get another yarn here, I might get skipped a turn.


    That was the case. Certainly, that''s a possibility. Even if the two yarns were of medium quality, they would likely fetch quite a bit of money if they were put on the market, and Maria-sama would at least say that even if they were of medium quality, a yarn is a yarn, and skip Cain''s turn.


    ''Sure, that''s a safe bet.


    As he and Cain laughed at each other, he felt the carriage slow down.


    ''Oi. Russell City is in sight.


    Hearing Leon''s voice, I opened the window and looked out and saw a familiar city up ahead.


    It had been almost six years since I had been to Russell City since I came to the rescue during the Dragon Zombies, so it had been almost six years since I''d been there. However, this was the first time he had visited in a proper procedure, as he had jumped straight into the guild last time and returned immediately after submitting his request.


    ''''Well, if I don''t get some of my physical condition back, it''s unlikely I''ll be able to do anything about it.


    I decided to spend the night at the inn for the time being.

 189-Chapter 12-8 Canon

    ''I would have preferred to stay in my room and relax...''


    It can''t be helped. It''s only natural for a guild to want to hear from the person in charge.


    Using the pretext of being sick, I asked Rion and three other noblemen and their escort (Chris-san) to report to the guild. But the head of the guild decided that in order to declare the situation an emergency, he needed to hear from me, who had fought in person, so he was called out in a hurry.


    ''''Well, it''s good that he provided me with a wheelchair but my butt is hurting, you know?''''


    As a guild, since you''re calling me out for refusing to come to you because you said you weren''t feeling well, it''s only natural to arrange a carriage and prepare a wheelchair, but unlike the one in my previous life, the tires aren''t rubber and there''s no mechanism to absorb the impact, so I covered the seat and backrest with the demon''s fur that was in the bag, but it only had a comforting effect There was none.


    ''This way....''


    When I entered the guild and told the receptionist about my requirements, I was immediately escorted to the guild leader''s room, but the receptionist who dealt with me was grumpy throughout. I don''t know why, but as soon as I opened the guild''s door and our eyes met, she gave me a look that said she saw something very unpleasant. However, that was the only place the receptionist was available, so I had no choice but to talk to the receptionist who looked uncomfortable.


    ''''Guild leader, you''re here.''''


    Thank you. Please, come in.


    Hmm. I''m here, Yuri...


    The man who was called Yuri by my grandfather smiled and shook hands with my grandfather, followed by him holding out his hand to me.


    ''''It''s been a while,''''


    Yeah, what''s it been, six years?


    I hadn''t seen Yuri-san since six years ago.......when Kukri village was attacked by a horde of zombies led by the dragon zombies, and he negotiated with me when I jumped into the guild to seek help.


    ''It was fine until we took a rescue team to Kukri village with us, but there were so many zombies that some adventurers started to panic. Fortunately, most of the zombies were just wandering around aimlessly, so no one was seriously injured. But when word of the existence of the dragon zombies spread, some of them tried to escape.


    Most of the adventurers who tried to escape came to their senses due to the voices of their friends and acquaintances, but some escaped and were later punished.


    ''''Guild leader, Temma isn''t feeling well, so hurry up with your requirements.


    ''I''m sorry about this. Then, since Rion-sama has said so too, can I ask for your help as soon as possible?��And canon (...), you''re going to stay here and keep the record.


    Yes sir, Guild President.


    The receptionist who had led us to this point reluctantly agreed to Yuri''s instructions and sat down at a desk much further away from where we were sitting.


    Albert and Cain seemed a bit disgusted by this attitude of the receptionist, but since Leon didn''t say anything, they didn''t seem to say anything.


    Yuri raised his eyebrows at the receptionist, but he thought that Rich was the first to go, so he left the receptionist alone and began to talk.


    ''''I see,'''' she said, ''''I think you dealt Rich a big blow, but it''s not clear if you defeated him,'''' and ''''It''s possible that there are Rich''s friends or subordinates,'''' according to Temma-kun and Merlin-sama.


    Among the Rich that had been confirmed so far, there were individuals who were called ''King of the Dead Spirits'' and so on, and controlled the demons of Andet as their subordinate. So this time Rich reported that there was a possibility that his subordinates might remain somewhere.


    ''''This is information that I don''t want to make too public...''''


    This is because the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a demon controlling Andet''s men in the Haust frontier county territory is the ''Dragon Zombie''. Even back then, they released information about the appearance of the dragon zombies after it was confirmed that they had been defeated, but there was still a great deal of confusion, and a number of Russell City residents had left.


    ''About that, but I dare to let it slide this time.


    When Yuri was troubled, Rion made it clear that he would release the information to the public.


    The reason for this was that even if he hid the information, if he had sent personnel to investigate, there was a risk that the hidden information would be passed on from somewhere, and he wanted to announce that Rich had appeared in the name of the Frontier Count family, rather than the hidden information being passed on and lowering the trust of the Frontier Count family.


    This is the exact opposite of what Cain expected, but even if there were to be people who would leave the frontier county because of the announcement, there is a high possibility that their reputation would be damaged in addition to the people who would leave if the hidden information was exposed, which is why Leon has decided to minimize the final damage. The most important thing is that he will have to send a letter to the frontier county to let them decide, so there is still a possibility that the decision will be as Cain had expected.


    As for me, if we are thinking about the future, I think it''s better to do what Leon says.


    ''''Indeed, it might be easier to move afterwards if the danger is clearly disclosed rather than hiding it poorly. Rion, you can use my name then, you can use my name.


    When releasing the information about Rich, I thought it would be more positive for the Frontier Count family if there was a sentence that said, ''I (Temma) defeated Rich, but there is still a slight chance that he may have survived,'' so I gave my permission.


    '' "By asking the Count of the Frontier for permission, you mean that you will stay in Russell City until you hear back?


    Well, I suppose so.


    If Russell City had a courier like Ted, it might be possible to get to Shellhide and back in a few days, but a normal fast horse would take twice that long. So they would have to stay in Russell City for about two weeks.


    ''''Snow I hope it doesn''t come down.


    Well.....


    Thus, we were going to have an unscheduled stay in Russell City.


    Why would I...


    The day after the meeting with Yuri, during our stay in Russell City, the receptionist with a bad attitude who was appointed as the liaison and caretaker between us and the guild, was showing us around the city, complaining in a small voice from earlier.


    ''Temma, do you really not know anything about her?''


    Cain came to visit me in a whisper as he pushed his wheelchair, but I had no idea what he was talking about. Yesterday, Cain and Albert were apparently angry at her attitude during the discussion with Yuri-san, but they apologized without me. The two of them accepted the apology, but they couldn''t get to the bottom of why she was behaving badly. But what I found out was that I was the only person she disliked, and she seemed to change into a very amiable receptionist when I wasn''t around, and she seemed to have a good reputation with the adventurers who responded to her.


    ''''Cain I don''t mean to say this myself, but I''m a man who keeps my relationships with people I''m not close to to to a minimum. I don''t remember ever having a word with a half-elf woman in my life. In fact, I don''t even remember seeing one.


    ''Well, I know Temma, unlike Rion, isn''t the kind of person who would talk to a girl on her own but it''s not something to be proud of, is it?


    Well, that''s true.


    ''But you didn''t really pick up and fail, did you?��Is that why you don''t like me?


    ''I think Albert''s right. For example, even if he was jealous of the younger Temma-kun''s activities, or even if Temma-kun succeeded in the request he tried to accept or failed to accept, the person who resents him will resent him... But from what I''ve heard of her usual reputation, I think that''s unlikely.


    Albert calmly expresses his opinion to Leon, who is chuckling. Then Chris, who was casually gathering information, joined me and Cain in our conversation.


    While we were conversing, Grandpa was walking around the city with a nostalgic look on his face, and before I knew it, he was gone, and the other women were listening to our conversations even as they peeked into the shops and open air... especially at the ''pick-up'' part that Rion mentioned. All three of them, except Leni, were giving me sharp looks.


    ''''Hm?��Well guys, Kanon-san is waiting for you.


    Kanon-san stopped a little further on, probably noticing that we were running late.


    ''Hey, Temma-kun. Is that boy shaking?


    I guess so.


    Maybe Leon was so vulgar that he got scared.


    Hey!


    I don''t think I have the character for that, do you?


    As I headed over, talking in a whisper, Kanon-san was mumbling something to me. As I approached in front of him.


    ''I don''t remember... after all the horrible things you did to me...''


    Kanon-san''s muttering was getting a little louder, as if she hadn''t noticed us in front of her.


    ''Temma you nah, what did you do?''


    I didn''t do anything!


    I couldn''t help but react to Leon''s words and deny them out loud. And those words seemed to be a switch.


    ''I didn''t do anything!��I can''t believe you don''t remember me after what happened to me!��f*ck off!


    Stop!


    Kanon-san, who had packed up to me, flew away from me in a position where he could reach me in one step afterwards and was tackled by Amur from the side.


    ''''Whee~ good job.''''


    They flew together and together they ran into a store that was lined with fruits and vegetables. And only Amur got up and gave a nice smile and a thumbs up. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen something so typical of Amur, but I wondered what that behavior was like from Leni''s point of view, but Leni also gave a nice smile and a thumbs up.


    ''I''m sorry, shopkeeper. That''s the way I am. And by the way, that''s the kind of guy I am, and I''ll buy everything that''s broken and lined up in the storefront, so you can keep it that way.


    Albert immediately went to the shop they had rushed into and talked to the man who appeared to be the manager. What he showed the man seemed to be the crests of the Duke of Sangha and the Haust Frontier Count family, and the man nodded repeatedly with a surprised expression on his face.


    ''''Temma, the transgressor has been avenged!��And put Shiroumaru out.


    The uninjured Amour carried the unconscious Kanon-san on his shoulder and came to report to me.


    ''''Oh thank you, Amur. Shiroumaru, you can come out now. Ah!��I''m sorry, but Solomon''s on standby.


    Woff!


    Solomon was about to come out after Shiroumaru, but I didn''t know how the unaccustomed people of Russell City would react if a dragon suddenly appeared in the city, so I decided to make them wait in the dimension bag just like before. Well, some people screamed in surprise at the sudden appearance of Shiroumaru, but it wasn''t until I immediately informed the people around me that he was my consort and a safe demon that they became confused.


    ''''Shiroumaru, get down!''''


    Amur made Shiroumaru get down and started to put Kanon-san on his back and tie him up with a string to keep him from falling off.


    ''Temma, let''s go to the guild.''


    ''''Well it sounds like you should talk to Yuri-san.


    I would have to talk to my boss, the head of the guild (Yuri-san), to ask him why Kanon-san had gone out of control. Everyone nodded at my idea and turned to the guild.


    ''''Well, okay.''''


    The details will be different, but if you can find the general path, you''ll be able to get back to the inn, and you won''t have to go looking for it, since they might ask the townspeople and come directly to the guild.


    ''What''s wrong, Temma?''


    After replying to Cain, who was pushing a wheelchair, that it was nothing, I told the receptionist to get Yuri to come over.


    I was very surprised at the reception desk because I kept Kanon-san strapped to Shiroumaru''s back from the place where the commotion occurred, but at the same time, I heard voices like "I knew it..." from the staff and adventurers, so I let them meet me. I think he had a premonition that this was going to happen.


    ''Hahaha...''


    As soon as I entered the guild leader''s office, I looked at Yuri-san in front of me and asked him to talk about Kanon-san. I''m sitting in a wheelchair, looking up slightly at Yuri-san, who is sitting in a chair, but behind me are three idiots waiting for me, beside them is Chris-san, and further behind them is Amur, who has his bird feathers pointed at the soles of Kanon-san''s feet, which are tucked into Shiroumaru''s back.


    ''Guild leader, what is this receptionist''s attitude towards Temma?��The Guild of Russell City........or rather, Russell City should owe Temma a great deal of debt and debt of gratitude. I don''t want to do it too much, but I''m thinking of using my authority to have the entire guild bear the punishment they deserve if this continues.


    Rion seemed to be thinking of even punishing the other staff members as a joint and several responsibility, showing a different and more severe side of him than usual. Well, if word got out that the guild staff treated the adventurers who had killed (and defeated) the dangerous demons hiding in the frontier county on their way back from receiving the request of the frontier county family, not only did the guild staff treat them wickedly, but also tried to harm them (an action that seemed to have been done), then the economy of the frontier county, which was getting back to normal, might go down again.


    ''''........Then shall I tell you why she has such an attitude, to the best of my knowledge?��It''s going to be a little long.


    Yuri-san began to talk about why Kanon-san was only overreacting to me, as if to remind me of why she was overreacting to me.


    And in conclusion, it turned out that it was Kanon-san''s recrimination.......but I also felt some sympathy for her.


    ''I didn''t think there was such a connection between Temma and her in the past...''


    ''Her attitude is unacceptable, but if you do that and then tell me you don''t remember it, I might as well be pissed off.


    But you know what? It wasn''t Temma who did it, it was Solomon....��I don''t blame you for not remembering it.


    Either way, it''s her fault for not impressing Mr. Temma.


    ''Mm, Chris is right!��Temma''s not bad.


    ''Yes. I''m sympathetic to what happened after that, but it''s not right to hold a grudge against Temma-san.


    Everyone''s opinion was this. Jeanne and Aura didn''t say anything, but the women''s team''s conclusions were harsh, and the men''s team had a slightly higher level of sympathy.


    ''That being said, I do remember that... what was the team called (...)?''


    ''Roen Glynn,''


    Behind me, he said, "You say you remember it, but you don''t! I heard a voice say, "I''m sorry," but soon after, the owner of the voice was quieted by attacks from both sides, so I ignored it and proceeded to talk with Yuri.


    ''''Kanon was an archer in ''Lowen Glynn'' and clashed with ''Oration'' in the main battle in the team match of the martial arts competition and lost badly.


    Kanon-san was the player who fought in the first martial arts tournament I ever participated in, in a team fight, and was taken into the sky by Solomon with his legs and dropped from above. The way he lost at that time was so traumatic that for a time he was unable to demonstrate his abilities against lizard demons that resembled dragons or demons that flew like birds. Nowadays, he said that things have improved quite a bit, but in the meantime, the party had disbanded and he had been invited by Yuri to work for the guild.


    ''''Moreover, both Kanon and members of the same team had lost to Tenma-kun in the individual qualifying round.


    All of the members of "Lowen Glynn" had also competed in the individual competition, and to my surprise, three members of the same group as me, including Kanon-san, were in the qualifying round. It was quite a fortunate event, and all of the members were happy that if they worked together, at least one of them would be able to make it, and maybe even two. However, that joy was short-lived, as the other members were also eliminated in the qualifying round due to my magic, and the individual competition for "Roen Grin" was over.


    As a result, the other members of the team were also eliminated from the preliminary round, so the "Roen Glynn" was disbanded and not even given a chance to stand on the same stage as Tenma, as if to mock Kanon''s enthusiasm for the next one.


    Mwah!


    The reason why they broke up was that they were all too eager to get revenge on me, and it seems that they all started to get crappy on a daily basis. The gap between them exploded with the loss of the second tournament, and they broke up in a fight less than a month after the tournament.


    ''Still, it''s not Temma''s fault, is it?


    Mmm....


    Yuri-san nodded in response to Leon''s question.


    ''''Yes, it''s completely counter-intuitive.


    Hmmmm....


    Kanon-san is Yuri''s niece, and she wants to do something about the current situation where she is disturbed by the mere mention of me in her daily life, or hearing a word close to ''Temma''. So, she saw my coming to Russell City as an opportunity to come to Russell City and made me be our caretaker, hoping that my contact with her would improve things... but it backfired on her.


    ''Hm!''


    Amur, you''ve been bothering me!


    Chris cautioned Amour, who had been making a lot of strange noises during the conversation earlier.


    ''Temma. Kanon, you''re pretending to be asleep.


    With those words, everyone looked at Kanon-san in unison, but he was still in the same position he was in when he was brought here, not moving slightly.


    ''No, you''re still unconscious, right?


    ''It could be dangerous for you to still be unconscious so I''m going to find out for sure now. Here it is!


    Amur held high the bird feathers in his hand from earlier. So what to do with it?


    Ticktock, ticktock, ticktock...


    As originally planned, Amour began to tickle the soles of Kanon''s feet. And a few seconds after Amour began tickling him.


    Whew!


    Mr. Kanon couldn''t stand it anymore. But Amur didn''t rest his hand on his wings.


    ''''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


    Kanon-san''s voice, which couldn''t speak properly, gradually sounded more and more s*xy.


    ''''Hey, Amur.......Isn''t it about time you forgave me?''''


    Hmm?


    Of all of us (.........), Rion, who was the reddest of us (......), said that to Amur, but Amur kept moving his wings while pretending to be distressed.


    ''''Oh, I apologize!��I''m sorry, forgive me!


    Amur, that''s enough.


    "If Temma says so,


    At the point where I thought it was too much of a quirk, I told Amur, and he stopped tickling me... but...


    Hey.


    Shiroumaru, who didn''t want to be lashing out at his back, shook his body and tried to shake Mr. Kanon off. However, Kanon-san was wedged in tightly, so she didn''t leave, and instead Kanon-san''s foot hit Amur''s face.


    ''''Mmm...''''


    Amur held his wings in his hands in an attempt to fight back, but before he could do so, Leni stepped between them and freed Ms. Kanon from Shiroumaru''s back.


    With Kanon-san off his back and lighter, Shiroumaru, after shaking his body tremendously, fled to the dimension bag where Slarin and the others were waiting.


    ''Kanon, by ''apologizing'' as I said earlier, you''re sure it was for your previous attitude towards Temma-kun, right?''


    ''''...Yes. My attitude until now was out of resentment. From now on, I will change........


    With everyone''s eyes on her, Kanon-san, sitting on the ground, bowed her head in acknowledgement of what Yuri-san had said.


    ''''But isn''t an apology alone a bit light?��Even though no real harm was done, he held a grudge so much that he tried to grab onto it, and you can''t make the grudge go away just by being told, can you?


    Cain and Chris-san nodded to Albert''s question. The three of them knew about the interactions between the nobles, so they probably couldn''t trust them to just talk. Rion........seems to be unfamiliar with such things, and maybe he hasn''t thought much about such things before. That''s probably why Albert and Cain had such a hard time.


    ''That''s why I apologize in front of the three of you. If Kanon does something that would cause him to flip out on this, he can take the blame for it and drop you into Temma-san''s slavery.


    Since he admitted his fault and apologized in front of Albert, Cain, and Rion, it seems that if he does the same thing next time, Kanon-san, who crushed the face of the nobles (the three of them), would have no choice but to be dropped to the status of a slave, but


    But I don''t see any slaves in Temma.


    ''Yes. Temma''s slaves are treated too well, as you can see from those two.


    When Cain pointed to Jeanne and Aura, they nodded in affirmation.


    ''If you''re going to drop them into slavery, I''ll introduce you to a slave trader we can trust. But I don''t know where we''ll go from there.''''


    ''Yes. ''Well, he''s got a good face, so I''m sure he''ll find a buyer soon. The only thing that we don''t know about is how that buyer will handle it.


    It seemed as if something black was pouring out of both Albert and Cain. Kanon-san''s face turned so pale that we were worried about her as she listened to the two of them. And behind us, Jeanne and Aura were also pale, though not as pale as Kanon-san, as if they had imagined the future they might have become.


    Yuri-san thought she had gotten a little too carried away with her aristocratic counterpart, but she couldn''t get her next words out. Chris-san and the women also judged that Yuri-san had a problem with her statement, or maybe they just watched, and I also couldn''t interrupt her poorly because of the statement, ''To my slave'', in the course of the conversation.


    '' "Don''t you have to go that far?


    As the room was dominated by a bad atmosphere, Rion stepped between him and Yuri in his usual tone.


    ''Well, if you''re going to apologize in the form of having us as witnesses and still harm Temma, I think you need to be punished accordingly, but you don''t have to sell us out to the slavers, right?��For example, I suppose you could leave her with your mother, educate her, and have her do menial work for the Order.


    ''Well, if you''re saying that Rion is responsible for being a frontier county, then we need say no more.


    Yes.


    They withdrew so easily that I wondered what they had said earlier.


    ''''For me, it''s a relief to know that Rion-sama will take responsibility for taking care of the canon if it happens.


    Yuri-san was also in such a light mood that I wondered what the tension we had just had was.


    While questioning the three of us who were acting strangely, we dismissed the conversation as over, and left the guild, but on the way home, we found


    ''Rion, you''ve created a weird atmosphere by not getting into the conversation earlier!


    ''''Right. I just wanted you to be Leon as usual and not shut up in the air just for a moment like this...


    Wait a minute!


    Let''s just leave that no-good man Leon alone and go back to the inn.


    Leaving a stunned Leon behind, Cain pushed me in my wheelchair and headed for the inn.

 190-Chapter 12-9 Rion Evaluation Crash (Partially Rising)

    What the hell is going on here?


    As soon as they returned to the inn and entered the room, Rion crowded in on Albert and Cain, almost grabbing them.


    ''Rion, who had the most power in that place?''


    ''What?��That''s Temma, right?


    Albert and Cain react to Rion''s words like a contrast.


    You''re the next head of the Haust frontier earl family that includes Russell City, right?


    At Chris''s dismayed point, Rion said, "Oh, so that''s what you mean... so what? He returned, and this time Chris looked up to the heavens.


    ''''If me and Cain, the noblemen of the other territories, blame the guild leader on that spot, and if Rion, the next lord, intercedes, then the canon will feel indebted to Rion and try to suppress his resentment towards Temma in the future, though!


    ''Me and Albert played the villain to get a good point across for Leon but the story went in a weird direction and you almost became the real bad guy!


    Incidentally, Yuri-san also seemed to have noticed their intentions right away, and they seemed to have combined their conversations. That''s why, as soon as Rion joined the conversation, the conversation was settled, I was convinced. By the way, Chris and Leni seemed to have noticed that they were up to something.


    ''Besides, if I had shown them a good point there, I might have been able to get Kanon-san.


    Cain said, mischievously, and Leon said


    ''Mr. Kanon, well she''s a beautiful woman.


    He said, as if there was something stuck in his mind.


    ''What?''��Do you care about that (...) temper that ran into Temma?


    ''No, I''ve heard that''s not usually the case, so I don''t think there''s anything wrong with his personality.


    So it''s all about status?��I don''t think the frontier county family is going to be much of a problem, given Miss Edilia''s example, do you think?


    "Cain, I''m not going to let my status determine who I marry,


    ''So, what''s the... ah, age. Certainly, I might be concerned about that. Even though I''m half-elf, I''m an elf, so my life span is different from that of the human race (Leon). But it''s unavoidable in intermarriage between other races, and there are now people who say that the balance of appearance and whether you can have children is more important than your actual age, so there''s no need to worry about it that much.


    I don''t really care about my age, do I?


    So what the hell does Leon care?


    Leon, who immediately answered Albert, Cain, and Chris'' questions differently, put on a serious face when I asked him.


    Her breasts, they''re so small they''re one of the best I''ve ever encountered otherwise.


    He started to say with a heartfelt regret, "I''m sorry," he said.


    ''Yes, Kai-sa~!��Thank you all for your hard work today. We''ll call it free time until dinner time.


    ''Right. Let''s leave the lousy Rion alone and we''ll decide on dinner when we''re all together.


    ''Right. Leave the lousy Leon behind and I''ll go find something to take home with me.


    ''Ah!��Can I come with you?��I''m afraid of the lousy Leon-sama''s gaze here...


    ''If Aura''s going, do you think I should follow her?��I''m going to stay here for a moment...


    ''I ... I think I''ll be fine, but I want to go outside because Leon sucks.


    Well, I''ll go with you. To stay behind without your daughter is a bit of a problem, you know?


    With Cain''s dismissal statement, they each started to ignore Rion. The women, among them, looked at Rion as if they were looking at him as if he were an uncomfortable insect, and walked out of the room at a fast pace, keeping their distance.


    ''Kris and the others were acting a little strange, what''s going on?


    Grandpa came back to replace Chris and the others, but he felt uncomfortable when they passed each other in the hallway.


    ''No, actually, it was Rion...''


    When I explained to my grandfather about Leon''s "mistake,


    My advice to you is that you should not make the mistake of saying anything that might make you look like an ally of Temma, Albert, or Cain, even if you are likely to be judged as an ally of Leon. They''ll think you''re one of their own.


    ""Yes!"


    ''Eh....''


    We replied loudly to Grandpa''s grateful words.


    ''And Leon,''


    Yes!


    Giving up is the key to the whole process. The key to perseverance is perseverance.


    Oh, yeah, what do you call it?


    It seems that even Grandpa, who has the most life experience of all the members, can''t help Rion''s current situation. However, Rion clung to his grandpa''s waist, trying to get some advice.


    ''Don''t let go!��There are things I cannot do!��If I had the ability to fix a relationship with a man and a woman like that, I would at least get married!


    Oh, no...


    Did your grandfather ever want to get married?��And then I look at my grandfather, who is being tangled up with Leon, thinking.


    All right!��I''ll think about it for a minute, then you must leave!


    It''s true!


    After persistently winning, Rion quickly left and sat upright in front of his grandfather, waiting for his advice.


    ''''M~ ... Rion, my Lord doesn''t talk anymore!��Only when spoken to, reply with words like ''yes'' and ''no''!


    Oh, thank you!


    That''s it?��I thought to myself, but Leon put his forehead on the floor and thanked me.


    ''Well, if that''s fine with Rion, then it''s none of my business.


    Temma, that''s us.


    ''Master Merlin''s advice seems to have some effect, but still, it''s basically Leon who''s headed in the wrong direction.


    That was the experience of my childhood friends, and even I, who had known them for less time than they had, had to nod my head.


    ''And yet, Temma. You looked unusually red in the face, didn''t you?


    ''Come to think of it, yes. I don''t think I''ve ever seen Temma so embarrassed about anything woman-related.


    What are you talking about?


    I blurted it out for now, but I know I can''t fool these two, even if it''s Rion, I know I can''t fool them.


    ''Sure, Kanon-san was s*xy back then, but... if you''re the usual Temma, you may be a little embarrassed, but you won''t be like Rion. Did you have a change of heart or something?


    ''''It''s true that Temma is a gathering of beautiful people close to me, but there have been no floating rumors about it. It''s not like they''re withered, like Park Nenin or anything.


    What are you talking about?


    I was about to be driven into a corner by the two opponents, and even my grandpa joined in. Behind him is Rion, who is trying to follow Grandpa''s teachings and is trying to keep his mouth from opening it.


    ''''Actually, when Merlin-sama wasn''t around........''''


    Cain immediately started telling Grandpa about the changes in me that had happened in the guild, good thing I was limited in my movements by my wheelchair.


    ''Temma reacted to a woman?��As a grandfather, you should be happy or not....but Temma


    Grandpa almost toyed with me for a moment after he finished listening to Cain''s story, but then he suddenly turned serious and started looking at me from different angles.


    ''It doesn''t look like there''s been any change in your appearance... then maybe there''s a change on the inside... or maybe you''re returning to normal...''


    Grandpa began to mumble and mull something over.


    ''Albert, Cain and Leon. I''m going to have an important talk about the Temma, so restrict other people from entering this floor and tell the employees to notify Chris and the others as soon as they return. Also, lock the doors, just in case.


    Would you like us to leave the table?


    ''No, I want to hear what Albert and the others have to say, so come back.


    All right. I''ll be ready in a minute.


    Mission, aye, sir.


    The three of them moved as soon as they heard Grandpa''s request. Rion looked slightly....well, quite strange because he was following his grandpa''s teachings, but he looked quite serious in person.


    Now, what I''m interested in is the change in Temma''s inner life. More specifically, his interest in women has grown stronger.


    I wondered what my grandfather was going to say with a serious face, but it wasn''t serious at all.


    ''''Merlin-sama, it''s true that things have certainly changed after all this time... but considering your age, isn''t it a perfectly normal thing to do?


    "Temma, woman, like, normal.


    Leon, just shut up!


    At Albert''s words, Rion started to say something impersonal, but Cain poked him and shut him up.


    It''s true that it''s appropriate for your age, but the change is so sudden... or rather, I have a strong suspicion that you were strange before that.


    ''Question?��Temma, used to be normal?


    Leon, shut up!


    Leon, who seemed to say that he had always been strange, was now quieted down by Albert''s slap.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about it, because there were no young women around when you lived in Kukri, and Temma was still a child. But since we started living together in the capital, he never responded to the presence of young women around him.


    Aside from Kukri Village, there were a few times in my life in King''s Landing when I reacted to a woman, but my rebuttal was ignored by all of them.


    "I wondered if Temma had suffered some kind of ''trauma'' or ''curse'' during the dragon zombie fiasco in Kukri village,


    Grandpa''s idea is that he is subconsciously afraid of losing his ''family'' because he witnessed his mom and dad being killed by a dragon zombie, and that he is afraid to make a ''new family'' because he is afraid of losing his ''family'' and that when he fights a dragon zombie, he will be ''less interested in women''. I''m afraid I''ve received a "curse".


    I know what a ''trauma'' is, but is there such a thing as a pinpoint ''curse''?


    There are many stories about the curse that are only on the level of folklore, and they are not well understood. Long before Tenma came to the village, the people of Kukri had already had difficulty conceiving. It''s not just because the dragon zombies have unknowingly made the villagers less energetic, is it not a mistake?


    Grandpa''s reasoning was convincing. Because if a dragon zombie was holding something like a ''virus'' that reduced human energy, it wouldn''t be surprising if I, who fought it directly, was infected with it.


    ''''If it was caused by a dragon zombie, why is the Temma returning to normal now?''''


    It''s possible that the influence of the dragon zombie just happened to fade away, but I think it''s because of the fact that Tenma fought Rich and Jeanne, who was with him at the time. The curse faded because of the fact that Rich is the same kind of person as the dragon zombie, or perhaps the curse faded because he was driven to protect Jeanne, and the desire to protect Jeanne at the same time brought Tenma back to her normal state.��It is said that when a creature is pushed into a critical situation, its instinct to leave behind an offspring comes into play and makes it easier to have children.


    So you''re saying that Rich was able to get Temma''s energy back?


    Rich, good job.


    ''Leon don''t say that in front of other people if I''m wrong.


    I wish people would stop calling me vigorous and energetic, because I feel like I''ve become some kind of s*xually active person. However, I don''t know if Rion is not very good at it, but the other three are discussing it with serious expressions on their faces.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. The problem is that it''s better that the ladies don''t know about this. Jeanne, Aura is a slave and a maid, so even if there were a mistake, it wouldn''t be much of a problem, but I think Amur and Chris should be careful. Even though Amur has become more mature lately, he''s the Viscountess, and it''s not a good idea for him to get involved in a relationship with someone just for the sake of it. As for Chris........well, many things are not good. If he finds out about Tenma''s current situation, he might try to make a move on you.


    ""Ahhhhh....."


    Miss, no doubt about it.


    It was very easy for me to imagine Amour and Chris-san. But Leon felt worse than before because he was following his grandfather''s teachings to the letter.


    ''''Well, since it''s Temma, even if she regains her age-appropriate s*xual desire, I don''t think she''ll drown herself in it, so there''s no need to worry too much about it.


    Yeah. It''s a temma.


    At least they''re all people I have no problem messing with.


    Temma, hang in there!


    ...Are you done?


    The second half of the game was just teasing me and playing with me, so halfway through, I was watching the four contrarians while eating a snack with Slarin and the others. However, I ate a little too much snack due to the fact that I tried to convince myself that it was contrived, but sometimes I got so pissed off that I ate a little too much snack.


    That evening, when it was time to eat, Chris and his friends didn''t come back to the inn, and we had no choice but to divide into the men''s group and the women''s group for dinner, but I was grateful for that, because I couldn''t help but feel conscious of being teased about a strange topic.


    ''''Temma, uncle the guild leader said you''re free to do what you want here.


    Thanks, canon...


    A few days after the day I was tinkered with, I was led to the forge attached to the guild. Today, I''m going to rent this place to clean up the charred ''Kogarasuma''.


    Kanon (...)''s mood towards me softened somewhat, perhaps somewhat relieved by the fact that he went out of control and took out his anger directly on me. However, since it was outside, we made a lot of witnesses, so we decided to call each other names to show that we had made up, as well as to show that we had made up.


    ''By the way, Temma, that........Leon-sama(s).......?''


    Kanon fell in love with Rion, just as Albert, Cain, and Yuri had planned. The fact that Rion was the only one defending Kanon at that time may have made Rion look like a prince in Kanon''s eyes.


    ''Rion would be wandering around the city. Before you went out, you said something like ''I need to see the market''.


    Sorry, I just have to run an errand.


    Kanon left the forge at a fast pace when he found out from me where Leon was likely to be. Well, as far as blacksmithing is concerned, Kanon had said himself that he was useless, so it''s fine if he wasn''t there... but as a guild employee, how can he disappear without giving any explanation to the users?


    ''Huh?��Mr. Temma, where did the canon go?


    When Yuri arrived by mistake and I explained to him what had happened, he looked very complicated. Probably because as an uncle, he wanted to support his niece''s love, but at the same time, as a boss, he had to scold her for leaving work and customers out of the picture.


    ''What''s the matter with you?''


    What''s up?


    As Yuri was standing at the entrance, Grandpa and Chris peeked out from behind him. I can''t see them because the three of them are gathered at the entrance, but further behind them, it looks like Amour and Jeanne and the others are also there.


    When they heard that Kanon had gone after Rion, they all agreed that they could see. That''s how much everyone understands that Kanon is in love with Rion. The only person who doesn''t understand is Rion, who is in love with him.


    ''But by Rion''s side, there are two people who are always together.........................Kanon, don''t you dare.


    As usual, Albert and Cain accompany Rion on his way to investigate the market in Russell City. Therefore, walking through the city with Rion, whom Kanon is in love with, means that he will be with two people that Kanon is not good at.


    ''''Well, let''s leave that group over there aside... what are we doing today?''''


    Chris-san wasn''t amused by the possibility of his junior having a girlfriend, so he ended the conversation about Rion and canon early and asked me about my plans for today... I''m pretty sure I told him about my plans for today at breakfast (the body that came for me early). (Dressed and churlishly joining us for breakfast) I don''t think he was listening to me, as he was distracted by Kanon''s appeal to Leon.


    ''I don''t think there''s much to do here today, since we''re just going to clean up the blackened sword from the Rich fight and make some simple adjustments, right?��Why don''t you guys go spend some time shopping or something?


    I''m feeling much better, but not in the best shape, so I''m going to clean the soot off my sword, which I could do while sitting in a wheelchair, to check for damage and see if I can fit the spare scabbard I have now. So I don''t plan to do any blacksmithing work even though it''s a blacksmithing shop. Even so, the reason I rented the guild''s forge was because it was a place where there was no problem even if it was stained with soot, and it was a place I could use freely under the authority of Rion and Yuri-san.


    ''''Hmm.......Still, it seems everyone else will wait until we''re done too, so I''ll wait too.


    Chris seemed to have decided that my work wasn''t that time consuming and he was going to wait for me to finish with everyone else.


    ''Well, if that''s all right with everyone you shouldn''t complain. Especially you, Chris.


    I won''t tell you!


    I reminded Chris that he was about to complain to me, even though it was his choice, and he complained and pulled a chair from somewhere and sat down.


    ''Well then, I''ve got work to do, so if you need anything please speak to someone on the staff.


    Normally, such things would have been Kanon''s job, but since Kanon wasn''t there, Yuri choked on his words for a moment, remembering that he wasn''t about to say "Kanon".


    After Yuri left, I took out the tools I needed to clean the sword and laid them out on my desk and got to work.


    ''Good thing we have some baking soda left over for soap making. Let''s sprinkle this on first....


    He sprinkled baking soda on the little crowbar, dampened it with water and wiped it off with a cloth, and the baking soda he had sprinkled on the little crowbar gradually turned darker.


    ''''Hmm?��Something''s not right.


    As I polished the Kogarasuma, I felt something strange about it. I didn''t notice the discomfort at first, but when I unfolded the cloth and looked at it, I found out what the discomfort was.


    ''Not much soot on it?''


    The baking soda, which I thought was going to turn completely black, hadn''t turned as black as I thought it would. So, once I washed the Kogarasumaru in water to remove the baking soda from it, I tried to wash it whole.


    "It''s still black ... no, the soot itself has fallen off. Does that mean that the color of the little crowbar has darkened?


    I wiped the blade repeatedly with a white cloth to try it out, but the cloth did not get soot on it. I don''t know why Kogarasumaru''s color had darkened, but it was probably related to the direct hit from the ''Takemikazuchi''.


    ''I''ll have to ask Master Ganz or Kelly for more details...''


    Now that the stain problem was solved, I tried installing the pattern and trying it out, but something unexpected happened here as well.


    First of all, fitting the pattern, it was the same size and shape as the one I was using before, but the size didn''t fit. It seems to have gotten smaller, albeit by millimeters, and there was a small gap between the pattern and the handle, which made it rickety. However, it is dangerous to wield a sword with a wobbly handle, so I decided not to use the korasuma until I could make a handle that would fit the current condition.


    And a test cut, but the sharpness, which I thought had fallen off considerably, wasn''t much of a problem. Well, compared to the one right after Master and Kelly sharpened it, the sharpness was definitely not as good as the one I usually use, but I wondered if it was a little less sharp than when I was using it. It''s like that. Considering the fact that I fought a bunch of wyverns and riches, it was a bit odd that it was at a level where there was no problem for normal use. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what''s going on in the world.


    I''m not sure there''s much I can do now. I could use an adamantine sword or a shortsword as a weapon.


    At first I was hoping for something I was familiar with, even if it wasn''t sharp, but since I couldn''t use that familiar kobolds, I decided to use either the adamantine sword I was using against the big guy or the shortsword I had made from the remains of Tanikaze before, as my main weapon until I could repair the kobolds.


    ''Well, I had some extra time to spare unexpectedly, but... what do we do now?''


    What I thought was going to take about two hours, actually took only about 30 minutes, so I asked everyone anyway.

 191-Chapter 12-10 Dark Side

    Dinner!


    "Shopping!


    I''ll find Leon or canon!


    In response to my question, Amour suggested dinner, Jeanne and Aura went shopping, and Chris-san suggested that we look for Rion or Kanon. As for Chris-san''s suggestion, I knew that he didn''t ''have something for them'' but just wanted to ''interrupt Rion and Kanon'', so no one took him up on it.


    ''''Well then, I guess we''ll just hang out in the city and go in if there''s a shop that interests us?''''


    In the end, we all decided to hang out together as usual. My grandfather, who usually goes separate ways, said he was going to have lunch so they could hang out together.


    The town is more noisy than yesterday, isn''t it?


    No.


    Ten or so minutes into the city, I clearly felt a noise that wasn''t there yesterday.


    ''I wonder what they''re doing for a function?


    I think it could be a huge blind date Chris, you should join us.


    ''No way!��........tch.


    Isn''t this supposed to be a party, not an arranged marriage?


    ''But the guild didn''t say anything, did they?


    Chris, who was mischievous to Amur, tried to give Amur a big surprise, but he was deflected. Jeanne and Aura, who were watching them but ignoring them as usual, looked around to see if they had any unusual stalls.


    ''''Surely the reason for the commotion is that Rion-sama is out on an inspection tour?��Besides, in addition to Leon-sama, Albert-sama and Cain-sama are also there. Those three are conspicuous in some way, so it wouldn''t be surprising if the whole city became noisy.


    Leni''s idea convinced us and we were about to resume our township... but we stopped and waited with caution as someone ran towards us... but we soon realized it was a guild employee. I understood, so I let my guard down and welcomed him.


    ''So you''re saying it''s Grandpa''s fault that it''s so noisy...''


    No, if anything, it''s Temma''s fault.


    For all intents and purposes, it''s the fault of both of you.


    A little bit of that is Chris'' fault, too.


    By that logic, it''s also your daughter''s fault, isn''t it?


    According to the guild staff, we were the cause of this commotion. In short, they say that this commotion is due to the fact that we have all the players who were active in the martial arts tournament. However, it seems that the reason why no one is blatantly approaching us is because of the debt owed to me and my grandfather (a resident of Kukuri village) and the urban legend (........) that if I become unpopular, I''ll be erased from existence before I know it.


    Hmm, when you tell a lie, it''s better to add a little truth to it.


    ''Not some!��It''s halfway in!


    No, it''s not even half full.


    I reflexively tsked at Amur''s blurbs, but for some reason, Amur seemed very happy about it.


    He had been staying in Russell City for a few days now, and the reason why he was making a scene now had to do with Shiroumar and Solomon. Shilomar had let them out a few days ago when he was carrying canon, and the witnesses at the time said, ''Could it be?'' He was aware of the extent of the situation. However, the story of yesterday''s meet-and-greet with Solomon at the back of the guild for Kanon''s rehabilitation (a prank that Yuri-san called "Kanon''s rehabilitation") ran through the town and caused such a commotion. Incidentally, the meet-and-greet was supposed to be in canon only, but Yuri said, "As an uncle and the head of the guild, I have to make sure it''s safe! Because of this, the guild staff can now participate in the meeting, and Shiroumaru will also be added to the members of the meet and greet. Incidentally, even though the meet-and-greet was only for a short period of time, the guild staff was very satisfied with the event, and so Yuri-san sent two wild boars for every two animals as a reward.


    ''''But isn''t half of it Yuri-san''s and the guild staff''s fault?


    You''re right. That''s because the meet-and-greet was held in a place where only guild members could enter, so it''s unlikely that it would have spread without Yuri or someone else from the guild leaking the information to the outside world.


    The guild staff who had heard the conversation between me and my grandpa had their heads down, sweating like a waterfall.


    ''''Hmm?��Oh, you don''t need to worry about that. Although the staff is responsible for their own actions, at the end of the day, it''s all Yuri''s fault. It''s times like this that managers are made for this kind of thing, so, Temma. I''m going to go tease Yuri now.


    After saying this, Grandpa returned to the guild with his staff in tow. I''m not sure what to do with the food, but he said he would have Yuri prepare it for me, so you can go and enjoy it without me. At this moment, the guild staff had a look of relief on their faces when Grandpa said that it was all Yuri''s fault.


    The guild staff had a look of relief on their faces when he said, "Well then, let''s leave the matter to Yuri and let''s go back to the streets.�� Shiroumaru, pull me up.


    I thought about asking Slarin to help me with my wheelchair, but I realized that it was impossible, so I decided to ask Shiroumaru. I thought I could ask Shiroumaru to help me, because I knew he could do it in the way of dog sledding.


    ''You don''t have to ask Shiroumar, I can push you,''


    I''ll do it!


    Chris laughed and tried to push the wheelchair, thinking it was a joke to ask Shiroumar to do it, and Amour stuck up for him.


    ''No, I was going to ask Shiroumar to help me because it was meant to be an introduction to the people of Russell City, so I could get around on my own without having to ask.


    The mechanics of the wheelchair in this world are quite different from those of the previous world in terms of performance, but the structure itself hasn''t changed much, so it can be moved by itself. The only drawback is that it''s extremely tiring...


    You don''t have to be shy.


    If Chris doesn''t like it, I''ll do it!


    Amour tried to put his hand on the wheelchair before Chris-san, but I ducked and moved the wheelchair forward without thinking.


    ''Why?''


    No, it happened so suddenly and...


    When Amur wondered why I ducked, I just said that back to him, and now I''m going to push! He declared. I''m in desperate trouble!


    ''Ah!��There they are!��I''m going to have to borrow your tenma for a minute!


    Cain emerged from a side street and started pushing his wheelchair.


    ''Thief!''


    Amour called Cain a thief, but Cain didn''t stop his footing, only returning, "Don''t say anything inappropriate~


    ''''Hey!��Where are you going with this?!


    After going along with Cain''s outbursts for a while, Chris, who was numb to the fact that he was being made to run without being told anything, asked Cain in a strong tone of voice


    ''I''m going to ... see it!��There it is!


    ''Hey!


    Unable to react to Cain''s sudden stop, Chris almost fell forward, but was saved by Amur just before he was able to get to the edge. Well, he looked a little distressed due to the sudden grab at his waist, but it was probably better than plunging face first into the ground.


    ''What the hell...?'' said Albert. What are you doing hiding in a place like this?


    There you are, Tenma. Can''t you do anything about it?��I mean, for God''s sake, do something about that (...)!


    I looked in the direction that Albert was pointing in, hiding in the shadows, and saw Leon and Kanon, who was leaning close to him, looking at the merchandise in the storefront.


    ''d*mn!��Too late!


    What about it?��They just look like they''re close, don''t they?


    Albert and Cain both shook their heads as they replied that, ignoring Chris''s frustration, and Albert and Cain shook their heads together. So I took a closer look at them.


    Rion, you''re so rude. You''re really making me feel sorry for Kanon.


    I looked closely at the two of them and noticed that while Kanon was talking to them about a lot of things, Rion was treating them in a curt manner and scurrying around several times.


    ''Could it be that, they''re looking for Albert and Cain?


    ''Maybe, but I don''t want to go out with you badly and get my horse kicked.


    And if not, I don''t want a woman to hate me for it.


    The two of them are saying cool things, but the truth is that they were probably scared of canon. I wasn''t the only one who noticed that...........................but it seems the ladies noticed it earlier. Chris-san and Amour in particular were suspicious of them, and the interrogation................................had just begun. And in a matter of seconds, they honestly confessed. ''''When we joined up, Kanon had a look in his eyes that decided to get rid of us...''''


    ''I''m going to have to ask Rion to prepare for this now.......very annoying. At this rate, it''s clearer than the fire what canon will do... I hope he dies.


    Chris-san didn''t seem to be able to distinguish between true intentions and construction, and said some boisterous things, but everyone here nodded in agreement with the construction part.


    Considering Kanon''s temperament that was so hostile to me, if it continues, it might turn into a yandere or a mengele. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to do, but if Kanon is actually like that, Albert and Cain might be harmed, so the two of them have to seriously plan a countermeasure.


    However, even if we say measures, it is useless if Leon doesn''t feel like it. Because of this, no one came up with a particularly good idea, and finally Chris-san said, "Let''s just get Rion drunk and throw him in the same bed as Kanon. But if I do that, I can''t complain if they do the same thing in retaliation, so ""I''ll never do it!" I dismissed it with me, Albert and Cain.


    ''For now, let''s just leave Rion alone with him, since we''ve lost sight of him. Whether or not the two of them will develop a rapport will depend on the efforts of canon.


    "Okay, let''s do it!


    Albert and Cain, who were the first to agree, hurriedly pushed my wheelchair away from the scene, trying not to be distracted by Leon. We could only conclude that we were going to turn a blind eye, but no one said anything, since we couldn''t come up with any other ideas.


    After we moved much further away from Leon and the others, Albert and Cain started talking about their plans for the future as if nothing had happened.


    ''''Well, I guess it''s settled that the first thing we''ll do is have dinner.


    Then I know a good place to start.


    We decided to dine at a place recommended by two people who have visited Russell City several times, but if they know it, it''s likely that Leon knows it too, so we asked them how it was there, and they told us that the place had a private room available for an extra fee, and that the aristocrats who come to the restaurant for that purpose often come to the restaurant. The staff is well-trained, and even if our acquaintance (Leon) heard about it, they would not divulge any information.


    And there are multiple entrances and exits, so you shouldn''t be able to meet them unless you''re in a bad situation. At least in Russell City, it''s probably the hardest place to leak information.


    Still, if we gathered our numbers and watched all the entrances and exits, we could find out who was using the place, but the people we should be wary of this time are Leon and Canon, so we don''t need to worry about them that much.


    ''''It''s on a level that''s comparable to the food in the royal capital.


    It''s good!


    Thank you very much.


    It was good, but...


    ''Master Temma''s cooking is better!


    ''Well, Temma''s food is royally approved,''


    ''And I suppose it''s partly because Temma''s food is more unusual. The food here is good, but there are other tastes to compare it to.


    ''Is that how it works?


    As we left the restaurant, each of us was in the middle of commenting on the food, when I suddenly felt the presence of a person of interest and told them to be on guard, they all quieted down at once and followed my instructions and hid in a nearby side street.


    ''You''re really here,''


    And the fact that he came out of there means he was most likely in the same store as us.


    Albert said that at the end of the path that Rion and Kanon came out of was one of the exits of the shop we had just used, and from the satisfied look on Rion''s face, he thought it was likely that they had been eating at the same place.


    ''The destination.... the center of the city?��Well, then, why don''t we go back to the guild?��If we keep shopping like this, we''re going to run into those two at some point.


    ''That too, I suppose. I''m planning to stay in Russell City for a few more days anyway, and there''s still a chance for me to do some shopping. More importantly, if I run into those two unexpectedly I''m afraid I''ll have to do something about Leon on reflex.


    Hearing that statement, Jeanne and Aura, who looked like they wanted to go shopping, hid behind me while distracting me, probably afraid of Chris-san.


    ''''It''s fine to go back to the guild, but what are you going to do?''''


    I think it''s time for me to start my rehab in earnest. It''s a good time to start, and I''ll start today...


    I need to start moving my body now that I''m feeling somewhat better, and if I don''t, my muscles are only going to lose strength.


    "Everyone seems to be fine with it, so let''s get going then.


    Cain said, and began to push the wheelchair forward at a fast pace. Rion and the others headed in the opposite direction, so I told them there was no need to hurry, but because of the answer that Rion''s instincts wouldn''t necessarily come back, everyone who heard that naturally went faster as well.


    ''''So, what do you plan to do about this whole rehabilitation thing?''''


    I''ll take care of my kumite.


    No, you don''t get a kumite out of the blue in the first stage of rehab.


    Well, that''s not surprising. Do you want to start out with a little flexibility?


    Amur showed his motivation, but was quickly chided by Cain. I wondered if Chris-san had the same idea as Amur, but as expected from a member of the Konoe Guard, he understood the meaning of rehabilitation.


    ''''Are you thinking something rude?''''


    Perhaps Chris-san''s wild instincts kicked in, or maybe his eyes became sharp as he looked at me, but he quickly denied it and it was over. Just like me, Albert, Cain and Amour were shaking their heads, but fortunately they didn''t seem to be in Chris-san''s line of sight, so the three of them didn''t get pursued.


    ''Well, today we''re just going to focus on flexibility and try a little bit of walking to see how much we can walk. Albert, Cain, I''m sorry, but I need your help.


    When I told Chris about my plans, I nominated two people of the same gender to be my partner before Chris and Amour raised their hands. The reason for this is because I thought it would be impossible to relax my body to the fullest with a female partner, as the flexibility of the stones can make them close together.


    When Albert and Cain noticed my intentions, they immediately took off their jackets and hemmed them up so that they could move easily, while Chris-san held Amour by the neck, as if he had no choice.


    ''''I''m sorry Amur, but this kind of thing can be done more comfortably by the same s*x.


    ''But you don''t know full-blown flexibility, so give me instructions.


    After briefly explaining what I wanted them both to do, I began to flex, and I was surprised to find that my body was more rigid than I expected. I thought I was resting but moving reasonably well, so I hadn''t expected to struggle so much.


    ''Temma, shall we take a break?''


    ''Yes. And before you know it, the gallery is growing.


    As we continued to flex while struggling, before we knew it, the adventurers who were active in Russell City had come to visit. Well, the place we''re using now is the guild''s training facility, so we don''t have the right to blame them for observing us, but we don''t want to make a spectacle of our struggles, so we took a break at a good place to cut loose.


    Most of the adventurers who were observing left the facility when I stopped flexing, but there were a few left who were pretending to be training themselves and a few who froze up and talked while listening to us.


    ''Well, those guys who are frozen and talking are kind of disgusting,''


    Yeah. It''s been a while since I''ve seen those guys, how(...) they are. Perhaps they think they can handle the current tenma.


    ''Well, I''m actually not moving a tenth of the way I normally do right now.


    From the vibe of the guys who are hardened and talking, they''re probably thinking of making a name for themselves by beating me.


    ''''I mean, you don''t think Temma won''t take it, do you?


    ''Before that, I''m curious why you don''t think you''d lose to Tenma in this condition. I would never do it, though, even if it was on the condition that Rion and Cain would fight together.


    ''That''s probably because you know Temma so well. Well, I wouldn''t do it either. Because even if you''re unable to move satisfactorily, Temma-kun still has magic in him...


    Slarin''s there!


    You have a golem too, right?


    Do you use scorpions, Temma?��I think it''s just the right amount of intimidation, don''t you?


    Do you need number two?


    Jeanne and Aura had gotten used to dealing with this kind of response, and they were ready to take out scorpion-type golems at any time. Even a single scorpion is quite overpowered, but if they''re the kind of guys who come with more than one to aim at a place where people are weak, it might be fine to smash them down with a golem, but would it be easier in many ways to kill them instantly with magic?��And I''m thinking.


    Grrrrrr....


    Shiroumaru jumped out of the bag and roared in his true size. Shiroumaru''s gaze turned to the guys who had been talking, frozen in place.


    ''''Ah!��I escaped.


    ''Temma, will you be offended?��In case you''re wondering, those guys haven''t done anything yet.


    Shilomar just snarled. Nothing more, nothing less. Those guys just surprised themselves and left on their own!��...so let''s just say.


    Although quite forceful, Shiroumaru didn''t actually jump on him or anything, so the guild staff should somehow understand..................If he shows some difficulty, we may have to hold another meet-and-greet.


    ''''Even so, Shiroumaru jumped out at the right time........................or is it Slarin''s orders?


    I was about to praise Shiroumaru for a good job, when he turned his back on us, wagged his tail and got a rewarding treat from Slarin.


    ''''Maybe it was to avoid a future where those guys would get smashed by Tenma-kun and be unable to reappear.


    Slarin, great!��Good job!


    The Temma doesn''t take kindly to enemies.


    ''Well, I have a soft spot for allies because of that, but sometimes I''m just glad I didn''t get attacked without question when I was following the trail with Leon''s escort.


    I thought he was complimenting Slarin, and then naturally, he turned to talk about me. At the end of the day, for some reason, Chris started talking about the time he met me, which was quite far from the truth.


    ''Oi!��There you are!��Something about some people making a fuss at the reception desk about how they''ve been kicked out of Shiroumaru!


    ''Tsk!��You''re back!


    Ignoring Chris, Albert and Cain helped me to do some walking drills, when a ridiculously loud voice came in from the entrance. Next to him is a somewhat disgusted-looking canon. And the moment I saw them, Chris-san put one foot in the dark side.


    ''''You two should have gone shopping together for a bit more.


    You''re right. Take the time to see the city. You''ll see things you can''t see with us.


    Shucks I''m missing something without you guys.


    At Leon''s dangerous statement, Albert and Cain slowly backed away from him.


    ''Hey, Cain. Don''t use me as a shield.


    ''I''m sorry. I don''t think Temma is a target, so bear with me for a minute. For me!


    Cain, who used me as a shield and retreated, had a more serious look on his face than I usually saw.


    Albert said, "So that''s how it works! I had a look on my face, but my back was full, so I tried to hide behind Chris and he said, "I''m not thick enough for you to hide! And they were kicking off. They both look moderately confused.


    Kanon, who is next to Rion, is holding onto Rion''s sleeve while staring at the two of them in such confusion. But Rion doesn''t seem to be bothered at all, even though the woman (Kanon) has grabbed his sleeve and is close enough to be close to him.


    ''I wish you were dead...''


    Seeing the two of them, Chris fell deeper into the dark side than before.

 192-Chapter 12-11

    A few days after Chris'' fall to the dark side. My rehabilitation was going well, and I had regained my strength to the point where I was almost able to go about my normal life. But in proportion to my recovery, Chris''s emotions were becoming unstable.


    The cause was canon. I didn''t mind Kanon going after Rion, but after seeing their casual exchange, Kanon asked, "Doesn''t Chris have a thing for Rion? Or, "Could it be the other way around?��He seems to have come to the idea that he can''t do anything about it, so he competes with Chris at every opportunity. Sometimes she shows him how well she and Rion get along (Kanon touching Rion, taking care of him, etc.), but each time she does so, Chris''s darker side grows stronger.


    At one point, the women other than Chris-san explain to Kanon about Chris-san''s relationship with Rion, but so far it doesn''t seem to be very effective.


    ''Grandpa, Chris-san is in a lot of trouble. And by the way, Rion and Kanon too.


    Those two will just go along for the ride and, well, I guess we''ll just have to wait and see.


    ''I''m sorry about our canon...''


    From my point of view, Chris is the victim and canon is the perpetrator. Rion is the original bad guy. However, if you watch Chris-san''s normal behavior, you can understand Kanon''s misunderstandings, so I don''t think you can blame only Kanon. So Rion is the most evil of all.


    So I don''t think Yuri-san should be so concerned about it. It''s all Rion''s fault.


    ''''Well then, what should we do........''''


    Would you rather I left Rion behind?��Yuri-san, if only Rion (...) is there when the frontier count''s reply comes in, you won''t have any problems, right?


    ''''Yes, I''ve listened to Tenma-kun''s story, and the only thing left to do is to follow the Frontier Count''s instructions.......To be honest, if the relationship with Tenma-kun, which we''ve worked so hard to repair, deteriorates again because of Kanon, I''ll have to punish Kanon severely from my position. Besides, my body won''t be able to hold up....


    Yuri-san was holding her stomach as she said that.


    If Yuri-san had fallen because of her deteriorating relationship with me, the public''s view of the canon would be quite harsh. Perhaps there might even be expulsion from the frontier county territory.


    Expulsion might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the Haust Frontier County has a history of suffering due to its deteriorating relationship with me and its economy. It''s not surprising that not the frontier count himself, but the people around him would overreact.


    In other words, the quickest way for us........to be precise, it''s the quickest way for Chris-san to disappear from Russell City.........So, let''s leave Leon alone and move on, shall we?��Just give them the schedule and Leon will follow suit.


    Considering everyone''s happiness, it would be inevitable that Rion would have to take a cut of the profits. In the first place, if Rion was firm, he wouldn''t have to worry about this.


    ''''Is Rion''s happiness good?''''


    ''If it''s just Rion alone and everyone else''s happiness plus Chris-san''s mood plus Yuri-san''s stomach, I''ll sacrifice Rion.


    You say it sounds cool, but the point is, it''s not really up to Leon.


    Because it''s Rion''s fault and it would be a shame to get caught in the middle of something.


    Well, getting involved in other people''s love lives is a pain in the ass and it''s the best thing to do.


    Since we came to the conclusion that this was the case, we immediately decided to inform all the members except Rion. Incidentally, except for me, Grandpa and Yuri, Albert and Cain are currently standing beside Rion and Kanon, and the women are standing beside Chris.


    Albert or Cain sees an opening in Rion''s life and explains to Kanon about his relationship with Chris, while the women take a tour of the city to distract Chris and to calm his mind. The men split the cost of Chris''s distraction between them. After all, the men should pay for Chris''s distraction instead of the women having a hard time with his allowance. Well, while calling it Chris-san''s allowance, they are also planning to enjoy themselves to the fullest, I suppose. The most important thing is that the price that will be borne by everyone except Rion will be secretly charged to the frontier aunt''s family later, so in the end, Rion will be the only one to bear the cost. Originally, it was unanimously decided by the men��(except for Leon) that if Leon had been firm, this would not have happened (I think), so the men (except for Leon) would have to accept this level of punishment.


    ''''Right!��It''s for the best!


    I left Albert and Cain to grandpa, and I explained to the ladies using ''search'' to find them, and Chris-san agreed with me in a cover-up. After all, Chris-san, who was stressed out because of canon, didn''t seem to be confused about sacrificing Rion. The look on his face didn''t seem to remind him of the time he had tried to interfere with Rion''s possible girlfriend.


    ''I''m almost certain Rion will say something about it, but I think it would be easy to convince him if I told him that I received an urgent call from the Primera in ''Gunjo City'', our next destination. The problem is that if the reply from the frontier count reaches us before we leave, then this mission will fail.


    Then we''ll leave this evening!


    Chris, you don''t have time for this.


    ''Yes, that''s right. Besides, I have to explain to Kanon about Leon and Chris-san properly (...), so it''ll be early tomorrow morning at the earliest.


    When Chris heard my words, he said, "Leave Rion and canon alone! He said. But in the future, it would be better to just explain things properly. This idea was something he had decided in his discussions with Grandpa and Yuri.


    ''''I''m going to give that explanation to the men, with the exception of Rion, and force Kanon to agree to it. If we still don''t see the effect we may never see Kanon again.


    The women looked surprised or frightened when they heard my words. There seemed to be some kind of misunderstanding, so I explained in detail and they all agreed with me.


    The point of never seeing each other again is to keep canon out of our and Rion''s life by any means, not to kill it. I''m thinking of this, in some cases, I''m also thinking of asking for the king''s help.


    On a personal note, I don''t mind who Rion goes out with, but that''s because if that person is the current canon, I can''t say that there won''t be problems. Right now, he''s just jealous of Chris, who ''might have a thing for Rion'', but if Kanon married Rion and became the Countess of the Frontier, and his jealousy was stronger, he could be paranoid about a woman who was on friendly terms with Rion.


    If the person under suspicion is a helpless civilian, it''s not a bad thing to say, but it doesn''t matter. However, if that opponent is someone that even Leon''s power can''t pretend didn''t exist...for example, a nobleman of the same class or higher, it''s not always possible that it won''t lead to a fight involving your faction or a fight that will shake the country.


    If you say I''m overthinking it, it''s only fair to say that the House of Hust Frontier Count also plays a role in preventing the invasion of neighboring countries geographically, so it would be a problem if trouble broke out in the family or between nobles. So in the worst case scenario, I may have to advise the king to take measures.


    It''s normal for people to dance and chat with their acquaintance''s partners at parties, not just nobles, right?��And I don''t think you can be a nobleman''s wife if you''re jealous to the point where you can see that and think you might harm them.


    After hearing my thoughts, Chris-san nodded after thinking for a moment. Chris-san is a Kingsguard and a nobleman, so I guess he came to a conclusion after weighing his own feelings of wanting to get away from canon as soon as possible against the possibility that the country might be in turmoil.


    ''''I understand what you''re saying, Temma. However, I''m not going to get involved or obligated to get involved in this matter, so you''ll have until tomorrow morning to educate me without my knowledge.


    Chris said that he would not be fully involved in the canon and casually set a deadline of tomorrow morning. This means that he will leave Russell City tomorrow.


    As far as this attitude is concerned, if he can''t convince Kanon to stay out of this, Chris-san and Rion''s relationship might be destroyed. If that happens, Cain will be in some kind of trouble with me and Albert, who are both common acquaintances of the two of them. We need to educate Leon as well, but since me, Albert and the others might not be as effective, let''s just leave it to Grandpa. I''m sure Leon will be able to listen to his grandfather''s story.


    ''''Well Mr. Leni, I''ll give you some money, so you can all go have something good to eat.''''


    After thinking about the ladies I have in front of me, I decided to ask Ms. Leni to follow up with Mr. Chris. At this, Mr. Chris and Amour voiced their protest, but I told Mr. Chris that since the money was for Mr. Chris''s comfort, I decided to leave it to someone other than Mr. Chris (...) and Mr. Leni, who is strong with money, and asked Mr. Chris, "Can Amour manage the money better than Mr. Leni? I asked Amur about it, and they both agreed with me. Well, one of them was smiling as if my good book made him feel better, and the other seemed a little unhappy after being completely debunked... but Leni said something like, "A restaurant with a reputation for being delicious... If I did, I wouldn''t have to worry about it, as I would have immediately expressed my opinion.


    ''''Well then, I''ll be joining you over there so don''t be too late.


    At Chris''s suggestion, I split up with the ladies to go to Albert and the others, who would have heard from Grandpa, to discuss the decision to leave tomorrow morning and the education of the canon.


    ''Well, that''s the best thing to do, isn''t it?''


    ''''I''m a little uncomfortable using Primera, but I can''t spend all my time in Russell City alone... and also, if senior Chris is in a bad mood, it''s a lot of trouble.


    ''Well, then, if we''re going to educate the canon this evening, we can leave about noon tomorrow. By the way, did the two of you explain anything to the canon?


    They shook their heads at my question. Kanon says he''s going to reply as if he''s listened to the story, but he doesn''t seem to believe it very much.


    ''''If that''s the case, we don''t have a lot of time, and we''ll have to be a little rough on him to correct Kanon.


    I peeked at Kanon, who was trying to flirt despite his grandfather''s presence (which didn''t seem to have much effect on Rion) from a distance, and Albert and Cain nodded their heads in agreement.


    ''The general plan is to have Yuri-san call Kanon to the guild leader''s office, and then me, Albert, Cain and Yuri-san will persuade him... or rather, preach to him. In the meantime, I''ll have my grandpa pay attention to Rion and have the ladies take care of Chris-san''s mood.......


    ''That''s all well and good, but the only reason Master Merlin is in charge of Rion is because we thought he''d listen to him more honestly than we did, right?��If that''s the case, I think Temma should go over there too.


    Rather, I''d rather you leave the canon to me and Cain.


    I told them both, "I''m starting to say it, and I''m going to stay with you to the end.


    It''s a nobleman''s job.


    ''Yes. Because Kanon seems to have a bit of a lick of nobility, you know. Having Tenma there might complicate things, so I''d like you to turn to Rion this time.


    It was a good thing. The two of them seem to be quite annoyed with the canon for not listening to their advice. However.


    Speaking of licking, I think it looks like I''m pretty licking it too... what''s the deal there?


    When I said that, they both looked a little annoyed and dumbfounded.


    Because there''s a difference in trust and importance between Temma and canon.


    He said.


    ''''In Temma''s case, because of his contribution to the kingdom, his high profile, and his military power to the extent that he lightly surpasses a lowly nobleman, he is lumped in the same category of commoner as the canon, but in reality, there is a difference in value between heaven and earth.


    ''Don''t get me wrong, but to begin with, the three of us, no matter what status we''re in, will play dumb with our friends, and if it''s not too much, we won''t say anything if it''s disrespectful. But that''s on the condition that the other person is a friend, and canon is not one of them.


    Incidentally, Jeanne, Aura, and Amour fall within the realm of ''friends'' for them (aside from Amour, but not how Jeanne and Aura feel about it), and Leni is not so sure if they are friends or not, but basically, Leni is polite and treats them like they''re going to stand up for themselves. He says he doesn''t get mad at those people for a few things.


    ''I''ll leave it up to you if that''s what you want to do but don''t go overboard.


    It''s okay. It''s okay. These things happen sometimes, so I''m used to it.


    We don''t overdo it like Temma did.


    What do you mean by that? I asked Albert, "Just look at the examples of Regil in Gunjo City and Podolo in King''s Landing, I think the word overkill fits Temma, don''t you? And that was that.


    I was a little frightened when I was told of an old name that I knew by heart, but then I said, "I just fought off the one who came against me! When I countered, "Normally, commoners don''t get directly involved in fighting off nobles and taking down their families. Even if they do, it''s only to pass on information to the nobles who are hostile to that noble,'''' returned from Cain. Moreover, behind Cain, Albert was nodding repeatedly with a serious expression on his face.


    ''''If you''re going to go that far, I''ll leave it up to the two of you. I''ll do my best to keep Grandpa and Rion occupied and careful.


    ''Temma don''t try too hard, okay?


    ''''As for Rion, I don''t think a few things will ruin him... but even so, he''s the heir of a frontier earl''s family, please return the five bodies safely.


    I knew I shouldn''t react, so I tried to silently join my grandpa.......but I found myself holding Albert''s head to the side and catching Cain''s back collar with my other hand.


    ''Well, if you can move that quickly, you have nothing to worry about for the journey ahead I''m sorry, I apologize, forgive me.


    Give me... up... no, I think my powers are back...


    Cain, who had just been grabbed by the back collar, didn''t seem to be in much pain, but Albert, who had been hit with a headlock, looked quite painful.


    ''''It''s scary how unconscious actions are...''''


    ''It''s really scary how unconsciously you can block two men from doing something.


    If it really was unconscious, that is.


    Albert was right, it wasn''t really unconscious or anything but.......I didn''t particularly need to correct him, so I just smiled at the two of them and didn''t say anything. Both of them had a slightly stronger expression on their faces, but they quickly headed to the guild leader''s office to discuss with Yuri-san.


    ''''Rion, you''re here. I heard that everyone except me, Grandpa and Rion had something to do tonight, so the three of us were going to have dinner together, so that''s what we''re going to do. Also, I have something important to talk about at that time, so I''m sorry, but please refrain from canon.


    He sought out Rion in ''The Search'' and immediately told him his requirements. He then told Kanon, who was still at Rion''s side, that he would not allow him to sit with him in a strong tone of voice.


    Perhaps because of the slightly harsh tone, Kanon seemed to want to say something, but in the end he nodded without saying anything.


    That night.


    Leon, what are you going to do about the canon?


    What, canon?


    After getting Rion lightly drunk, Grandpa cut him off from the matter with Kanon.


    You''ve noticed that Kanon has a thing for you. You know the trouble you are causing Chris, Albert and Cain because you let it go unattended?


    ''I''m aware of one thing but I just don''t know what to do about it.


    Rion''s argument is that he understands that the three of them are in trouble, but he doesn''t know how to fix it.


    It''s the quickest way to do it," he said, "is to cut ties with Kanon. If you refuse to do so, then the canon will give up on you. And because you don''t do that, you''re being half-hearted, which makes Kanon think there''s still hope for him.


    Rion is listening to his grandfather, who is lecturing him in a very serious manner, in an honest manner. I''m sitting next to them, but I don''t have a chance to get into the conversation, so I''m quietly listening to the conversation and occasionally pouring drinks into their empty cups. After a while.


    ''In the first place, you can''t go out with him because of your small breasts!��If you''re a man, don''t you at least tell me you''re going to make it big!��Every man has a flaw or two!��Look at Chris!��Small-breasted and fierce!��And yet he''s so idealistic and selective about men!��Compared to that, canon is a prime property!


    ''Certainly!��Miss is too idealistic and wants to be cool, so I can have it with younger homos*xuals, but I''ve never seen her being approached by a man!


    Grandpa started saying some pretty bad things. Maybe I got a little carried away and gave him too much to drink. I don''t get very drunk myself, so I guess I made the mistake of asking for a stronger drink when I ordered instead of them. It''s a good thing that this is the private room of the restaurant where Albert and Cain showed me around before, so it''s soundproofed well, and I didn''t hear any other customers. Ugh. That''s how much the current situation was something that couldn''t be shown to others.


    ''''It sounds like we''re going off topic, but in the end, Rion, you''re saying that you take canon seriously, right?


    ''Oh!��Because I can''t bother everyone else any more than I already have!


    ''Well, you don''t have two words for a man, do you?��Oh, and guys ... especially Chris and Albert and Cain, make sure you apologize for being so careful.


    ''Oh!��You know what?


    Okay, I get it!��Then drink!��Grandpa, keep drinking, too!


    It became too much trouble, so I decided to just say what I wanted to say and destroy it. And Grandpa, too. If I continued to listen to them, I was going to lose my mind.


    An hour later.


    Finally, it''s crushed...


    Finally, they were quiet. So.


    I need more food, please.


    We decided to call the waitress and have a leisurely meal. By the way, Rion (in his drunken state) said he would pay for this place, so I kept his wallet before it went under... Well, I don''t think Rion''s wallet was enough, so I also kept my wallet from my grandpa (in his drunken state). Furthermore.


    ''Slarin, Shilomar, Solomon, Gol and Jill, you have permission to come out. But don''t freak out.


    He was attacking Grandpa''s wallet.


    And the next day....


    ''Temma, I don''t have any money in my wallet.


    My potatoes.


    What are you talking about, guys?��It''s bound to happen if you keep getting so carried away and asking for expensive drinks. And you said you were going to pay for it, but you didn''t give it up. And you forgot about it and... and we had to take you home!��Both of you need to stop drinking so much alcohol that you lose your mind. It''s bad for you.


    ''Hey Jeanne do you think what Tenma-sama is saying is true?''


    ''Shh!��No more than that.


    ''Aura. Since we took the bribe, we are Temma''s accomplices.


    ''Yes. Even if you think it, don''t say it out loud.


    ''Yes. I''m sorry for Master Merlin, but Leon has caused me so much trouble, and this is more than enough.


    The ladies are my accomplices (buddies) as I have bribed them with the to-go food I ordered before leaving the restaurant yesterday. So, if there is anything wrong with the food, I won''t point it out. In addition, I bought drinks for Albert and Cain.


    They were stressed out because I lectured (more like a threat, apparently) the canon yesterday while I was sobering up Leon, so they drank the bribe liquor until late in the morning yesterday, and they are still sleeping.


    ''But then, are Albert and Cain still asleep?��I want to leave quickly, so Leon you''re dead. Mr. Temma, please go wake him up for a moment.


    It''s not a good idea to put Jeanne and her friends in the room where Albert and Cain, who are noblemen, were sleeping, so I was to be used as a paciously. Well, I felt more sorry for the two people who were mentally exhausted and being knocked out of bed than me being used as a pastry, so I didn''t say anything and listened to Chris-san''s orders.


    ''''Well then, I''ve left a note for Rion, and I''ve asked the guild leader to do it, so there''s no need to worry about it............................then let''s get going!


    Chris-san''s order was to leave Russell City for the day.


    Yuri, who looked tired, Kanon, who looked frightened, and the guild staff, who were sad to say goodbye to Shiroumaru and Solomon, came to see us off.


    As soon as Kanon saw Chris-san, he bowed his head deeply and apologized, and Chris-san accepted the apology, so on the surface it was a form of reconciliation... but from the side, it might be a little problematic that it looked like Chris-san was threatening him to make him apologize.


    ''''Well then, Yuri-san. I''ll take care of Leon. That guy is asleep at the inn right now, so if he wakes up and realizes that no one is there, I''m sure he''ll be the first to charge into the guild.


    ''''Leave it to me ... just in case, you''ve told Rion-sama that you''re going ahead, right?


    Yuri was relieved when he replied that he was telling her. If it was something he was informed about beforehand, he thought that Rion''s confusion was only temporary.


    ''''Temma-kun!��Let''s get the hell out of here!��If we stay here forever, Leon might find out!


    Hearing Chris''s words, Yuri said, "What? He let out a voice, so he ordered (...) Jeanne at the gosha seat to get into the carriage and leave before they found out.


    It would take us less than ten days to reach our next destination, Gunjo City, even if we took a detour. At this rate, we might be able to return to the royal capital before the snow falls.


    We left Russell City, ignoring Yuri''s shouting as we thought about it.

 193-Chapter 13-1 The night before arrival

    So that''s ten wins, two losses and three draws.


    ''''Well you could lose more, couldn''t you?��You say it''s not in perfect condition, but it''s not too pretty.


    With about half a day to go before we made our way slowly to Gunjo City, we were camped out.


    Since we had traveled three days earlier than planned so far, we took an early rest so that we wouldn''t get tired when we entered Gunjo City. Well, the reason they were able to move so quickly was because Chris, Albert and Cain, who were determined not to let Leon catch up with them, worked hard on their party.


    The reason why the three of them worked so hard was to get back at Russell City for the trouble they had caused us, and also because, ''If we had finished our own business and started the next trip when Rion arrived in Gunjo City, Rion would have had a very interesting reaction.


    Chris suggested that we should check our physical condition in a real battle style match, and we have been doing this several times every time we have camped out since we left Russell City.


    The results of the mock matches were one minute from my two losses in the first camp and one minute from two in the next camp. And I''ve been on a winning streak since the wins came in. This isn''t because I''m completely back in shape, but because I''ve gotten used to the way my body works now and I''ve changed the way I fight.


    When I lost back-to-back fights, I fought in a normal sense, when I fought in a draw, I fought mainly on defense, and now I fought for counters. When he had won consecutive fights, he assumed that his opponent was not Chris, but Ding, so he could move his body and use his mind as much as possible. Because of that, he didn''t have much time to relax mentally in comparison to his results.


    ''''Even if you try to take countermeasures, you get better and better with each match, so you keep falling one step short... Temma-kun, that''s very unpleasant.


    Please don''t say anything that could be misunderstood. If it''s too much, I''m afraid I''m going to spill my grievances inadvertently... right in front of Mary.


    ...and you''re going to tell me.


    Temma, now with me!


    As I was glaring at Chris-san, Amur stood up for the position, but with Amur''s forceful fighting style, it was unlikely that I would be able to put up a decent fight under the current circumstances, so I had to decline the position for the umpteenth time.


    I''d like to say, "Well then, I''d like to say me and.......but I don''t think I''d be able to replace Chris-senpai.


    Cain ran in Amour''s vein, but he decided on his own that he didn''t have as much to give as Chris did, and he chuckled as he said something self-deprecating.


    ''That''s not the point, it looks like dinner is almost ready, so why don''t you go sweat it out?


    Cain''s words made me realize it was time for dinner and I gave Chris the go ahead. The first time I said it like it was ladies first, Chris said


    ''What!��You want to be after me?��You have such a hobby.


    I joked about it, so after I ignored Chris for the first day only and I went in first and took over the bath until just before dinner was ready, Chris stopped saying that. He didn''t want to eat his dinner smelling like a stone, so he put off his dinner and went into the bath, but by the time he got up, most of his dinner had been eaten, and he didn''t want to take a bite of black bread and dried meat alone anymore.


    However, if I try to get into the bath after Chris-san gets in, Amour, Aura, and Jeanne clean the bath right away, so it takes a little longer for me to get in. Well, I let them do what they want because it feels good to get into the new hot water, but it''s inevitably just before dinner time, so depending on how long it takes to cook and Chris, we may be late getting to our seats.


    ''So, how long do you plan to stay in Gunjo City?''


    ''Maybe five days - I know a lot of people there, and it''s a place you can go whenever you feel like going, so I''m sure it could be shorter, but not so much for Primera and Albert, right?


    Since Primera belongs to the Knights of Gunjo City, she won''t be able to leave so easily, and Albert basically has to be in the royal capital, so there shouldn''t be much opportunity for the two of them to meet.


    ''''Yeah, well I guess so.''''


    It didn''t seem to be the answer I was expecting, and Cain replied in a distracted manner. Well, as Cain, he probably expected it to be because I wanted to meet with Primera or something like that, but I''m finally getting used to the way I treat women, so I don''t have the time to speak so lightly, and I''m not the kind of character who can even say such things.


    ''''That said, I wonder how Rion is doing right now?''''


    ''Oh, yeah ... maybe around the time the frontier count''s letter arrived?��Assuming the letter is received, I''m guessing we''ll be leaving Russell City tomorrow or the day after.��Given that, it might be difficult for us and Leon to meet up in Gunjo City.


    He saw the frustrated look on my face as I obviously changed the subject, but that look quickly returned and he began to predict Rion''s behavior. And at the end, he seemed to be enjoying himself very much as he thought of Rion''s panic.


    ''Master Temma, it looks like Chris will be getting out of the bath in a little while. Amur is waiting with a brush, so I''m sure of it... By the way, what is the city (...), of Russell City or Gunjo City?


    After talking with Cain for a while, Aura came over to let me know when Chris was done with his bath, and at the same time, she asked me what the city(...) meant. Apparently, it came up in a conversation with Jeanne and the others, but Aura didn''t seem to know what it meant. So it seems that she came to secretly ask me at the same time as reporting to me, and she is constantly paying attention to Jeanne and Leni-san.


    I heard that they call it ''City'' now, but it was called ''Ichi'' in the past. It seems that Russell City and Gunjo City were not created as a result of the development of towns and villages, but rather they had markets to sell the crops and handicrafts of the surrounding towns and villages, as well as the hunter''s catch. It is said that the name of the place was changed from ''market'', meaning a place to buy and sell, to ''market'', meaning a busy place. As a result, it is said that the name of the place was changed from ''Ichi'', meaning a place to buy and sell, to ''Shi'', meaning a busy place.


    Huh.........so that''s what it meant.


    When I spoke while recalling the things I had researched when I lived in Gunjo City, Aura was impressed as she sounded like she was out of the loop.


    ''As expected, you know a lot about Temma since you lived there. There are a lot of people who know enough to have changed from the marketplace, but not many who can explain it in that much detail.


    ''Ha!��Could it be that Amur didn''t know what the city meant when he prepared to clean up early?


    I can''t see Amur in the carriage waiting for Chris-san to bathe, but maybe Aura is right.


    When Chris-san came out of the carriage while wiping her hair, Amour followed suit. He probably finished cleaning while Chris-san was changing clothes, but the time has definitely been reduced over the past few days, and if we''re talking about cleaning the carriage''s bath, Amour''s ability is probably second only to Aina''s.


    ''''Well then, let''s go take a bath, shall we?''''


    I''m glad to see that since Leni-san joined us, there has been no assault from Amur, so I can take a bath in peace. Rather, what I''m worried about is Aura rather than Amour. It''s not that Aura attacks me with her dirty mind, but she comes into the bathroom or into the carriage while I''m changing in the middle of a bath or in the middle of a change of clothes, and every time she does so, Chris and Amur get angry at her. As for Jeanne, she seems to be making a note of the number of times Aura has inadvertently entered the bathhouse, and she plans to submit the note to Aina when she returns from this trip.


    When I got out of the bath, the meal was ready, and I seemed to have made it just in time. Today''s main course was barbecued meat, so if we hadn''t made it in time, we might have had a meal without a main course.


    They would go to bed early after the meal, but this time they wanted to get into Gunjo City as early as possible, so they decided to leave the guards to Surarin, Shilomar, and Solomon, and they also decided to have Surarin command ten golems. In addition to that, the men would sleep in tents outside the carriage so that they would be ready to deal with anything that might come up.


    ''Well then, tomorrow we''ll leave as soon as the sun rises and try to get into Gunjo City before noon. Then we''ll disperse!


    At my signal, each of us headed off to our own sleeping quarters. Well, aside from the women sleeping in the carriage, the men had to set up their tents for their own sleeping quarters, so they had to get to work now.


    After we set up the tent, we would start to sweat, but we couldn''t take a bath in the women''s area of the carriage, so we would have to wipe ourselves with a water-wet cloth and wait until the women woke up in the morning. I refrain from doing so unless there''s something very wrong. Incidentally, the ones who were seen naked at that time were Grandpa and Rion, and moreover, it was an accident that they were seen from the front when they were in a fit of posing completely naked. This was the only time that Aura was carelessly seen naked, and the two who were seen were criticized by everyone. Well, since their full-on posing was unseemly even for the same s*x, I laughed at them and said it was a good idea.


    For those reasons, I just wipe off the sweat, but since it''s morning and the ladies use the bathroom first, the men''s bath is inevitably late. Moreover, we are scheduled to arrive in Gunjo City before noon tomorrow, so we may not have time to sweat it out slowly.


    ''It''s a race against time...''


    I fell asleep, muttering about it....


    ''I don''t know why this is happening...''


    Slarin woke me up in the middle of the night. Slarin, who woke me up, is apologetic.


    The reason I was woken up is because of Shiroumaru and Solomon. These guys apparently started watching the area after we went to bed, but in the process they found a herd of boars and decimated them. I''m not so sure about the destruction, but since wild boars are recommended to be exterminated as a pest in this area, and the damage they can do to crops is not very fashionable, it''s not really a problem. The problem was that there was more than one pack of boars that we had destroyed, and many wolves had approached us, caught by the smell of blood from the destruction.


    With Shiroumaru here, the wolves are only asking for us in the distance right now, but it''s only a matter of time before they try to attack us.


    I''m sure it''s only a matter of time before they try to attack us," he said, "but for now, we''ll increase the number of golems and heighten the security of the surrounding area, and collect the boars in the magic bag. Solomon, Slarin, leave the bag with some of the boars in it, leave it far away from the others. When you drop them off, we''ll split the boars'' bellies so they can release their scent. Don''t risk going after us if they can get to us safely, if they can find food, some of them will head that way. That should cut down on their numbers by a lot, but don''t be shy about knocking down anyone who comes at you!


    When I gave the order, Slarin took the bag and rode Solomon. Then, after soaring into the air, Solomon circled above the wolves and then flew away, dangling the boar as if to guide him away.


    ''I knew a few of them were caught and moved away... Shilomar, you''re ahead of the curve!��Go jump into one of those guys and kick them around as much as you can!


    Won!


    Shiroumaru, who had been lying down with his belly showing, as if he was sorry, just a few minutes ago, listened to my orders and rushed at the wolves with great effort to clear his name.


    ''''The boar, too, but aren''t there too many wolves?


    As I was thinking about this as I watched the wolves being kicked around, Grandpa came out of the tent.


    ''''Is the battle about to be over?''''


    Grandpa said he noticed the wolves at the beginning, but they came out slowly and ready to go as I was dealing with them.


    ''If you were awake, you should have come out earlier.


    If I had left in a hurry, there wouldn''t have been anything for me to do. I''m sure you''d be happy to do it slowly if you just stared at me.


    ''Well, you''re right. Besides, it was the slarin'' guys and the golem that worked, so it''s like I was just staring blankly at them too... but yeah!


    Most of the wolves had begun to flee, so I asked Grandpa to take care of Shiroumaru and decided to build a bathhouse (...) while I was at it.


    ''We should have done this all along,''


    I made three walls out of clay magic and hung a curtain on the last side to replace the walls. Then, in the space inside, he placed a barrel of sake that had previously been used as a bathtub and filled it with hot water to create a bath. Then he quickly took off his clothes and took a bath.


    ''Nuh-uh!��It''s not fair that you take a bath by yourself while I do your chores!


    I can''t let you two in at the same time, so you''ll have to be patient with me until I get up there.


    Well then, reheat the water before I go in!


    Yes, sir!��Ah!��Also, when Slarin comes back, tell him to gather the rest of the defeated boar and the wolf in one place.


    You''re not very good with people...well, just think of it as bath money. I''ll call on Albert and Cain as well. It''s a pity that they''re the only ones without a bath.


    With that, Grandpa went to the tent to wake them up. Maybe he was more than half lying when he said he felt sorry for those two, and he was really trying to get them to help him gather the boars and wolves. Maybe they''re going to let them do some simple sorting, too.


    "Albert, we''re up!


    Finally, well it''s a little overdue.


    They were happy at first when Grandpa woke them up and told them they would be able to take a bath, but when he told them that they had to retrieve a boar and a wolf to get in, they looked very uncomfortable. Well, they were woken up out of the blue and made to do some fishy work. It would be hard to get out of bed.


    ''Well, it''s easy because all I have to do is divide what the golem brings me into magic bags according to size, but the smell of blood is too much for me to smell the quicksand. It''s on my clothes too.


    Albert frowned at the smell on his clothes as he headed for the bathroom.


    ''For now, we''re done with our work, right?


    Cain comes to visit me with concern, but as a matter of fact, there are still some boars left. However.


    I''ll take care of the rest with Slarin and the others and you can go back to your tent.


    It''s too much to ask to go back and collect the boars after the bath, and there are only a few boars left. I don''t like the smell of the boars after a bath, but there''s no problem with leaving the rest of the boars in the same group without sorting them. After all, we''ll use the rest of the boar for our meals.


    I''m not sure if the boar is less than seventy years old. And a mixed pack of ordinary boars and dashboars - I''ve never heard of that before, but they''re the same kind of creatures, so maybe that''s possible. So, the wolves are about thirty. Most of them ran away or left, so if you put them all together there might have been about a hundred.


    He spread out his ''search'' to search for the wolves, but they seemed to have already fled quite far away, and only one pack of a few animals was caught in the ''search''.


    ''''Could it be that the anomaly in the ''Great Old Man''s Forest'' has affected them so far?''''


    It was quite far away from the ''Great Old Man''s Forest'' so it might be overthinking it, but since that was the only cause I could think of, I decided to report it to the guild in Gunjo City just in case.


    ''''Huh ... it was a nice bath.''''


    As I was thinking about this and collecting the golems I had put out to deal with the boars and wolves, Albert came up from the bath with a look of satisfaction on his face.


    ''If Albert''s up, I''ve got one last job to do.


    Hmm?��Is there anything more you need to do?


    I guess he thought he was going to get caught up in the last job, but Albert slowly backed up and asked me as he kept his distance from me...


    I don''t need your help. The last thing I need is to wipe Shiroumaru and Solomon down.


    Then I''ll be fine without me.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what you''re going to be doing," he said with a relieved look on his face, as he hurriedly returned to his tent before I could change my mind.


    The next person who took a bath after me, Grandpa, was the first to get out of the bath, and as soon as he got out of the bath, he drank a glass of liquor and was the first to snore in the tent.


    I called for Shiroumaru and Solomon, who had just returned from hunting, and he came over to me, but Shiroumaru, who seemed to feel that he was being washed, tried to run off in the opposite direction at once and was stowed away in his slarin''. The most important thing to remember is that Shiroumaru, who was spat out in front of me, saw Solomon, whose body was just being wiped with a wet towel, and he was quiet. I''d like to wash Shiroumaru, but doing so in the middle of the night would take until morning, so I''ve decided to hold off until Gunjo City. As a compromise, we just wiped Shiroumaru with a wet towel this time.


    Sure enough, Shiroumaru was dirty from wild boar''s and wolf''s blood, as well as from mud and grass that he had gotten from hunting, and the dirt didn''t come off in one go. So it didn''t remove the smell.


    ''Surarin, when I get some time in Gunjo City, I''ll get Jeanne and Aura to help me clean up Siloumal.


    As I watched Shiroumar, who had finished being wiped, pull away from me, I would talk to Slarin in a small voice about my decision. And early that morning.


    Oh, hey, Temma. What''s that?


    I looked at Chris-san''s pointing direction, who had stopped to say hello halfway through the greeting, and there was the bathhouse he had forgotten to break down in the hot water.


    ''''Hmmm.......you said you were going to leave early in the morning, but in the middle of the night, just the guys, enjoying the open-air bath.


    It''s a simple bathroom, so it''s not as good as an open-air bath, but for Chris, if he can bathe while looking at the night sky, it''s probably worth it in an open-air bath. But.........


    ''Chris at least stop showing your exposure habits in the streets.


    Amur was taken aback by this. However, the idea seemed to be the consensus of not only Amour, but also the women, except for Chris, who all looked at Chris as if pleading with him.


    ''There''s no way I''m of that nature!


    ''But Chris, if you say something like you wanted to use a bathroom where you could see the whole inside of it with just a bit of wind, and in a situation where the men were nearby, you can''t blame me for suspecting that you have a strange taste.


    Leni''s point made Chris think about it, and he looked at Amour and the others again.


    I simply wanted to take a bath in the open!


    I exclaimed. And shortly after that, he told Amur, "I knew you had a habit of exposure! I retreated to the carriage bathroom in a huff.


    ''Well, let''s leave Chris''s s*xuality aside shall we get on with it?��The meal will be a made up one, but for that, when we get to Gunjo City, we''ll say we''re going to eat something good.


    And so we left the encampment. Of course, we retrieved the bathhouse curtain and a barrel of sake to use as a bath tub, and destroyed the mud walls. Otherwise, it might be misused by some strange people, or it might become a bed for demons.


    We talked with everyone that it was a little later than planned, but it would be acceptable, and we ate breakfast at a place other than Gosha''s Albert, but in the meantime, Chris-san continued to stay indoors, and eventually Leni-san convinced him to come out.


    Mr. Chris, who had stopped withdrawing, had a lot of excuses for what he had just said when he came out, so we didn''t say anything, we just listened. It would be a shame if he said something weird and took over the bathroom and toilet again.

 194-Chapter 13-2 Fake Disturbance

    Temma, the city of Gunjo is in sight.


    Cain, the driver, announced that he was about to see Gunjo City.


    "Cain. Head to the guard''s station next to the main gate. When you get close, the guards should come out, so show the Duke of Sangha''s family crest and follow their lead.


    After hearing Cain''s report, Albert gave instructions while handing over the family crest of the Sangha Dukes'' family. In case you''re wondering, even in Gunjo City, there''s a kind of entrance screening for entering inside, but since Albert is with him this time, he says that he can use the entrance that is almost free to enter instead of the general screening.


    When Cain proceeded with the carriage as Albert said, the guards standing at the entrance approached and began guiding the carriage after confirming the family crest of the Sanga duke family that Cain had produced.


    ''''I will contact the knights, please wait for a while.


    The guards led the way into the city and I was wondering if I could move freely as it was, when one of the guards ran off with those words.


    ''''Albert, what is it?''''


    ''''Yeah, this time it''s a gathering of celebrities, including me, so I thought it would be a big deal if they found us, so I told the knights to come to escort us when we arrived. If they swarmed us, it wouldn''t be a problem in terms of strength, but we can''t eliminate them by force. Especially since Temma has been operating here for a long time, all sorts of people are likely to approach us,


    Albert''s consideration was certainly appreciated. It was true that between the time he left Kukri Village and joining up with his grandfather, it was in Gunjo City that he lived the longest, and it was also the city where he officially started his activities as an adventurer. In that sense, those involved would be second only to the royal capital. Whether it was a friendly one or not.


    ''''It looks like you''re here.''''


    One knight on horseback and a few fast-footed knights were coming towards them from the direction Cain had turned his head.


    ''Isn''t that the Primera?''


    ''Yes. The fact that I''m coming means that the Fourth Squad, commanded by the Primera, will be escorting me.


    I think it''s a natural progression for Albert to nominate the troops with his sister (Primera), but because of the conversation with Cain the day before, I have a hunch that he''s planning something. Well, it''s more comfortable for Primera to come than for the other captains to come, so even I''m grateful for that.


    ''''Gunjo City Knights Unit 4, we will now arrive on escort duty!


    Primera, who was more nervous and stubborn than anyone else, saluted from her horse (...).


    ''''Well Primera, don''t you think it''s disrespectful to your escort target?''''


    There are three people of higher status than Primera in the target of this escort. One of them, Albert, his own brother, pointed out with dismay at his sister''s mistake.


    ''''I''m sorry!��Yikes!


    The panicked Primera was in too much of a hurry to dismount from her horse with her stirrups not fully removed, and caught her foot as she tried to dismount and escaped from the difficulty with Albert holding her just before she hit the ground.


    Then, looking embarrassed, she lightly adjusted her clothes.


    ''And so, as usual. My name is Primera von Sangha, Captain of the Fourth Squadron of the Knights of Gunjo City. I will be your escort this time!


    Again, he saluted in front of us. It''s not the kind of face you would care about, but there are some of Primera''s subordinates as well, so I guess that means you have to at least make sure you''re on the right track. By the way, those subordinates are knights who have taught their deputies how to clean and sort in the past, so they must be familiar with Primera''s mistakes. None of them showed any signs of surprise. Well, that might be a problem, but since the three people of higher status than Primera.......Albert, Cain, and Chris-san didn''t show any particular signs of concern, it''s probably just a matter of Primera ending up receiving a personal scolding later on.


    ''''Well then, let the escort begin!


    When the Primera was about to give instructions to her men to start leading us in.


    ''Primera, you get in the carriage. We need to discuss our plans for the future. Temma, since that''s the case, may I have Primera ride with you?


    I don''t mind.


    So it seems that the time for Primera''s scolding was quickening. Hearing Albert''s words, Primera looked reserved, but as soon as Albert ordered his deputy to refuse to leave, she meekly followed Albert''s instructions and got into the carriage.


    ''Ah, yes. Sub-commander, please go first to the ''Fullness Pavilion''. When you come to Gunjo City, there are some people who need to be the first to greet you.''''


    In Gunjo City, where I was until three years ago, the people I saw the longest time were definitely my father and wife. And I think they were the two people who gave me the most trouble and trouble. Incidentally, the second most annoying person I''ve had to deal with is undoubtedly Flute. After all, even though he wasn''t a legitimate guild member, he had brought in a tremendous amount of prey and left most of the work to him.


    Since it would take time to stop by the ''Full stomach Pavilion'' and then the guild, I''d like to ask for forgiveness by going to the ''Knight''s Headquarters'' from the ''Full stomach Pavilion'' to complete the various formalities and then showing up for the third time.


    ''''Isn''t that Temma!��Why don''t you at least give me a heads up that you''re coming?


    As soon as we entered the Fullness Pavilion, an old man came running up to us. There was a line of customers lined up in front of the shop, many of whom were looking for sweets, but it was Albert''s decision to put out the Duke of Sangha''s family crest that made way for the customers like the Ten Commandments of Moses.


    ''It really is a temma!


    ''Ah!��It''s been a long time since your wife...?


    The landlady arrived late and found a baby sleeping peacefully in her arms.


    Oh, is that him?��She''s our daughter, and she was just born this summer.


    I''m pretty sure the old man was close in age to Uncle Mark, so his wife must be close in age to both of them. That''s why they had a child, which in this world means it''s a pretty old birth... well, it''s something I hear about occasionally in my past life, so it was less of a surprise than the other sides.


    By the way, I heard that my daughter''s name is ''Soleil''. The moment I heard that, I unexpectedly thought, ''Isn''t it Mineva?'' and so on. Well, I didn''t say it out loud, and for some reason I just thought it, so it must have looked like I was surprised from the sidelines...maybe.


    After that, I introduced them to Jeanne and the others that they didn''t know, as the two of them had business to attend to, and we lightly talked about what had happened so far, and then I promised to show up again in the evening, and we were going to head to the Knights'' headquarters.


    And then we went outside and were about to get into the carriage.


    It really is Temma!


    It''s true!


    The rumors were true!


    And Lily, Nellie, and Millie came running up to them. But


    I won''t touch the dancer!


    Stop right there!


    Stop, sir!��Stop!


    Amour, Jeanne and Aura blocked the path of the ''Wildcat Princess''.


    ''''Why are you blocking me!''''


    Get out of my way!


    I''m going to see Temma!


    Lily and the others are complaining to the three who are blocking their way, but Amour and the others don''t seem to be willing to retreat. At any rate, they tried to call out to the three to stop them, but before they could, Amour was glaring at the Primera.


    Primera, we''ll do our job. We are to be guarded by the Petit Melas. We won''t let anyone who doesn''t know them come running to us!


    I scolded in a voice that the rest of my men could hear. Primera was still lost, though.


    ''Primera, Amur is right. Your job is to protect us, and your job is supposed to be to put our (...) safety first, even if it''s someone Temma knows and I know, and that should be stopped first.


    As soon as he heard Albert''s words, he stepped in between Lily and the others and Amour and took Lily and the others to a place a little further away, perhaps to persuade them.


    ''Albert......................''


    Phew!


    Amour gave Albert a thumbs up, and Albert smiled lightly back at Amour. After all, it''s not just me right now, there''s a nobleman named Chris-san, the heir apparent of a great nobleman like Albert and Cain. If you''re going to make sure, you can''t let anyone get close to you. At least, while you have an escort.


    ''''Then when you come to the Fullness Pavilion at night, we''ll join you!


    ''Wash your head and wait, Amur!


    I''ll have Aura and her flabby chest!


    The three of them left a line like the three below...............................and went into the Manchuria Pavilion. Primera said that the three of them rented the room I used to use before and used it as a base of operations.


    ''You can call on me anytime!


    "We''re gonna get you back!��After all, jealousy is unseemly!


    "...how is it that my name isn''t mentioned?


    Amour and Aura were barking at The Wildcat Princess, but Jeanne asked, "Are you shady?��No features? He was troubled, but in Jeanne''s case, he thought that she was simply caught up in Amour and Aura, or inspired by them.


    After the encounter with ''Wildcat Princess'', Primera was warned by Albert again in the carriage on the way to the Knights'' headquarters. As for me, I think there is no way around Primera''s response at that time, but what Albert and Amour said makes sense in terms of dealing with her while on escort duty, so I couldn''t protect Primera.


    After a while, we arrived at the Knights'' headquarters, where the various procedures and guards were discussed during our stay in Gunjo City, and we heard the recent story of Gunjo City from the General Captain, Alan. One of them told me that something amazing was happening in the guild, but he didn''t tell me what it was, but told me that it would be fun to see it in person. Among other things, we learned that Simon, the second troop leader, and Aida, the third troop leader, had gotten married and that Aida had retired because she was having a child. Finally, the Primera''s faults (greeting on horseback and not stopping the Wildcat Princess) were exposed to Amur, and the Primera was scolded by Alan as well. As punishment for those things, she was made to leave the Order temporarily and accompany us during our stay, acting as a guide and link between us and the Order.


    I''ve heard that the second-in-command will take command of the fourth unit while Primera is away, but I''ve heard that there''s no problem in terms of ability, as there was a proposal to replace Aida. Incidentally, the reason why the second-in-command declined to be the commander of the third unit was because it would be problematic for someone from another unit to suddenly rise to the top, and he was more concerned about Primera than anything else.


    ''So now it''s the Guild. What about Albert?


    ''I''m thinking of showing up at the Guild once, too. But I''ll have to go to the Gunjo City Council first.


    So, with the exception of Albert, the rest of the members decided to head to the guild. Albert, who suddenly decided to act alone, had a slightly lonely expression on his face, but since there would be secrets to report to the assembly, etc., there was no one to accompany him, since he would only be bored even if he followed them. Well, instead, a few people from the fourth unit would accompany them as guards, so it wasn''t like they were completely alone.


    ''''So, Primera, what''s going on in the guild?''''


    ''Well, that''s ... I don''t think you''ll believe me if I say it with my mouth, so I think it''s better if you see it in person.


    Since they wouldn''t tell me anything when I asked, I decided to check directly with the guild, but from Primera''s tone of voice, it didn''t seem like a bad thing, so there wouldn''t be any trouble... until I opened the guild''s door.


    Opening the door of the adventurer''s guild in the nostalgic Gunjo City, the first thing that jumped out at me was an unbelievable scene, though not a very good one.


    ''''Temma, what''s wrong?''''


    What I saw was a sight I couldn''t fully comprehend in my mind, and I reflexively closed the door... I opened the door again, ready to go, but I had the same reaction again.


    ''What the hell is going on here?''


    I''m curious.


    When Cain and Chris saw the second rejection, they pushed me away, like they were curious, and opened the door and looked inside together, but....


    I think I''m going blind. Maybe it''s my head...


    I''m afraid I''m going to have to give it to you, Temma.


    Cain and Chris had the same symptoms as I did. My grandfathers looked at us and seemed terribly confused. In the meantime.


    You''ve been slamming doors and making too much noise for me to concentrate on work.��........I mean, it''s Temma. If you''re here, why don''t you just go inside, what are you doing?


    The one who opened the door from inside and yelled at us was Max Belcap, the guild leader of the Gunjo City Adventurer''s Guild.


    Everybody get away!��He''s an imposter!


    Right!


    Jeanne and Aura, run to the Order''s headquarters at once!


    Me, Cain, and Chris took out our weapons and took up a defensive stance.


    ''''Oh, hey........''''


    Don''t move!��Where have you sent the real guild leader!


    ''Right. The real thing is a tired old man with no such fresh smile at all.


    The fact that this kind of thing is sitting around so openly means that maybe the people in the building have already been beaten up or brainwashed... Mr. Temma, if the worst comes to the worst, please give me the magic of saying you got Rich done.


    The fake one in front of us has a surprised look on his face, but I guess that''s just an act to get us to let our guard down. The grandpa didn''t seem to understand what was going on. For the time being, they were ready to move at any time. In such a situation, Primera was the only one trying to stop us, but it was dangerous to approach unarmed, so Chris-san grabbed my sword and pulled me backwards.


    The first move!��I was just about to cut into the fake...


    What''s the fuss about?


    Along with a familiar voice from inside the guild, the person I wanted appeared along with a familiar voice............................but only part of it was too different from what I remembered. But it belonged to Mr. Flute, who I had heard so often........


    (Oh!��(There was an "appraisal"!)


    I was so shocked that I realized that my usual method of confirmation had slipped my mind, and I hurriedly used the ''appraisal'' on both of them....


    Real....


    They were both the real guild leader and Mr. Flute.


    ''Cain, Mr. Chris it looks like it''s real. Shiroumaru, please check it out!


    ''Wufu!��....chirp.


    As a result.........


    I knew it was a fake!


    Shilomar, get away from me!


    And the bad trend continued, and Shiroumaru followed Chris''s words and quickly left the guild leader.


    ''No, no, no!��Because it''s real!


    The guild leader desperately insisted that he was the real thing, but Cain and Chris didn''t believe him.


    ''''Both of you, that person is the real Guild Chief!


    In the end, the two of them managed to believe that it was the real guild leader, thanks to the fact that Primera had convinced them to step in between.


    ''''It''s been a long time, Flute,''''


    Yes, it''s been a really long time.


    When I left the guild leader, who was still looking at me with suspicion, and greeted Flute, he answered with the same smile as in the past.......but I still couldn''t help but look at a certain part of Flute that had changed that I didn''t remember.


    ''By the way, Flute-san.......what''s that stomach (........)?''


    Mr. Flute''s belly was bulging wide open.


    ''''Actually I was attacked by the head of the guild........''''


    At Flute''s words, the guild leader named froze. This made them more truthful and the women''s gazes sharpened. Even Primera, who seemed to know the reason the most among them, had a slightly sharper look at the guild chief.


    The head of the guild unusually bought me dinner to reward me, but the alcohol served at that time seemed to be quite strong, so I woke up this morning to find the naked head of the guild asleep beside me... ...


    ''Wait a minute!��As I''ve said many times before, I warned you not to drink that stuff at such a pace because it''s a pretty strong drink back then!


    ''But you''ve been drinking yourself a lot of low-degree stuff, haven''t you?��And you only asked for tea at the end?


    "You can''t drink that much booze at that pace!��And I''ve been drinking some pretty strong stuff, too!


    After that, their lover''s quarrel...or rather, the guild-length teasing by Mr. Flute continued. And that''s what I found out.


    So you are a lovebirds after all.


    When I said in a dumbfounded way, Mr. Flute''s cheeks were red and the guild leader was embarrassed... Flute was cute, but the guild leader''s (old man''s) embarrassment was a bit creepy.


    ''''After the old man and the wife, Flute-san has a child..............................so the celebrations continued.


    Temma you look so old.


    Amour picked up on my muttering and pointed out that I looked like an old man... does he smell like an old man enough to say that?��And then I looked at Cain for some reason.


    It''s not the language, it''s the way you said it, it''s just that you sounded a little like my dad.


    I looked around at everyone''s faces further and they all nodded at Cain''s words.


    ''''Well, that''s where you''ve become more mature... but Temma-san, the celebration is still going on. Moreover, it''s about someone who is related to Tenma-san.


    I felt our ladies'' gaze sharpened when Mr. Flute said, ''It has something to do with me. Incidentally, Primera seemed to know who that person was and said, ''''That''s what I thought. I forgot to tell you.'''' He had a look on his face like that.


    '' "First of all, please go inside the guild. It would be a nuisance to the others if you are making noise here. Besides, that ''related person'' also works for the guild.


    So, with Flute''s guidance, I decided to step into the Gunjo City Adventurer''s Guild for a long time.

 195-Chapter 13-3 Albert, Down

    When I stepped into the guild after Mr. Flute, it was more crowded and bustling than it had been when I was active in the past. And one thing I noticed.


    ''Aren''t there a lot of young adventurers, Mr. Flute?''


    There were quite a few adventurers younger than me, perhaps newcomers who had just become adventurers. Perhaps that''s why there seemed to be a battle going on in front of the bulletin board for a simple request that even a rookie could accept.


    ''''Is it okay, that?''''


    ''It''s okay. If you go too far, an experienced adventurer we have hired as a staff member or instructor will stop you, and I''ve made sure that those normal attitudes will be helpful to you when you move up in the ranks.


    Mr. Flute said, and then turned to the staff member who was staring at the newcomer who was fighting the request.


    ''You''re tougher than before, aren''t you?''


    ''''Well, there was a special exception for Temma-san, but it''s certainly tougher than it was then. Incidentally, the reason for that has something to do with Temma-san.


    Flute said that the adventurer''s guild in Gunjo City is the youngest hero in the country right now.......in other words, it''s called a place like a ''holy place'' where I officially started adventuring, and it''s the place where young people who want to become adventurers make their adventuring debut. They say that there are a lot of people these days who choose to Because of the increase in the number of people, the level of rank advancement has gone up a bit, but apparently there is still no shortage of newcomers who want to carry the experience.


    ''''And yet, no one ever comes close to you, do they?��Even though some of the veteran adventurers have noticed me and are giving me a disgusted look or a light wave.


    ''You''re new, so you can''t really pay attention to your surroundings. In that sense, though, I can''t think of a single newcomer here right now who wouldn''t be worthy of a spot on the list at the moment.


    It could be that as the number increases, there are more pins, but more kiri, too. Or it could be that the talented newcomers didn''t choose this place for their debut, where work was scarce.


    ''''Anyway, where is the woman(...) that has something to do with Temma?


    As I was talking to Mr. Flute, Amour asked Mr. Flute as he interrupted us.


    ''There she is,''


    Mr. Flute chuckled and pointed to a woman sitting in the reception area talking to a lone adventurer...Serna-san. Serna-san had the most smiling face I''ve ever seen, as if she was on good terms with the adventurer she was talking to.


    ''''That (...) is Temma and........''''


    In advance, the man I''m talking about is her lover (...)


    He''s going to be a good friend to Temma!


    Amour''s attitude changed a hundred and eighty degrees the moment he learned that Serna-san had a lover.


    ''''I''d like to say hello to Serna-san as well, but there are quite a few adventurers lined up behind your lover as well.


    She''s very popular.


    ''Ah!��Boyfriend, he hit me from behind!


    ''It happens all the time. Well, if it''s too much, the staff will go to attention, but now he''s been occupying the counter for a long time, too. It''s just barely tolerable.


    Amur''s way of saying it was a bit exaggerated, and in fact, Serna''s lover was only lightly slapped on the side by the adventurer who was standing in line behind her. Well, it seemed to be a bit beyond the ''lightly'' category, but if he was flirting with her in front of her, even though she was waiting her turn, the attention would be a bit rough.


    After being warned by the adventurer behind her, her lover quickly apologized and gave up his place. He then shyly moved to a seat a little further away, and was ''lightly'' beaten by the other adventurers even as he moved. Serna-san, too, was red-faced after being teased by the adventurer who had warned her lover, but she soon resumed her work.


    Seeing the two of them, I decided to leave the greetings for later and head to the guild leader''s office to talk with Flute and the others.


    ''''In other words, now that Flute-san has a child, the guild leader has become more serious...''''


    ''''Yes, at first, like Temma and the others in this guild, ''Fake! There was a lot of noise about it.


    ''They''re really rude, aren''t they? I was just doing my job diligently... well, unlike Temma, in their case, I could have hit them and quieted them down.


    Even though he had been retired for quite some time, it seemed that he was a former A-ranked adventurer there, and he was proud to say that he wouldn''t be able to compete with a C or D adventurer.


    ''''Well, when a B-ranked adventurer who happened to be here came out, he had me explain it to him, though.


    That''s disgusting.


    That sucks.


    You''re an a**h*le.


    "Oh, shit.


    In order, Chris, Cain, Grandpa and Amour. Jeanne and Primera seem to be thinking the same thing, although they don''t say it out loud. And.


    ''''Guild leader you''re so d*mned disgusting. It''s quintessential!


    When I gave a thumbs up and praised the guild leader one last time, as if I was summing up everyone''s thoughts, the guild leader sat down deeply on the sofa with tears in his eyes, as if he was very happy.


    ''''I''m a big guy in the guild, in case you didn''t know...''''


    ''No, there is someone greater than the head of the guild here, and in the two years I''ve been working in Gunjo City, I''ve never seen the head of the guild working. In the beginning, I even thought that Mr. Flute was the head of the guild. And when I found out that the head of the guild is someone who can''t even do half the work, I was really surprised.


    Hearing my words, Mr. Flute seemed satisfied, and Primera nodded as if to say that she was the same.


    ''''How did the Guild Chief become the Guild Chief of Gunjo City in the first place?��What do you know about it, Primera?


    No, I didn''t mean to...


    ''Ah!��I know!��I''m asking again, because my dad told me once that the Duke of Sangha told him about it!


    Primera didn''t know about it, but Cain told me he''d heard about it again, so I asked him to explain.


    The bottom line is that even if the top is not good, as long as the bottom is strong, the organization will run. Moreover, the guild leader is not in the nature to flaunt his or her power just because he or she has gained it, so it''s just right for a palanquin.


    He also said it would be easier to cut your head off if something went wrong.


    At Cain''s shocked words, everyone except one person looked surprised. Incidentally, the one who wasn''t surprised was Flute. Probably, he had heard that kind of talk from the Duke of Sangha.


    ''''I, let''s work more diligently...''''


    Or worse, we''ll take care of you?


    It''s not cool to have a baby with a father on a pimp.


    Well, I understand that, but that''s the end of the road for us, and if we push ourselves too hard, it could cause chaos downstairs and make it harder to get things right, so be moderate.


    Yes.....


    Shortly after the guild leader decided to continue to be diligent, the poor old man softly stopped him, which happened shortly after he decided to stay serious. And Flute-san also told him that it would be better for the guild, and finally the guild chief was in tears.


    ''''Temma-san, Serna-san says she''s busy with work and can''t keep her hands off of it, so she''s going to go say hello after work is done.


    ''Then tell them to come to ''Mantei'' around dinner time. I''ll probably be there until late in the evening. Also, Flute-san and the guild leader, if you have time, please come over.


    When Flute-san went to check the counter, she said so, so I decided to ask Serna-san to give her a message. And when I asked the two of them to join us, Flute-san promised that they would come together, even though the guild leader was still hanging on by a thread.


    ''''It''s over sooner than I thought.......now that we have some time, let''s go to the council headquarters, shall we?��Maybe Albert is still around, and there are people in the council who would like to say hello.


    So I came to the parliamentary headquarters, but Albert said he had passed me and was headed to the guild. Albert wasn''t there, but the person we wanted in the assembly was Serna''s uncle Marx-san, so we decided to say our requirements at the reception desk and get him to call us.......


    ''Mr. Marx isn''t here either I guess I don''t have a choice.


    I heard that Marx-san had been busy running around these days, so I asked him to give a message that if he had time in the evening, he should come to the Fullness Pavilion.


    ''''For now, let''s go back to the guild once. If Albert is going to make a move, he''s going to try to join us. If that doesn''t work, let''s go to the mansion Albert mentioned.


    At first, I thought that if we were going to stay in Gunjo City, we should go to the Manchuria Pavilion, but the Manchuria Pavilion is a popular place to stay and I didn''t know if we could get a room for all of our guests, and I heard that Gunjo City has a mansion that the dukes of the Sangha will use when they visit, so I decided to stay there. Incidentally, although Primera lives in Gunjo City, she doesn''t live in the Sangha Dukes'' mansion, but uses the Knights'' dormitory. The reason for this is that Primera wants to become independent and get an honorary knighthood in the future, and she wants to get used to living on her own (although it''s a dormitory, so it''s a bit different than living alone) as soon as possible. Later, he said it''s because the mansion is too big and he wouldn''t feel comfortable (and lonely) without his family.


    When we came back to the guild while talking about this, it was kind of noisy. At first I thought it was because the newcomers had noticed me and my grandfather coming in, but it didn''t seem to be that kind of atmosphere.


    ''Can we go inside and ask Mr. Flute...?''


    With that thought, I was about to look for Mr. Flute, but before I could do so, the knight who was supposed to have followed Albert''s escort arrived and took me to the Guild Chief''s office. Inside the guild chief''s office.


    Is the guild leader still cowering?��And, what''s with Albert''s blushing?


    In the guild chief''s office, there was the guild chief who was hanging down deeper than before, Albert who looked embarrassed, Flute who was smiling bitterly, and the knights of the guards who looked like they didn''t know what to do.


    ''''Flute-san, what happened?''''


    Well, to put it simply, Albert-sama did the same thing as Temma-san and the others. Moreover, in Albert-sama''s case, he made so much noise in the guild that the adventurers who saw it got into a bad mood, and the atmosphere became...well, more like a festival.


    Albert, who was at the center of it all, saw the adventurers starting to make a lot of noise while being amused, and apparently realized that he was mistaken, and he had been in this state since shortly before he was led to the guild leader''s office by Flute.


    ''Albert that was unavoidable. Cain did the same thing to me and Chris-san, so don''t worry about it.........................even if it''s not possible, let''s try to switch it off as an unfortunate accident. Let''s head to the pavilion first, shall we?


    Albert nods honestly to my suggestion. I''m sure he''s had this kind of embarrassment in the past, but maybe he''s never had the experience of being on his own. When you think about it, Rion, who has a blunt side and is quick to recover, might have the strongest mental strength among the three of us. Whether or not that is utilized in his normal life.


    ''''Shiroumaru, take the lead. The knights can be casual, but move around Albert. The rest of the time, just as you see fit........!��Mr. Flute, Shilomar and the others'' dog tags....


    I''m prepared.


    Thank you. I''ll see you this evening.


    When I hung the cord with the identification tag around Shiroumaru''s neck and led him out of the guild leader''s office, the guild, which had been so noisy until then, quieted down drastically. The adventurers who knew me in particular turned their faces away, even the faces of the new adventurers who were supposed to be taking care of me were turned away with all the force they could muster.


    ''''Just by looking at this reaction, you can see how much Temma was rampaging...''''


    Grandpa is saying that while looking at the adventurers around him, but it''s not my fault because I didn''t charge at him and it was all a result of him returning fire....


    ''''Come on guys, let''s get going!


    I tried to rush everyone who was watching the adventurers to leave the guild as quickly as possible, but the only ones who followed me were Albert and the knights who were following his escort.


    ''''I''m really going to leave you behind!


    I shouted as I made my way to the guild door and everyone finally started to move their feet.


    ''I''ve heard about you... but Temma-kun, you''ve been quite the troublemaker, haven''t you?


    When Chris caught up with me, he made a joke of me, and I couldn''t help but be polite.


    ''That''s why you''re not popular, Chris,''


    I said something real that I shouldn''t have said. After I said it, I said, "Shucks! I realized, but it was already too late, and Chris''s hand was about to squeeze my shoulder.


    ''What does it mean, what does it mean?''


    Chris smiled and questioned me, but his eyes were not smiling.


    ''Chris, you''ve had problems in your school days that have kept men from coming to you, haven''t you?��What difference does it make if people don''t come to me after I''ve done so much in Gunjo City?


    I knew I shouldn''t apologize here, so I got a little strong and returned the question in response to the question, but Chris didn''t expect such a question to be answered, and he relaxed from the hand placed on his shoulder.


    Without missing the moment, I pulled away from Chris, and he said, "Shucks! He was reaching for me again, but Amur interrupted between us.


    "Temma. Temma is wrong. We may do it together, but Temma has me!��And Jeanne and Primera and ... and Luna?��But Chris has no one to turn to. Even Leon, who was the only possibility, now has a stalker clinging to him and I don''t know what''s going to happen to him. I feel bad for him, but no one really...


    He dismissed Chris while selling himself. Jeanne and Primera looked at Amour with a surprised look on their faces when Amour mentioned their names, and Aura, who was beside Jeanne, asked, ''What about me?'' He looked at Amour and Jeanne''s faces in turn with a look like.


    ''''Amour you wait!


    And the promise that begins........Chris and Amour disappeared into the crowd.


    ''........Good!��Let''s go to the museum!


    Amur only created an atmosphere where he didn''t know how to react, and then irresponsibly disappeared with Chris-san, so he shouted out loud with the intention of resetting everything once. But.


    Temma take care of my sister.


    Albert took advantage of the atmosphere that Amour had created. And then he was attacked........by his own sister.


    ''Primera, you........gaha!


    Hmmm ... that''s impressive.


    Albert became quiet as he was hit by a second full-body blow from Primera, whose face turned red before he could say his next words. As expected of a stone, he seems to have mastered an efficient attack on the human body, as he usually trains on a regular basis. What''s more, the series of moves that made him suffer with the first blow and accurately reap his consciousness with the second was so brilliant that even grandpa groaned.


    ''''Temma-san did you hear something?''''


    ''No, I didn''t hear anything!��Mr. Primera!


    I was the one who said ''Primera-san'' without thinking, but I guess it was inevitable. At any rate, Cain, who was about to open his mouth to follow Albert, was also surprised by the power of Primera, and with a quick movement, he held his mouth and looked in the opposite direction... with an impatient look on his face.


    ''''I see, that''s good to hear. Also, it seems that my brother is tired from the trip, so I''ll guide you from here. You guys, carry this (...)!


    I don''t think it''s a good idea to lend a shoulder to carry a drunkard from side to side as if to support him, but that''s how powerful the primera was, so I decided not to mention this matter any further.


    ''''This is the mansion owned by the Duke of Sangha family. It''s only used once a year or so, but I''ve made sure to keep it clean and other things well managed, so there shouldn''t be any problems. Also, I''m going to return to the knight''s headquarters for a while to get some paperwork and personal belongings, so I''ll have to excuse myself for a while.


    As soon as they got to the mansion, Primera had to return to the Knights'' headquarters once. Although her tone and mood are returning to the usual Primera, she still seems to be angry with her own brother, and she said to the knight who brought Albert to her, "Leave that (...) in the storage room or something! He said. Well, after Primera was out of sight, Grandpa took custody of Albert from the knight who was unsure of what to do with him and decided to take him to a suitable room. It was decided that even Primera, who was in a quirky and angry state, wouldn''t complain if Grandpa got in between.


    ''Shiroumaru, Solomon, you can play in the garden, but don''t go near the fence or outside. Slarin, take care of the two dogs for me.


    There were several people who seemed to be looking for Shiroumaru and Solomon from the outside, but I decided to let them play with them, thinking that they wouldn''t break into the mansion belonging to the Sanga duke family as a matter of course. Even if there were intruders who wanted two of them, there wouldn''t be many who would be suitable for a demon of A rank or higher, and even if there were, on the contrary, even if he killed them, it wouldn''t be a crime, since trespassing into the duke family''s property would apply before killing them. Even so, the reason why Slarin was assigned as an overseer was to prevent the two animals from accidentally getting out, and also because if there was a reckless challenger, Slarin would be able to capture them without killing them. It''s not a problem, but we don''t want the reputation of these two to be unfairly tarnished.


    In the meantime, I asked if Gol and Jill would also go outside, but both of them seemed to prefer to relax in the dimension bag, which is like home, rather than exploring a place they didn''t know, and they only urged for food and didn''t try to approach the doorway.


    Thanks.


    The gol that came to collect the bait handed me a ball of yarn in exchange for the bait. The quality of the yarn itself is high quality by the standards of the two animals (about second from the top), but the quality exceeds that of the highest quality yarn commonly distributed, so there''s no need to have any amount of it.


    ''''That said, I''m starting to have a lot of inventory.......should I release it somewhere?


    Basically, Gol and Jill''s yarn is only sold to people they know, so the people waiting for their turn are waiting for the highest quality goods, not the highest quality goods. Moreover, since Maria-sama is in charge of managing the order, if you ask for a high quality product while waiting for the highest quality product, you might be put off your turn. Therefore, the luxury goods that have no sales channels are stored in a magic bag and are sometimes left over.


    When I took Raiden to the stable, he didn''t want to be in a small place like a stable (not that the duke''s stable is small, just that Raiden is big) and protested by kicking the ground with his paws. So I decided to let him off in the yard, as did Shiroumaru and his friends, on the condition that he didn''t get out of control, run as fast as he could, or break things.


    Raiden, who drank those conditions, slowly walked out of the gate, as if he intended to circle the grounds for the time being. Incidentally, when he looked for the three animals to go tell Slarin and the others about the conditions he had given to Raiden, it seemed that Shiroumaru had knocked down a tree earlier and was being lectured by Slarin.


    ''''Well it''s the same scene as usual. If we leave it to Slarin like that, there won''t be any problems.''''


    As usual, I was the one who was taken as the master by Slarin, but I always passed by and said, ''It saved me a lot of trouble. All I could come up with was ''easy''. If it was a normal tamer, it might be a problem, but since it''s turning out well, we must be in the best shape.............................so we went to secure the room we would use in the mansion.


    ''''It''s fine to go and secure them but since neither Albert nor Primera are here, I don''t know which room we should use.


    I was wandering around the mansion, thinking that I would choose a room again after the Primera arrived, when I noticed a few people''s presence frozen in one of the rooms.

 196-Chapter 13-4 Capture

    When did you get here?��I mean, how did you know where to go?


    When I got to the front of the room where I felt a presence, I knew who was inside by the sound of their talking. Well, they seemed to be talking in as low a voice as possible, but they were caught off guard by being in the room, and furthermore, they didn''t seem to have calculated my physical abilities, so they were talking at a level that I could hear if I concentrated a bit.


    Besides, the fact that Amur is here means that Chris-san is likely to be running around the city looking for Amur, who isn''t here. One of the reasons Chris-san hasn''t come yet is because of her argument with me, so maybe I should go look for her just in case, and I also thought it wouldn''t be a good idea to eavesdrop on a woman''s story, so I was about to leave the place for now.


    As I said, Primera is a very strong potential competitor.


    I heard Amur''s voice say. Furthermore.


    ''Family background, personality, style....all top of the line. The only thing Jeanne can win is time spent and youth....


    ''Aura, I don''t know if Miss Primera will be upset with you.


    ''Yes. Besides, Primera-san is twenty-three years older than Tenma-sama, so she''s not too far removed.


    ''Exactly. Besides, a five year age difference is more realistic compared to Chris. If you think about the kids, it''s just fine. Chris may look young, but he''s already twenty-nine years old and on the edge of a precipice, with no end in sight.


    It''s true that compared to Chris-san, Primera-san''s five years difference in age is not even close... But that''s why I''m afraid that Chris-san will use any trick he can get his hands on. But.....


    ''''It''s good that she was playing big sister and showing some leeway, but Temma-san is surrounded by only young kids, and she doesn''t pretend to show any interest in her. Furthermore, here, in many ways, your higher-ups are ready to enter the fray as your rivals... I can''t predict what Chris will do. Well, I don''t think he''s going to resort to illegal means.......I don''t think sleeping and aphrodisiac drugs will work on Tenma-san in the first place.


    It was dangerous to stay here any longer, the alarms in my head were ringing loudly. If it was just Jeanne and Aura, but with Leni-san, an agent, and Amour, who has wild instincts, the slightest mistake would give away that I was listening in.


    Thinking that, I decided to leave the place, trying to be more than usual, trying to pull out and sneak around.......


    ''Ah!��Ugh!


    From a bend in the direction of travel, an interloper (Cain) emerged. The interloper (Cain), of all things, tried to shout my name in a loud voice. I had been concentrating on my nerves to escape, and the moment I saw my fingertips coming from the corner, my body moved, anticipating and understanding the actions of the interloper (Cain). As a result, my hand held the interferer (Cain)''s mouth before his mouth could form a "Te" and I succeeded in bringing him to the end of the bend.


    In hindsight, that would have been one of the five fastest reaction times I''ve ever lived. It was a move that could only be described as a miracle, and I was so impressed with my own movements that I wondered if that was what it meant to ''enter the zone''.


    ''Mwah!''


    Can I help you, miss?


    ''I thought I saw Temma there but I was wrong.


    A few seconds after I hid around the corner, the door of the room I had been listening to earlier was thrown open and Amur was checking out the corridor. However, at that time I was already lurking around the bend a bit farther away, lurking breathlessly, so it seems that Amour couldn''t notice me and got it wrong.


    Even Cain, who was my only worry, felt my desperate presence and quieted down........


    I''m sorry, Cain. I didn''t recognize you.


    ''Whoa!��Goh-ho-ho, whoosh........goh-ho, I thought I was going to die....


    Cain, who thought he was being quiet, simply held me by my mouth and nostrils, and even more so, pressed against the wall, unable to move.


    ''What a cruel way to come to kill me I thought... what did I do to deserve that much?''


    I apologized wholeheartedly to Cain, who seemed to be pretty pissed off, but Cain wanted to know why I did that much. So I told him honestly........


    f*ck!


    They laughed at me a lot. And maybe it was because I was being careful not to be loud, but I was rubbing my forehead against the wall and banging on the wall over and over again. It wouldn''t make sense to kill his voice then, I thought, but since the room the women were in was across one bathroom and one room from each other, he couldn''t seem to hear the impact and the sound. Nevertheless, if they didn''t, they would be found out by some kind of ammunition.


    ''''For now, let''s move out of the way.


    Yeah, well... let''s move into the room I''m supposed to be using, which is....................


    Still not laughing hard enough, Cain began to lead the way to his room, struggling to stifle his laughter.


    ''''You can talk normally here. This room is for guests and all the walls are soundproofed.''''


    It seems that Cain, who has used it several times, has managed to secure a nice room.......I also thought about asking him to tell me if he found another nice room, but if he asked poorly and got a room next to Primera, it would be a lot of trouble, so Primera came and I''m going to choose from.


    ''But then again, it looks like those three are starting to get impatient with the arrival of Primera too. Well, I suppose it has something to do with the fact that they saw the baby, saw her pregnant, and saw a woman with a girlfriend.


    It''s true that those three people were a surprise to me as well. Well, partly because they are acquaintances, the shock was even greater than Jeanne and the others, but.......well, let''s not mention Serna, but as for Mrs. Omini and Mr. Flute, it''s partly because they went too far beyond what I expected.


    Even if I can''t help but be aware of it, even if it''s directed at me..........


    ''Temma, you''d better not say that much even if you think about it.


    Cain laughed when he admitted that that was a gaffe. It wasn''t polite to say it was annoying to be favored by a woman in a quirky way, but


    ''I was crying because Rion is so unconnected to women, and finally someone who seems to have a pulse is subtly out of Rion''s league and has turned into a stalker... If Tenma said that in front of Rion, he would cry blood and go crazy... I might.


    It seems he was just trying to get that line out. Sure, it''s something that Rion would have done, but....


    ''We''ll have to be careful about that. On that note, what shall we do, Chris?


    Since we''ve gotten to the point where the conversation is cutting to the chase, I''ve decided to end this conversation here. I didn''t want to continue this conversation any longer and have Cain tease me about my female relationship.


    ''''You don''t have to worry about your seniors, do you?��If you leave me alone, I''m sure I''ll come here eventually. Besides, if I go looking for you here, I don''t feel like I''m lost!


    ... "I''m sure you''re right.


    If Cain agreed at all, he was going to leave the place immediately in the name of finding Chris-san, but contrary to his expectations, Cain chose to leave Chris-san alone. Well, it''s true that Cain was right, Chris-san would have been "treated like a lost child! And although I''m about to bend my navel... Cain clearly has a face that chooses to mess with me rather than look for Chris-san.


    And just when I thought I was going to be forced to leave the scene, as bad luck would have it, I


    Uh ... that was a bad idea.


    Like a wolf at the back gate, Albert appeared with no damage left out........


    I''m sorry, Albert. Get out of the way!


    It looked weak for a wolf, so I decided to push it away without a care in the world.


    ''Gofu!��You know, that part....


    It seems that the place where I placed my hand to push him away (...) was the unlucky place where Primera had hit him, and Albert easily collapsed from his knees. Moreover, because it wasn''t powerful enough to knock him out, Albert was unable to escape from the pain by passing out, and Albert was writhing in tears.


    ''''d*mn it, he got away!��Albert, you better have your shit together!��Utterly and utterly!


    Cain, Cain help.


    Sorry, not now!


    I could hear such a conversation from behind me, but I didn''t care and ran through the hallway. And at the end of the run.


    Temma you can''t get away!


    The two of you, please call for backup while me and your daughter are in tow!


    Cheer for who?


    ''Aura call the knights and I''ll go get Slarin!


    I was being hunted down by the ladies. That and Cain, who decided that he couldn''t stop me, said, "Temma was eavesdropping on the women''s secret stories~! Because I shouted in a voice that seemed to tell me to echo throughout the mansion.


    Amour, who responded to that voice first, chased me around, Leni-san, who was ahead of me in that direction of travel, used a lasso, and Jeanne called out for Slarin, who seemed to be the most dependable in the gap. In addition, Cain was giving directions from afar, but Albert, who was still down, and Aura, who wasn''t keeping up with the groove, were not helpful.


    ''Mmmm ... Temma, you''re stubborn!


    Miss, get out of my way!��I mean, we''ll just duck it!


    ''Geez!��Mr. Leni, don''t catch me!


    Slarin, please!��And you''re not going to participate in the quicksand.


    Oh, Slarin. You''ll be able to watch the game from here.


    Ugh my stomach is still throbbing.


    The capturing of me as a target was continued in front of everyone except the participants, who were watching. In addition, the knights had refused Aura''s request, saying that they were sorry because they were afraid of the captain (primera). They were then appointed as tea fetchers by their grandfather, who was watching the scene.


    It was good that Slarin didn''t turn to the enemy, but instead, Amur''s movements were getting better and better, and Leni-san''s actions were becoming less and less merciless. Aura''s scream earlier took the place of Aura, who was coming at me when I dodged a throwing net thrown by Leni-san. This made the cast nets useless, and Aura, one of the forces in the war, was also useless, but since Aura wasn''t useful to begin with, it could be taken that there was no one to get in the way, and that might have made it easier for them to move. Besides, the stock of cast nets still seems to be in place...


    I can''t miss!��Hmmmmmmm!


    When he tried to run away from Amur with a triangle jump, Amur used the same technique that the protagonist of the basketball comic book used to use on defense... but...


    I guess I''m a little short on height!


    Even if the smaller Amur used that technique, he couldn''t prevent me from doing so. And then I saw the exit beyond where I crossed Amur. In this moment, I knew that I was going to win........


    Huh?��Why? !


    Aura flew in. Literally.


    Amur seemed to switch his strategy the moment I ducked, and grabbed Aura, who was tangled in a pitch net and lying on the floor, and tried to turn around and throw her away. However, he was a little hesitant about throwing the Aura, but it fell quite a bit in front of me and rolled over in a rumble.


    ''Yo!��Oh, shit!��Hey!��Aw, shit!��........What?


    I ducked the aura that rolled down the street, but I stepped on an accessory (a casting net) attached to the aura, and I approached the front door while losing my balance, almost falling down, and grabbed the door knob as I tried to regain my position....... Just before that, the knob dropped and the door opened. Beyond that.


    Yikes!


    Blowfish!


    There was something soft. Later, it also sounded like a crushed frog.


    ''''Ahhhh!''''


    ''Dear Primera!��Just keep getting them!


    The soft thing was Primera, and the crushed frog was Chris-san.


    The primera in its pushed down form looked quite confused, but before I could get out, Leni-san''s instructions flew out and the primera obeyed and hugged me........on top of the crushed Chris-san.


    ''''Gnnnnn....At this point, I will meditate on that. More importantly, we need to secure Temma first!


    Mr. Leni, noose!��Give me the rope!


    Use this.


    ''Ho ho ho!��Let me tie you up!


    With quick coordination, I was in my custody in no time at all...


    "Brother Cain?��For some reason, I''m tied up with you...


    ''I''m sorry, I didn''t notice. Well, you''ll have to be patient because if Primera lets go of my hand, Temma will run away.


    Absolutely, I knew it was on purpose. For various reasons, I can''t see Cain''s face, but I knew that this was a voice that I was absolutely enjoying. Primera doesn''t seem to have realized it yet, but my current state is very bad. What''s bad.


    You guys!��How long are you going to hold on to me!


    Right now, Primera and I are hugging each other from the front. Well, my face is a lot lower than normal........to put it bluntly, I''m burying my face in Primera''s chest. It''s nice and soft, but it''s not good for a lot of things if it stays like this any longer. So.


    ''Ah!��Temma, he''s gone!


    While Primera''s attention was on Cain, he cut the rope with his magic and ran away. But due to the thick mental fatigue, it was all he could do to get away from the Primera for a bit. So.


    Slarin''!��Come on!��Shilomar and Solomon, keep everyone on their toes!��I''ll give you a belly full of meat as a reward!


    I decided to call Slarin and take refuge in the dimension bag inside my body. I asked the two foodies to hold me back until Slarin arrived. The gourmands heard the reward I offered and immediately stood in front of Amur and his friends as if to protect me. They stood in front of me, drooling profusely from their mouths.


    ''Slarin, hide me until the heat dies down.


    When I asked Slarin to do so as he came to my side, he nodded once and his mouth widened. On my way into Slarin''s dimension bag, I glanced at the Primera and our eyes met for a moment and were quickly deflected. Well, I was quite embarrassed, although I was a sycophant as I quickly deflected it too, but I was quite embarrassed.


    ''Once we''re settled in and out, we''ll hit Cain for now.


    With that in mind, I decided to escape reality in Slarin. Most of all, I couldn''t quite fall asleep even when I crawled under the covers. As soon as I finally got to sleep, Shiroumaru woke me up.


    ''All right, meat. If you eat now, you won''t get in for the night, so I''ll just have some.


    Dinner has been a long time coming for Shiroumaru, so I decided to feed him some meat in the category of a snack since it''s been a long time since he''s had a full meal.


    But first we have to wash our faces. Shiroumaru''s making my face sticky.


    My face was sticky from being licked by a drooling Shiroumaru, and I smelled a little... well, a lot. Shiroumaru looked apologetic on the surface when he heard my words, but his tail was wagging a lot, so I guess he wasn''t sorry. Well, the usual.


    ''So this is ... the cafeteria. Good thing I''m prepared. Thanks, Slarin, thanks.


    When I emerged from the slarin'', I found myself in the dining room. Perhaps they woke me up in this place so that Shiroumar and Solomon could eat the meat soon.


    ''Well then, let''s rent the kitchen and cook some meat,''


    Drool was dripping from Shilomar and Solomon''s mouths in response to my words. There was quite a bit of it dripping and it was wiped clean by Slarin, but it still didn''t seem to stop.


    ''For now, you can eat this, too.


    When I threw the jerky I was making for storage, they sucked on it in the air and were already swallowing it when it landed. I''m worried that they didn''t chew it properly, but since it''s those two, they might want to ruminate about it later. I handed Slarin some jerky to eat while I was cooking for them and I hurriedly decided to cook the meat.


    It''s done. It''s still hot, so eat slowly.


    As I placed a pile of roasted meat on a platter on the floor, the two of them plunged their faces into the pile of roasted meat, squealing with glee.


    ''So what are you guys doing?''


    After finishing the things that needed to be prioritized, I called out to the members here.


    In the corner of the cafeteria, Amour, Jeanne, Aura, Leni-san and Cain were made to sit upright. And in front of them was Chris-san with his arms crossed and a grim face, Primera with a slightly angry look on her face, and Albert, who was dying. As for Albert, he''s not sitting upright, he''s sitting in a chair near Chris-san and Primera, holding his belly and suffering... but he''s not suffering that badly because I pushed him, is he?


    I have a question for you, Temma, but would you mind sitting here for a moment?


    Chris-san said it like he was asking me to, but he didn''t seem to have any veto power over me. Well, the place I was told to sit down was not next to Jeanne and the others, but the chair across from Chris-san, so I decided to obey honestly.


    ''What I want to ask you is that the cause of the commotion at that time was Temma-kun''s eavesdropping... what do you mean by that?''


    I figured that if I answered this the wrong way, I''d be in line there too, so I cleared my head a bit before answering.


    ''First of all, if you say it''s because of eavesdropping, I''d say it is. It''s just that I didn''t eavesdrop with the intention of doing so, I just overheard him when I was about to speak to him at the door. It sounded like we were having a private conversation at the time, so I tried to leave the place without saying a word.


    So, why did you hold Cain down?


    ''I knew that if Cain walked in there, it would definitely complicate things. In fact, right after I disappeared with Cain in tow, Amur was out of the room trying to find me.


    ''So when Amur came out of the room, Temma, you were already away from the front of the room?��And after that, they moved right away to Cain''s room....


    Chris nodded as he looked at the paper he took out of his pocket to make sure that what he told me was correct, and he sighed. And Amur and the others, who were being made to sit upright, gradually became pale as my explanation progressed.


    ''You''re white, Temma. Well, it was Temma-kun who caused it, but that was within the realm of no problem, but it was Cain and Amur and the others making a lot of noise that caused it to happen... or rather, Cain was almost the source of the problem.


    ''Later, when Cain suggested that I should go find Chris, he said it didn''t matter to him.


    Cain, what does that mean?


    When Chris heard what I said, he glared at Cain. Cain was desperately trying to deny it, but the words I broke out may have been a little different from that time, but the nuances were similar, so Cain''s excuses didn''t have the usual snap to them.


    ''So, what''s up with Albert?''


    When he spoke to a limping Albert, he pointed to the primera sitting nearby and


    I''ve been hit again...


    He said. Pointed out, the primera panicked.


    I didn''t have a choice. I just thought it was your brother who was in charge of this whole thing.


    So I guess that''s what it is.


    I decided to end the conversation because of Albert''s usual bad behavior. He hadn''t been able to make eye contact with Primera yet, but he had given her time to recover to the point where he could talk to her.


    As I watched Cain being interrogated by Chris-san in silence for a while, a servant from the mansion came to inform me of a visitor. Moreover, they said that the guest was not Albert or Primera, but me.


    For a moment, I was suspicious when I was told that he was my guest, but after hearing his name, I decided to hurry and head to the parlor. Normally they don''t let their guests through the mansion, but the servant seemed to have heard the name of the guest from Primera beforehand and let him through the mansion instead of outside.

 197-Chapter 13-5 Relationships?

    ''It''s been a while, Mr. Marx. I see you were just out and I asked you to take a message for me, is something wrong?


    I thought that maybe he had come all the way to tell me that he couldn''t join us this evening, but I was wrong.


    ''''Temma-san, I''m here today to ask a favor!


    As soon as I walked into the parlor and called out to him, Marx-san suddenly got down on his knees. Normally, I would completely ignore a stranger asking me to do something like this, but since I''m not the kind of person who would do something like this over someone I know, I decided to listen to what he had to say first. In any case, I couldn''t make him get down on his knees all the time here, but I didn''t want to do anything like that without listening to what he had to say to get rid of his acquaintances.


    ''Mr. Marx, I can''t decide whether or not I''m going to accept that request unless you talk to me first.


    ''I''m sorry, too. My apologies to Mr. Albert and Miss Primera as well.


    These two men ran away from the dining room (Chris-san) under the guise of sitting with me since Marcus-san was my guest, but at the same time, he was also a guest of the house. By the way, my grandfather seemed to be taking a bath, and he said he was taking a very long bath, so I asked a servant I passed on my way to the parlor to check on him. It''s an old man, so I don''t think that a long bath is going to do much good, but I heard that he brought some alcohol into the bathroom, just in case.


    ''So what is your request?''


    There are some things I can do and some things I can''t do, and some things I don''t want to do. I hope it''s only a favor that I can ask for as much as I can help, if possible.


    ''Actually, it''s about Selna. Selna has a boyfriend, but we''re having a bit of a problem.


    ''I saw you two in the guild and you seemed to get along very well, and the man didn''t seem weird from what I saw, though?


    ''No, I don''t have a problem with him.


    Albert and Primera looked a little surprised when Mr. Marx said that the name of the Chamber of Commerce was unfamiliar to them.


    ''Temma, the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber of commerce in Gunjo City. It mainly deals in armor.''''


    ''I''m sure any adventurer in Gunjo City would take advantage of this many times... do you really not know?


    I could see why they were both surprised. And at the same time, I understood why I didn''t remember it.


    ''Me, when I was active in Gunjaw City, I never bought weapons in the big merchant shops. Even if I did go to a weapon shop, I would only buy disposable stuff for grooming tools and throwing, so it was cheaper for me to go to a place that was private rather than go to a big place to get them.


    After hearing my answer, Albert and Primera looked like they had come to a point. It''s safer and safer to fight with magic than to use an inferior weapon, and I have a ''korasuma'' to begin with. In other words, I was never interested in ''a weapon that was far inferior to the Kogarasumaru, a so-so weapon''.


    ''Maybe I went there a few times, but the fact that I don''t remember it means it wasn''t for me. So, Mr. Marx, what does that trade association have to do with it?


    "Serna''s lover, his name is Henri, he is the third son of the Gloriosa family and he wants to marry Serna, but his father doesn''t want to marry Serna.


    Mr. Marx stammered on about his reasons for opposing the marriage, but after a while he decided, as if he''d made up his mind


    He knows that Serna has been violated in the past when she was held captive by bandits, and he can''t stand the idea of being a part of the family with a woman who is unclean.


    I said.


    ''That''s pretty disgusting...was it Henri, or does he live at home?''


    ''No, he wants to be a painter and has been disowned by his parents. He now works as an adventurer and uses the income he earns from that to pay for his activities.


    Since the Gloriosa Trading Company is based in other cities, Henri has been moving around from different cities and villages, but he met Serna when he came to Gunjo City about a year ago and they fell in love with each other. And recently, it seems, her father found her.


    Serna and Anri are planning to have their wedding ceremony, but as the wedding day approaches, her father is getting in the way.


    ''''Since they are in a state of disowned and disowned, they should just ignore it.......By the way, when is that wedding?''''


    ''It''s in two weeks. All I ask of you, Temma, is that you attend that wedding.


    The reason why Mr. Marx had been running around these days was to gather information about the father, and one of the things he had gathered was that his father was going to bring a nobleman to ride in with him on the wedding day.


    It''s not strange for the groom''s father to be at the wedding, but it seems that the purpose of bringing a nobleman as a guest of the groom''s side is to prevent him from being out of balance with the bride''s side. Presumably, they intend to make it difficult for them to bring a nobleman with them and not have a wedding that is balanced with that.


    Who''s this nobleman?


    This is Viscount Abyss.


    Viscount Abyss?


    Faster than I can react, Albert is surprised. And Primera is also surprised. The fact that they''re both surprised together means that they didn''t expect the name Viscount Abyss to come up here.


    ''''Albert. What kind of person is this Viscount Abyss?


    ''''Ah, Viscount Abyss is a nobleman who has been used by the Sangha dukes for ages. He is proud and difficult, but he also has an aversion to injustice, and he hates Regil, with whom Tenma used to get involved in the past. But on the other hand, he also understood that Regil had some use to him. Well, it was Viscount Abyss who was also most pleased to see Regil fall from grace.


    ''He was kind to me, though he was strict with my brother. And also to your sisters.


    I don''t know if it was the difference between men and women, heiress or not, that made him kind to Primera, but from what I''ve heard, he seems like a decent nobleman.


    ''If that''s the case, would such a nobleman have a hand in interfering with a wedding?


    ''No, apparently Viscount Abyss doesn''t know what his father is up to. I think that Viscount Abyss is genuinely planning to celebrate Henri''s wedding.


    ''''So you mean that the father has sole discretion. I don''t suppose he''s thinking about what happens when the viscount finds out.


    In a way, I''m like Regil.


    ''So, do you want me to attend the wedding and make up the difference between the guests? Good. Nominally, if I''m invited to the wedding of the ''former maid of the Otori family'', her father can''t complain about it. Even if I was Serna-san''s temporary master for a short time, if me and Serna-san or Marx-san approve of it, it will stand as a fact.


    Thank you!


    Mr. Marx looked relieved when I decided to join him and bowed deeply.


    ''''That''s why you should definitely invite Serna-san and Henri to attend today''s banquet. I''ll ask the two of you directly to let me join you then, too.


    In the meantime, I decided to keep it a secret that Marx-san had come to ask me for a favor, so I decided to ask him about the wedding somewhere and confirm it with them before he wanted to participate. It was decided that this would be more natural in terms of the flow of events, and that it wouldn''t be assumed that I had no choice but to participate in the wedding because I was asked to.


    After Mr. Marx left the mansion, I was on my way to the dining room to report to everyone that my stay had been extended, when I met up with an old man with an empty liquor bottle. Well, even though he had emptied it, the bottle itself was a small one, so he seemed to have just drunk it lightly, but Grandpa''s face was turning red.


    The bottle itself was small, so it seemed to be only a light drink, but Grandpa''s face was red. You''re too old to drink when you''re taking a bath by yourself.


    That''s a terrible thing to say don''t you think, Primera?


    ''What?��Yes, Master Merlin may be old, but he''s in good health and looks young, perhaps because he works out, and I''m sure he''s fine as long as he keeps his moderation...


    Suddenly, Primera was talked out of the conversation, and immediately took Grandpa''s side, although she was a little choked up.


    ''''Hmm.......what is the situation here?''''


    As soon as we entered the cafeteria, Grandpa''s face changed to a puzzled look and he asked me to explain, but I couldn''t explain either.


    ''''So........Chris-san, please explain.


    So I asked Chris-san, who was the only person in the cafeteria who was able to move properly, to explain. By the way, other than Chris-san, Slarin is the only person in the cafeteria who is moving properly.


    ''''Well I guess I''ve been preaching a little too long.


    The current situation ... it''s the faces that were made to sit upright when I left the cafeteria, collapsing to the floor in agony. And on the other side of the room, Shiroumaru and Solomon, who had finished their snacks, were lying in bed, navel-gazing in harmony. And Chris and Slarin, safe and sound, were caring for their suffering sides....except for Cain.


    ''I was so engrossed in my sermon that I suddenly realized that Cain was on the verge of fainting. I hurriedly looked at everyone else and they were all doing the same.......strange, right~?


    He was yelling at me.


    With Leni''s revelation, it was revealed that Chris had gone too far. Well, I knew it would be something like that............................but I don''t think I should have been so harsh.


    ''''Well, even if Cain had no choice, you should have let everyone else go first.


    If I blame Chris-san for even blaming him for Cain here, Chris-san will probably get upset and turn into a troublesome person, so I decided to let Cain remain a victim. This isn''t because my revenge is in it, by any means!


    ''''Well, let''s not worry about that, because I''ve extended my stay in Gunjo City. With that, I think I''ll have to join up with Leon, unfortunately. I know it''s a shame that there''s more noise, but I hope everyone agrees with me, just because of the reason.


    That''s the way you want to handle it? A look was given by Amour and Aura, but Leni and Jeanne wanted to know more about why. It was fortunate that Cain, who seemed to make the most noise here, was still down. Because if he was in safe condition, he would definitely make a lot of noise for the fun of saying he was going to join Leon. And it would take a lot of work to quell it, and it might end up being forceful in the end... which was probably a little disappointing when you think about it.


    ''''So, Temma-kun, what''s the reason for that?''''


    Chris was the first to ask me why, obviously to divert the topic. Well, I didn''t bother to point that out, and since Amur, who is likely to point it out, is quiet now, I told him that I was going to attend Serna''s wedding before any unnecessary tea was added.


    Marriage...


    I was in a bit of a bad mood when I found out that the reason for my extended stay was a wedding. As Amour had told me, I guess it was because I was in a hurry to get close to thirty and the idea of someone else getting married was not an interesting topic.


    ''Chris, you are narrow-minded.''


    Ugh.


    Chris looked awkward as Amour''s mumbled words seemed to have taken a critical hit in his mind.


    ''''I understand why. Then what shall we do?''''


    Leni-san asked what they, as outsiders, should do, so I replied that they should be thinking about participating if at all possible.


    Everyone seemed to have doubts about my answer, which was not very clear, but they were convinced when I told them it wasn''t a definite decision because they had to discuss it with Marx-san earlier and get her approval as well.


    ''''Even so, Temma likes to be able to work the nobles.


    ''Don''t be a grumpy one, Amur. I only deal with nobles who try to do me harm. And I''ve heard that this Viscount Abyss is most likely not involved in this plot.


    I partially corrected them and Albert and Primera nodded.


    ''We''ll talk about the details after we talk to Serna and the others... why were Amour and the others made to sit upright?


    When the wedding story was settled, I decided to go back and ask him the reason for the constellation. If the reason was because of the rampage, I would have been made to sit there in succession, but I was curious as to why Chris-san had decided I was ''white''. Later, I wondered why he was so serious with that much eavesdropping.


    ''That''s the reason!��That''s because Amur and his friends had two separate stories to tell!


    Chris, who had been quiet after getting a critical hit by Amur, suddenly became energetic as a chance to fight back. In contrast, Amur and the others looked like they were in a bad mood.


    The fact that Tenma overheard the conversation was not a big deal to Amur and the others even if they heard it. But after Tenma disappeared, they talked about something that is a bit too much for the boys to hear. When Amur and the others heard Cain say that Tenma was eavesdropping, they thought he was listening to something he shouldn''t be. If I had listened to what Tenma had heard and the circumstances of the story before I went after him, I would have known it was a misunderstanding by Amur and the others and that it was a false report from Cain, but I was angry because I went out of control with my misunderstanding!


    Chris squeaked out in a good mood, as if to relieve his earlier exasperation.


    ''Yes, I understand, so you don''t have to come so close. Also, now that I know why, and I''ve done something that could be misunderstood, I''m sorry, so please forgive all but Cain.


    ''What?��Hmmm ... well, aside from Cain, I think Amur and the others may have been a little too angry.


    So it was decided to free everyone but Cain. Cain was told that he was the only one who could not be saved, and he appealed to me and Albert for help with his eyes, but we ignored him. Because whether it''s me or Albert, Cain has caused a lot of trouble in his own way. So there was no reason to help them. It seems that Primera was the same, and she looked away from the gaze that continued to be directed at her.


    This is Leon''s job!


    Cain shouted that, and Chris was lecturing him further.


    ''Temma, I''m sorry,''


    I''m sorry.


    I''m sorry.


    As I looked at Cain, who was angry, Jeanne, Amour, and Aura all came to apologize to me.


    ''''Temma-san, I''m really sorry.''''


    Finally, Leni-san apologized, but as far as Leni-san is concerned, it''s possible that she moved on after knowing that it was a false report from Cain. Well, that''s just my guess.


    I don''t care about that anymore because it has to do with the fact that I also overheard and misled you. It''s all Cain''s fault. So you guys don''t have to worry about it either.


    I decided to blame Cain for all of this, so I accepted everyone''s apology and told them not to worry about it any more.


    ''That was Rion''s role...''


    Cain, who was finally freed from the fact that it was getting close to the time to head to the Full House Pavilion, was saying that again. It is true that there is an image of Rion as the one who gets angry about such things, but in my mind, Cain and Albert are next in line after that, so it is not strange that all the responsibility goes to Cain when there is no top person and the same rate is not involved.


    ''''Yes, yes, the time is running out, so get ready and go!


    Cain''s complaint was swept away by Chris, who was the cause of the complaint. Cain looked as if he was being unreasonable, but Chris-san was right, the time was coming up, so he went to get ready without saying a word.


    Chris-san seems to have thought about the same thing as I did, but in my opinion, Chris-san is ranked fourth in line with Amour, behind Albert and the others. Well, even for Chris, I''m probably in a similar position. Also, there are four people from the royal family ranked in my ranking, but those four are in the Hall of Fame in a sense, so the number one spot is probably still Rion.


    ''''I''m ready~''''


    Cain''s return meant that everyone was ready to go.


    ''Let''s get going then,''


    ''Mmm!��Jeanne, Aura, it''s a battlefield from here. Don''t let your guard down!


    Yeah!


    Yes!


    Amour, Jeanne and Aura strung out and surrounded me. Amour in front and Jeanne and Aura on either side, with Leni-san casually stationed behind me.


    ''This will keep the cats away!


    Amur''s vigilance towards ''Wildcat Princess'' is always strong, so I decided to let him do what he wanted. Well, as long as it''s like ''get along with each other and don''t fight'', it will be fine to leave him alone as long as he doesn''t get into a fistfight. But.


    ''I''m sorry to inform you that we''re in formation, but we''re moving in a carriage.


    Saying that, I pointed to the carriage that was connected to Raiden. I''m not going to walk to the Full Stomach Pavilion when there are nobles in the area.


    If I take my carriage to the Full Stomach Pavilion, I can keep it in my magic bag, and Raiden can be kept waiting in his dimension bag for a long time. Raiden won''t like it though.


    ''It can''t be helped we''ll form up again when we get off.


    Amour was the first to climb into the carriage and take up a position near the entrance, sounding a little grumpy. Nearby, Jeanne and Aura were also waiting for him. As soon as they get to the Fullness Pavilion, they plan to form the formation they just had. I really hope that they will be able to fit in within the ''get along and fight each other'' range.


    ''''But are you sure we''re going to be together?''''


    Primera is worried about such things, but only the old man and his friends will not be displeased with Primera and the others. Rather, they''re going to be sticking it out as a challenge to wield their arms.


    I''m sure you''ll be fine. I''m sure they''d be angry with me if I didn''t bring them along. I''m sure they''re making a meal on the premise that they''re going to bring everyone with them, so they''ll be in trouble if they don''t come.


    So that''s what it means. Good thing, Primera, because Temma needs a Primera, right?��Fufu........


    At the same moment that Albert joked as he shuffled out from the side, without a moment''s pause, Primera delivered a blow to Albert''s side. And then, as I learned from Primera, I punched him in the other side.


    ''You''re relentless,''


    ''Now that''s all right because that''s what Rion always gets hit with. Well, there''s a difference in durability between Rion and Albert.


    ''''That''s right. If brother becomes the future head of the Sangha Duke family, there will be no one to pay attention to him like this. So, we have to let him get a little (...) painful while he''s here and make sure he knows what the word ''compensation'' means!


    With that, I abandoned Albert, who collapsed on the floor.


    The current Primera is scary because she''s wearing an atmosphere similar to Maria-sama''s when she''s a little bit angry, so if abandoning Albert will make Primera return to normal, I''m bound to be on Primera''s side.


    By the way, it seems that everyone was afraid of Primera, and they all said, "That''s true, too. It''s Albert who''s to blame! Grandpa said instantly, Chris-san obviously looked away from Albert and Primera and pretended not to see them, and Cain, Jeanne and Aura were shaking with fright.


    And when it came to Amour, "It''s all this''s fault! After saying something like, "I''m on the side of Primera," he said, "Let''s put it in the corner to get out of the way," and then he and Leni moved Albert out of the way. And then he stayed in the bathroom. Leni-san also seemed to be planning to run away to the toilet, but Amur took it first, so I sat down next to Chris after a moment''s hesitation.


    ''It looks like we''ve arrived. Let''s go, Temma-san.


    There was a moment of silence in the carriage for a while, but as soon as the carriage stopped, Primera opened her mouth and I felt the heavy atmosphere lighten a bit. As it was, Primera took me by the hand to enter the Full Stomach Pavilion, but just before I entered, Amour, with Jeanne and Aura in tow, took up position around me and Primera. And when Amour opened the door of the Fullness Pavilion


    " " " Finally!��Ten......


    No!��Jeanne, Aura!


    "Yes!


    Lily and the other three sisters ran at me, and Amour and the others guarded each of them.


    ''''We''re in your way again!''''


    Why?


    It''s my free time now!


    ''Well...''


    That one, that one, this one.


    ''I won''t let you get anywhere near Master Temma, no matter what!��You thieving cats!


    Fight, little girl!


    Jeanne, who had come forward with only momentum, was about to be defeated by the protests of the three sisters, but Amour and Aura did not waver. Behind the three of them, Leni-san was cheering Amour on.


    ''''Temma-san, if we stop here, we''ll get in the way, so let''s go inside quickly. Brother Cain, you can leave that (...) behind.


    Copy that, sir!


    And Primera was not blurred either. To Cain, who was worried about Albert, Primera told Cain to treat his own brother as ''that'' and then leave him alone, as if on half-order. The moment Cain, too, was Cain and Primera told him, he removed his gaze from the carriage as if he had forgotten about Albert, saluted and followed Primera. Meanwhile, Grandpa and Chris moved quietly and tried to disguise their presence as best they could.


    ''Oh!''��You''re here, Ten... ma?


    ''Father, you''ve given us a private party. Thank you.


    ''Temma-san, you might want to address Serna first. Henri-san is more stiff with tension.


    It bothered me that the old man was acting a little strange, but I was more concerned about Henri, who was frozen in a tickle next to Serna, as Primera had said.


    ''''Excuse me, but I''m going to go say hello to those two first. The timing wasn''t right when I went to the guild, so I wasn''t able to tell them anything.''''


    Oh, yeah, I get it. Well, maybe I should talk to Henri first to get him to relax. I don''t think she''s going to enjoy herself at all with the way she''s acting, and I need to clear my mind a bit too...


    "?��Well, that''s what I''m going to do.


    I said no to the old man who was acting a little strange and headed to the table where they were, in a sense, the centerpiece of this event.


    ''Ah!��It''s been a while, Temma. I''m sorry I didn''t get to say hello when I came to the guild. This is our relationship....


    ''A, it''s Henri!��Best regards!


    Serna-san was only shy and nervous when she introduced Henri, but Henri remained nervous throughout. When I asked her why, she said that as a single-handed adventurer, she didn''t know what to say when she was told that she was meeting with a top-class adventurer today.


    ''''So, I''d like to ask you.......are the two of you in a relationship?''''


    It was me and Primera who froze in confusion at Serna''s sudden statement.

 198-Chapter 13-6 Magic Words

    What makes you think that?


    I was wondering why we were talking about that all of a sudden, and Serna, with a strange look on her face.


    No, I just assumed it was because you two had your arms around each other, but...


    When he said that, for the first time, my gaze and Primera''s gaze went diagonally downward. What was there was Primera''s arm entwined with mine.


    ''''Eee!��This is, well, you know!


    Calm down, Primera!��This was an accident. It''s all Albert''s fault!


    Yeah, right!


    For now, I chanted the magic word ''Albert is bad'' to calm Primera down. Normally this wouldn''t have calmed him down, but it seemed to have an excellent effect on Primera right now, and she gradually calmed down by taking a deep breath while muttering ''It''s all my brother''s fault''. At that time, Serna-san said, "I understand that you haven''t been dating, but I think it''s terrible to call it an accident, don''t you? I''m sorry to say that I didn''t have time for this, but I had to ignore it.


    ''So, I heard you two are getting married soon, is that true?''


    Serna and Henri looked surprised at my question, which made Albert feel better by making him look bad, but Serna gave a small nod when I said that I had glanced at the guild and heard about such a thing.


    ''''Congratulations on that!��So, do you have a detailed date and time?


    I congratulated them with a little more tension and they shyly said it was in two weeks.


    ''Two weeks later...''


    They were confused by my muttered disappointment. There.


    ''I''m sorry, Mr Temma. I''m sorry I''m so late to the party that you invited me.


    Marx-san, who had been watching the timing, came into the Manchuria Pavilion as if he was late for work.


    ''''Um ... is there something wrong?''''


    No, the two of you just gave me the date of the wedding, and it kind of coincides with our own departure date...


    Once Mr. Marx-san noticed something wrong with me, he started acting as we had discussed. Marx-san also made a troubled face before Serna-san felt uncomfortable, "I see.......I''d like you to celebrate with me if you can.......


    ''''Serna-san, can''t we move the date up?''''


    It''s done in the Manchuria Pavilion, so I guess there''s nothing we can''t do...


    Serna, who seems to have been fooled by our performance, mentioned that it would be possible to change the date. So.


    ''Father!��We want to attend Serna''s wedding too, so please move the date up. I''ll pay for the entire wedding, so please make it as gorgeous as you can!


    ''What!��Hey, Mr. Temma!


    Serna-san let out a surprised voice. Not only Serna-san, but Henri as well, and incidentally, Marx-san was also surprised. Well, since I just came up with the idea of the cost story here, it was probably because it was the first time Marx-san had heard of it.


    That''s not a good idea, Serna, Henri and Marx said they would pay for it, but then an unexpected ally appeared.


    ''''As for me, I''d be grateful if Temma would bear the burden.


    It was Albert, who was finally able to move after recovering a bit from the damage. However, I could see that he was pushing himself quite hard, so Marx-san was worried about him, but Albert convinced me by saying that he was just tired from the trip.


    Aside from Mr. Marx, who had met Albert beforehand, Serna and Henri were surprised by Albert''s sudden appearance and tried to kneel on the spot, but were softly stopped by Primera.


    ''''Do the three of you know the story of Temma''s exploits in the Haust frontier county?


    Mr. Marx was the only one who nodded at Albert''s question. The story I was active in is that I killed a bunch of wyverns and built a fort on the borderline, of which the fort was the one Albert considered important.


    It''s a good thing that you can''t get rid of them. Thanks to that, the frontier county master was able to put most of the cost of building the fort into the economy. Moreover, the fort''s construction attracted people, and thanks to the merchants and various artisans who looked to them for business, tax revenues rose and the stagnant economy soared. It''s not going to achieve the same scale of results here, but the fact that the hotshot Tenma has taken action is more than enough to get people to look at it.


    Not only Serna and the others listened quietly to what Albert was saying, but also me and Grandpa and the others.


    ''Also, you see, Temma has accumulated too much money. Of course, since Temma made his money in a legitimate way, it''s up to him what he does with it, but there are those who don''t like it. Probably most of them are aristocrats, though, and most of them are jealous. But some of them must be worried that the money will stop at Temma''s place, which will make it harder for the economy to turn around. So by Temma lavishly paying for their wedding, there''s a chance that he won''t have to turn those who are worried about the economy against him. Well, part of my true feelings is that I''d be happy if the place to drop that money off is the Duke of Sangha''s estate.


    I told the three of them that my paying for their wedding was not only for them, but also for me, and in a roundabout way, for the country as well. Moreover, casually, Albert tried to diminish the unnaturalness of pushing for my actions by telling me that it was a story that was beneficial to him as well. His appearance is exactly like a ''big con artist(...)''.


    ''''Serna-san, you don''t have to think too hard. It''s just that I''m just trying to use Serna-san''s wedding to reduce my enemies. Even if Serna-san refuses, I''ll be forced to make it luxurious. After all, I was Serna-san''s master, even if only temporarily. Please don''t let your master be embarrassed.


    Later in the day, Serna finally laughed at me when I said, quite jokingly. Although she still wasn''t completely convinced, she said, "It''s better to know in advance than to be surprised by the gorgeousness of something you don''t know about, right? I said, and forced him to admit that I would pay for the wedding.


    ''But I''m in trouble. There''s no reason for me to attend this one. What''s going on ... come to think of it, who''s supposed to be the matchmaker for their wedding?


    Just when I thought I had cleared the biggest obstacle in the operation to crush Henri''s father''s plan, Albert suddenly said something like that.


    ''''I''ve asked the guild leader and Mr. Flute to do it, but........''''


    ''You can''t do that!��The head of the guild is unreliable and his wife is a heavy woman, so we can''t let that happen. So there. How about letting Temma do one thing here?��Since you''re paying for the wedding, you can have the matchmaker do it while you''re at it. And if you get Primera to help Temma, it wouldn''t be surprising if I were to attend.


    Albert praises himself for being a good idea, but honestly, I still feel that it''s a weak reason for Albert to attend. But Albert, in response to my concerns.


    ''As for your father, he''ll want to know how the Primera served as a matchmaker. After all, your father is very fond of Primera. You could even call him an idiot of a parent. I have no choice but to (...) attend for such a father!��..........


    He''s going to say it''s all for the Duke of Sangha. Well, it was also certain that Albert had enough power to force his own people to participate for that reason if they were in an important role.


    That makes it impossible for me to participate.......what should I do?


    Then, this time, Cain joined the conversation.


    ''''Then, since only the Marquess of Samon''s family is not going to benefit from this trip, can''t we just say that they were forced to join in to prevent them from being separated any further?


    ''I like that!��Then it would be Rion... but I''m sure Rion would agree with everyone that ''I didn''t think twice about joining''!


    ''No, I don''t think you''ll have to do that, I''ll just invite the three of you as the organizer, okay?��That''s good, Serna.


    ''''Yes, well if you''ve made it this far, you can do as you please, Temma. We''ll just look forward to seeing how gorgeous the ceremony will be.


    Serna-san seemed to have given up on a lot of things, but she seemed a little relieved when she said, "I''ll have Marcus-san join me in planning the wedding.


    In the end, it was decided that Albert would be Primera''s, Cain and Rion would be my guests, and Grandpa and his family would be my family members (Amur is in the Ootori family''s custody, so he is here, and Leni-san is Amur''s attendant).


    And now, old man. I''m going to serve a dish for the wedding, but the meat is wyvern, bicorn and white beef...


    ''Wait a minute!��I''ve never handled a bicorn and a white cow in my life!��I mean, you''re really going to put out a super luxury product like that!


    When I named the ingredients I had in my possession, especially the ones that were likely to be the main course, the old man was surprised to hear me shout out loud. The loudness of his voice made Soleil, who was sleeping quietly in the corner of the dining room in the lady''s arms, cry out as loudly as her father''s voice, which made her so angry at the lady, that she was extremely angry at him.


    ''Father. You have a bump, do you want some medicine?


    Thank you.


    I handed the ointment to my dad, who had a bump on his head, and he quietly took it and started applying it to the affected area.


    He was partly surprised that I suddenly tried to bring out some fancy foods, but he said he was going to tell me to save those things for my own time. I said I had a good amount of food, but he told me that they might be too intimidated to enjoy the bicorn and white beef, so we had to use the wyvern, which was lower in rank than those two, but still had a lot of it. On a side note, when I told Henri''s father about this wedding and that I was planning to smash what he was planning to do, I was silently berated and told, "Tell me about those things first! I was pissed.


    ''Then I''d like to have a degree of impact in my cooking.


    ''If this was a normal banquet, it would be easy to decorate the wyvern''s head and all that, but we can''t do that at a wedding.


    I looked around at everyone who was making a lot of noise in my mind, hoping to find something that would give me a clue...


    ''Come to think of it, I''ve never heard of that one..................old man. I''ve got an interesting idea.


    Hmm?��........oh!��That could be interesting. It''s going to be a bit of a struggle, but if Temma can help me with that, I don''t think it''ll be a problem.


    When I told my dad about the idea, he beat me to it and said it was a great idea. The ingredients will be able to be made from what we have now, so we just need to be ready for the wedding.


    We''ll serve several kinds of food in small portions, and Albert and his team will supervise the arrangement and give their approval, so they won''t be able to make any claims.


    ''It sounds like a pain in the ass to make several different kinds, but if we start making them tomorrow and store the finished ones in the Magic Bag in Temma, we''ll be able to make it work.


    Yes, I''ll help out in between, so I''d like to prepare ten different kinds if I can.


    They said ten different kinds were too many, but I pushed through, saying that since I was going to surprise them, more would be better. Well, that''s going to make it more onerous for me, but with the dishes I have in stock and the pre-prepared ingredients, I''ll be able to make time for other shenanigans.


    I called Albert and Cain over to discuss it in order to decide on a rough menu, and the two of them were willing to help me out. Well, Albert said, "It''s going to be the new specialty of the Sangha Dukedom," and Cain said, "Please do the same for me! So it wasn''t entirely out of good intentions. However, if the two of them are willing to cooperate, it''s a small price to pay. By the way, the reason I didn''t invite Chris to the meeting was because my sixth sense told me that I must not invite him! Because it rang out painfully.


    "Sukiyaki!


    There is no such thing!


    Well, come on!


    No, you''re not going!


    Now chan, nyah!


    There you go!��sir.


    When the discussion with Albert and the others had come to an end, I looked around the cafeteria to see if I could get something to eat to my stomach, and found a battle between the three Wildcat Princesses versus Amur Aura Leni-san was going on. Incidentally, the one who was screaming at the end was Millie, and the reason for that was because she was tied up with a rope that was taken out from somewhere the moment she tried to outsmart her relative, Leni-san.


    Jeanne, who had been left out of the group, was with Primera and Serna, chatting happily with her wife while looking at Soleil at her wife''s place. Incidentally, Henri was surrounded by his grandfather, Chris, and Marcus, who was drinking with him. Moreover, he was also accompanied by some kind of complaining.


    Grandpa and Mr. Markus seemed to solve the problem when I got there, but as for Chris, he was going to be even more annoying, so I decided to leave him to Shiroumaru.


    And just as I thought, Grandpa and Mr. Marx were just teasing Henri, and when I gave them a little attention, they became quiet. Then Chris-san started to mooch as if he had forgotten about Henri when Shiroumaru got close to him, and he even moved away from Henri in search of some meat to give to Shiroumaru.


    ''''Chris-senpai looks like he''ll be fine now.


    Yeah.


    Albert and Cain approached when they saw that Mr. Chris was far enough away from them. They wondered how their old man was doing, but he pulled into the kitchen and started cooking. Maybe he had an idea as he was talking to the two of them.


    ''Let''s leave the rampaging ladies alone and go to the chattering ladies, shall we?��I''d like to say hello to the lead again.


    So, shall we go with Temma?��We''ll be surprised if we go out of the blue, you know.


    We evacuated to the place where the damage was least likely to occur, but Serna and her wife became so nervous about Albert and Cain''s sudden arrival that Soleil, who noticed the change, began to cry, so all three of us were turned away by Primera. To be precise, I wasn''t turned away, but was pulled away by the two who disturbed the atmosphere of the place, but I just didn''t resist because it looked like it was too hard to be the only one in the women''s group.


    ''What, did you get turned away by a baby crying and then fall back here?


    The only place that would host the three of us was my grandfather''s place, so we had no choice but to come, but my grandfather and Mr. Markus seemed to be quite drunk. It''s a good thing that you''re not as drunk as you think. Probably because he couldn''t drink much because he was too concerned about them and they didn''t force him to drink. Well, three people close in age were going to join them, and two of them are of fairly high status, so Henri might not be able to relax.......but since this was the only place to escape, they would have to be patient.


    ''''Speaking of which, how do I go about being a wedding matchmaker?''''


    I don''t know what I''m talking about. I''m just going to think of you as a moderator.


    ''Yes. I don''t have any experience with it either, but I''ve seen my seniors do it.


    According to Marx, the senior was doing something like officiating or witnessing a wedding, so I was sipping my juice, lightly wondering if I should do something like MCing a variety show....


    ''Then again, we might as well let Primera help with that.


    Albert''s words almost made me blow out. I didn''t blow out at the last minute, but the juice got into my trachea and it was like ''milk through my nose''.


    ''Whoa!��Temma, dirty!


    Cain said something like that to me, but I was coughing and I couldn''t argue with him, and I struggled for a while until the coughing stopped.


    ''Hah, hah, hah ... Albert, what are you saying all of a sudden?''


    I looked at Albert with a bit of a glare, but he was unfazed.


    No, being a matchmaker means you have to be a man and a woman, right?��It would be a bad idea for Temma, being a man, to take care of a woman.


    It''s true.


    What Albert said was indeed correct, and when Grandpa heard that, he was the first to agree, and everyone else continued to nod their heads. But I was about to ask him why he was a primera, though I could see why.


    First of all, if you''re Jeanne or Aura, I''m sorry, but you don''t fit in with their status. If it''s Amour or Leni-san, you''ll need permission from the southern barons. With the three Wildcat princesses, it''s a toss-up as to who''s going to play Temma.


    Furthermore, he said it was a bad idea to team up with anyone other than his spouse because he was a married man if he was Mr. Flute or his wife.


    In that regard, with Primera, I can give permission, and my social status is perfect. And since I''m acquainted with Temma and the bride, it''s not unnatural for me to act as a matchmaker.


    That being said, Primera is certainly the right person for the job, but isn''t there another person for the job?��And then I thought.


    ''''Chris-senpai I don''t think I''ll be able to celebrate with you wholeheartedly...''''


    I understood that there was no one I knew who was better suited to the task than Primera.


    ''Is it best to have Primera help me, as Albert says?


    So when I was convinced, I called Primera and asked her to play matchmaker with me. Primera seemed to have the same doubts as I did at first, but when I told her exactly what Albert had said, she was convinced. But as for Chris-san''s reasons, he only smiled bitterly and didn''t say anything, but.......


    After that, when Amur and his friends became more noisy, Grandpa gave them a shout-out to calm them down, Soleil, startled by Grandpa''s voice, started crying again, and then became noisy again when the old man brought them some soup and food that seemed to be easy on the stomach, and so on.


    ---somewhere in the plains---.


    Hurry!��As it is, we should be able to make it!


    Please wait!��It''s not safe to run a horse at night!


    Even though it was getting dark around the area, a young man was about to leave, even at night, for his intended city, and was about to be stopped there by a knight who seemed to be an escort.


    ''If we don''t get there as quickly as possible, Albert and Cain will leave Gunjo City for some reason or another!��Just to leave me behind!


    ''But still, sir!��If you continue to run through the night, when and where will you take a break?��Our horses are not golems, are they?


    ''Ugh!��I mean, that''s....


    ''What if I keep pushing myself and my horse gets hurt?��It''s going to take you a good amount of time to find a replacement horse, right?��If that happens, you will be left behind for sure. Besides, if the horse''s injuries are discovered when we are stopped, but if we are in the middle of running, there is an extremely high possibility of falling off, and if the blow is bad, we will have to turn back directly to Shellhide.......taking the wrecked Rion-sama with us.


    ....


    Moreover, after Rion-sama''s funeral, our execution will be carried out. After all, he is a great sinner who is as good as murdered the target of our guard, the next Earl of the Frontier,


    No, it''s not...


    Everyone, nevertheless, Rion-sama says to proceed. Write a letter or suicide note to your families while you still can. As soon as they''re done, we''ll follow Master Lyon''s orders and run through the darkness.��Hurry!


    ''I''m sorry!��Seriously, I''m sorry!��There!��Don''t write a suicide note while lying and crying!��Please, don''t write me a letter muttering the names of your family members!��Because I was wrong!


    So I guess we''ll just have to follow my instructions from here on out, then?


    I''ll take care of everything...


    Thus, Rion''s reckless action was thwarted by the knight''s admonition. Incidentally, the early morning of this next day. A few hours after their departure, Rion and his party were attacked by a pack of wolves, but none of them were injured thanks to the success of the knights in their escort. Just the knight who admonished Leon after repelling the wolf pack.


    ''If the attack had been at night, there might have been some deaths. That it didn''t happen is thanks to Lord Rion''s wise decision.


    After hearing these words, Rion did not object to the knight''s instructions from then on. As a result, Rion and his team''s speed increased, and they would join Temma and the others faster than first expected.

 199-Chapter 13-7 First Request

    Now, we''re going to start cooking today and you''re going to be okay, Temma?


    Have you ever seen me with a hangover, old man?��Besides, I didn''t drink as much as usual yesterday, so I''m totally fine.


    ''No, I''m not worried about you in the slightest as I know you''re a monkey. What I''m worried about is Master Albert and the other tasters, but...


    I think I''m going to be OK....


    The only people who drank at yesterday''s banquet who didn''t have a hangover were me, Grandpa and Leni. The rest are suffering from hangovers and are being cared for by Jeanne, the only one who didn''t drink. Incidentally, Albert, Cain, and Amour are the most hungover as a result of drinking and eating as if they were competing with each other, and Chris-san has the worst hangover because he drank while tangling with Henri, drinking while mocking Shiroumaru, and drinking while looking at a happy Serna-san. Primera had been drinking with Albert and the others, saying that she had been working out with the older members of the Order lately, and she''d been drinking with Albert and the others, and it seemed that she''d mistakenly gotten into a high-degree drink, so she''d been sunk early. And although Aura, who is supposed to be a maid, is also suffering from a hangover, I feel I can only feel sorry for her about this matter. At any rate, she was tangled up with Chris-san, who was drinking while looking at the happy Serna-san, and she was taking it out on Alhala, who was taking it out on her. We feel that we are also responsible for abandoning Aura because Chris-san was scared of her, so we decided to keep Aina''s hangover a secret, and if she found out, we decided to do our best to protect her.


    ''''So, what happened to the three of the ''Wildcat Princesses''?''''


    ''For what it''s worth, I left early in the morning with my head in the sand, because I had a request I''d been planning for some time.


    The three of them didn''t seem to want to go, but if they skipped the request for that reason, they might end up in a lot of trouble, so they reluctantly went to complete the request. The reason why I know such a situation of the three is because the banquet last night lasted until midnight, so it was a hassle to bring back the drunken members after the banquet, so they stayed in the dining room of the Mangokutei. Normally I would have been kicked out by the old man, but I was hesitant to kick him out because of the presence of Albert, and because the other guests know about the banquet yesterday, so I got him to watch more. Well, even so, I''m sure I caused trouble for the Manchuria Pavilion and other guests, so I know I need to make it up to them in some way.


    ''''I hope the hangover doesn''t cause me to screw up my request... so, as for the wedding food, what are you going to serve?''''


    Let''s see ... roughly, we need an appetizer, a fish dish, a meat dish, a dessert, and a soup or salad or a drink or something else for an in-between mouthful, right?��One of these days, I''ll have a specific dessert in mind, and I''ll think about something else.


    As for drinks, you''ll need an aperitif, as well as some weak drinks and juices for those who are weak or inept at drinking. After that, you''ll probably need some after-dinner tea.


    The variety of drinks alone is going to exceed half of our goal, but more choices are better than less, so we decided to order from a liquor store and tea specialist in Gunjo City via the old man.


    The salad would be made with seasonal vegetables, and the meat dish would be roast tobiko with Wyvern meat... or would you prefer Wyvern?��For the fish dish, we have Tyrant salmon, so we''ll have a wrapped grilled fillet of it.


    ''I''d like another meat and fish dish. And something amazing to look at.


    He wanted to serve a dish that not only tasted amazing, but also looked amazing, and the old man asked me if I had anything to offer him, but I couldn''t think of anything, so I decided to put it off for later.


    ''As an appetizer, I think the chicken ham and pickles I served yesterday would be fine?


    I think it''s fine. It was good. And I think you can have the soup from that one, too.


    That''ll save us a lot of time, since we''re used to making them.


    And so the menu for the wedding was decided in a thumping manner, except for the meat and fish dishes.


    ''Well then, I''ll make some chicken ham and soup, just to see what it tastes like... because this is about the only thing I''m going to be able to stomach.


    It sounds more like a hangover meal than a tasting, but the appetizers should be good enough to eat in a hungover state... maybe.


    ''Temma, give me some bread!


    Me too!


    After a few moments of eating, Amour seemed to get back on track and joined his grandfather in demanding bread. Following the two of them, Leni and Jeanne, safe and sound, began to eat the bread. And in contrast to the four of them, the five of them, who hadn''t recovered from their hangovers, looked pained and were slowly bringing the soup to their mouths with their spoons.


    ''Miss, you''re behaving a little badly. Besides, there are crumbs all over the place.


    M~ but it''s the best way to eat.


    Well, people often taste better when they''re a little misbehaved.


    Mr. Leni had noted that Amur was eating torn bread that he had torn and blistered in his soup, dipping his mouth into the edge of the plate and scraping it in. Grandpa seemed to be positive about that way of eating, and he was mildly protective of Amur as Leni warned him about it.


    ''What do you think, Temma?''


    ''Well, it''s good to dip the bread in it but it''s a bit unmannerly to scrape it in, isn''t it?


    Maybe it was because I expressed an opinion similar to Leni''s, but Amour countered that this is how you pour miso soup over rice, or that it''s an application of the proper way to eat donmeesi, but he said, "That''s partly because of cultural differences, and it''s not good manners to eat something served as a soup as if it were donmeesi. ''Of course,'' he said, and Amour, understanding that he was outnumbered, looked at Grandpa and Jeanne in an attempt to get more allies, but he was successfully deflected.


    ''Well then, sweetheart. Now that the results are in, shall we get to the lessons on how to eat properly?


    Amour, who couldn''t argue and couldn''t take sides, smiled very nicely at Leni and began to instruct her on how to drink the soup.


    ''Father, you might want to serve the soup with bread instead of croutons,''


    That might be a good idea too. If you put it in the soup from the start, there won''t be any crumbs when you tear it off.


    But the old man was worried that even if I put the bread in as a garnish, the part I shaved off to shape it was going to be wasted, so when I told him I was going to use that part of the bread in another dish, he said, "Well, then, let''s give it a try now," and retreated to the kitchen. And after a while.


    ''This is the bread I cut up and put in as is, and this is the bread I seared and then put in, the one I fried in oil.


    He said and placed three different kinds of soup in front of everyone. And then I took a survey.


    The soup with the seared bread is dangling.


    So I guess this is the soup for you, then.


    With five votes for the soup with seared bread and zero other votes (.............), one wedding menu was decided. As to why there were only five votes in all.


    You can''t taste it in that condition.


    It was because Albert and the rest of the hangover group couldn''t tell the difference in taste. In fact, it was because they couldn''t even taste the softened bread, so they abstained from voting.


    ''''Even so, I didn''t expect the nobleman''s group, which was supposed to be the most powerful, to be out of the game...''''


    I''m sorry...


    I''m sorry...


    ''I''m sorry...''


    Pfft.....


    Albert, Cain, and Primera seemed to have recovered enough time to respond to the medicine I gave them, but Chris-san seemed to still be in danger, and I doubted that he could even hear what I was saying. Incidentally, Aura had been taken to the bathroom by Jeanne as soon as the soup was brought in, and she still hadn''t come back.


    ''''It can''t be helped...........................Here, Chris, let''s go. Totally, I said we were going to re-educate your daughter together, but you''re the one who''s in charge.......


    Chris had to be taken to the toilet by Leni, who couldn''t see him. But now Chris seemed to be in danger of breaking even with a slight shock, and it was taking him dozens of times longer than usual to get to the toilet a dozen or so meters away.


    ''Well then, old man. I''ve got someplace to go, so I''m sorry, but you''re going to have to take care of everyone else.


    No, please, I''ve got a job to do, too.


    Ignoring my father''s words, I was about to head to my next destination, the Adventurer''s Guild, but Amur was getting ready to follow me, so I said a few words


    ''Amur I''m not taking you because you still have a hangover.


    I''m fine. I''m okay with this.


    I wasn''t sure if I should tell you or not, since it sounded like he would definitely follow me, but I thought it was best to be honest here.


    ''Amour I have to admit, you smell pretty boozy. Besides, if you''re wobbling just to get up and move around in that state, it''s obvious you''re going to get the hell out of there.


    At my unrelenting words, Amur looked shocked, then turned away in his chair in a huff.


    ''Temma, I think that''s a terrible idea,''


    Yeah, that''s not a word for a girl.


    Jeanne and old man are accusing me all together, but if I didn''t say this, Amour wouldn''t have backed down, and I don''t want him to get sick by forcing him to go with me. After saying that to the two of them, I slipped out of the Manchuria Pavilion at a fast pace and headed for the Adventurer''s Guild.


    ''''Huh?''''


    I walked into the guild building and looked around lightly and saw the person I wanted sitting in his usual spot.


    ''''Mr. Flute, is it safe for you to work?''''


    The person I wanted to see was Flute, and since he had said he was coming to the Manchuria Pavilion yesterday but didn''t show up, I was worried that something was wrong. Well, there was no urgent news from the guild, so I knew it wasn''t due to health conditions, but I thought the fact that he couldn''t come meant that he had been busy with work until late at night, so I was a little surprised to see him working without a care in the world.


    ''Ah!��I''m sorry for yesterday. You were invited to join us....


    When I asked an apologetic Flute what happened, he told me that yesterday, he had to work past his scheduled time, but he was still in time to go to the Manchuria Pavilion with the head of the guild, but when they reached the stairs, the baby moved, and Flute was surprised to see him He lost his balance, and the guild leader, who was even more surprised, hurriedly supported Flute and mistakenly thought that he had overworked himself and got sick, and was sent home with him.


    I''m relieved to hear that nothing has happened to Flute, but the guild leader must have been in a panic.


    ''Yes, he was fine, but he forced me to lie in bed and asked me to give a message to the Manchuria Pavilion, but I guess he forgot.


    I was troubled that I forgot to leave a message, but I was a little relieved to find out that he cared about Mr. Flute that much. Well, I thought, that''s not the guild leader character I know...


    So, I was wondering if I could have a word with you about Serna''s wedding.


    Today, Serna said she''s working the late shift and will be at work in the evening, and I heard beforehand that she wasn''t going to be there, so she came at this time.


    Flute heard me say nothing about being replaced as a matchmaker without my knowledge, but she said there was one thing that bothered her about me being a matchmaker. That is.


    Is it okay for an unmarried man to be a matchmaker?


    It was a thing to say. Well, I told him that this time I was not an official matchmaker, but rather a witness to the marriage, and since it was the brainchild of a nobleman (Albert), it would be fine.


    ''''And since we''re going to be doing a little shenanigans at Serna-san''s wedding this time, I''ve come for a preliminary meeting, is the time okay?''''


    When I cut to the chase, Mr. Flute looked very puzzled. And.


    ''''For now, let''s go to the guild leader''s office I don''t know what you''re planning to do, but please don''t do anything that might cause the two main characters to hate you.


    Accompanied by a worried Flute, I went to the guild leader''s office and found the guild leader there, who was doing his job diligently. Well, even so, maybe it''s the fact that he''s endured what his grandfather told him to do, but instead of taking the lead in doing his work, he just stamps the documents that are brought to him, so maybe the mental burden on the staff is less than it was before. It''s weird to say that not doing the work reduces the mental burden on the staff.


    ''''So, the person you''re dealing with this time with Tenma is Henri''s father.......''''


    Though I''m sure the other party doesn''t think for a minute that he''s making an enemy of Temma-san.


    The head of the guild looked slightly sympathetic to Henri''s father and was angry when he heard Serna''s assessment of what Henri''s father had said.


    ''''I understand why, but isn''t bringing the wedding forward too much?��When all is said and done, you can apologize to both of them again.


    The head of the guild has a point... but as someone who knew the old guild leader, isn''t the man in front of him still a fake?��I couldn''t get rid of the thought that I was going to be able to do this. Perhaps that thought oozed out of me, but Mr. Flute looked at me and said a few words in a small voice


    Mr. Temma you need to get used to it.


    Flute-san''s words made me feel that I must have had a lot more trouble than the shortness of his words suggested.


    ''Well, we''ll get to that in due course... and Mr. Flute. Do you have any idea where Serna-san ordered her wedding dress from?


    Serna said the wedding dress was ready and left at the shop, so I wanted to know where it was.


    ''Yes, I know. I introduced Serna to the shop where I had taken care of it.


    The shop is run by a friend of Flute''s, and since it''s run by a former guild employee, guild employees often use the shop when they get married.


    I''ve heard that the owner, a former guild employee, is also a craftsman, and although he''s a bit of a moody person, he''s a skilled one, and just a few years after working as a craftsman, the owner of a large shop in the capital once came to scout him personally.


    ''''Well, I''ll be going out for a while.


    ''Yes, if you tell him I''m introducing you, I''m sure he''ll at least listen to you, even if you''re busy... but he has a temperamental streak, so please don''t just fight with him.


    Hearing Flute''s worried voice, I made my way to the craftsman''s shop... I was a little worried that maybe Flute thought I was a dangerous guy who would pick a fight with anyone.


    ''Welcome.''


    I opened the door of the shop I was told about, worried that Mr. Flute might have misunderstood me, and was greeted by a large man with a wild voice and a body like a bodybuilder.


    For a moment, I thought I had entered the wrong store, but from the signage, this seemed to be the one I wanted to enter.


    ''''I could introduce you to Mr. Flute, but...''''


    ''You were introduced to Mr. Flute?��What''s a dragon-slaying hero doing in a clothing store like this?


    This big man seemed to know me but don''t you think he was here to look at clothes because he had a customer in a clothing store?


    ''''I have a few questions to discuss with you about Serna-san''s wedding dress.


    Huh?


    I understood some of what Mr. Flute had meant. I decided that those words weren''t about me, but about this big man........


    ''I want to give Serna-san a gift, and I need you to make it to fit her dress.


    The big man has been staring at me with a scary look on his face for a while now, as if he thinks I''m being stingy with his work. But.


    By the way, use this material.


    The big man''s eyes widened as he looked at the ball of yarn I took out......the high-grade quality stuff that Gol and Jill created, and his eyes widened with this.


    ''''This, the quality of the material is too different.......Could this be the ''spider silk'' that is rumored in the industry?


    When I was wondering what was going on, a large man who seemed to have noticed what I was thinking told me that it was rumored to be a national treasure that could only be obtained by someone approved by the Queen. Well, that rumor is not necessarily wrong. Gol and Jill themselves are very rare demons, and besides, they only seem to make yarn in places where they feel safe. What''s more, except for the amount I need, Maria manages them and only distributes them to people who are friendly to me.


    Therefore, most of the people who wear things made from the two yarns are royalist nobles, and the only artisans who have ever handled yarn are those who are in the employ of those nobles. Because of this, even if you ask the craftsman to find the source of the thread, the nobles who brought it to you will prevent you from doing so, and even if you clear the nobles, you will run out of power in the next Maria (the last boss). If you back off quietly there, there won''t be much of a problem, but if you get too far ahead of yourself, you''ll be in trouble for gaining the displeasure of the royal family.


    Will you take it on?


    Of course!


    The big man replied in a cover-up manner.


    ''But what do you want me to make of this?''


    The wedding veil. It''s due in a week. Can you do it?


    "I''ll give you a week to do it.��But if you don''t, the veil will just be too awesome, and it won''t be balanced with the dress, will it?


    As you might expect from a skilled flutist, he immediately pointed out the problems I hadn''t noticed. And he quickly proposed a solution.


    Instead of using this thread for the entire bouquet, I thought of mixing half of it with normal thread and using the remaining thread to decorate the dress. This way, I think I can minimize the difference in balance.


    The big man says he''s going to drop the rank of the veil and raise the rank of the dress.


    ''So I''ll ask. I''ll leave you an extra thread, use it as you wish.


    All right!��And don''t worry about the tone of voice you normally use in the guild. There is no need for honorifics. Well, I''m going to continue to use the same tone of voice.


    Apparently, this big man is as good as he looks. When I told him I would leave everything to him as long as it didn''t deviate from Serna-san''s order, the big man grinned and said, "Well, then, there''s no problem. I was curious, so I asked him about it, and he told me that Serna-san had ordered it to be in the general shape and within the budget as much as possible due to the budget, and to leave the decorations and other details to him.


    In other words, it''s up to me what materials to use as long as it''s within the budget specified at the beginning. Well, it has to be within the client''s image...there''s a condition that it has to be within the client''s image.


    Well, even if Serna-san didn''t like it, she said it would be easy to remove the added decorations, so as long as it wasn''t too much of a problem, it would be fine.


    ''''Well then, please.''''


    ''Oh!��I got it!


    This big man seemed to be similar in type to Master Ganz, but he didn''t seem to have as many habits as Master, so he seemed to be easy to get along with.


    ''Like, everything dress-related seems to work out well.


    When I returned to the guild and reported so, Mr. Froot looked a little surprised, and then looked dumbfounded.


    ''''To Felt-san, was Temma-san an ideal superior guest........''''


    After that, he got a job with the guild because of his experience as an adventurer, and before I came to Gunjo City, he resigned and jumped into the world of clothing. The reason why he chose to work in the clothing world is because his hobby was sewing, and as for why sewing became his hobby, he bought cheap and tattered clothes at a thrift store to save money on clothing when he was a rookie adventurer, and he repaired them and used them. When he continued to do so because he could crush them, his skill soon surpassed that of an amateur. However, as a former adventurer, he had a temperamental streak, and because of his skills, customers who didn''t like him would be turned away. Incidentally, Felt is also one of the people that the head of the guild used Froot as a shield to escape during the Froot pregnancy scandal.


    ''''I have an acquaintance who is a craftsman like that, you know. Besides, since I''m the one going to ask, I''ll at least put up with a little patience at first.


    I was annoyed a few times along the way, but I guess I was fortunate to have built up some tolerance with Master Ganz. In the old days, I would have left the shop on the way and looked for somewhere else to shop.


    ''''If I had the time, I''d like to see you complete a request in Gunjaw City as well, but it seems impossible.


    But we''ll have to talk about that another time.


    As the preparations for Serna-san''s wedding are more important, I''m sorry for Flute, but I''ve decided to decline this time.


    ''''And although I won''t take the request, I can submit a request... or rather, I''d like to.


    A request...?


    Mr. Flute sounded puzzled, as if he was surprised that I wanted to submit a request.

 200-Chapter 13-8 Horned Rabbit

    ��Flute SIDE


    I''m tired.


    ''Just because I''m dealing with my own daughter, doesn''t mean I''m a man of the people!��Totally!


    ''At least the horned rabbit should be a piece of cake for everyone in the village - you didn''t even bother to call us!


    It looks like ''Wildcat Princess'' is back. Even if I can''t hear their voices, it''s easy to understand the newcomers if the three of them come to the guild, because they''ll be able to color up the newcomers.


    ''''Ah!��Mr. Flute. I''ve finished my request~


    There''s a lot of hornbills out there!


    It''s been a while since I''ve seen the King!


    At the words of the three of them, the newcomers who had been looking around to see what was going on were rushing out of the guild in a hurry and bumping into tables and chairs in a state of agitation.


    ''''What''s going on!''''


    Hey!��Don''t freak me out!


    We just got back from a client and we''re exhausted!


    All three of them seemed to be a bit upset because they were tired of the request and were angry at the newcomers who suddenly became noisy. Normally, I would tell them not to get angry like that, but some of the newcomers have been looking at the three of us in an evil way, or sneaking around talking to us in secret while looking at us, so their anger is understandable. With that in mind, no one on the staff, including me, tried to give them any attention.


    I said, "Please calm down, all three of you. In fact, I got an urgent request after the three of you left, and the newcomers are in a hurry.


    ""On short notice?"


    The three of us all nodded our heads and looked towards the board. Thinking that this kind of thing must be the secret of its popularity, I handed them a copy of the request form that was in hand and began to explain.


    ''''That request is for ''delivery of horned rabbit meat'', and the client needs something above a certain quality.''''


    ''Yes!��Just fine then!


    I''ll get it all in.


    ''I had my mothers take in all but the cleanest rabbits, so there must only be good ones left!


    Fortunately, the three of them took out a horned rabbit from each magic bag.


    I''m afraid you three are unable to accept this request.


    The Guild couldn''t take it back.


    ''''Why?��They''re all quality rabbits, you know?


    Maybe you had to get the request in advance?


    ''But it''s still stuck on the board, and it''s in the same place as the permanent request, albeit for a limited time, right?


    ''Please call in your requisitions often. This is a request for new recruits, with a limit of two birds per person.


    Perhaps it was because they were tired, but the three of them didn''t seem to have read the explanation in the request carefully. Surprised by my words, the three of them read the request form again and sighed.


    ''''What a shame...''''


    ''''It can''t be helped.


    I just thought it would be a great way to spend my money.


    I wonder if Millie-san is trying to be an appropriator against me, but she deliberately tells the newcomers that the butcher shop will take it back at a higher price than the guild, so that they can hear it. The rest of the two of us agree, and let''s take it to any butcher anywhere?��I was discussing something like that with him.


    ''Is it okay for all three of you to say that?''


    But I don''t care where we take it, because it''s our business!


    Yeah, yeah!


    ''Half of it is wholesale to the guild, so why not the rest!


    Well, the three of you are right...


    ''I just wanted to tell you that there are better wholesale suppliers... you don''t have to say that much...''


    I pretended to be a little ... just a little ... just a little bit, because I was getting a little bit of a kick out of the three of them and their attitudes, so I pretended to be a little bit hurt. I held my eyes with one hand and hugged my stomach with the other.


    ''Ehhh!''


    Don''t cry, Mr. Flute!


    Because we were bad!


    The three of them didn''t notice the false tears and started to hurriedly soothe me, but the same guild staff and old adventurers seemed to notice and held their mouths in place to stifle their laughter.


    ''''It''s fine if you know. So, that''s the wholesaler.........................Can you be quiet for a moment?


    When they stopped lying and crying, the three of them said, "I was tricked! And, "Terrible! And, "Out of the way! I said. Let''s remember that carefully.


    ''''So, the wholesale customer, I''m talking about Tenma-san. The owner of this request is Temma-san, and after all, he needs rabbit meat for a dish he''s making for a wedding.


    Temma!


    All right, let''s go!


    Let''s go now!


    We all almost jumped out at the mention of Temma''s name, but Nelly noticed a good point.


    ''If it''s true then no.......it''s a grey area. If Tenma-san cancels the request or something like that, the guild will have to issue a warning to the client and the adventurer who brought it in.


    The three of them nearly jumped out and the new adventurers who were watching them said, "Then why are you saying that? I had a look on my face.


    ''''However, even if you bring a rabbit to Temma-san, the guild can''t issue a warning if Temma-san doesn''t withdraw the request. Well, it''s not a commendable act, and it will make the guild feel bad about it. However, if it''s not an ''ordinary horned rabbit'' but a ''king horned rabbit'' that is brought in, it''s not a demon specified in the request, so even if the three of us went to sell it without going through the guild, we won''t interfere because we have nothing to do with the guild. Well, no matter what kind of trouble happens with the other party, it also means that the guild has nothing to do with it.


    In other words, this is a way to avoid trouble with any of them, although it''s limited to acquaintances. Well, if there were adventurers who still complained to the three of us, the guild would at least intercede. However, it''s not much of a hardship, since all you have to do is say, "We can build a friendly enough relationship that we can easily charge in like the three of them," or "We can take a king horn rabbit with us like the three of them. If you still want to complain about it, just blacklist them.


    (Well, Temma-san would buy all the normal horn rabbits just because the three of you brought them in... but as long as it doesn''t affect the request you sent out, that''s the privilege of knowing them.)


    What did you say, Mr. Flute?


    ''No, I didn''t say anything. For that matter, if you don''t go soon, Temma might finish your dinner.


    That''s a lot of work!


    Wash your heads and wait!��Amur!


    And Aura the Wasted Meat!


    They really are three noisy people.


    If truth be told, I would have wanted them to notice this method on their own, but it would be difficult if the other adventurers noticed the loophole first and carried it out and displeased Temma-san and her friends. And I don''t want the adventurer who took it to them to become useless. Well, if you''re an adventurer to the extent that you ignore or don''t notice this warning (...), you don''t need to be in this guild, though.


    Flute SIDE End


    ''Temma, I''m sorry to bother you. The Dukes will hold the money for the rabbit, so don''t hesitate to charge me for it.


    ''No, that would be scary if they found out, wouldn''t it?��I''ve decided that I''m going to pay for the whole wedding, and we have three (...) foodies in our house, so it doesn''t matter how much meat we have. Besides, it was Albert who said it made sense for me to pay for it, right?


    The horned rabbit''s request was to secure the meat for Serna-san''s wedding and at the same time, instead of the ''wholesaling materials to the duke''s domain'' that I was asked to do before, I submitted the request in my name. So there is no lofty reason such as to give the newcomer experience or to save the newcomer. That''s exactly why at first I was thinking of making the request open to anyone, and I only changed it because Flute asked me to do so.


    ''Temma, this will give me some reputation!


    ''Rude!��This is still one of the most popular adventurers!


    You''re missing the "''For people who don''t know anything about (...)''


    When I jokingly protested to Amour, Cain added something unnecessary from behind.


    ''Albert the ''visit to Samon''s territory and acceptance of the request'' that was on my schedule has just been cancelled, what do you think I should put in instead?''


    Many of Elsa''s family members are very good at wind magic, so you might be able to hear something useful.


    So I decided to break my promise to Cain. In addition, in order to fill the vacant schedule (the timing is yet to be determined), I consulted Albert, and he gave me a proposal that I found quite appealing.


    ''''That''s good. Then shall we visit the Silphilde territory instead of the Samoens territory?


    I''m sorry. I got carried away. I''m really sorry. So put your calendar back on.


    When I pretended to take Albert''s suggestion, Cain immediately bowed his head with an apology in his mouth. Chris-san and the other usual members of the group only looked dumbfounded at Cain''s situation, but Primera, who hadn''t had much of a chance to see him, was quite taken aback.


    ''''Speaking of which, how does Temma plan to cook the meat of the horned rabbit?''''


    Perhaps because he couldn''t bear Primera''s gaze anymore, Cain suddenly changed the topic of conversation. Although everyone noticed that it was clearly a change of topic to distract Primera, everyone including Primera seemed to be curious about it, and they decided to go straight to Cain''s topic.


    ''''Rabbit meat can be used in many different dishes, but this time I''m thinking of using it for stews and fried foods.


    Sounds good Temma, make it!


    With that one word from Amour, the menu for today was unanimously decided upon. We''ve made stew and fried foods many times before, and I think one of the reasons is because we all became united in our awareness by hearing the ingredients and the specific menu when we were getting hungry.


    Then, let''s start cooking right away. Jeanne, Aura, help me out.


    Primera, since you''re here, let me help you.


    ''What!��I''m a little unsure...


    When Albert asked Primera to help, Primera was puzzled, but she ended up participating in the cooking along with the house servants. Incidentally, the remaining three women........Chris-san, Amour and Leni-san did not participate. Chris-san and Amour, who call themselves "foodies," had no intention of participating in the cooking from the beginning. Well, even if they did participate in the cooking, they wouldn''t be able to fight, so we didn''t want to invite them from the beginning. As for Leni-san, she seemed to be interested in participating, but Chris had caught her as someone to talk to, so we decided to let her keep her company.


    ''Seasoning should be the same as usual, but the stew should focus on the aura. Me and Jeanne will do the fried stuff.


    With that said, I let Jeanne prep the fried chicken and I decided to make the rabbit meat cutlets. The stew was left to Aura, Primera and the house servants, because stew involves a lot of stewing, and I thought it would be easier to follow up with Primera, who said she wasn''t confident.


    ''''Jeanne, I''ll help you fry it, just until you cut it up and season it. You''ll have to prepare quite a bit more for that.


    I instructed Jeanne and I started preparing the rabbit cutlets. I decided to prepare two types of cutlets: one made by battering seasoned meat and frying it normally, and the other made by cutting open the same meat and stuffing the inside with cheese. I''m going to prepare twenty slices of each, so it will take some time and effort, but it should be just right considering the time it takes to make the stew...it should be just right. It''s going to be pretty close to the edge, though.


    We cooked like that for about an hour. We, who were in charge of frying, had almost finished the preparations and had reached the point where all that remained was to fry them in oil.


    Tenma-sama, you have a visitor.


    Do I have a guest?


    One of the servants of the mansion came to announce a visitor. I was wondering who among my acquaintances had come to the Duke of Sangha''s mansion...


    Oh, Lilly and the others...


    I knew who he was before I even saw his face, let alone heard his voice. Why......


    ''Amur, don''t push me in the opposite direction.


    The moment I stepped out into the hallway, Amour flew in and started trying to lead me in the opposite direction from the entrance.


    ''Aura, Jeanne. Work!


    I''m coming!


    ''Well....''


    Amur seems to have decided that he can''t move me and decided to go interfere with the three sisters by inviting Aura and Jeanne to come out into the corridor. Jeanne didn''t seem to get into it (apparently she couldn''t bear the fact that she didn''t leave a lasting impression on the three sisters), but Aura seemed to be willing to go. But.........


    Not in a stone''s throw, please.


    Primera stopped me. Because.


    ''Since Lily and the others are guests of Mr. Temma, but at the same time they are also guests of the Duke of Sangha''s house.


    It was a matter of fact. Indeed, even if they were my guests, the situation is such that they are also visiting the Duke of Sangha''s mansion, so the three of them can''t be harmed.


    ''''But!


    ''Lily and the others have been here since the formal procedure was followed. Things are different than they were the other day.


    Mm~.....


    Amour, who had been debunked by the Primera, became more mature with a frustrated look on his face. Aura, who was watching the situation, also looked frustrated, and only Jeanne had a look of relief on her face.


    ''So that means, be quiet.


    Thanks to Primera, Amur and Aura were more mature, so now it was just a question of whether the three sisters would get involved... but


    You three make a scene right now, or I''ll have you thrown out.


    ""Yes......"


    The three sisters have become more mature thanks to Primera. Primera has a different vibe than usual, but perhaps the fact that she''s welcoming guests in a place that''s meant to be a nobleman has an effect on her.


    ''''So, what''s wrong with the three of you?''''


    When it got quiet, I spoke to the three of them, and they looked at me as if they remembered their purpose.


    Today, when you go to our village on commission!


    Your mother worked me hard!


    It''s a long story.


    ""A lot of horned rabbits!"


    All three of you will speak more clearly and firmly.


    There is something suspicious about the way Amur says that, but I know what he means than the three of us, so it''s safe to say for now.


    ''All three of you, please speak more clearly. Especially Nellie, I''d most like to know about all that stuff, but well, that''s okay for now. So, what''s up with all the horned rabbits in large numbers?


    I don''t think we''ll get any further by delving into the story at this point, so I decided to ask him about the horned rabbit, which is probably why the three of us came.


    ''Let''s see, today''s request to destroy a bunch of horned rabbits, and one of them was King Horned Rabbit.


    When I tried to sell it to the guild, I heard that Tenma was buying the horned rabbit.


    ''I can''t buy a horned rabbit because it would be out of my requirements, but I brought it to you because Mr. Flute said that the King would want it, and Temma would want it!


    King is a rare breed, so it''s good for us. And while we''re at it, we''ll take in another horned rabbit.


    When I said that, the three of us said in unison that Mr. Flute had told us that was a no-no, but we said that if it didn''t affect the request we had put out, it would be fine, and we took back all the horn rabbits we had. Well, I was surprised to see that the horned rabbits the three of us sent out were lightly over fifty, though not up to three figures, but we have three foodies in our house, and several foodies from other places often come to us, so it wouldn''t take much time to consume them.


    More importantly, the problem is.


    Would you like to get some dinner while you''re at it?


    It was these words that were uttered without a second thought.


    The answer to all three was yes, of course, and soon afterwards, they realized that the amount of stew and fried food they had prepared was not enough, so they hurriedly decided to mass-produce it.


    As a last resort, he left the stew to Aura alone, and with the help of Primera and the servants, they managed to get the number of items ready in time.


    ''After all that hard work, it''s gone so fast... well, it always does...''


    The fact that it''s gone so quickly means that the food was that good, and that''s why I''m happy about it, but on the other hand, somewhere in the back of my mind I''ve been thinking, "Please taste it more slowly....

 201-Chapter 13-9 Two brothers

    ''The day after tomorrow is the wedding, are you ready for it?''


    In response to my question at the meeting at the Manchuria Pavilion, the venue for the meeting, Serna-san smiled smugly and answered "yes," but Henri was so stiff and nervous that he didn''t seem to be able to hear me. Two days ago and at this rate, I wouldn''t be of any use tomorrow at all. And on the day........heart, it''s not going to stop, is it?��I was worried about that, but when I shifted my gaze, I saw that my father and wife had thought the same thing and looked worried.


    ''Shall Henri have the meeting he needs first, and then we''ll take it slow until the show?


    ''That would be nice. Even though he''s one of the stars of the wedding, the man is the bride''s complement, you know.


    The old man doesn''t seem to be asking much of the groom (Henri), as if something happened at his wedding with his wife. The lady sitting next to the old man just nodded her head in agreement with him.


    After that, I managed to finish Henri''s meeting, although it took some time, and I relegated Henri, who was showing a sense of accomplishment, to a corner of the dining room for Serna''s meeting, but this one ended in about a fraction of the time of Henri''s, so overall we were able to finish in the time we had planned.


    ''Henri''s stuff, we might as well not move it again today. Temma, take Henri to his room and give him a lift.


    Yes.


    I lent Henri, who was in love with me, a shoulder to take him to his room because his old man told me to... he was too much in love with me, so I was completely transporting him rather than lending him a shoulder, so I got to my room and threw him on the bed as soon as possible. The bedding was quite a mess, but I figured Serna would take care of it later anyway, so I left it there and went back to my old man and the others.


    ''Pops, I left Henri here.


    Oh. Okay, Temma. You can keep this for next time.


    The old man had recommended cooking while I was taking Henri to the restaurant, and he left the finished product with me. He kept the pots and pans he received in the magic bag and served more on the day of the wedding.


    The Magic Bag makes the day a lot easier because you can prepare the food a few days in advance.


    If you store the finished product in a magic bag, all that remains to be done is to take it out and put it on a plate, so you have a lot of time to spare on the day of the event. However, even if you are able to make all of the dishes beforehand, you are not completely relieved from cooking, as there are things that need to be added to the plates, but still, it is definitely easier than ever to reduce the amount of work you have to do.


    ''Well, I''m going to go home for a while then. I''ll come back in the evening.


    After saying that, I left the Full Stomach Pavilion and almost bumped into a man who was outside the door. I bowed my head lightly and apologized, and he bowed his head as well, but he left without entering the full stomach pavilion. Although it was a suspicious act, I decided that maybe I just wanted to see what it was like inside... but when I turned around, still curious, the man was gone.


    ''It didn''t seem to be hostile... but I''ll just pay attention.


    Just to be sure, I went back to the Manchuria Pavilion and reported to the old man again, but he said there were quite a few people who did so, so there was no need to worry too much about it.


    I thought he was a little too optimistic, but he said he was a former adventurer, and he didn''t need to worry about it, as he never missed a beat in his training.


    ''''Well, most of the guests at the Mangokutei are adventurers, and they''re all regulars, so I don''t think we''ll fall behind so easily,''''


    When I went back to the pavilion and told everyone about it, Primera said that to me. If you ask me, it''s true, and I know I''m just worrying too much... but I''m a little annoyed with Cain and Chris-san who are smirking and laughing at me. And since they stopped grinning before I could do anything, I couldn''t even get back at them.


    ''If only Rion were here at a time like this I could take my mind off the gloom.


    That''s a bit of a stretch...


    Primera was slightly drawn back when she heard my words, but Albert, Cain and Amour nodded, so my thoughts should not be wrong.......


    ''''Well, let''s leave aside the way we''re handling Rion, we''re going to eat dinner at the Manchuria Pavilion again today, so if you have plans to go out, return early or meet directly at the Manchuria Pavilion.


    With those words, we were dismissed, but it seems that none of us had any particular plans to go out, so we each moved around the mansion to our hearts'' content. By the way, I felt a little tired and was going to sleep, but for some reason Albert and Cain followed me to my room. Moreover, Cain has a card in his hand and.....


    ''Yes!��The revolution succeeded!


    ''''Ahhhhhh!''''


    And so it was decided that a millionaire''s tournament would be held in my room. By the way, Cain was the one who started the revolution, and Chris and Amour were the ones who screamed.


    Hey, Albert. Without Leon, I don''t know who Cain would go after.


    Yeah, well, that makes for a heated game of ... yikes.


    Because of Rion''s absence, Cain''s aimlessness was eliminated, and that made it more difficult to know who would be at the bottom of the list, resulting in a game-playing millionaire... well, when we played before, it wasn''t just Cain, but me and Albert, too. It was just that he was back to being the original millionaire because he was aiming for it.


    So the millionaire had a good time, and in no time at all it was time to head to the Manchuria Pavilion. In the end, I couldn''t sleep, but I felt my exhaustion was blown away by the distraction of having fun.


    I guess it''s all right.


    Hmm?��What did you say?


    My muttering seemed to be heard by Amur, but he didn''t seem to be able to hear it clearly, so I fooled him into thinking it was nothing and proceeded to the Full Stomach Pavilion. Since Albert and the others are there, the servants of the mansion tried to prepare a carriage, but since we would need several cars if we were all to ride, we had to walk to the full stomach pavilion. Well, since me and my grandfather are there, it was decided that there is no danger, but since some of us may be drunk when we return, it was decided that we would just put them in the dimension bag that contains the slarin''.


    ''Isn''t the Fullness Pavilion quieter than usual?''


    Normally at dinner time, the noise of adventurers and guests can be heard outside to the street, but today there was no such noise.


    It may be that way at times, since there seem to be guests in the house, but for now, why don''t we go inside and see for ourselves?


    I walked in like my grandfather said, and there were just as many customers as usual, but I got the feeling that most of them were looking for something to do.


    ''Here at last!��Temma, I want you to go upstairs to the big room at once!


    When the old man realized that the guest who came in was me, he pointed upstairs in a panic.


    But first, why don''t you tell me what''s going on?


    ''Yeah, well to put it simply, two of Henri''s brothers came in disparate and got into a pot and fumbled here, and then Viscount Abyss, who came in as a snitch, came in, and it''s a delicate atmosphere.


    Just hearing about it made me want to turn around and go home. Well, I can''t do that.


    I wanted to go home so badly but I had to go. Grandpa, Albert, Primera, come with me.


    When I called out to the three of them, Grandpa and Albert quickly nodded, but Primera looked surprised, as if she hadn''t expected her name to be called. Also, Amour, who for some reason was ready to go, had the same surprised look on his face.


    ''''Grandpa is my advisor, Albert is to keep Viscount Abyss in check if something happens, and Primera is to have Serna-san follow him.


    Where''s Henri?


    ''You can leave it alone. I''d rather leave you to deal with your own two brothers I know it''s a weird vibe because you couldn''t.


    When I told Amur what the three people who called out their names were supposed to do, I mentioned Henri''s name, but Henri was going to ignore it from the beginning. Well, Amur seemed to agree with that, but the rest of the guys looked like they wanted to say something.


    It''s not that I don''t like Henri or treat him roughly because he''s a man. It''s just that this is a problem on Henri''s side, so I just wanted to make Henri take some responsibility as well.


    When I told them my own way of judging Henri''s treatment of him, they seemed to have a reasonable amount of understanding, but Chris-san, Albert and Cain still seemed to be a little skeptical.


    ''For now, shall we head to the room where Serna and the others are?


    With heavy steps, I headed upstairs and as I stood in front of the room where Serna and the others were, I felt as if the heavy air was flooding the room to the outside. And when I knocked and opened the door, I almost reflexively closed the door because the air was even more heavy than I thought it would be.


    ''''It''s nice to meet you, Viscount Abyss. I''m Temma Ootri, who planned (...) the wedding of Serna and Henri this time.


    ''This is Bonito von Avis. Head of the Viscount''s family, and has been in the service of the Dukes of Sangha for generations.


    When I entered the room and was the first to greet Viscount Abyss, his reply gave me the impression that he was a bit dour... but...


    It''s been a while, Viscount Abyss.


    ''Oh!��Master Primera, it''s been a long time!


    When Primera greeted him, the dour face from earlier changed to a big smile.


    ''''It''s always the same. I don''t mind........''''


    I was about to call out to Albert, who was looking somewhat lonely while watching Primera and Viscount Abyss talking, but those words came out of Albert''s mouth before I could call out to him.


    ''''Well then, in the meantime.......Selna-san, what''s going on?''''


    Of all the people in this room, Serna was the only one who seemed to be able to speak most objectively at the moment, so I half-heartedly nominated her, and Serna looked at Henri once and then began to speak.


    ''First of all, Henri''s oldest brother came over and we were talking in the dining room, and then the second brother came over.


    He works for Gloriosa, but he is not considered to be his successor. The second brother is not as good as the first, but he is his father''s favorite, and he tells his friends that he is the second son to succeed him. In addition, Henri and his elder brother share the same mother, but his father had fathered his second brother out of the home, and they took him in after their mother died when he was twelve or three years old. Because of that background, they don''t get along well with their siblings, I''ve heard.


    It''s not just a matter of time before you''re able to get your hands on a new one. But even after we moved to a new location, the atmosphere remained acrimonious...


    As it was, I thought that Viscount Abyss was going to intercede or listen to the two of them, but he came with them in silence to this room that the old man had hastily prepared, and they were quietly drinking tea until we (Primera, to be precise) came in.


    ''So, Henri''s brothers...''


    It''s Daniel.


    It''s Farman.


    They asked me from a seat away, and I immediately said my name. They said the oldest son was Daniel and the second son was Farman. When I asked each of them why they had come to see Henri, Daniel said that he had heard that Henri was getting married, so he had come before his father to congratulate him, and Farman said that he had come to convince him to call off the wedding. The two men argued in the cafeteria because they knew what Farman was up to, and that''s when he said, "Go home! Listen to me! They had an argument about


    ''If that''s the case, shall I ask Farman to leave?


    From what I heard, it seemed that Farman had the same idea as his father and came to interfere, so I was about to get rid of him for now, and was about to check with Serna, when Farman heard my voice and started to panic.


    ''No!��No, I''m pretty sure he wanted to call off the wedding, but I''m not against their marriage!��I''d rather you be happy!


    And so on and so forth. Those words made us ... especially Danielle, suspicious.


    ''You''ll wonder why all of a sudden, but he means what he says.


    Viscount Abyss, who had been delirious to the Primera until then, finally returned to the same mood as when I first saw him and joined the conversation.


    ''''I was suspicious at first too, but after hearing a lot of things, I decided that he''s not the same person as his father. Also, he''s the one who called me here today.


    Maybe the fact that he called Viscount Abyss means that he''s not really trying to sabotage the wedding. Daniel still seemed skeptical, but our image of Farman was slowly beginning to change in our minds.


    ''Whether you believe it or not, I want you to listen to me first.


    Hearing that story completely changed the impression we had of Farman. That''s even Daniel, who was most suspicious of it. And it was something that surprised even Viscount Abyss, with whom we had spoken beforehand.


    ''To sum up the story, Farman was on the side of Serna and Henri, and there''s no doubt that he tried to call off the wedding because he was thinking of the two of them. But apart from that, he was also acting for his own agenda....


    ''There''s no doubt about it. I did it for the sake of both of you, but also because it would have interfered with my plans. But it''s also true that I thought it would be better for both of us if we had the wedding after my plans were complete.


    It would certainly be better for Serna and Henri to have the wedding after Farman''s plan succeeds, and if it fails, they''ll just go back to the state where they tried to have the wedding on their own. Maybe even in a failed state, it would most likely turn out well for both of them, so either way, Farman was right, it would be better after the plan was implemented.


    ''Then, Farman, let us be part of that plan. Well, actually, after their wedding, that plan... well, it''s more like we''re going to put it into effect with some changes, but that should have a better success rate than doing it alone.


    At first, Farman was reluctant to accept my proposal, but as we talked about it in detail, he became more and more enthusiastic, and eventually he said, "Let me get on board with that! He lowered his head.


    Thus, the number of allies on Serna''s side unexpectedly increased, and the number of allies on his father''s side became almost zero.


    ------ Before the entrance of Gunjo City--. ----


    ''At last my friends!��I''m back!


    "Master Rion, please don''t shout late at night, as it may disturb people around you.


    I''m sorry...


    Rion, who was completely unable to raise his head to the knight of the guards, immediately bowed to the people who were slightly around him as well as the people who were in the vicinity as soon as he uttered the words of apology.


    The people in the vicinity knew at first glance that Leon was a nobleman, and although they were surprised by his sudden shout, none of them complained outwardly, but only lightly returned the bows to Leon. However, it was only the civilians who were in the vicinity (...), and the soldiers on guard who were standing at the entrance immediately called for backup and went to Rion and the others to interview them... but the knights on guard showed the family crest of the frontier county family and came to Gunjo City. By telling them the reason and why Leon had shouted, they were soon released.


    ''''Well then, let''s head immediately to the residence of the Sanga duke family. However, in the city, please let the horses advance side by side. Do you understand, Lord Lyon?


    Yes.....


    The soldier at the entrance, who saw Rion like a child being admonished, despite being a nobleman and an adult, felt lightly pity for the knight who was admonishing him.........


    The knight of the guard, who had no way of knowing that he was being pitied, proceeded ahead as if he were leading Rion and arrived safely at the residence of the Duke of Sanga''s family.......


    ''Mr. Lyon, I understand that Mr. Albert and his friends are at dinner, and they are not at home.


    All right, then, we''ll head over to the place you said everyone was going to eat!


    Saying that, Rion tried to guess that everyone would be at the ''Manchuria Pavilion'' that was mentioned earlier in Temma''s story, and was about to head there, but....


    ''Master Rion, I hear it''s been quite some time since you all headed out to dinner, and if we continue to head out, there''s a chance that we''ll end up going the wrong way.


    Surely that''s not a good idea then let''s wait here a bit longer.


    They were waiting outside for everyone''s return, but after about 30 minutes, Rion became numb and said he was going to the Full House. The knights had no choice but to go along with him, but before they could ask the servants where the restaurant was, Leon started to go ahead and they had to chase after him in a hurry. Moreover, since Leon didn''t know exactly where the Manpuku-ji Temple was, he had to waste a lot of time until a passing drunk asked him for directions.


    Moreover, when they finally arrived at the dining room of the Manchurian restaurant, it was closed, and they had to turn back to the Sanga dukes'' mansion again. Moreover, Leon''s misfortune didn''t stop there; when he returned to the pavilion and asked his servants, they told him that no one had returned yet.


    Rion wondered if it wasn''t the Fullness Pavilion, but that was simply because Temma and the others were eating in the large room upstairs while they used the large room upstairs for their discussion with Serna and the others, so they weren''t in the dining room downstairs, and in fact, Rion''s hunch was correct.


    He proposed to search the city again, but the knight rejected his suggestion, so he quietly asked the servants of the mansion to prepare a room for him and wait for everyone''s return there.


    However, at that time, there was still a drinking party called a meal at the Manpuku-Tei, so it will take more time to return to the mansion.

 202-Chapter 13-10 The day before the wedding

    ''''I wonder why Rion doesn''t live up to expectations at a time like this...''''


    ''''You said so much about needing and needing Rion........could it be that you''re a tsundere?''''


    ''Oh, my God!''


    ''You''re talking about punishments and stuff!��Don''t talk to me in a misleading way!


    At Amur''s words, Rion looked happy, but Cain looked disgusted.


    ''You guys, move your hands, not your mouths!


    We are in the middle of renovating Manpuku-ji into a wedding hall. When I say renovation, I just mean that we''re getting rid of the stuff we don''t need for the wedding and decorating the walls and such.


    "Henri, that''s where we''ll change the rings.


    Yes, sir!��........Huh?


    Henri, you forgot it in the waiting room!


    Henri had asked Felt, who had come to deliver the costumes, to give him a final confirmation of the flow of the wedding. However, he''s been too nervous from earlier and has made a lot of mistakes.......but he believes that he''ll be able to handle it tomorrow.


    ''''Oi, Temma. I''m done baking, you can keep this one too.


    The old man is working with his wife on the mass production of food. By the way, Primera and Jeanne have gone to help Felt''s wife. At first, all the ladies helped, but Chris-san, Amour, and Aura were either unavailable or in the way of too many, so his wife kicked them out, and finally it was just Primera and Jeanne. Incidentally, Chris was useless due to his jealousy of Serna, Amour was not good at details, and Aura''s blunder at a critical moment made her useless. By the way, Leni-san was in the passing line but left the room with Amur and is now helping Amur.


    ''''Well then, shall we take a break now?''''


    When it was well past noon, we decided to take a break for a late lunch. There were still preparations to be made, but since Rion and his escort knights had joined us, it would be fine to take a somewhat longer break... or rather, it would take quite a while for Henri to recover.


    ''''Even so, Felt''s used to weddings, isn''t he?


    ''Well, in my profession, there are quite a few things that the bride and groom and those who attend come to me as guests. The more you research the dress code and the wedding dress, the more you learn about it.


    I asked him why, and he said that he would certainly be familiar with the details. Still, I didn''t think Felt was married, but after thinking about it, it would be a hard hurdle for a woman who knew nothing about anything, let alone a guest related to the guild, to ask a big man (Felt) for advice on clothes... especially underwear.


    ''''With what Temma is thinking right now, I''m almost certain that''s what he''s thinking.


    He thought he''d been read his thoughts, and he''d been told the same thing by most of the people he knew. And, in fact, most of the first-time female customers who came in when his wife wasn''t around left the store as soon as they saw Felt. So it seems that even though Felt does most of the design and production, his wife owns the felt shop.


    ''Temma!��It''s about time you helped me out here!


    When I was talking with Felt, help came in from the old man in the kitchen. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more than you need to know about this. It''s a good idea to ask Jeanne and Aura to do the job for you, but as far as the father is concerned, I''m more concerned with mine than Jeanne and Aura. They must have been easy to work with.


    Afterwards, while I was helping my father with his cooking, Jeanne and Aura came over to help serve the food....................and for some reason Chris-san was helping with the serving of the food.


    ''''Well, Cain.......Chris-san, what''s wrong?''''


    Hmm?��Oh, Chris-senpai, you know, I confessed to the knight commander who is attached to Rion''s guards a long time ago. Well, I was rejected at the time, but...


    I asked Cain so that Chris wouldn''t hear me, and I almost shouted out the unexpected answer.


    ''Maybe, but you''re thinking, ''I can''t show someone I liked that I''m not cool''...or something like that?


    Ahhhh... it''s likely.


    Chris-san, who has a penchant for being cool, can think of plenty of things to say... or so it seems, if you ask me.


    ''Anyway, let''s pretend we don''t notice it because we''re afraid of what''s to come later.


    Let''s just tease him about it for fun, shall we?


    I''ll turn that duty over to Cain.


    No, I don''t want it either.


    Kris, "I''m sorry!


    I was quite annoyed, so I was about to tsk Chris-san, but Cain, sensing such a hint, interrupted me and lowered his head.


    ''''Well then, I''m going to go fire up Leon for a bit.


    Cain chose Rion as his next target and moved away from me as if to escape. And a few minutes after Cain moved away, Chris-san''s angry screams, Rion''s screams, and Cain''s screams echoed in the full stomach pavilion.


    ''Haha, Chris hasn''t changed since he was a student,''


    As I was serving food while looking at Rion and Cain, who were being pissed off by Chris-san, the Knight Commander who had escorted Rion to Gunjo City arrived.


    This Knight Commander........Nicholas Hermann was only at the school at the same time as Chris-san, and he is young for the title of Knight Commander. There''s a reason for that, because the previous head of the knights resigned due to the incident in Kukri village, and Nicholas, who was a cadet, was appointed to the position of head of the knights at a young age.


    The reason for this is partly because people around him expected him to be the future leader of the knights, but also to change his image by appointing a young man and to stabilize the frontier county''s army by making Nicholas stay in the position of leader for a long time. And there''s one more big reason. That is, Nicholas is the son-in-law (...) of the previous Knight Commander. It''s often believed that he became a knight commander through his connections, but since he was recommended unanimously by the officers, including the deputy commander Lyra, and was appointed with the approval of the Count of the Frontier, at least in the Army of the Frontier, there is no problem that seems to be a problem. And as for him...


    ''So, Master Otori, do you want me to take this over there?


    And so I''ve been taking the initiative from earlier to help distribute the food. After all, he said it was because he had been told by the frontier count and the previous knight commander to cooperate as much as possible.


    The last thing you need to do is sit down and wait. Chris-san, I''ll leave it at that, and we''ll go to dinner.


    Chris-san looked at me and then hurriedly straightened his posture when he noticed Nicholas looking at him, and then he gave a make-believe smile that he was mending and quietly ran off to the bathroom.


    ''Huh I''m tired...''


    I don''t think I''ve had a nurse in a while.


    They were freed by Chris''s escape, and they sat down to complain. Kain looked tired, but Rion was smiling, so he was more than happy to come back to his usual place. By the way, no one asked Rion what happened to canon yesterday when he had just returned. Partly because it was somehow hard to ask, and partly because we can''t deny the possibility of getting involved in trouble. Well, from the mood of Rion, Nicholas, and the other knights, it doesn''t seem like it''s a big problem, so I just hope it is.


    Afterwards, Chris-san returned as if nothing had happened, sitting away from Nicholas and eating more maturely than usual.


    ''And well, here''s the food we''re going to serve tomorrow, is there anything wrong with it?''


    I served all the dishes for lunch except dessert and they all seemed satisfied. Well, some of them said it was "not enough" and asked for a refill, but when I told them I wouldn''t serve any more because it was called a tasting, they looked unhappy. I thought it was only natural that less than half the amount of bread was not enough, so I prepared additional bread, and all but a few who looked dissatisfied were reaching for it one by one. Perhaps it would be better to increase the amount a bit more for the show.......but since there''s no time to make more now, I decided to prepare additional bread for those who were lacking.


    ''''Well then shall we take a little more of a food break before resuming our work?


    We thought it was time to resume, but Henri, Leon and Amur didn''t seem to be able to move, so we decided to extend the break. Incidentally, Henri just hasn''t gotten over his practice fatigue yet, but Rion and Amur just can''t move due to overeating. Therefore, while Henri was receiving gentle care from Serna, both Rion and Amur were being teased mercilessly. Rion''s teasing was especially bad, and Albert and Cain, and Chris-san, naturally, were being teased by Nicholas as well.


    ''Well then, we''re all set. Thank you for your hard work. Good luck with the show tomorrow.


    The second half of the day was finished sooner than I thought it would be. The reason for this is because the adventurers staying at the inn participated in the preparations. The adventurers staying at the inn were also supposed to participate in the wedding ceremony at the Manpuku-ji, but they did not participate in the first half because they had their own requests. They did that by finishing their requests as quickly as possible.


    For that reason, I tried to use polite language as much as possible, and....


    Temma I have to admit, I''m feeling a lot of discomfort.


    I got those words back from my old man. Moreover, most of the faces looking at me moved up and down as if they agreed with the old man''s words.


    Just as I thought to myself, the adventurers fled to their respective rooms like spiders scattering spiderlings. The only ones left were the old man and his relatives, but those who were nodding cowardly immediately took refuge near the lady holding Soleil-chan.


    ''''.........Speaking of which, Mrs. Okami-san, I made a soap made with herbs that are gentle on the skin that could be used on Soleil-chan, can you take a look at it?''''


    When I said that, the lady seemed to be intrigued and came towards me with Soleil in her arms.


    ''''Here it is. Just in case it was okay for the ladies to use it, so if you want, you can use it while you''re watching it.


    I felt uncomfortable using Soleil as an experiment, but I recommended it because the ingredients themselves are only safe to use. The lady took the soap I offered her, sniffed it and applied it to her own wrist to make sure it was safe, and after asking her about the ingredients used, she took Soleil and headed for the bathroom.


    ''Well I''ll ask if there''s anything you want to tell me?


    ''Come to think of it, I had to bake some extra bread.


    Hmm, I''m sweating. I need to take a bath.


    ''Ah!��Master Merlin, I beg your pardon, but could you help me change the hot water in my bath?


    Chris, you can''t just let Grandpa help you. At the very least, you should help him clean the men''s room.


    ''Amour is right. Jeanne, I''m going to go clean up.


    Yeah.


    The moment Grandpa left the spot for the reason of the bread, Grandpa instantly left the spot and ran off with Chris, Amour, Aura and Jeanne to chase after him.


    ''We''ll have to help clean up, too,''


    Yes.


    I''ll do the heavy lifting!


    Albert and the others tried to follow Grandpa + the women, but


    Oh, you''ve got one last thing to do. We''ll take care of the cleaning for you. You can thank us.


    And Chris rejected me. In other words, I was abandoned.


    ''Yeah, Chris-san said that, but we can do our last job later, and we can sweat it out one more time before we take a bath. Come on, let''s go.


    I put my arm around Leon and Cain''s shoulders and forcefully took them to the back of the Full House Pavilion. Albert was left alone, but he seemed to be convinced that he couldn''t escape, and he followed us quietly. Well, unlike these two, Albert didn''t think that he would resist uselessly, but I guess that''s because he decided that if he had run away, he would have to deal with the two people who abandoned him in addition to me.


    After that, after about an hour of payback....or even hand-to-hand combat, we did one last job and then took a bath. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re going to be doing, but it''s also a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to be doing, because it''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to be doing.


    It''s a good thing we''re ready to go, then. Those of you who remain in the full stomach pavilion, I''m sorry, but please get ready for the morning.


    Since I had to deal with visitors and prepare the hall early in the morning, Jeanne, Aura, Amour, Mr. Leni, and Slarin would be staying at the Full House Pavilion. The others are to return to the Duke of Sangha''s mansion and come in the carriage tomorrow morning. At first, I was going to stay the night because I was going to play matchmaker, but it was decided that I had to show people that I was participating as a member of the Otori family, so I decided to return to the house. Primera also decided to return for the same reason.


    You are not going to be able to get away with it. To quarrel here today would be like a quarrel with Serna and Henri''s wedding. If we fight I''m going to get really angry too.


    He said in a strong tone of voice to the five people who had been quiet from earlier. No matter how serious the quarrel may be, we can''t overlook the possibility of ruining this fine stage. If this was only a small celebration (...), it could be called one of the lively ones, but on a stage that could be called a once-in-a-lifetime event, even if Serna-san allowed it, the people around her wouldn''t allow it.


    The five of them nodded repeatedly, as if they could tell that I was serious. The reason why the five of them are quiet is because they fought at the dinner table as usual, making a lot of noise and causing Soleil, who was sleeping, to cry, and that''s why the people around them got very angry with them. Incidentally, it was me, my grandfather, Chris and the other usual members of the group, as well as the adventurers who use the Full Stomach Theatre. Since the adventurers who frequent the cafeteria also love Soleil, the old foolishness of the cafeteria has almost disappeared and the regular customers have become more united.


    ''''With this many adventurers on our side, I''m sure we''d be safe even if there was an attack,''''


    However, if Henri''s father had the strength and guts to storm this place, he would have messed with Serna-san and Henri long ago.


    ''''I know you''re planning to use the power of the Viscount.......but you''re a naked king.


    ''''Well, I don''t really care what happens.


    What happens to someone I''ve never met, and who acts hostilely towards Serna-san, is none of my business. Well, your acquaintances will probably tease you about it, but that''s about it.


    I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do. Dismissed.


    Grandpa and Rion looked like they wanted to have a drink, but I could see the future of drinking too much and having a hangover, so I told them not to stay up too late and dismissed them. But after we got back to the mansion.


    Hey, Temma. Can''t you do a little bit of that?


    That''s right. One little hangover won''t give you a hangover.


    ''Isn''t a little enough for you?��Give it up. And I''ll tell you what, if you drink in secret I''ll have Leon call the frontier count and Grandpa will tell Master Ernest.


    If I heard that I attended the wedding of one of my relations in a hungover or drunk state, I would be more afraid of Miss Edilia than the frontier count. As for my grandfather I''m sure Master Ernest would be more than a little sarcastic about it. But I think it would be humiliating for him. I guess he understood what I wanted to say, and after that, the two of them went back to their rooms quietly without saying a word.


    ''So that''s why you shouldn''t drink, Chris, either.


    Mr. Chris was sneaking in from the shadows to see me paying attention to the two of them, so I paid attention just in case. Chris-san said, "I know, I know," and went back to the kitchen to avoid showing me his back. Maybe we''ll be okay now.


    Let''s just go to bed.


    I asked a servant who was nearby to wake me up early in the morning and to warn me if I saw my grandpa and his friends trying to drink, and I went to my room to prepare for tomorrow before going to bed. And the next day.


    ''Drinking or not, Rion sleeps in...''


    I grumbled as I waited for Leon to get ready until just before departure time.

 203-Chapter 13-11 Wedding Ceremony Day

    Okay, let''s get started.


    At my signal, the curtains of the Manchuria Pavilion, the venue for the wedding, were drawn all at once and the hall went dark. In the meantime, me and Primera moved to the officiant''s table. After we finished moving, Grandpa used his ''light'' magic to illuminate me and Primera.


    ''''We will now hold the wedding of adventurer Henri and adventurer guild employee Serna.


    A small chuckle could be heard from the audience, perhaps because of my unusual speaking style, but as soon as Primera tried to open her mouth, it went quiet.


    ''To begin, I''d like to introduce our special guest.


    Primera introduced Albert, Cain, and Leon. Normally, they don''t introduce guests in this way, but the introduction of the duke, marquis and the next head of the frontier earl changed the atmosphere of the attendees. They seem to be very tense, but I hope that they recognize that this wedding is something special.


    ''''Now then, the star of the day is entering.


    As I said this, the door was opened by Primera''s men who were waiting near the entrance. As soon as the door was opened, the magic was extinguished and the ceremony hall was reduced to only the light that shone from behind Serna and Henri, revealing the shadows of the two men.


    As soon as the doors closed and the hall went dark again, Grandpa''s magic illuminated them as they walked out. Walking in the light, Henri looked more manly than usual, probably because of the atmosphere of the hall. And Serna looked very mysterious and attractive, the threads of Gol and Jill used in her dress shimmering as she walked. The sight of them was enough to make the female attendees, as well as the men, gasp in admiration.


    I watched as they made their way to the front of the crowd before moving forward to the front of it.


    "I, Temma Ootori, do hereby ask you both, on behalf of all of you, to take your marital vows.


    I wondered if it was okay for me to play this role, but apparently it''s not particularly strange because even at a nobleman''s wedding, they sometimes ask a priest, someone of higher status than them or their boss, or if they''re a civilian, they ask an acquaintance or friend.


    ''Groom Henri. Do you swear to love, honor, and cherish your bride, Serna, as your wife in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty?


    Yes, I swear!


    ''The bride Selna. Do you swear to love, honor and cherish your groom, Henri, as a wife, in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty?


    Yes, I swear.


    Henri''s voice was quite loud from nervousness, but he answered with more force than he had in practice, and Serna answered quietly, tearful.


    ''''Then, I''d like to ask you to exchange rings.


    When I gave her a look, Primera lined up beside me with a small box of rings, and secretly signaled to Henri to put the ring on Serna-san''s finger... but as it happened, Henri took the ring for herself. At that moment, Felt, who was watching from the audience, directed a near-killing pressure at Henri. This caused Primera''s men who had come in to help, Nicholas and the other knights in Rion''s guard, as well as the adventurers, to react and start moving, but they seemed to realize the reason immediately and watched warily. It was about to get pretty risqu��, but thanks to Felt, Henri quickly realized his mistake and replaced it with a ring for Serna and put it on Serna''s finger.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.


    ''''Then kiss your vows.


    In a previous life, a camera flash would have illuminated them like a rainstorm, but in this life, no such thing existed, so instead, me and my grandfather''s magic illuminated them.


    ''With the vows I just made, I now acknowledge these two as husband and wife. The witnesses are all the people here, and the two of you will live a life of shame to those who have witnessed your vows here.


    "Yes!


    As they replied, the attendees applauded and cheered loudly. Well, some of them were so excited that a few adventurers raised Henri up and were about to go straight to dump him somewhere.........but the attempt ended with the female adventurers getting pissed off.


    ''Well then, to your meal........Primera, you look like a guest.


    Just as they were about to start eating, Slarin, who had been watching outside, raised his red flag. Primera also checked Slarin''s flag and signaled to her men who were waiting near the door. Then.


    Don''t ask me why.


    As soon as Slarin swung the flag down, the door was violently opened to reveal Henri''s father... but before he could say all that, a few of the Primera''s men had their swords pointed at him and he was falling on his ass.


    ''What are you doing all of a sudden!��We are Henri''s people!


    Farman protested on behalf of his father, who was falling on his buttocks. His father seemed to remember what he''d come here for.


    You!��You know who we are and you''re doing it!


    His father was shouting such things while he was aware of Viscount Abyss, but our Viscount ignored his father and kneeled down on the spot.


    ''''It''s been a long time, Albert-sama, Primera-sama.''''


    Viscount Abyss''s actions made his father look like he didn''t understand the reason, but Farman, while expressing a sense of panic, fell to his knees, just like Viscount Abyss.


    ''''It''s been a long time, Viscount Abyss. So what in the world do you want on this auspicious day?


    Albert listened to the requirements in a tone that seemed to accuse Viscount Abyss, and he answered with his head bowed. In the meantime, his father was forced to kneel by Farman, and was immensely disappointed when he was told in a whisper who Albert was.


    ''I''m sorry to have come on such short notice, but could you make room for us as well?''


    Viscount Abyss, after talking to Albert for a bit, asked me for permission to attend the wedding.


    ''''If you are related to the two of them and sincerely want to celebrate, there is no problem. However, I think we can prepare a seat for one Viscount-sama in the front, but the rest of you will be in the back.


    Viscount Abyss nodded at my words, but his father seemed unconvinced.


    ''''Don''t be silly!��Why do I have to sit in the back!��Why don''t you just do the adventurers around there behind you!


    At his father''s words, the adventurers, who had been quiet until then, were about to lose their temper and sit up. His father, oblivious to this, continued


    What''s your attitude in the first place?��Who the hell do you think you are, asking me to get behind you as a commoner!


    And so on. Hearing these words, the adventurers, who had almost lost their temper, sat back in their chairs.


    ''''You say you are a commoner, but are you a nobleman?��If you are not a nobleman, then you are a commoner too, right?��Besides, you say he''s the father, but since you disowned Henri, the parent-child relationship has been severed, hasn''t it?��Why should you have a special seat at the table for a commoner who has interrupted someone else''s wedding?��Even though you''re at the back of the line, just be thankful we have a seat for you.


    His father''s face turned red at my provocation, and he looked like he was about to explode, but


    ''Enough!��If you''d just listened to me, you would have had a right to your own devices!


    "Viscount Abyss, why have you brought this man here? He''s ruining a wedding.


    ''Even though I disowned him, I never expected him to imitate this at my son''s wedding... At any rate, I''m sure he took it lightly, thinking that this kind of thing wouldn''t happen if I was there. I am sincerely sorry.


    His father froze in surprise as Viscount Abyss yelled at him. And he was pale in the face as Viscount Abyss stared at him as he apologized to Albert and the attendees. And finally.


    ''''The one you were ridiculing as a commoner just now is Lord Temma Ootori, known as the ''Dragon Killer. It is now common knowledge among the nobles of this country that the Ootori family has to be more careful than a lowly nobleman when it comes to being a commoner.


    The moment he found out who I was, his father fainted and collapsed.


    ''''I can''t believe you fainted like this you''ve wasted a lot of time thinking about it.


    Farman muttered something like that as he looked down at his unconscious father and apologized to the attendees in the hall. Most of the attendees were suspicious of Farman''s sudden change in attitude, but when Albert told them that I was helping him in his plan to destroy his father, they gave him a big round of applause.


    ''Now that we''re all settled, I''d like to call it time to eat.......there will be some drinks, but please enjoy it with the motto ''Drink but don''t be drunk''.


    The drinkers cheered when they heard the liquor was going to be served, but they quieted down when the last part of the drink was lightly killed. If they did this much, they wouldn''t cause the kind of foolishness they would do in a tavern.


    As they were about to start eating, Farman was about to take his father home, but Henri and Serna held him back, and they decided to lay him down in the back (and let him go) and eat at the front.


    ''We''ll start with an appetizer,''


    We''ll start with something lighter, such as my dad''s special chicken ham, soup with horned rabbit and marinated Tyrant salmon.


    It''s rabbit horn stew and salted salmon.


    I served something a bit hearty. However, what was served was "Stew in a Pie" covered with a pie, and "Tyrant Salmon in a Salted Cauldron", which was grilled with salt.


    ''The salt-roasted one will be cut up here, so please be patient,''


    The stew was handed out first, and the salted cauldron was cut into pieces after having the old man break the cauldron in front of everyone. Normally, it would be correct to serve them one dish at a time, but this time we decided to serve two at the same time because it was also meant to show off to Henri''s father. Well, since his father is unconscious, the point of serving them both at the same time is gone, but since everyone is happy, it''s fine.


    I checked on the attendees when I served the palate-cleansing sorbet, and they all still seemed to have plenty of room in their stomachs. I think they will enjoy the main course as well.


    ''Next up. Next up is an assortment of Wyvern meat dishes.


    They have prepared an assortment of small portions of dishes made from Wyvern meat. Roast wyvern and hamburgers, cutlets, karaage and skewers - it''s like a collection of all their creations. In fact, because of the rarity of the ingredients, it was the best turnout yet from those in attendance.


    After the salad, it''s time for today''s featured dish.


    From the attendees who apparently thought the meat at the Wyvern was the best, there was an exclamation of surprise as to how much more food would be served.


    As if in response to their voices, the lights were turned off and a five-tiered wedding cake was brought in from the dining room by Amour, Jeanne, Aura, Leni and Princess Wildcat, about a meter high.


    ''This is the first joint effort by the bride and groom to have it done in front of you.


    When the cake was placed on a table in the center of the hall, I called them to me.


    Then, please.


    At Primera''s signal, the two men breathed together and put the knife into the cake. At that moment, Albert and the others applauded as they had discussed, and the attendees who had only been watching them applauded along with Albert and the others.


    The bottom four tiers of the cake were cut into pieces by the father on the spot, but the top one was removed without being cut, and then it was brought in front of Serna and Henri.


    ''First, the bride and groom are invited to eat. Please.


    Seeing that the cake had been cut up and lived by all of us, we decided to let the two main guests have a bite of it first. This had been discussed beforehand, but Henri was so nervous that he tried to carry it to his own mouth when he had to feed it to each other. However, Serna quickly put the cake in front of Henri''s mouth, which he realized just before he put it in his mouth and managed to bring it to Serna''s mouth.


    ''''Well then, everyone, please eat.''''


    One was the method of feeding each other as a couple, just like Serna and the others, and the other was the method of eating on your own while watching them, with Flute and the guild leader representing the former, and Leon representing the latter.


    With the meal over, most of the schedule was over, and the rest was just to take it easy for each of them to take it easy until the end time, when Farman said he was taking his father home with him. The reason being that it''s been a long time since he passed out, and there''s no telling when he''ll wake up, and it would be easier to carry out the plan if he woke up in a place where we''re alone rather than here.


    ''I understand that but don''t kill me if I''m wrong. Even if you''re out of touch with him, he killed his father, and the culprit is the groom''s brother, or something like that, it''ll only be a negative for both of you.


    Farman laughed and nodded at the strong reminder, and assured him that he would never do that. Farman carried his father to the carriage without Serna and Henri noticing, and left the full house as it was.


    Mr. Temma!��Thank you so, so much!


    Oh, God!


    I saw Farman off and turned around to go back to my seat, only to be hugged by a sobbing Mr. Marx.


    ''Such, such a wonderful wedding!��Serna looks happy!��I wish my sister could have seen it!


    Hey, Mr. Marx. You''ll have to leave for now.


    Mr. Marx seemed to be quite drunk and wasn''t listening to me. All I could clearly hear was the first words of thanks, and the rest was just fragments. Most of it was all about Serna''s murdered mother and father, so I took her to a corner of the hall so that the other attendees wouldn''t hear, but Marx''s voice was too loud to be of much use. However, since most of the attendees knew what was going on with Serna, they deliberately shouted loudly and pretended not to be listening, or tried to talk to the guests who didn''t know what was going on to distract them.


    ''Temma, I''ll take your place.


    As I was trying to establish a conversation with Mr. Marx somehow, my grandfather came and took over for me. For a moment, I thought it would be better if I listened to the conversation, since Mr. Marx probably wanted me to listen to him, but I didn''t think I could talk to him properly as it was, so I decided to let my grandpa''s age do the talking.


    I stood apart for a while and watched the two of them, but my decision seemed to be correct, and after a while, Mr. Marx seemed to have calmed down a lot and listened to his grandpa.


    ''Congratulations, Serna,''


    ''Thank you, Temma. Such a fine wedding ... what can I say...


    Serna thanked me with tears in her eyes and was being patted on the back by Primera (...). I thought that the role belonged to the groom, Henri, but that Henri, in fact, was stuck in a state of limbo, surrounded by senior adventurers and friends.


    Friends and colleagues had gathered one by one at Serna and Henri''s place, so they gave up their places and tried to go check on Daniel... but Daniel seemed to be drunk and was propped up on the table.


    ''Lord Otori, I am truly grateful to you for allowing me to attend your wedding.


    Viscount Abyss came all the way up to me to thank me.


    ''''Please tell that to Serna-san and Henri.


    ''''No, in cases like this one, it''s basically the organizers who decide who participates. Although I was an acquaintance of Henri''s, I was never acquainted with Lord Otori, and he had some troublesome people with him. I wouldn''t be surprised if he refused.


    As he said this, Viscount Abyss looked at the four banners on the wall. Those four flags contained the crests of the Otori family, the Sangha family, the Samons family, and the Haust Frontier Count family.


    ''''That was probably intended to use me to show Henri and Serna-san their power... but to be honest, I''m glad they left before that one tried to carry me. Trying to compete with these four families with just one Viscount family is just laughable. Whether I was carried or refused to participate, it would have only embarrassed me either way.


    So it seems that he was grateful that he was given permission to participate in the form of jumping in before his father mentioned Viscount Abyss''s name.


    ''''It''s about time I went too.


    Viscount Abyss is going to help Farman after this. I heard that he was planning to leave the hall before those two, but he stayed behind to talk to me, so he was just in time.


    I''m not sure if I can be of as much help as Albert and his friends, but I''ll be there to help you if you need anything. Also, take care of Master Primera.


    Thank you... what?


    I tried to question him about what he meant, but Viscount Abyss left the Fullness Pavilion in a hurry.


    ''''Why do you want to play fast and loose with me...''''


    I hope so.


    As I was sighing at Viscount Abyss''s misunderstanding, Mr. Flute approached me from behind.


    ''''Well, putting that aside........it was an amazing wedding. As expected of a ''dragon killer'', are you serious about it?


    Flute-san was smiling teasingly. The guild leader was not beside him, and Flute-san noticed my gaze and used her finger to tell me where he was. The place where the guild leader is.....


    He would have been the first person to go to Henri in a hurry to make fun of him.


    At the innermost part of the circle surrounding Henri... or rather, next to Henri, was the Guild Chief. The guild chief was pestering Henri as if he was drunk.


    ''''That, can we leave it alone?''''


    I''ll save my sermons for later. If you wait, you''ll just make things worse.


    You''re firmly on your ass................


    ''Anyway, Temma-san, are you sure you want to leave her alone?��You seem to be in some kind of trouble.


    When Mr. Flute told me to look at him, I looked over and saw that Primera was being tangled up with a drunkard named Chris........


    I''m going out for a while.


    I said no to Mr. Flute and went over to Primera and Chris, and Chris was literally getting involved with Primera.


    ''Mr. Chris, Primera''s in trouble. So get away, get away.


    Yeah, hey!


    I pulled Chris, who was tangled up in the primera, away from him and sat him down in a chair, and soon after, Leni came over and took Chris somewhere else.


    Thank you for your help...


    ''That was a disaster. Because Mr. Chris, who turned out to be so annoying, is getting more and more drunk. I think it''s time to call it a night and let''s get into the after-party.


    As it was, I decided to re-partition once, since it was going to be tough on Serna-san, who was wearing her wedding dress, let alone Henri and the attendees.


    When I told everyone about it, Serna-san looked obviously relieved and went upstairs to change. However, Henri still wasn''t released, so I decided to let him deal with the guild leaders as it was.


    ''''Well then, now that the guest of honor has finished dressing up.......let''s go into the after party!��We''ll have a variety of food and drinks for you to enjoy to your heart''s content!��However, please use common sense. Otherwise.........I''ll be angry.


    The attendees were very excited at the ''food and drink'' part, but as soon as I added ''I''m angry'' at the end, they quieted down. Incidentally, the dishes brought to the restaurant were leftovers from the course and easily prepared items, as well as bread and other items, and we made it a buffet style, where each one is eaten to its liking. However, if that were the only option, some idiots would have taken the whole plate, so we made a rule that each person was given one plate and could only take as much as they could put on their plate at a time, and that they could not have another plate until they had eaten all of it.


    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re going to be doing. Most of the men missed out on the food as they secured most of it and shared it with each of them.


    ''Maybe we should have made a rule about sweets too...''


    No, that''s... that''s... that''s what I expected.


    ''Yeah. You see, over there, they put the security on their colleagues (male knights) and the primera''s men (female knights) are joining in.


    ''Well, since it''s Temma, you''ve got a spare supply of sweets, don''t you?��Put that out there.


    As I was talking with Albert and the rest of the women eating sweets while looking at them, Rion said something unnecessary. Because of this, their gazes naturally focused on me, and some of them were so strong that I could almost hear a voice saying "If you have it, get it out.......".


    My obsession with sweets was so strong that no matter how much I said I didn''t have any, I couldn''t get people to believe me.


    ''My obsession with sweets is too strong, it''s scary...''


    I was a little traumatized. The after-party was over without incident, and we rushed into the third party where we just drank and milled around.

 204-Chapter 13-12 Complete Revenge

    Farman SIDE


    Dad, wake up!


    What''s going on?


    Farman carried his father into the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce branch in Gunjo City and laid him down on the couch in their own room in the branch and woke him up once he had checked the corridor.


    His father jumped up at the shock of Farman''s panicked voice and the shaking of his body, and looked around the room several times. He had just woken up and didn''t seem to grasp the situation.


    ''Dad, it''s not good.


    But first, why am I here?


    His father, who hadn''t been able to grasp the situation, asked Farman for an explanation and managed to recall the point where he was on the verge of fainting.


    ''''That ''dragon slayer Temma'' is pissed off at my father because of all the things he''s blown up by Henri. Not only that, but the dukes of Sangha and Marquis of Samons, who are Tenma''s associates, and even the heir apparent of the Haust frontier county, sided with Tenma to flatter him!


    What the hell?��Yeah, and what does Viscount Abyss say!


    ''Apparently, Viscount Abyss can''t do anything about it because of his status in the service of the Duke of Sangha.


    Oh no...


    At Farman''s words, his father hung his head in a paragraph. Farman continued.


    ''''If this is the case, the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce could be crushed as well. It seems that Temma is connected to the Jay Chamber of Commerce, and he''s going to make it difficult for them to destroy the shop over my father, and push the Jay Chamber of Commerce into Gunjo City!


    Cowards you can''t do anything about it!


    What are you talking about, Farman thought, putting yourself on the shelf, but on the surface he agreed with his father here.


    ''In a manner of speaking, they have a solution.


    What is that?


    As soon as Farman said it in a wasteful way, his father bit down.


    ''''When I asked Viscount Abyss for help, he said he couldn''t do anything about it from the front, but he said he could if there were a few conditions. Those conditions were that my father would take responsibility for this matter and leave the Chamber of Commerce.......


    You can''t drink that shit!


    His father interrupted Farman''s words and yelled at him.


    ''Calm down for a minute, Dad. Nothing, you don''t have to stop being an idiot. Just pretend you''ve stopped.


    Yeah?


    ''Let''s continue. First, I resign as president of the Chamber of Commerce with the responsibility that my father has offended the legitimate son of the Duke of Sangha''s house, not Tenma. This will take the form of him not bowing to the commoner Tenma, but caring for the duke''s legitimate son and Viscount Abyss. And as long as I leave it in writing that all the property and the full power of the Chamber of Commerce will be given to me, Viscount Abyss will cover the rest.


    Ummm but don''t we have to give away all of our money as well?


    His father was bothered by the idea of giving everything away and tried to get Farman to change some of his plans. But.


    ''Sweet, father. Temma has eliminated a number of adversaries in his life. Some of them have been nobles. And yet, the fact that it hasn''t been a problem so far means that he has ties to so many powerful people. So, if I leave it all on paper that I''m going to drop everything and take responsibility, and appeal to the Sanga dukes through Viscount Abyss and get them to admit it, no amount of Temma should be able to touch me. What''s more, even if you write on the paperwork that you''ve given everything to me, it''s not going to be confiscated, the owner of the paperwork has just changed, it''s not going to be any different than before.


    ''I see, that''s true. I don''t have to be stupid enough to follow anything I put on paper.


    That''s what I thought. So, I need you to sign this quickly. We need to get it out to Viscount Abyss right away and get it taken care of.


    Farman suppressed a smirk and handed a sheet of paper to his father. The paper said that he was transferring all rights of the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce and all of the Gloriosa family''s property to Farman and that he was going to retire, and it was already signed by Farman, and all that was left was for his father to sign it.


    ''Mm-hmm. Okay.


    His father was surprised at Farman''s handiwork, but he signed the papers without question. It seemed to work that if he didn''t take action immediately, the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce might be crushed.


    ''''And these three sheets are for Viscount Abyss, Duke Sanga, and the guy to present to the council. Since the content is the same, we just need to write our names on this one too.


    Mmm!


    Thinking it was a race against time, his father signed himself in without question. Farman chuckled as he confirmed the signature.


    It''s going to be all right. It''s going to be all right.


    Yeah, I know.


    Farman took the four papers and held them carefully.


    Viscount Abyss, we''re ready for you.


    He called out to the door. On cue, the door was opened and several members of the Gunjo City Knights along with Viscount Abyss entered the room.


    Despite his father''s confusion at the suddenness of the situation, Viscount Abyss looked over the documents that had been signed by his father just a few moments ago.


    Are you sure you want to do this, Farman?


    Yes, sir.


    After checking with Farman, he signed all but the last document himself. And.


    ''Seize the man!��Oh, and take Farman as a material witness!


    He ordered the knights to capture his father and take Farman with them.


    ''What, what in the world!


    The group held his father down from both sides and made him kneel, but as for Farman, he stood alone behind him and did nothing.


    ''This document contains all the bad things about you that have never been made public before. And it''s signed with your admission!


    The documents that Viscount Abyss confronted his father with were the last documents that Farman had prepared, and they were related to the evils that his father had hidden from him so far. Incidentally, the first one was similar to the first document he had Farman write, but the content was that Farman would transfer all of the rights transferred by his father to Daniel and Henri, and the second one was a pledge by his father and Farman to disassociate themselves from the Gloriosa family and the Gloriosa Trading Company.


    It''s a form of complete Farman''s deception of his father, a method that can be called fraudulent, but with the signature of Viscount Abyss, a nobleman, on it, it will be treated as an official document no matter where it''s sent. In order for his father to overturn it, he would have to appeal to a nobleman of higher rank than Viscount Abyss (in this case, the Duke of Sangha) or to the state''s authorities, who would then scrutinize the contents of the document in order to verify its authenticity.


    If his father were to file a complaint with the Duke of Sangha or the state, the mess in the meantime could have a major impact on the management of the Chamber of Commerce. In order to prevent that from happening, Viscount Abyss didn''t sign the last document.


    In other words, he created an escape route for his father by not making it an official document now as far as wrongdoing was concerned. In other words, he could choose to be exiled as a criminal or simply exiled. If he is banished as a criminal, then he will either be thrown in jail or punished severely as a criminal slave.


    Although these are contrary to Viscount Abyss''s style, it''s talked about that Daniel will make amends to the victims as much as he can in the name of the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce when he succeeds. Well, there was also the part about meditating on Henri''s wedding gift.


    ''''Uh-oh...!��Traitor!��Why!��Why did you do this to your father!


    When his father understood that the only future was that he would be deprived of all rights and property no matter how he turned out, and even more so that his life would be in danger, he turned his anger on Farman, who he thought was completely on his side. But Farman was.


    Your father, well there is no blood between us, you and I. Even when Gloriosa took you in, I never once thought of you as my father.


    He said in a cold voice. Farman''s father didn''t seem to understand what was said for a while at these words of Farman''s, but as soon as he understood the meaning of it, he started cursing Farman and Farman''s mother loudly. It was enough to raise the eyebrows of Viscount Abyss and the other members of the group who were listening beside him.


    His father, taking advantage of the fact that Farman didn''t say anything, got more and more heated, but...


    Shut up.


    Geez!��Aga, but....


    He was hit in the face by Farman''s front kick, causing him to suffer a bloody nose. His father, however, was about to open his mouth again, despite the bloody nose, but he was pressured by Farman''s angry expression and tried to call out Farman''s atrocities to Viscount Abyss and the other members of the group instead...


    I turned a complete blind eye to it.


    ''''Well, it doesn''t matter. For now, take him to the prison at the Order''s headquarters. The treatment can be done after you''ve been put in jail.


    At Viscount Abyss''s command, the group members forced his father to stand and dragged him halfway to the ground. His father was yelling something desperately as he was being dragged, but perhaps it was because of the nosebleed, but Viscount Abyss couldn''t hear what his father was saying.


    ''Farman, I don''t admire your actions just now, but I know how you feel. If you want to calm your mind, I''ll wait a little longer.


    I''m fine. Please.


    Even though Farman is a person on the side of Viscount Abyss, at the same time, he is also an important witness, so he was taken to the Knights'' headquarters in the form of being taken away by a member of the group.


    Farman SIDE Done!


    ''Thank you for your hard work yesterday, Viscount Abyss,''


    No, no, no, I didn''t do much. It was Farman and Lady Primera''s men who had to work hard.


    Viscount Abyss had come to the Duke of Sangha''s mansion to report on the events that happened at the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce yesterday. However, although the first greeting was to Albert, Albert was sulking slightly because he was only talking to Primera all the time after that. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see three shadows aiming to tease the sulking Albert, so today will be a different kind of celebration.


    I''ve learned from listening to the stories of Primera and Viscount Abyss, his father was given two choices: ''become a criminal slave and be sent to the mine'' or ''cut off his ties with the Gloriosa Trading Company and his family and then be exiled'', and although he resisted a lot, he finally chose the exile option, and a few days later, Viscount Abyss''s retainers took him somewhere He said he was going to be taken away.


    It''s not that he was directly involved in his father''s crimes, but he admitted that he condoned and helped cover up his father''s crimes, but his sentence was reduced by accusing his father of his crimes, helping to capture him, and compensating the victims. The compensation to the victims was to be paid with Farman''s property, and the Gloriosa Chamber of Commerce would take care of the shortfall.


    The reason why his father was stripped of his property and rights, but only in exile, and Farman was charged with a few years of service was that his father had so much resentment that he was going to be attacked for his life from various sources in the future. Early on, the punishment imposed on his father was that by deliberately creating a situation where he would be vulnerable to attack, he would always experience the fear of being attacked for his life in the future.


    In contrast, Farman has compensated the victim financially and made him atone for his crimes by making him do service, and it seems that the goal is to protect Farman by making him think that harming him is like destroying the face of Viscount Abyss and the Sanga dukes who allowed him to do so. Well, it''s conceivable that he could harm them without their knowledge, but it''s easier to go after his father than Farman, who is under the watchful eye of the nobles, and it''s also easier for him to feel better by attacking them. Even so, the possibility of being attacked is not zero, but the Farman in question seems to be prepared to say, "If I get attacked for this, it''s inevitable.


    Also, the reason why Farman had a grudge against his father has to do with Farman''s mother and his real (...) father.


    Farman''s real father died in an accident just before he married Farman''s mother, but it was actually a setup by the fake parents (the real one is the father and the different one is the fake parent, because it''s complicated if it''s the father) to get Farman''s mother. A few days after his father died, the false parents forced Farman''s mother into their arms. Later, Farman was born, but he was actually the child of his dead father.


    Not knowing that, the false parents went to visit Farman''s mother a few times a year, as if they remembered, but every time they saw Farman, he felt like he was becoming more like himself (in fact, he didn''t look much like her), and because they loved him more than their own children, they decided to give Daniel and his future child, Henri, a They had a ditch in the ground.


    Farman''s mother followed the false parent, who was even disgusted with her in order to protect Farman in her belly, but one day when she dealt with a terribly drunk false parent, she found out the truth in a strange way and hated him intensely, but before she could take revenge, she fell ill. When the false parents found out about the illness, they never visited Farman''s mother again, and she never had a chance to get her revenge. And finally, he died of a mental illness as well.


    Farman took care of his mother, who was physically and emotionally ill, at an early age, and in the process learned about his real father and the connection between him and his false parents. Originally, Farman recognized and disliked his false parents as ''a tormentor of his mother'' and had vowed to take revenge on his false parents one day.


    ''But that''s how it started, how did you grow up decent?


    ''Decent... maybe not so decent, but I''m surprised you didn''t involve Henri and the others.


    Albert, who was sulking, replied to my mutterings. It was surprising that Albert was right.


    ''About that, but he said that he intended to take revenge on the entire Gloriosa family for the first few years after he was taken in.


    As I was talking with Albert, suddenly Viscount Abyss interrupted his conversation with Primera and was able to insert his mouth.


    ''But even in the midst of all this, Henri''s mother would have been more than happy to treat Farman kindly. Besides, seeing the little Henri being pampered, and seeing his old self and his mother overlap, led to this result.


    After all, a mother''s love is great.


    That''s right, Lady Primera.


    Viscount Abyss, who was speaking with an extremely serious face, broke his face the moment he heard Primera''s words and turned his back to me and Albert.


    ''''Albert let''s leave this to Primera and go get ready to leave.


    Ignored, me and Albert threw Viscount Abyss to the Primera and left the parlor to prepare for our impending departure the day after tomorrow.


    ''''Well, there''s not much to do when it comes to preparations, but let''s at least look around for some souvenirs.''''


    After about three hours of shopping for souvenirs and groceries, we returned to the mansion to find Primera waiting for us, angry at being left behind. I''ve heard that while we were going along with Viscount Abyss''s story, Grandpa came over and got the two old men to talk to each other. Moreover, the conversation turned from Serna''s wedding to the story of Primera''s marriage, and for some reason the story of Primera when she was little (including embarrassing stories) was revealed to Viscount Abyss. It is said that Viscount Abyss sensed Primera''s bad mood at the mention of his story and left the mansion before we returned, and his grandfather ran away to join him.


    It is said that Primera had no outlet for her anger because the two of them ran away, but because Albert and I came back so quickly, her anger was rekindled and doubled.


    It''s a good idea to have a private conversation with your brother or sister, since you won''t be able to see them for a while soon, Albert.��I''m going to go say hello to everyone else so I don''t get in the way.


    ''What!��Hey, Temma!


    ''''There are some things you don''t want the outside world to know about the Sangha Dukes and the territory, so don''t hesitate to talk about it without us..........then!


    I pushed Albert towards the Primera and he reflexively tried to run towards me, but before he could do so, the Primera grabbed him by the shoulders.


    ''Temma, come on!''


    As soon as Albert was caught by Primera, Amour pulled my hand and ran outside. Cain, Rion, Jeanne and Aura followed suit and ran outside, largely avoiding Albert and Primera.


    ''Where are Chris-san and Leni-san?��Don''t tell me you''ve missed a run?


    We all gathered outside, out of sight of the front door, but Chris and Leni were not there.


    ''Chris is locked up in his room, mocking Shiroumaru. Lennitan is.....


    I''m here.


    The moment Amur called Leni''s name, she appeared from the nearby bushes.


    ''''I was a little further away from you all at that time so I thought it would be rude to run all the way through that side, so I slipped out the window.


    Grandpa ran off first and Chris is tripping in his room so that''s why we''re sure they''re all safe.


    ''No, Albert is still in custody...''


    "Leon, you''re the first brother and sister to play together in a long time, you don''t want to interrupt me.


    If you''re so keen, ask them to let you and Leon join us.


    ''No, you don''t want to interrupt me in the water!��Come on, let''s get out of here!��I don''t know if I''m going to be able to stay here, because I might get in the way of you two!


    There''s no way! However, if we continued to stay here, we might be found at some point, so we decided to quickly go out into the city as Rion said..............through the back door instead of going through the main gate.


    Thus, we sacrificed Albert and strolled around Gunjo City, enjoying shopping and buying and eating........


    ''Listen to me, Mr Temma. Your brother is really bad!


    As soon as I got back, Primera caught me and made me listen to her complaining. The anger Primera felt before she ran away seemed to have all fizzled out after she hit Albert, and I can say that I''m lucky that she''s only complaining... but now I''m starting to feel like I want to take my anger out on her. To Cain, or Rion, or Amour, or Jeanne, or Aura, or Leni........


    Those six, the moment Primera called out to me, they pushed me out and ran away. And even if they just ran away, the ladies are still observing me while cleaning up, saying they were thanking me for letting them use the mansion or something.............and then Cain and Rion came over too. I wondered what they were going to do, but they brought my grandfather with them and are looking at me while pretending to talk from a seat in the corner. Albert seems to be tired and holed up in his room, and I haven''t seen him once since he returned to the mansion.


    ''Primera, Cain and Leon are on me. Here, drink this and settle down.


    Thank you.


    The drink that Amour said Cain and Rion told him to take with him, Primera received it and immediately drank it down. I wondered if I didn''t have it, but Amour brought it to me immediately, so I sipped it....


    It''s the alcohol...!


    I hurriedly looked at Primera and demanded a refill from Amur. It seems that Amur had already prepared it when he brought mine, and before I could stop him, he offered me a refill, and Primera quickly drank the refill as well. Then she demanded more refills.


    If I didn''t, I''d be teased by the booze-drunk Primera!��.... and then I thought.


    Soo...


    As soon as I took my third drink, I began to sleep.


    ''Operation successful!''


    Amur, Cain, Rion you will come with me.


    I called the three of them and chided them as to whether they had been drugged in some suspicious way, and they confessed that they had been given a cocktail made with liquor that would help them sleep better.


    ''Anyway, we''ll have to inform the Duke of Sangha about the three of you. Well, I''ll leave that to Albert. Take Jeanne, Aura and Primera to their rooms and let them sleep.


    Jeanne and Aura sensed the disquieting atmosphere and quickly propped up the Primera between their sides and carried her to her room. Maybe they wouldn''t come back for some reason.


    ''''Well ... shall we have a word with you?''''


    ""Yes......"


    It was partly because Primera had fallen asleep, but I decided to be very careful because what the three of them had done was a method that could have been taken as a criminal act. By the way, when the conversation with me was over, Albert and Chris came over, called by Grandpa and Leni, and the three of them got another scolding from me. Incidentally, we asked Grandpa and Leni about the cocktail, but they both said they didn''t know about it, so we had to overlook it. Instead, I banned alcohol at meals and before bedtime for a time, so I was able to do some damage to Grandpa, if not Leni-san. Well, Grandpa was resisting a lot of things, but I got him to agree that it was a joint responsibility.


    And on the day of departure.


    ''''Baca!''''


    Baka, baka!


    Stupid, stupid, stupid!


    Aura, right!��Renitan, left!


    "Yes!


    Even though it was just before we left, there was a three-on-three team fight going on. I don''t know how many battles we''ve had in Gunjo City, but it was a scene that neither we nor the people who had come to see us off cared about.


    ''Thank you for everything, Temma-san,''


    Nellie, cover Millie!


    No!


    No, I''m sorry I''ve been so protective of you.


    There''s a gap!


    ''My ass!


    ''It was an amazing wedding for sure. I wish you could have been there when I was.


    "Lily, Milly, Helle~p!


    Secret technique, the shrimp scissors!


    Hey, shut up!


    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "


    Oh, it''s as lively as ever, isn''t it?


    In the middle of talking to the people who had come to see us off, we were disturbed by the six people who were rampaging around us, so we angrily shut them up a little too hard. Primera, who was watching the scene very close by, opened her mouth to help the six of us, but she couldn''t seem to think of a good word to say, so she was halfway there.


    ''''Aside from Amur and Aura, why even Leni-san........''''


    I was thinking about how Leni was supposed to educate Amur in the first place.


    ''Temma I know what you mean I''ve been curious and questioned you too.


    Chris came over and told me the answer to that question. He said that he was teaching me that it was my wife''s role to keep women away from me.


    "A wife...


    ''Well, I guess that means you have that kind of mindset. As for me, I''m more concerned that you seem to be enjoying yourself by using Amur... but it''s not like Leni, on the contrary, is inspired by Amur, is it?


    Chris-san''s prediction is likely and scary.......but I''m not that worried about Leni-san. Because I heard that Leni-san has a girlfriend in the south, so she can''t reside in the royal capital. Well, she may come to the royal capital once in a while to see Amur, but if it''s just once in a while (...), she can put up with it.......


    While thinking about that, I finished saying goodbye to the people who came to see me off.......Primera, Oji-san and Soleil-chan, Flute-san, Serna-san and Henri, Marx-san and the others. The only reason why Father and the guild leader didn''t come here is because both of them had work to do and couldn''t leave, and since they said goodbye beforehand, there was no problem, but I asked them to say hello again from Mrs. Oyaji and Mr. Flute. In the meantime, Amur and the others continued to fight quietly.


    ''Oi~!��It''s time to get going!


    Shit!


    You missed your last chance!


    I am.........Amur, Aura.........


    Huh ... we won!


    It''s a complete victory!


    You did it, girl!


    I don''t know what reason they were playing, but it seems to have ended in a victory for the Amur side.


    ''''Well then, I''m sorry for all the trouble I''ve caused you. But I''ll be back, so I''ll be looking forward to seeing you again then.


    And so I left Gunjo City, being sent off the same way I was three years ago.

 205-Chapter 14-1 Secret Story

    ''Yes!��Let''s eat!��Let''s drink!


    Bake, bake, bake, bake!


    Jin and Garratt were placing the wyvern''s meat on the net while shouting loudly. Not to be outdone, Rion and the other members of the Tamer''s Guild also began to place the meat on it.


    ''''Those guys don''t know how to be reserved........''''


    ''Well, I suppose that''s what they decided to do under the circumstances to allow it.


    As I muttered to myself as I looked at the guys eating as if they were competing for the burnt meat, Aguri, who was eating at a distance, came over with dismay... but that Aguri had also firmly secured a large portion of burnt wyvern meat on his plate.


    The reason why the barbecue competition was taking place was that when I arrived in Seigen, I thought I''d first say hello to my acquaintances, so I headed over to Karina-san''s place first to have a little chat, and that''s when Jin and the rest of the ''Sword of Dawn'' arrived. When I was suspicious that the timing was too good to be true, they heard that we were on our way to the guild and came to look for us. At any rate, they had something they wanted to discuss with us.


    We decided to go somewhere else to talk, so we went to the guild to rent a private room, where the members of the Tamer''s Guild were hanging out. The topic of defeating the wyvern came up, and if there is a large amount of meat to be had, they demanded to be fed it.


    "The meat at the Wyvern is a high-class product, though...


    Oh, I appreciate it.


    Yes, and I''m grateful for it.


    Following Aguri, it was Menace and Leena who responded to my mutterings with words. Both of them are building a pile of roasted meat on their plates, just like Aguri.


    ''''Well, he said it''s true that he''s grateful, and it''s not like he''s returning the favor, but I''ll give you an update on the dungeon, give me a break.


    It''s an update that the guild doesn''t know about.


    ''''Come to think of it, you''ve reached the lowest level. But can you take the liberty of giving out information that you didn''t even let the guild know?


    ''Information obtained by an adventurer alone is the property of that adventurer. If the information is urgent, it might be a problem, but if the guild doesn''t know about the dungeon, it won''t be much of a problem.


    ''If the guild wants to sell it, but as long as they don''t say anything, there''s no need for us to pay attention to it.


    If they sold it, it would fetch quite a bit of money, but that might cause other adventurers to conquer the dungeon before The Sword of Dawn. However, the adventurers who are diving after The Sword of Dawn are already retired, and they are old enough to be said to be on the verge of retirement after that, so they don''t seem to be too worried about it...


    I''m pretty deep in the water myself, but is that what you want?


    I''m currently at the sixty level, so depending on the information, I may catch up with Jin and the others at once. Incidentally, it seems that the place where Jin and the others are located is on the ninety-eightth level, and even though they''re near the bottom of the guild, they talked about how fast they were attacking the place.


    ''''Well, I won''t lie to you there, but I''m not going to tell you everything, so it''s okay. Besides, even if you catch up with us, you''re not so bad in character that you''d run off at the side of us who are struggling... right?


    Isn''t it... right?


    How much was the market price for Wyvern meat?


    As soon as I said that, they were on a roll! So it means that I''m not actually sorry for it. Well, I''m joking around too, so I''m a sycophant.


    ''''Well, so much for joking around I certainly don''t intend to do that, but I don''t think you can complain if you do.


    It''s all right, I''m looking out for them!


    If you can''t trust people, that could be fatal to you.


    That''s why I decided to receive information without reservation. Well, basically what kind of demons were on which floor, what kind of minerals were there and what kind of atmosphere was there, and I didn''t ask about the path to the lower floors, so it would be a funny story if I caught up with this.


    ''''So, here''s the thing... but before we get to that, djinn!��Garratt!��Come on, come on!��You forget what we were looking for Temma for!


    Jinn and Garratt, pissed off at Menace, interrupted their gluttonous eating contest with Amur to come over to us.


    ''Sorry the wyvern was so good I just got carried away.


    Jin and Garratt apologized to Menace and Leena before turning to me.


    ''''Actually the reason we were looking for Temma is because there was something we wanted to discuss with you.


    Jin says that with a serious face, but


    ''Yeah, I know ... didn''t Jin first tell you that when we were in front of the apartment?''


    ...that''s right.


    The Garrats were trying hard not to laugh at Jin''s joke, but they changed their minds as soon as I called Grandpa.


    So what do you want to talk to us about?


    By "consult," I mean the boss at the bottom of the pyramid.


    According to Jin''s story, the demon that seemed to be the boss at the lowest level was Hydra, and despite trying several times, they couldn''t find a way through, and were repeatedly withdrawing early. Moreover, the troublesome thing is that because the recovery power of the hydra is too high, the hydra is fully recovered before the djinn''s damage is removed.


    It''s a long time ago. And how many heads does that hydra have?


    Nine, sir.


    Grandpa was surprised at the answer of nine heads. This is because the best hydra he had ever defeated in the past was an eight-necked hydra, and it is said to be the best known of all the individuals he had defeated.


    The best Hydra I''ve ever killed in the past was said to be the best with eight heads.


    ''So I was wondering if I could get some insight from Lady Merlin, who has defeated eight heads, and Temma, who has a reputation for insane fighting skills.


    I protested because there was something in Jin''s story that I didn''t agree with, but not only Jin and his friends, but even my grandfather looked at me in wonder.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who can do this," he said, "but it''s also a good thing that you have good luck. The magic hit all the right spots and the magic tools worked better than I expected.


    The grimoire that you say you used at the time was...


    It''s almost unheard of now. And that magic tool was like a version of the explosive knife that Tenma fought at a tournament, I don''t remember what it was called, but it was even more powerful than the one he used. Even that was a very rare tool, but anything more powerful than that was even more rare than a knife. Moreover, the one I used was a modified version, which is now forbidden.


    At Grandpa''s words, the djinn were disappointed and slumped their shoulders. The ''exploding knife'' that Grandpa mentioned was probably the one that Keos used and blew his own arm off. That is quite a useful tool depending on the situation and how you use it, but with that level of power, even if you hit ten or twenty of them, it would be hard to say that it would be effective against a nine-necked hydra.


    In my grandfather''s story, I remembered that ''it''s forbidden now'', so I asked him about it, and the reason is twofold: since it''s so powerful for its size, there''s a high risk that it will be used to assassinate important people, and if you force it to be made more powerful by modifying it, even a small shock could cause it to explode suddenly. He said that''s because there is a reason. In my grandfather''s case, he was lucky, and he was safe because he kept most of his stuff in the magic bag, so he couldn''t stop sweating when he found out.


    On the other hand, if you leave it in the magic bag, the risk of it exploding is very low.


    But that doesn''t mean you have to make it!


    I whispered my thoughts and Grandpa nailed me with a strong tone of voice.


    ''''All right. So, if the magic tools don''t work, how about a quantity strategy with the golem?


    ''We''ll charge you a good price for that, but we''ll get you the number you need...''... I suggested, but he refused because that wouldn''t allow us to say that we''d captured it on our own.


    ''''Well, that''s certainly true...''''


    ''I''m grateful for that, but I don''t think we''d be able to convince the people around us... or rather, we wouldn''t be able to convince ourselves.


    At Jin''s words, Garratt and the others nodded. Indeed, if they couldn''t agree with themselves, there was no point in being adventurers. As he reflected in his mind that he''d said something unnecessary, he thought of other ways to do it.


    How resilient are you claiming to be?


    It''s like a gouge that you''ve been working really hard on for an hour or so, and then it closes up in an hour or so.


    Well, that''s certainly a problem.


    Even if you worked hard for an hour, if you were blocked in as long as you worked hard, it would certainly be difficult to defeat them. Even with Hydra, there would be an upper limit to his strength and resilience, but having a resilience equal to or greater than the attack power of Djinn and the others was no different than having a pseudo-infinite strength and resilience. However.


    ''Then why don''t we just do continuous damage?��If we can keep damaging the hydra while the djinn and others rest, no amount of nine-headed hydra will kill it.


    If you could do that, you wouldn''t be in any trouble!


    Jin thought I was kidding around, and he yelled at me, snapping at me, but


    ''Jin, wait a minute!��The fact that Temma came up with such a joke means he might have come up with something!��After all, Temma has a reputation for insanity!


    ''Yes!��Tenma shouldn''t be so devilish as to joke around at a time like this!


    ''Yes!��That much Temma-san is not rotten!


    You guys are the ones who wait a minute!


    When I shouted at them as if I couldn''t hear them out, the three of them realized their gaffe and began to panic.


    ''''Temma!��I don''t care what you think of these guys after they''re done, just let me know what you come up with!


    Jin grabbed both my shoulders and shook me violently without following the three of us.


    ''Alright, calm down I''ve come up with an idea to drive a number of harpoon-like things into Hydra''s body. As long as the harpoons I''ve hammered into it don''t come loose, I think it''s possible to keep damaging the hydra, right?


    For example, even a person can feel continuous pain when a small thorn sticks in his fingertip and digs into his flesh. That''s how I thought it would be possible to inflict continuous damage on the hydra if I did it deliberately with a weapon like a harpoon, which is thick and has high killing power.


    ''Surely, by that logic, it''s possible to inflict continuous damage.


    Maybe the harpoon will fall out in the process of recovery, but with some ingenuity it could be left inside you, and that''s better than doing nothing.


    ''I''m sure you''re right. We''re hesitant to attack to begin with. If it doesn''t work when you try, then you can think of a different way to do it.


    I''ve tried to fight it a few times before, and I''ve succeeded in escaping each time. It wouldn''t be a bad idea to try my idea of a method once.


    ''Then I''ll need to devise a way to make sure it doesn''t come off after it sticks, or that only the tip of the ear remains.


    You can use a bow and arrow if it stings, not just a harpoon. That way you can attack from a distance.


    He also taught them about the "chokki harpoon," a harpoon used in barefoot fishing and the like. When this harpoon stings, the tip of the harpoon is detached to make a big return. The purpose of this device was to connect the tip of the spearhead to the body of the harpoon with a string so that the stinging fish would not escape, but by loosening the knot between the tip of the harpoon and the body of the harpoon and attaching another long string to the body of the harpoon, it would be easier to retrieve the harpoon after it was thrown. If you attach a spare tip to the body, it will be possible to attack as many times as you like.


    ''''Good!��First we need to get some weapons!


    Oh!


    ''''Well, shall we go back too?''''


    ''Yes. It''s not every day you get to eat the meat of a wyvern to the hilt.


    Menace and Lina also went back to where they came from in search of the wyvern''s meat.


    ''''Temma, we have to get back soon or they will devour our meat!


    ''No, there''s still a wyvern...''


    That said, there was enough of a dining scene that it seemed impossible to dismiss that possibility, so after finishing the portion we were serving now, we decided that we would serve the orc meat next.


    ''''Speaking of which, I have to have a meeting with the kings as soon as I return to King''s Landing.


    Yes.


    In fact, it wasn''t just Jin and the others who had asked for advice. It was Carina and Arie-san, and it was something about Amy. They told me that there would be a party in the near future at the school in King''s Landing that would also serve as a classroom visit. The invitation was sent to Karina-san and the others, but if they wanted to attend, they would have to be away for nearly half a month, including travel time, and that would be quite difficult. Besides that, she said she felt uncomfortable going to a place full of nobles, so she was not sure what to do.


    So when I spoke to Chris and the three idiots who are graduates of the academy, they said that Amy''s guardian in the royal capital is the Otori family, so it wouldn''t be a problem if she attended instead... or rather, she would have to attend.


    If it was a normal party, it wouldn''t be a problem if they didn''t have to attend, but this one was a party for the entire middle school, and apparently the third year students would be the star of the party. Some of the third year students leave the school without moving up to the high school, or fail the high school entrance exam, so it has the aspect of a graduation party. Well, since the students who leave or fail are basically commoner students, the noble students don''t have much of a sense of graduation. But instead, some noblemen students think about finding a fiancee at this party.


    ''''In my day, too, there was this aspect of it... although it was too long ago to be of much use to me.


    That kind of grandfather, even though he had a reputation for excellence when he was a student, he was not popular at all because he was the third son of a baronial family with little chance of succession, and he had a reputation as a freak from then on. Incidentally, it seems that the most popular person in the same grade was Ernest-sama.


    He was considered a freak, too, but he was royalty and had money.


    Even if I remembered now, I wasn''t sure if I didn''t like the fact that Ernest-sama was popular or not, but I was still quite grumpy.


    If you''re a commoner, you''re still a tasty opponent.


    If we can drop Aimee, then without a doubt, the Otori family will be able to connect with the three idiots. But even if they get together with us, the relationship with the royal family, or rather with Tida, will not be good, but Tida can''t touch Aimee''s partner just because she was rejected. There wouldn''t be, and if she did that in the first place, she could lose her current position.


    ''When it comes to this, it might mean that Amy would be saved in many ways if she stuck with Tida...''


    If Tenma says that, she''ll get in a lot of trouble for saying it, so don''t say it anywhere else.


    Anyway, I''m sure some of the students will try to force their way to Amy, so I''ll have to talk to Maria about that.


    I decided to end the conversation, though somewhat forcefully, because I felt that talking about it any longer would damage me.


    I have to talk to Aimee''s family first. It''s a matter of course, and above all, there''s no guarantee that anyone will try to turn to Amy''s family for help.


    Grandpa was right, it wasn''t a good idea to ignore Carina and the others and proceed, so I decided to go to the consultation immediately... Before I went to the consultation, the djinn asked for more meat, so I served the oak meat as I had originally planned. ........A storm of boos ensued. Well, when I threatened, "If you complain, I''ll charge you for the amount you serve and the amount you eat," I honestly started to roast the orc meat, so I watched the situation and then went to my apartment.


    And in the apartment, Karina-san and the others were quite surprised by my story, but I was even more surprised by Karina-san and Arie-san''s words, "I heard that Amy was good friends with the royals, but I thought she would marry into Temma-san''s family in the end.


    For what it''s worth, it''s not uncommon for a well-earning adventurer to marry more than one woman, and more than anything else, they thought I was more likely than royalty, because of my status.


    When I told Aimee that I had never had such thoughts, she replied, "There are a lot of beautiful people close to me, aren''t there?"... It was a moment when I could tell a story that everyone should not know.

 206-Chapter 14-2 Going Home

    I''m finally home.


    You''re lucky it''s not snowing in earnest.


    We, who had returned to the royal capital for the first time in several months, had just gone straight to the guild to inform them of the completion of our request and returned to the mansion. The ones who returned to the mansion were the members of ''Oration'' and Leni-san, and we parted ways with Chris and Albert and the others at the guild. Each of them had some work to do, such as confirming while they were on their trip, so even though they had just returned, they would have a lot of things to do.


    ''''Hm?��I think someone''s coming.


    Well, I''m sure it''ll be one of Alex and the others who comes in the carriage while I''m away.


    As we talked about this, I arrived at Raiden''s front door and the door was opened at just the right time. I thought it might be Aina, but it was Kryfe who opened the door.


    ''Welcome home, Temma-sama, Merlin-sama. I have some business to attend to today.''''


    I thought it was an errand for Mr. Cliffe, so I wondered if the king was also here, but he told me differently. When I entered the mansion, I wondered what on earth the business was about.


    Welcome home.


    Welcome home.


    Aina and the others who were waiting near the front door (...) greeted me... I was surprised to see that there was something unusual about them, but Aina''s eyes seemed to be pleading with me not to say anything, so I didn''t poke her and just walked past them.


    ''Just...............................Hee!


    Hey, Aura... oh, my God!


    ...............................


    ''My name is Leni Tintin. Thank you for your brief time.


    The women reacted in a four-way fashion, but the first three hurriedly followed me as Aina glared at them. However, only Leni-san stayed where she was, politely greeting Aina and Kryfe-san. And as for my grandfather, who was right behind me, he just said, "Mm," but didn''t show any unusual reaction, and hurriedly overtook me and headed toward the diner. And as soon as we entered the diner, she started laughing loudly.


    ''Just putting up with it... well, I don''t know how I feel about it.


    Mm. I don''t know, but.....


    Compared to Amour, who was erupting in front of the cafeteria, Grandpa was probably more patient. And as for Jeanne and Aura, who have been quiet since a while ago, they seemed to have not lost the fear of being stared at when they almost screamed in too much surprise earlier, and were slowly advancing with a blue face.


    ''For now, we have to sort out the souvenirs so that the uncles can come any time... but first we have to go check on Jouvees and the others.


    So I was just about to step out into the hallway when


    MEEEEEEEEEE!


    The moment I opened the door, a black blob (Merry) jumped in with a lot of momentum.


    ''Ho ho!''


    ''Huh?��Geez!


    I heard Merry''s footsteps, and I was able to easily dodge Merry''s body hit, which seemed to be aimed at the moment she opened the door, but Aura, who was completely unaware of it, took Merry''s body hit with her back and rolled with Merry for several meters.


    ''Meh~''


    Mo.


    I''m home, Allie. I''m home, Tama-chan.


    A short time after Merry jumped in, this time Allie came in. Tama came to the nearest window from the cafeteria and squealed, too.


    ''I''ve got something for you this time, Allie and the others.


    When Ally heard those words, she nodded her head, as if she didn''t understand the meaning of it for the life of her. So I took out some of the hay I had purchased at Shellhide''s and held it in front of him from the magic bag and he started eating it happily.


    ''Does it taste good?''��Then let''s go eat at Jouvees'' place. Merry, come on or you''ll miss out on eating.


    ''Meh!��Mme, mme, mme!


    ''Amur, it''s time to let Mary go.


    "Hm.


    Merry struggled to get caught in the opposite direction, trying to hit Amur as well after he hit Aura with his body, but he was caught in the opposite direction. Merry, who was freed from Amur, hit me as she ran up to me, but her power was much lower than usual, as if she thought she wouldn''t get any hay if she made it too hard.


    ''Here, I''ll leave it here for you. It''s the finest stuff from Shellhide.


    It''s not true to say that they are high-class products, but since horses are the speciality of the Shellhide area, the food is of good quality as well, so I asked the frontier count to introduce me to a distributor and I bought a lot of them.


    It''s time for me to go and ask Clife-san why.


    As I was heading to the dining room to listen to the story, Aina was waiting for me on the way there, and she led me towards the parlor. I waited there for a while.


    I''d like to buy some tea.


    Tea, tea, tea.


    Ooh!


    Lyle-sama (...) who placed the sweets in front of me with an awkward smile, was screaming as Luna (..) showered her with tea.


    ''''Luna-sama!��Don''t pour the tea over the top!


    Yeah, well, first, you''ll have to worry about me...


    Aina scolded Luna as she quickly wiped the tea that had been scattered around. The replacement tea was quickly made by Mr. Cliffe, but Lyle-sama was left alone with the tea poured on him.


    ''So, is it about time you two told me why you''re in my house dressed like that?


    ''Very well ... but first, please wait a moment. Master Lyle, where are you going?��I must now explain to your master. Stand quietly behind me and wait.


    Perhaps to change his clothes, Lyle-sama was about to leave the parlor, but was stopped by Mr. Cliffe.


    ''''Actually, these two men, by order of Maria-sama, have been trained as a butler and a maid. Well, both of you have work and schoolwork to do, so it wasn''t every day... and the day that Temma-sama and the others returned was the day of the test, and they were going to make a decision on whether or not to extend the training.


    I don''t know what the two of them did, but they must have been bad enough to make Maria''s patience run out. Either that, or it must have been the accumulation of their daily actions.


    ''So, how do you feel about it?''


    It''s very badly done.


    In response to my question, Mr. Cliffe made his assessment without a pause. The two of them, who had been cut to pieces by Mr. Clife-san, seemed to have a good deal of confidence in themselves, and were quite depressed after getting the exact opposite judgment.


    ''''Well, even if it''s not good enough, I have to acknowledge the two of you for your efforts. It''s just your efforts, though.''''


    But when they heard the rest of Mr. Cliffe''s words, they both smiled, but


    But I can only tell it like it is, since Mary will have the final say.


    They were dropped, lifted up, and finally dropped again, both of them looking desperate.


    ''It''s a lot of work, isn''t it? Well, I understand the two of you. So, now that you''re back, I''d like to bring you a souvenir...''''


    ''But first, Lady Temma, don''t you have something important to report to Mary?


    ''It certainly was. I have something very important to tell you.


    I had to tell the royal family a very important story that I had experienced in the request of the frontier count.


    ''It would be better for you to tell that story to Maria directly from Lady Temma. If you''re not too tired, you might as well go and report back now. I''m sure Maria will be waiting for your report.


    Okay, I''ll just go get ready for a few things.


    With that, I explained to Grandpa and Jeanne and had them change their clothes, and I myself changed out of my dirty clothes and put my souvenirs in my magic bag.


    When I finished getting ready, I called out to Mr. Cliffe and he looked a little surprised that Jeanne was there, but when I explained that Jeanne was one of the people involved, he agreed.


    ''Temma, I''m coming with you!


    ''I''ll ask for Amour next time. Maybe Maria and the others will listen to Amour, but I think it would be better to start with Jeanne''s story first.


    Yeah, okay.


    When Amur withdrew, we headed for the carriage, led by Kryfe-san.


    Aina didn''t return to the royal castle with us, and since she was going to stay behind for a bit more guidance from Luna and Lyle-sama, I told her that I was going to let Aura rest for today and let her work tomorrow. Aina nodded at my instructions, but she really wanted Aura to work right away, and she looked at Aura sideways a few times as she screamed with joy.


    Near Aina, Luna seemed to want to say something, but perhaps it was because she was in the position of an apprentice maid now, but she only wanted to say it but didn''t come near her.


    ''Luna, you don''t have to worry about me telling Maria-sama about the mistake you made earlier,''


    I called out to him, but he didn''t seem to be talking about that, and he shook his head.


    ''It wasn''t ... ah!��The souvenir!��We''ve got the meat from the Wyvern, so the cooks at King''s Castle should be cooking it up for you tomorrow or so.


    Really!��Yah... not... not!


    Luna was almost pleased, but it wasn''t the souvenir she wanted to hear about. As I thought it was a quiz with few hints, I suddenly remembered that I was making Mr. Cliffe wait, so I apologized lightly to Luna and then got into the carriage.


    As it was, I was moving in the carriage controlled by Mr. Clife-san.


    ''Master Merlin, Master Temma, there''s Chris up front.


    So I opened the window, and sure enough, Chris was there. And he was with a man and ... well, he looked like he was arguing with a man.


    ''Do you want me to ignore him?''


    I could only smell the trouble, so I was going to do as Mr. Cliffe said...but unluckily, Chris turned to me. Then his eyes met mine as he watched from the window.


    ''''Mr. Clife-san, please do your best to take off.


    ''It''s impossible. Chris is already aware of it, and more importantly, it''s coming our way.


    If I could speed in a straight line, I would be able to get past Chris, but I couldn''t make a small turn in the city and he was coming at me head-on. No matter how you do it, you''re going to get in during the turnaround.


    ''Then stop here, please. At least let them walk up here.


    And then, after thirty seconds of waiting Chris came to the carriage with a walk like a race walk.


    ''''I belong to the Kingsguard, Chris. I''m returning to duty now!


    Yes, sir. Now, please report to your escort.


    Chris reported to Mr. Cliffe and tried to get into the carriage, but


    ''Christina, I''m not done talking to you yet!


    The man who had been chasing him stopped Chris. But.


    ''Didn''t you hear me say you were returning to duty in the Kingsguard?��The people riding in this carriage are guests to the royal family. To interfere with the kinsman''s duty of serving as his escort would raise the possibility of disrespect to the royal family, but are you prepared to do so?��And my name is Chris, not Christina. And although you seem to have the rank of quasi-baronet, the Kingsguard has been given the equivalent of a baron by His Majesty. Do you understand what that means?


    Chris looked at the man with the coldest eyes I''ve ever seen in my life. No, it wasn''t cold, but rather, he was afraid that if the man bit down any further, he would instantly cut him down.


    ''''Chris-san, since I have Maria-sama waiting for me, can I head to the royal castle as soon as possible?''''


    Sorry to keep you waiting. I''ll be with you shortly.


    The man didn''t know if he noticed that Chris-san was really angry or if it was because Maria''s name was mentioned, but he didn''t try to hold him back any further. But I guess he wasn''t convinced because he was staring at Mr. Chris, and I guess he wasn''t convinced.


    Then Chris-san ignored the man''s presence as if he didn''t exist and got into the carriage.


    ''No, it really helped. That guy was so persistent that I wanted to kill him and I really would have killed him if Temma and the others hadn''t walked by.


    Chris had returned to his usual mood as soon as the carriage started.


    ''So, Mr. Chris, who was that person you were talking about earlier?��And what''s the name Christina?


    Chris-san looked heartily uncomfortable with my question, but I guess he thought he couldn''t stay silent before he saved me.


    That''s my father. And Christina was the name they gave you back in the day.


    I said that as I turned away. I''d heard before that Chris had broken up with his parents and that the reason for that was because they were trying to use him to suck the good juice out of him, but in reality, it was worse than that.


    ''When I was twelve years old, that man came to me with a matchmaking proposal. Well, if you''re a child of a nobleman, there''s a story about having a fianc�� at the age of twelve, but it''s not a betrothal, it''s a marriage!��And the guy is over forty years old!


    Chris seemed to be getting angry as he talked, and he was quite excited.


    ''I thought it would be impossible, even as a child, to talk about it, but not only that man, but his wife was on board!��I was suspicious, so I snuck into their room and found out that the man had owed a lot of money to an old man who was over forty years old, and was trying to give me to the man who owed him. And his wife thought that she could take over the old man''s house because I would live longer than her. By the way, that old man was a viscount.


    Chris, who was twelve years old, decided to run away from home after thinking about how to avoid marrying an old man. And the next day he left for King''s Landing. The money for the trip at that time was from his father and mother''s navel-gazing at home.


    When Chris arrived at King''s Landing, he was the first to run into the soldiers'' stuffing room and explained the reason for running away from home himself. From there, the soldiers who had trouble handling Chris reported him to the headquarters of the knights of King''s Landing. The knights were also troubled and reported it to the king.


    The king was surprised at the unprecedented situation, but he immediately decided to protect Chris, warned his parents and the old man, and allowed them to disown him as Chris wished. After that, Chris was about to go to an orphanage, but he took an entrance exam at a school where he tried out and got a recommendation for the next year''s entrance exam. Incidentally, his living expenses up to that point were reparations from his former family (his attempt to force Chris to marry them was recognized as abuse), and he asked the knight who took care of Chris in the castle to be his guarantor to borrow money from a moneylender in the capital to cover the shortfall. By the way, the knight is said to be Jean-san.


    I didn''t even remember that he existed until recently, but when he found out that I won the martial arts tournament and that I hadn''t married yet, he ingratiated himself to me with a marriage proposal. You really don''t learn, do you? In the first place, as long as His Majesty has personally approved the breakup, I''m now a nobleman with power above that guy, and he doesn''t understand that interfering with me in the first place is an act that goes against His Majesty''s decision.


    After that, I continued to listen to Chris complain about him in the carriage. Meanwhile, Grandpa and Jeanne were pretending to sleep through it all.


    ''Chris, it''s time to stop your chattering. In the meantime, you''re back on duty with the Kingsguard, aren''t you?


    Chris, who had been talking for a long time, quieted down at Mr. Cliffe''s words.


    ''The gates of the royal castle...''


    Even if it was to get away from that man, he told Mr. Cliffe in full view of the public that he would return to his mission. Since he declared that, he must have changed his mind before going through the gate.


    The carriage passed through the gate and proceeded directly to the front door, but Chris-san got out of the carriage shortly before reaching the front door. Apparently, except for emergencies, you can''t enter the castle without wearing the knight''s uniform, so they said they would go ahead and change in their own rooms in the quarters.


    ''''Maria-sama, I''ve brought Tenma-sama.


    I asked Mr. Clef to show me to the room where Maria-sama was, and inside were Maria and the king, Caesar and Isabella, Zain and Ernest-sama.


    ''Maria-sama, our request has been successfully completed. I''ll take the souvenirs to the kitchen later.


    Yes, thank you, Temma. And welcome back.


    I greeted Maria and the others, and when I said I had something to report, they offered me an empty seat, so all three of us sat down. Maria and the others seemed to question the decision to let Jeanne, who usually stood at the back, sit down, but Jeanne nodded when she said it was related to her.


    So what''s this report about?


    She seemed somewhat happy, so she might have mistakenly thought it was her impression of the trip.


    ''''As you may have reported, a troublesome demon has appeared in the Grand Old Man''s Forest.


    You...


    ''Yes, Rich (...). Leon said that he would release more information, but I thought it would be better for me to report what I felt directly from him. The reason I brought Jeanne with me is that out of all the members who went to Kukri village, Jeanne was the only one who did not fall into Rich''s trap. So I brought her along because I thought she could explain the situation in more detail than I could...........Was there something funny about that?


    I couldn''t help but say that Maria and the others'' reaction was a little strange, but they shook their heads, saying it was nothing.


    I then told them what I thought of the outcome of the engagement with Rich, and how I and my grandpa and the others looked from Jeanne''s point of view at that time. We talked about how even me and my grandfather, who is good at magic and seems to have a higher resistance than others, had unknowingly fallen into Rich''s trap, and how Jeanne was the only one who was able to move freely in her right mind, but we didn''t know exactly why, and it just happened to be a shallow trap! That''s what I decided to do. However, as a person who can use the appraisal, I think Jeanne''s title of ''saint'' is involved, but since she keeps the fact that she can use the appraisal a secret, and above all, I don''t know how the title of ''saint'' affected her, I agreed with the conclusion that it was just a coincidence.


    ''''Well then, I''ll just carry the souvenir to the kitchen for a moment.


    Temma, I''ll let Cliffe do that. Give Cliffe a gift for me.


    When the conversation had settled down, I got up to carry the wyvern''s meat to the kitchen, and then Maria called out to me to wait. Well, I guess she decided that it would be strange to make me carry it since I was coming as a guest, so I transferred the meat to the magic bag held by Mr. Cliffe and sat back down in my seat.


    ''Temma, I wonder if you still have something to report to us?''


    When Mary said that, I thought for a minute.


    We have magically built a fort on the borders of the frontier counties.


    I thought it was about cooperating in military matters, but that wasn''t the case either.


    ''Is it about spying on the frontier county?''


    It has already been brought to us by the Count of the frontier Houst. And we have left the matter in the hands of the frontier counts.


    Instead of Mary, the king answered. If Mary-sama doesn''t open her mouth, then this answer seems to be different too.


    ''The canon thing..... Could it be about the Gol and Jill thread at the wedding?


    I wondered if he had any inquiries about Serna''s wedding dress, but he shook his head. But he was responding to the wedding part of the story, so it seemed to be about that.


    ''So, the fact that you played matchmaker?''


    That''s it!

 207-Chapter 14-3 Responsibility

    Currently, we (...) were being made to sit upright by Maria-sama and were being pissed off.


    Normally, I just watched the king, Lyle-sama and Luna being angry from the side, but now that I was in that position, I could understand why those three people (the four of them with Ernest-sama in them sometimes) were making us shrink back. And I learned that they say that ''beautiful women are scary when they are angry,'' and that it was true.


    The six people who are looking at us being angry at Maria-sama like that, including Maria-sama, who was in the room when I finished reporting Rich earlier, and Grandpa and Jeanne, who came with me, plus Mr. Cliffe and the Duke of Sanga. Among them, the men are looking at me with dumb or sympathetic eyes, but Isabella-sama is completely as angry as Maria-sama, and Jeanne seems to have come to think more like Maria-sama as she listens to me.


    (How did that happen...)


    To explain the situation now, I''d have to go back to the point where I gave the report Lady Maria really wanted to hear.


    ''So, I understand that Temma has chosen the Primera of the Duke of Sangha''s family as her partner when it comes to being a wedding matchmaker, but why is that?''


    When I heard Maria''s question, I thought about it to the extent that the woman was concerned about the wedding story or something... and I thought about it to the extent that she was trying to chill out about doing the matchmaker with the primera... It was. So I tried to be as concise as possible.


    ''That''s because Albert told me to. It was decided that it would be a bad idea for a man to do something concerning the bride, and I asked Primera for a woman who had no problem with her status and could give her relatives'' permission immediately.


    I answered.........no, I answered.


    Grandpa and Jeanne, who knew the reason for this answer of mine, did not change their expressions, but Maria-sama and Isabella-sama became expressionless, King-sama and Ernest-sama opened their mouths in surprise, Caesar-sama and Zain-sama made difficult faces, and Mr. Cliffe looked like he was looking at a sorry creature.


    ''You!��Call the Duke of Sangha and Albert at once!


    ''Uh-huh!��Cliffe, take care of that for me!


    Ha!


    At Maria''s angry voice, the king was instructing Cliffe in surprise.


    ''Temma you sit there.


    What?


    I''m already sitting in a chair... or so I thought, as Maria pointed to the floor.


    Sit here.


    I said, this time pointing to the floor. Honestly, I didn''t understand what he meant, so I looked at the king who was sitting next to Maria-sama, but he turned away the moment our eyes met. That''s the same for Caesar-sama and Zain-sama. And as for Isabella-sama, she looked at me with her sharp eyes.


    Do as your mother-in-law says, and sit there.


    In an angry voice, he said the same thing as Maria.


    ''''Wow, I understand...''''


    I didn''t know why, but I understood that Maria and Isabella were angrier than I''d ever seen them before, so I sat upright on the floor around where Maria had pointed, as instructed.


    ''So, Temma. You don''t seem to understand ... why I''m angry.


    Maria stopped the question in mid-sentence, as if the fact that she really didn''t understand showed on her face.


    ''Well then, Temma. What is a matchmaker?


    When she answered Mary''s question by saying, "It''s about the marriage go-between," she nodded her head and said


    Well, that makes sense. However, essentially, a matchmaker is a married (...) man who is a matchmaker.


    ''No, I told Primera that it was like a matchmaker (...) and she agreed with that.


    That''s not what I''m saying.


    My excuse was cut down like a knife.


    ''''If it was a small scale ... a really small wedding where only your relatives would participate, then that excuse would have been valid. But what Temma and Primera were involved in was a wedding that was on a scale that the whole city knew about, as they invited participants from outside and even the nobility to attend. And Temma hosted it...........That excuse doesn''t work.


    If so, what the hell is the problem?


    I couldn''t help but give an emotional rebuttal, partly because I felt why should I be angry, but Maria sighed as she looked at me and


    ''Temma''s an adventurer and a man, so I can''t say it''s a problem. If there was, it wouldn''t be a big deal. Primera, on the other hand, is a nobleman and a woman. I hate to say it, but it''s going to take a lot out of you as a woman.


    Why is that so important?��And then you think.


    It may be hard to understand, but a noblewoman is expected to be chaste. As hard as it may be to understand, an aristocratic woman is expected to be chaste, because in an aristocratic society, a woman is expected to ensure that she will bear her mate''s children.


    I know what Isabella-sama means. Because if she had a child other than the one she married, the worst case scenario would be that her husband''s side of the bloodline could be cut off.


    ''I can understand why. But just because I did something like a matchmaker with Primera, doesn''t mean we actually had a physical relationship.


    ''But still. You might be thought of as a light-hearted woman who would easily do with a man who is not her lover what a married person would normally have to do. Besides, there may be people who deliberately tailgate rumors in order to ruin the reputation of the Primera''s and the Sangha dukes, even though they know that this is not actually the case.


    A disgusting sweat ran down my back as I realized that asking for something so lightly could be detrimental to the reputation of the Primera and the Sangha Dukes. Then


    ''Maria, I have shown the Duke of Sangha and Lady Albert to you.


    ''What?��That was fast, wasn''t it?


    Faster than I expected, Mr. Cliffe brought the Duke of Sanga and Albert with him. I had a rude thought in my head for a moment that maybe he was in a hurry to see me pissed off, but.......


    "At the gate, I saw the Duke of Sangha''s carriage coming toward the castle, so I brought him straight to you.


    ''Yes, the duke must have had the same concern. Duke Sanga, come over here, and Albert, take a seat beside Temma.


    Lady Maria ordered the Duke of Sangha to proceed to the side next to her (opposite of Lady Isabella) and ordered Albert to sit upright beside me. The reluctant Duke of Sangha sat silently in the chair that Mr. Cliffe had prepared for him. During that time, he didn''t seem to be looking at me. And beside me, a blue-faced Albert sat upright, but because his body was trembling, he was almost pinned down in front of me when he sat down.


    ''''Hmm.......Well, Albert. Do you want to disgrace the Duke of Sangha family?��Or is there some ambition you want to fulfill at the expense of the Primera?


    Lady Maria looked once at the Duke of Sanga and then asked Albert a question. His voice was quieter than when he was accusing me, but the fact that his eyes weren''t smiling at all scared me in the opposite direction.


    ''As I told Temma, I''m sure Primera will have a bad reputation in the future because you made her play matchmaker. As a slut.


    It was worse expressed than before, but it seemed to be more effective for Albert now, and his complexion was even worse.


    ''''Albert you, as the heir of the Sangha Dukes, you allowed the Primera to play matchmaker, right?��And that''s in a way that I would make Temma ask for. That''s not fair, is it?��It was Temma who nominated him and Primera who accepted. Albert only gave permission, and it is Temma and Primera who will lose their reputations. Well, it won''t be a big deal for Temma because she''s not a nobleman, but it won''t be for Primera who is a woman and a nobleman, will it?


    Albert seemed to understand at once the meaning of the part I had to have explained to him, and he clearly began to panic.


    ''Well, that''s because he said he didn''t want to get married, and, well...''


    ''There''s a difference between not having a desire and not having a connection. Even if you don''t have it now, the desire to marry can come out of nowhere. And because of what Albert has set up this time, there will be less of an edge. Or it will be seen as cheap.


    Just like me, Albert was completely debunked by Maria-sama. The Duke of Sangha was looking at Albert with a sharp eye, but as soon as his eyes met mine, he turned away and coughed. Meanwhile, Grandpa and the other men, including my grandfather, had become completely airborne. Rather, they seemed to be willingly becoming airborne. Jeanne had some thoughts after hearing Maria-sama''s story, and she felt like she couldn''t help but be angry.


    (How did this happen...)


    Well, well, the source of the problem is myself, but part of the reason is that I accepted Albert''s advice, so I''d like to go back to that time and beat me and Albert up to stop him... and so on and so forth, I guess I was wrong.


    ''Temma?��I don''t think you''ve been thinking about it enough, have you?


    ''No!��Well, you know, I''m sorry about that.


    If you are sorry, how will you take responsibility for your actions?


    Responsibility...?


    When it came to responsibilities to women in these cases, only one came to mind. Namely.


    ''I''m asking you if you''re going to marry Primera.


    It was. Certainly, considering the reputation of Primera and the Sanga dukes, there could be no more obvious way to take responsibility than this.


    ''''Certainly, Primera''s aristocratic status is high because she comes from a duke''s family, and although it''s not a very good balance for a single adventurer, but fortunately Tenma''s adoptive parents Ricardo and Ciria are from noble families, and considering Tenma''s own achievements so far, it''s not strange. So, what do we do now?


    The conditions are also fine. If the Duke of Sanga doesn''t interfere with Maria-sama''s proposal, then the Duke of Sanga must be in favor of this proposal.


    ''Temma?''


    ''I would do anything I could, but when it comes to marriage, the primera''s feelings are the most important thing. I don''t want to talk about it without that Primera, and I don''t think I should.


    When it comes to a nobleman''s marriage, the head of the family''s wishes are more important than his own. All the Duke of Sanga has to do is tell the Primera to marry him and that''s all that matters.


    That''s exactly what Albert did.


    Are they unhappy with the Primera?


    ''No, I think I like Primera''s character and personality if you consider her as a marriage partner, but that''s not what we''re talking about here.


    After thinking it over, I answered clearly. I hadn''t thought about it before, but when it came to marriage, I would say that Primera was a pretty excellent partner.


    ''''That being said, I wonder what she would do as a duke?''''


    Maria asked the Duke of Sangha for his opinion, so I turned to him, and he looked more reluctant than before... but...


    f*ck!��I can''t even take it anymore!


    He suddenly started laughing. It''s a laugh that could be called a burst of laughter. Albert and I looked at each other as if we didn''t understand what was happening, but Maria and the others began to laugh at that. If you look closely, Caesar-sama and Zain-sama are also laughing while holding their mouths.


    The only four people here who weren''t keeping up with the change in the atmosphere of this room were me, Albert, Grandpa and Jeanne.


    ''''No, no, I''m sorry. Actually, I got a letter from Primera beforehand. In the letter, she mentioned that she and Tenma had been the matchmaker for the wedding, her impressions of the wedding, and that Albert seemed to be planning something, but that Tenma had nothing to do with it. I felt I had to report this to Lady Maria, who prides herself on being Temma''s point of contact.


    It seems to have been the result of reporting to Maria, which led to the current commotion. Knowing that, me and Albert were distracted.


    ''It''s just, Albert. I am very angry with you, you know. After all, you didn''t just use the duke''s name without permission and use the primera, you got Mr. Temma involved.


    ''''Well, I can''t have that part. I thought the royal family previously sent out a notice to the nobles, ''Don''t use Temma''.....................but you''ve broken that.''


    It seems that Primera had explained it in a letter beforehand, so she wasn''t angry with me, but that doesn''t seem to be the case when it comes to Albert.


    The Duke of Sangha had given Albert a letter at the same time that Maria-sama''s story was over. Perhaps that was the letter that was said to have been sent by Primera.


    ''''Well, I''ll talk about that story after I return to the mansion............I heard a good story today!


    Much to the delight of the Duke of Sangha, I often think back to what I said today....


    ''Indeed, it''s a nice story, even for me, that Temma is ''fond enough of Primera to marry her. This isn''t far off from having a Temma child in your arms!


    I feel like it was a bit of a footnote, but that''s generally how it was.


    (Maddeningly embarrassing!)


    I was especially embarrassed by the gazes of the king and the other men. It was so embarrassing that I wanted to tell them to tease me rather than give me that kind of look. Well, the more they teased him, the more embarrassed he would be.......


    ''Whoa, Maria. I''ll be the first to hold the Primera child in my arms, in turn!


    I''ll have to wait until after that.


    The Duke of Sangha is frolicking as he nails Lady Maria. And then Grandpa joined him. It''s already a lot tighter........


    I looked at the kings to ask for help, but the king and Ernest-sama were watching for the right moment to mix in with the three of them, and Caesar-sama, Isabella-sama and Lyle-sama were talking about the old days together. And Jeanne was helping Mr. Cliffe prepare the tea.


    (Primera, you must have written a bunch of letters.)


    Even if I counted them lightly from the side, there are lightly five or six of them. From that amount, I don''t think all of them are reports and impressions of the wedding or about Albert''s plans, so some of them might be letters that speak ill of Albert or accuse him. If so, I''d like to read a few of them.


    ''Huh?��Temma, you can sit in your chair now.


    Lady Maria seemed to remember me at last, and gave me permission to interrupt my chatter with the Duke of Sangha and the others and sit down in a chair. And at the same time as me, Albert got up sluggishly, without taking his eyes off the letter.


    ''Albert, you''re still sitting there.


    The Duke of Sangha''s words stopped him from going to his chair, and he sluggishly sat back down in his place.


    ''Temma, tea!''


    Oh, thank you?


    I sat down in the chair and Jeanne offered me some tea, but for some reason she seemed to be in a bad mood and was a bit rough about putting the cup down.


    ''Well, I know how you feel, so let''s not tell Aina about it.


    Mr. Cliffe looked at Jeanne, who placed her cup down roughly, and said something like that.


    ''And yet, Temma. This time, thanks to Primera''s follow-up, we were able to get out of this mess, but if it were up to me, I would have had to show my sincerity by marrying her immediately or something.


    Yes, sir.


    ''''Maria-sama, that''s about it. For our part, it was a windfall just to find out that Temma-kun has a fondness for Primera... But, Temma-kun. Please don''t do this kind of thing with any other woman than Primera anymore, please. Even though it was done with Primera''s consent, you wouldn''t feel good about doing the same thing elsewhere, and as a father, you can''t always be calm......


    Yes!


    The current Duke of Sangha was as scary as or even scarier than Maria was when she was angry. I felt like this was the first time I had learned of the fear that a nobleman had, which was different from military force. Incidentally, Maria''s fear is like an appeal to the instinct not to disobey. Incidentally, I''ve never felt fear from the king. The reason for this is because I can only remember the joking part, the pathetic part, or the sloppy part, and I feel more like an old man''s relative than a king. The same can be said for Ernest-sama and Lyle-sama, and in my ranking of royal family priorities, Maria-sama is at the top and those three are at the bottom.


    ''''Maria-sama, is it time to summon those who are sneaking around behind the door?


    ''Yes. I mean, there are things you have to be a little careful about.


    ...Is there anyone else in the house besides Steele?


    Maria-sama replied with a light chuckle to Cleif-san''s suggestion. The Duke of Sangha seemed to think it was the escort, Steele, at first, but from what they said, he decided it was someone different.


    ''Come in, Chris, come in. Maria wants to see you.''''


    Mr. Cliffe approached without making a sound of footsteps and told her to come in as soon as he opened the door. As he opened the door, there was a sound of something hitting and a scream, but Mr. Cliffe returned to the back of Maria as if nothing had happened.


    Chris held his head and advanced in front of Maria with a somewhat unflattering look on his face. And then.


    Chris, I put you on to prevent this from happening?


    ''Well if you''re not busy, I''m just trying to help you with the temma...''


    What is it?


    I''m sorry!


    I was pissed off beside Albert.


    My sermon to Chris was going to go on for a while, so I sneaked away from Maria''s side. I left Albert behind as a matter of course, but he still didn''t seem to have gotten over the shock of the letter.


    ''Temma, you look much worse for wear.


    ''That can''t be helped. It was Temma-san''s fault.


    ''Well, I don''t know if you can apply the nobility to the adventurers...''


    ''But still!��No one, noble or adventurer, is allowed to behave in a way that would humiliate a woman!


    Well, I''m going to go home now.


    Isabella-sama countered to Caesar-sama''s follow-up. With a sideways glance at the two of them, Zain-sama left the room quickly.


    ''''Zain is the same as always, isn''t he?''''


    I''m pleased as a sister-in-law that the couple is getting along so well.


    Master Caesar was a little dumbfounded, but he smiled at Isabella, who seemed to recognize that it was a desirable thing to do.


    ''I''m sorry, Master Caesar, but it''s time for us to take our leave of absence. We are very sorry for the inconvenience Albert has caused you at this time. Mr. Temma, I am sorry.


    Duke Sanga greeted Lady Caesar and me, and then he greeted Maria and the King as well, and collected Albert. Albert''s legs were very sluggish, as if his legs were numb from sitting upright for a long time, but he moved his legs as hard as he could and walked out of the room, as if he wanted to get away from here quickly.


    ''Speaking of which, I need to talk to you about Amy.


    What did Tida do?


    The moment I mentioned Amy''s name after seeing the Duke and Albert off, Master Caesar was alarmed with a bite. When Tida said it had nothing to do with it, she let her guard down with a relieved look on her face, but the way she looked was so funny that Lady Isabella laughed aloud.


    ''Isabella, what''s wrong with you?''


    I can see you''re enjoying this.


    Hearing Lady Isabella''s laughter, Master Ernest and Grandpa came over to us. We moved to a table away from Mary and the others who were preaching, because we didn''t want to stand around with this many people, but Chris seemed to look at us for a moment as we moved away, and Mary was scolding him. The king, who is next to Maria, couldn''t seem to leave Chris''s scolding because of his position, and he looked at us happily, enviously.


    ''So, what is this thing called a consultation?''


    ''''I heard there''s a party at the academy next, but Amy''s family can''t come due to work commitments, so I''m going to take care of that for her...''''


    ''''There''s no problem with that. Since the Otori family is the guardians in the royal capital in the first place, even if your parents were to attend, Temma would still receive an invitation by a different mouth.


    They said that the reason why the invitations hadn''t arrived was probably because the person in charge of sending out the invitations was different for the parents in the remote area and the parents in the royal capital. Depending on the distance, the invitations to the remote areas were apparently sent out more than a month earlier than the invitations to the royal capital.


    ''''And I understand that Albert and the others are expecting some students to ask Amy for an engagement?


    ''That''s entirely possible. Even though Temma is behind it, it''s not surprising that some students think that if they go a little more forcefully, the commoner Aimee won''t be able to refuse. The royal family doesn''t want them to cause a scene, but since Aimee isn''t Tida''s lover, they can''t interfere if Aimee herself decides to do so. Tida is worried about that and is a bit sensitive about it....


    Because of those circumstances, Caesar-sama thought Tida had done something wrong when Amy''s name came out of my mouth.


    ''Besides, when I look at Tida these days, she sometimes looks like your father...''


    I''m worried about that.


    Everyone in the room nodded at my words.


    Well, you can''t blame them for going a little crazy with their love affair. Alex, for example, who was about the same age as me, was strange all year round.


    Well I can''t tell you how many times I''ve smacked his ass...


    Grandpa was being quite rude (but none of them denied it) and Master Ernest was muttering to himself, looking at his palms.


    ''Well, I''d rather have you hooked up with Amy than get hooked up with something weird......but hey.


    I can understand Lady Isabella''s concern. It would be nice if the two of them stayed together, but if they didn''t, I''m worried that Tida will go off the rails.


    ''Amy doesn''t seem to dislike Tida, though, so I think there''s a chance if we don''t rush her.


    ''I hope so. But even if we do go out, our status as commoners might be a problem... but then Temma will help us, won''t she?


    Yes, Amy is a very important apprentice to me, so I will do what I can to help her.


    I used the word pupil because I thought the word pupil was too weak to protect against fools, but Master Caesar nodded with satisfaction at the way he said it.


    ''When the time comes, I''ll let you rely on Temma. Well, there are many conditions before that but considering your age, it won''t be too far in the future.


    At any rate, it would seem that the cooperation was ready when Tida made her move and Amy accepted it. When I thought that, I suddenly found myself wondering about the conversation I had with Maria-sama.


    ''''Caesar-sama, Maria-sama said, ''The marriage of a nobleman is more important to the intention of the head of the family than the person himself,'' but if that''s the case, what would happen to Chris-san?


    Chris said that he ran away from home because he didn''t want to pay off his debts and marry for his fortune, but I felt that there was a contradiction between the actions of the royal family that helped Chris and Maria-sama''s words earlier. So when I asked Caesar-sama a question, not only Caesar-sama, but even Isabella-sama and Ernest-sama looked awkward.


    I''m sure my mother thought it would be a pity to give a twelve-year-old girl to a man who was a thirty-three and over forty. Besides, the man had been in trouble for a long time.


    The problem was that the first wife was a woman about my age, the second one was a newly grown fifteen year old, and the third one was a pre-grown girl, about the same age as Chris was at the time.


    I think Master Caesar tried to blur, but Lady Isabella exposed him. Furthermore.


    ''When he was married to his first wife, he had an affair with his second wife. I found out and divorced him and remarried shortly afterwards... and the third one was for the same reason. Apparently his first wife was married to disguise his s*xuality and he really liked girls(...) not women(...). And the second and third wives broke up because they grew up and fell out of favor.


    After his first wife found out about his s*xuality, he didn''t try to hide it at all, and with his second and third wives, it was more like he dumped them rather than divorced them.


    ''I said that to Temma, but your mother is not a demon to marry a girl off to a man like that.


    In that way, it could be said that Caesar-sama considers Maria-sama to be close to a demon, even if not to that extent.......but let''s call it a figure of speech. Well, if this was Lyle-sama, I would go into it without reservation.


    ''''So that''s how it was. In other words, Chris-san''s lack of luck with men started from the time he was born, right?


    ''That''s part of it, but Chris is too idealistic. I suppose he''s not willing to compromise because he struggled with his father as a child.


    We nodded at Isabella-sama''s words, and we all looked at Chris, who was pissed off at Maria-sama.

 208-Chapter 14-4 Irregular Match

    ''Speaking of which, why were Master Lyle and Luna being tested in our mansion?


    In addition, I asked a light-hearted question to ask this as well, but Lady Caesar and the others were very reluctant to do so.


    ''''Early on, it''s because you''ve offended your mother. Well, we''re angry too... but, by the way, Temma had a little something to do with it, too.


    When I asked him what was involved, he said that Lyle-sama was thinking about something nasty with me, Maria-sama and Luna. But since the accuser was with Luna, they decided that that in itself would be left out, but


    ''''Those two were usually full of problems. We talked about punishing them once, and I had them clean out the royal castle''s luggage storage area while we were there, and then we talked about carrying the trash from Tenma''s mansion as well. I had Cliffe and Aina supervise them, and it seems that Luna had found a pair of gloves from somewhere and was using them. Luna said she found two pairs and gave them to Lyle as well.


    When I heard that they were gloves from the mansion, I had a bad feeling about it. Master Caesar continued.


    ''Nothing happened in Temma''s mansion, but then a fire broke out in the garbage dump at the royal castle. The cause was the gloves Luna and Lyle were using.


    Fortunately, the fire was quickly extinguished, so there was little damage except for the trash burning, but for a time, the inside of the King''s Castle was said to be in an uproar.


    ''''Is that my fault?''''


    ''No, it''s probably Luna and Lyle, as well as Cliffe and Aina, who were overseeing them. And then there''s me and Isabella, since we''re Luna''s parents.


    ''I''m sorry, but the glove that Luna and Lyle used without permission was damaged and impossible for us to repair. And I don''t want to take the liberty of telling you that you can''t give that glove to anyone or release the information. Those things can be quite dangerous, depending on how you use them.


    That glove can easily trigger magic if you let the magic power flow through it, so a terrorist act... I don''t want to think about it too much, but it''s also possible to use someone like a child, whose target is not very alert, to commit a terrorist act. Moreover, even if it''s not gloves, it can be applied with a cloth like a handkerchief, so it''s possible to make them into terrorist agents without knowing it. And most importantly, there is a high possibility that they will wear them unknowingly and cause an accident like Luna did.


    ''''I understand. There should have been two to three more pairs of spares, so I''ll get rid of them all.


    Master Caesar said that as long as he didn''t spread it around or give it away, he didn''t mind keeping it, but there was a chance that it could end up in someone''s hands without their knowledge, as it did in this case, so it was safer to dispose of it if it wasn''t going to be used.


    When I mentioned this, Master Caesar asked me why I wasn''t using it.


    ''To put it bluntly, those gloves aren''t very useful. At least, to me.


    I made these gloves for fun in a Seigen dungeon a long time ago, but I haven''t used them since then. The reason for this is because it''s not easy to use, and perhaps, but I think people with even a little bit of confidence in magic will have the same impression.


    ''''That thing, anyone can use it if you flow magic power, but the magic itself can only be used to produce fire. Moreover, the procedure is to pour magic power into the glove, convert magic power into magic with the glove, and release the magic, but in the normal way, those three steps are two steps. And once you get used to it, you can release the magic in almost one step in time.


    If the magic power in the body is converted directly into magic, the first step is eliminated. Moreover, once you get used to it, you can progress from the conversion of magic power to the action of releasing it almost at the same time, or you can even shorten the time of conversion, so in terms of time, it''s about a step of a glove. Well, when I say time, it''s probably about zero tenths of a second, but that time can be fatal, so it''s not foolproof. And most importantly.


    With gloves, you can only release predetermined magic, so you don''t have as much freedom.


    Due to the use of magic that can be used by flowing magic, it could also be triggered when you try to use other magic. It''s still fine if you activate it at the same time, but if you''re not good at it, both of them might fail due to failure, or worse, the magic might go out of control. It might seem convenient, but in reality, those gloves are a failure.


    So it''s better to get rid of them.


    I would rather get rid of it than be worried about having it. If it''s something you won''t use, it''s even better.


    For that reason, Caesar-sama offered to compensate me for the cost of making it, but I refused, saying I didn''t need it because it was a prototype made for fun, and the materials were commercially available gloves, goblins and other magic nuclei. If it were compensation from the royalty, it wouldn''t be more than the cost of the materials plus a technical fee. That''s exactly what they should be asking for, dozens of times that amount. As expected, I''m hesitant to be handed a large sum of money for a failed piece of work that I made just for fun. The more so when you know them, the better.


    Caesar-sama didn''t seem to be convinced, but Isabella-sama intervened to persuade him, and in the end the conversation ended with Caesar-sama apologizing once again.


    We continued to chat for a while after that, but then I noticed that Maria-sama''s sermon was on a loop, so we decided to break up there.


    Before returning to the mansion, I nailed Grandpa and Jeanne to not talk about ''marriage talk with Primera'' in the future...


    Big brother!��I''m really going to marry Primera!


    The story that he wanted to keep secret was prematurely revealed by Luna, who was still in the mansion.


    The commotion in the mansion afterwards was amazing. What was amazing was the persistent pursuit of Amour and Aura, who were waiting at the mansion (the one that said the reason they took only Jeanne was because they wanted to marry her as well), as well as the arrival of Uncle Mark and the others who had heard about our return. I had to run away from two groups, the Amur-Aura group and the Kukri Village group. Well, since the place I escaped to is my room, I had to make a lot of noise at the door... I ran into a dimension bag, got my carriage out there and got away with it for a day or so.


    However, my hopes that after a day or so, I would become somewhat more docile, and as soon as I came out, Amur caught me, and Aura contacted Uncle Mark and the others, and we ended up being surrounded by everyone to explain what was going on. Well, the uncles were just teasing me all over the place (though it was still annoying), as my grandfather had explained to them during the day that the marriage story was a set up by Maria to warn me, so I just handed them a drink and they moved away... ...Amur was quite persistent. Even if it was just to warn him, he seemed to be trapped by the fact that he couldn''t be present at the scene. However, usually it would take a long time for his mood to recover, but this time, since Leni-san was there, he returned to normal rather quickly, which was a relief.


    Two weeks after the commotion of the "marriage story", the day of the school party arrived.


    From the mansion, my grandfather and I would be attending as Amy''s guardian''s deputy and those involved. At first, there was some talk of Amour joining in under the guise of being Amy''s guardian, but it was decided that it was strange for the Viscountess to be called a commoner''s guard, so the talk went away. Amur seemed very disappointed, but since it was Maria-sama who had pointed out that it was strange, she had quietly backed down. Incidentally, Leni said that she could make it just in time and returned to the south a few days after the commotion. There were days when it snowed lightly in the royal capital, but even if it started to fall harder, the snowfall would decrease as we got closer to the south, so they said it would be fine.


    Then let''s get going. Let''s go then, Uncle, please.


    I''m on it.


    We would be traveling to the academy by carriage, but I decided to take Raiden as usual for this one. However, at first I was going to be the coachman, but Aina advised me not to participate as the head of the Otori family, even if only as an adventurer, since I would be participating as the head of the Otori family, so I hastily decided to ask Uncle Mark to do it.


    At first, Amur said he would do this, and there was some talk of sending one of his kinsmen from Maria-sama, but for the same reason as the guards, Amur was not a good choice, and furthermore, the other noble families would criticize a kinsman playing the role of a guard, so this was also not a good idea, and no one involved in the Otori family complained Uncle Mark was chosen because he was the one who didn''t have to leave.


    However, Uncle Mark is also busy with his work at the inn (a lot of party participants and other related people came to the capital, which caused him to have more guests at the inn), so after he was escorted to the academy, Raiden and the carriage were put in a dimension bag and magic bag, and Uncle Mark had to go back to his work. There are.


    As we approached the academy, the number of carriages that were supposed to be participants increased considerably, but we were able to get to the academy sooner than we expected because the other participants'' horses had to give way several times because they were afraid of Lyden.


    When we arrived at the academy, the first thing we were supposed to do was to get our invitations verified before the gates and be led straight to the carriage yard, but before we could do that, we put Lyden in our bags, so we were redirected to the waiting room. We parted from the uncle there, and the usher, who came in his place, asked us to take precautions in the waiting room while we were moving. It seems that the rooms are divided according to the order of the students'' grades, and the Amy''s people with the highest grades will be in the room closest to the venue. The room will be used by the officials of the tenth highest scoring students, but no one but us has come to the room yet. The second best student is Tida, but it seems that royalty often have their own room, and this year Luna will be there, so she won''t be coming to this room.


    As I waited in the room I was led to, Amy came quickly. She had never been the top commoner and top performer before, and she had been yanked before the party, but thanks to Tida, who was the next in line, and other friends in her class, she was rarely directly harmed. Also, he said that the lack of elected officials made him well-received by the teachers and the influence of the three idiots went in the right direction.


    While I listened to Amy''s stories about the school and the dormitory for a while, one after another, the other students'' officials came to my room. It was just as I expected, but it seemed that other than Aimee, there were no other students who were commoners and entered the top grades, and they were each dressed in luxurious clothes. I heard that the students are supposed to wear uniforms, but they don''t seem to have any intention of honestly following the rules. On the contrary, there are some students who occasionally blatantly smile at Amy in her school uniform, perhaps they think that since they can''t compete with her in terms of grades, they will compete with her in terms of financial power. Well, three out of the eight students who came in are looking at me in that way. All of them are girls. There''s another female student, but she''s chatting in a good mood with the boys who came in with her, so maybe she doesn''t need to look at Amy as an enemy. I checked with Aimee to make sure that the other parties involved don''t hear, and she said that the female student who feels like an enemy is aiming for Tida, and is competing with Aimee at every turn, and the rest of the boys who are chatting and laughing with her are her fianc��.


    ''Oh, by the way, I forgot I had a present for Amy!


    I purposely said it so that everyone around me could hear, and I could see that all eyes were on me at once. It''s not a good idea to bring things into a place like this too often, but I asked the attendant to check with me beforehand to get permission.


    ''It''s this cape. I''m sure it''s roughly the right size, but just in case, try it on.


    What I had prepared was a black cloak with a hood and a button so it could be fastened around the front of my chest.


    ''''Well it seems a bit big, but it''s fine. Thank you.


    ''''It''s a growing season, so it''ll be just fine soon. The front of that cloak is a running dragon leather and the back is a wyvern flying membrane, and the buttons are made from earth dragon scales, and although the buttons don''t matter, the running dragon leather is useful because the running dragon leather makes it fireproof and water resistant, as well as being somewhat magic resistant. And while I was at it, I also put a small piece of the Otori family crest at the end.


    The family crest is on the bottom left of the front side, but it''s about the size of your fist, so it might be hard to notice at a glance. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to put it on too big, so it''s okay if you know it''s me who sent it to you.


    The students and others involved were all surprised when they heard about the material used for the cape. At any rate, the total number of dragon species defeated in official records for the last few years, let alone a hundred years, was five in all. Among them, there were three earth dragons, one running dragon, and one dragon zombie. Among them, only the eighty year old earth dragon was the only one that was sold for a decent amount of material. The others were ones that my grandfather and I had defeated, and apart from the ones I sold or gave away to the royal family or people I knew, I made most of them my own. In other words, they''re not on the market.


    In terms of demons close to the dragon species, the wyvern comes around a few times a year, but only my relations and the Haust Frontier Earl family have recently obtained the material, and the hydra is defeated once every few years or so, but since it''s as rare as the dragon species, it''s usually secured by the person who defeated it.


    That''s why the cloak presented to Aimee is not something you can buy if you pay for it, and no matter how much the students in this room and their relations want it, it''s an item that can never be obtained under the current circumstances.


    ''''Grandpa, someone is coming. Maybe it''s someone from the royal family.


    It''s like.


    Not many of the students involved seem to have noticed it, but we can hear the sound of armor approaching us in the distance for several people. It''s probably the Kingsguard. Even the ''appraisal'' I used to make sure is that they are the Kingsguard. However, as expected, the people protected by these guards are royalty, but there are more of them than I had expected. At the head of that royal family is the


    Your Majesty!


    It was the king. According to what I had heard beforehand, the king and Maria-sama would not be attending this party, and the participants were the school students Tida and Luna, and their two parents, Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama, but something might have changed.


    ''No need to kneel. You''re going to get your fine outfit dirty.


    When the parents noticed the king, they immediately kneeled down, followed by the students, who almost fell to their knees, but the king stopped them. By the way, me and my grandfather remained in our chairs. In case you''re wondering, I floated my hips once when I saw that everyone was about to kneel, but I knew the king was going to make them stop, so I sat down the moment I was about to open my mouth.


    As for Amy, she was trying to kneel with the other officials and students, but the moment she stood up from the chair, I put my hand on Amy''s shoulder and made her sit on the chair as well... but the moment I put my hand on Amy''s shoulder, Tida''s eyes were sharp and It became. When I let go of my hand, it went back to normal, so I did the same thing a few times for fun, but my grandfather and the kings found out and were disgusted, and Amy looked at me suspiciously.


    While I was doing this, the kings came up to me and


    I don''t mind teasing you if it''s in moderation because Tida''s funny, but Temma, I need a little favor from you.


    Can I say no to that?


    No, you can at least listen to me...


    I was going to say no, because it didn''t sound like a good idea, before I heard the king''s request.


    ''Temma, I''m serious. Could you at least listen to what I have to say?


    I understand. I can''t just stand around and talk to you, so please sit down.


    As Maria asked, I brought three chairs that were nearby. They were for Maria, Caesar, and Isabella, respectively. I lightly pulled the chair I had prepared for Maria and she thanked me lightly and sat down. Isabella-sama''s chair was the same for Caesar-sama. Tida and Luna were students at the school, so they brought themselves a nearby chair and sat down, as if they were used to doing it during recess. However, Tida was casually trying to sit next to Aimee, but Luna forcefully interrupted her to secure a seat next to Aimee. Then, as it was, she complimented the cloak Amy was wearing, and Amy also started talking about the cloak, so Tida was quietly talking to Amy over Luna.


    ''Here, Alex. Why don''t you sit down and don''t just stand there and be a blur?


    ''Huh... hmm?��Oh, I''m sorry.


    The king was about to get himself a chair when his grandfather told him to do so. When Amy saw this, she got up and went to get a chair, but soon after Amy got up, Tida got up too and sat Amy down in the chair and got herself a chair instead. Maria-sama, Caesar-sama and the others looked at her with satisfaction... but the moment Tida stood up and turned away from her seat, Luna moved Tida''s chair away from her, so when she came back, Tida lost sight of her chair. Well, Luna laughed when she saw Tida looking flustered, so she immediately noticed the prank and put her chair back in place.


    ''Luna, we''re not the only ones here. Come on.


    I''m sorry...


    Luna could tell that Caesar-sama was really angry, and she was quite depressed.


    ''What I''m asking you to do is... no, this is something you''d better tell me from Caesar.


    ''Yes, mother the only thing we''re asking for, Temma, is a game against this year''s top performing students.


    ''Huh ... that''s fine, but what about the rules?''


    ''''Is it an irregular match of one versus ten........''''


    No?


    ''Not that I can''t, but won''t anyone get hurt?��No, I don''t mean I can''t go easy on you, I mean you''re worried about the students fighting each other?


    The scary thing about group fights is the dragging of feet by those who aren''t used to fighting in multiples. I confirmed with Amy and Tida that the students of the school do practice matches of one to five students with the same rules as martial arts tournaments, but they''ve never fought in groups of ten.


    With that thought in mind, I confirmed with Caesar-sama that this was taken as a provocation by a few students and officials, and the air in the waiting room began to tense up.


    ''''Hmm. Certainly, Temma''s concern is understandable. However, the students also have a good deal of experience in actual combat. Besides, by the looks of things, they are probably prepared to get injured. Well, I hope they take it as easy as possible.


    We''ll be as careful as we can, but let each of us prepare ourselves for the fact that the game is called a match, and we''re all responsible for ourselves.


    When I said that I would accept that condition, Caesar-sama confirmed with the students and their officials who were present and made them drink the condition on the spot. According to what I heard later, this match was originally mentioned by the officials of the top-performing students, and some teachers agreed with that, and the matter was discussed with the king early in the morning as a request from the school side. By the way, the story of the match is said to be known only to a few students, and more than half of the students in this room seemed to have just found out about it.


    ''''By the way, Maria-sama. The people who brought this story to you are the reformed nobles and the nobles and school officials who don''t have good feelings for me, right?


    When I asked Maria-sama in a whisper, she nodded with a small sigh. If he is a nobleman who can move the king, and even more so if he is a nobleman who is likely to turn against me, that person will naturally be limited.


    ''''You''re the Duke of Durham?''''


    When I mentioned my name, Lady Maria nodded again. As the people learned that I was a royalist, support for the royals increased and the reformers decreased. Furthermore, because of my protection of Jeanne, I have formed a relationship with the aristocrats who are the core of the neutrals, and through me, the royalists and neutrals are on friendly terms with each other.


    Because of those circumstances, some of the nobles who belonged to the Reformed faction broke away and moved to other factions, the Reformed faction''s voice was greatly reduced, and at the same time, the power of the Duke of Dalaam, the core of the Reformed faction, was also reduced.


    ''''So, a match to harass...?''''


    ''Yes, no matter how much Temma, he must have found it difficult to deal with the students without injuring them.


    If I injure a student, he plans to use that as an excuse to reduce the power of the royalists as much as possible. If the plan fails, there will be no damage to the Duke of Daraam''s side. It''s probably a low return, but it''s a feeling of no risk.


    ''Well, I''ll do my best for now.


    The other students were in high spirits, but they looked pale when they saw me smile.

 209-Chapter 14-5 Ultra-short-term decision

    Then let''s go over the rules. Your team''s general is Tida, and I win if Tida is judged not to be able to continue fighting. If one of the students can effectively hit me, they win. I don''t use offensive magic and weapons. You can use your magic and weapons as you please.


    Are you sure that''s the right rule?��And, Temma-san''s equipment....


    It''s a good idea for me and the royal family to be able to do this because the worst case scenario is that only one person can be injured by this rule. That in itself is something that even Teeda agrees with, but I''m also worried about my equipment.


    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.


    ''''Is there something wrong?''''


    ''No, well is that what you''re wearing?''


    ''''Oh, as expected, you should at least take your jacket off. Well, you won''t get attacked, but if you get dirty from the dirt and dust, it''s a pain in the ass to clean it up before the party.


    As I took off my jacket and handed it to Mr. Jean (the referee), both Tida and Mr. Jean looked dumbfounded. Behind Tida, Aimee was smiling bitterly and the other students looked annoyed.


    ''Temma, moderate provocation then, both sides away!��Begin!


    Mr. Jean gave the signal to start, but I didn''t move from my spot, I was doing bending exercises and stretching my Achilles tendons.


    ''I''ll give you the lead, I''m ready whenever you are~''


    As if the provocation had worked, the students, except for Tida and Aimee, unleashed their magic all at once. Moreover, they each fired with all their might, as if they were trying to decide here.


    For a while, as the students'' magic continued, suddenly Jean-san


    There is a winner!��Winner, Temma!


    I announced my victory.


    ''Yes, good job,''


    The students, who were confused even if they were suddenly declared losers, were even more surprised by my voice that came from behind (...) them.


    As for me being surprised by the students, I put my arm around Amy and Tida''s shoulders and gently grabbed them by the neck.


    ''''Attacking with maximum firepower against an opponent who is showing a lot of leeway is not a bad strategy, but this time, it was a bad move. Your condition for victory is to strike whatever blow you can at the Tenma, and your condition for defeat is that Tida-sama doesn''t get hit. The first thing you thought of was to fortify Master Tida''s defense.


    Jean-san, who was watching the whole thing as a referee, was giving the students a no-no. The students were also listening intently, since Jean-san was a close guard.........


    Mr. Temma, how long do you expect me to stay like this?


    ''Well, maybe until Mr. Jan is done talking?��If the students aren''t convinced that they''re going to lose, then maybe we can continue the fight. Oh, just stay with the target, Tida, and Amy can go and listen to the story. Jean-san is used to teaching newcomers and such, so he should be able to hear something useful.


    Yes!


    Aimee replied cheerfully and ran off to listen to Jean''s story.


    ''Amie was the only one who was able to deal with Tenma''s moves in this match. It''s good that she was able to get between Tida-sama and Tenma, but she couldn''t resist, and in the end they were neutralized together. But even so, considering the difference in strength, it was good enough to arrive in time for Tenma''s surprise attack.


    Jean-san also praised Amy''s moves, saying that they were good. Certainly, it may have something to do with the fact that she was able to read the actions to some extent thanks to her long association with me, but even if you discount that, it was a good move.


    ''''Compared to that, you guys are in too much of a hurry for a lot of things. If you unleash that much magic, you''ll lose sight of your targets due to the dust cloud, and the sound will make it difficult to coordinate with them. So Tenma took advantage of that and aimed at Tida-sama in low altitude while distracting him from his presence. At the very least, they could have resisted a bit more if they had placed Tida-sama in the center of the room and had at least three people to guard the area around them. I can understand that if you can get a shot into Temma, you can boast to everyone around you..................but Temma has a pretty bad character. Knowing that, I kept provoking you guys.


    It''s true that Jean was right, and I did it because I thought that if I provoked him so much, he would do what I was supposed to do... but I don''t want to say anything too unsavory.


    ''''Well, just because I was in the palm of Temma''s hand doesn''t bother me that much. After all, the fact that Temma went that far means that he taught you that there is such a way to fight, but at the same time, he fought you as equal opponents. And Temma. Isn''t it about time we broke the spell?


    Yes.


    The students didn''t seem to notice the magic I used as soon as the match started. Tida didn''t seem to notice either, and gave me a surprised look at close range.


    ''''Even though we''re in the middle of a match, we might as well pay attention to the changes in our surroundings.


    As soon as I broke the magic, I heard cheers from the audience. It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family. This way, I didn''t let the voice from the audience know that I was going around the students. I''ve been using wind magic as well to deflect the students'' magic and spread the dust cloud over a wide area.


    It''s a good thing that you''re able to find out the magic I used, and thanks to Jean''s follow-up, the eyes of the students have changed from looking at the enemy before the game to one of respect.


    ''By the way, let me tell you, it was Tida who was the worst this time. She couldn''t give proper instructions, and even more so, she couldn''t attack and was neutralized.


    Tida was on the verge of crying a little when she said it in a whisper so tight that only Tida could hear her. However, if she had made a proper plan before the game started and made sure that the students were thoroughly aware of the plan, or if she had called out to them to calm them down when they were about to be provoked, they could have fought a little more decently. Even without that, the general of the students is Tida, so the responsibility for the team''s ragged loss is the responsibility of Tida, the general.


    ''''I can''t say that I won''t be leading a group of knights into battle in the future. It''s a good idea to discuss this matter with the king, Caesar, and Lyle.


    The king and Caesar-sama from his school days might have considered the idea of commanding on the battlefield, and since Lyle-sama had actually commanded before, he would be able to hear something that would be helpful to Tida.


    While he released her, he patted Tida''s head as he ruffled her hair, and she shyly brushed his hand away.


    ''Lord Tida, Temma!��I can''t close it down until you come over here!


    Before I knew it, Jean''s story seemed to be over and we were waiting for me and Tida.


    I rushed over, received another declaration of victory, shook hands with the students and returned to the anteroom prepared for me, and was greeted by Maria and Caesar-sama, who looked satisfied in front of the anteroom. Apparently, they were satisfied with the fact that they had finished the game without hurting the students. And they were to be thanked for another reason.


    ''It''s a party, but we''re going to have to delay the start time a bit. You won''t be tired, but you can kill some time in this room. If you return now, you may be surrounded by students and their associates.


    ''Right. If it''s just those who were originally in that room, then maybe the students and others in the other rooms and the people involved will come to watch. You can take shelter in peace since she''s the one who''s dealing with Merlin-sama.


    When I thought the king was gone, he said it was because he was dealing with his grandpa. Grandpa wanted to come here too, but he was afraid that someone might follow him if he moved, so he is reluctantly staying here. The reason why the king keeps Grandpa company is that Grandpa seems to be somewhat reserved with Maria and Caesar, but he used to be a tutor for the king, so he can feel at ease with them. However, it seems that Maria and Caesar are the same.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well. And after this, they are going to Tida and her friends. The reason they came to me first is because they came to apologize and thank me as the next king for forcing me to play the match...they want to say that they came to apologize and thank me as the next king.


    Even though this match was proposed by a reformed nobleman, the fact that Caesar-sama bowed down to me when he should have only asked for it means that the reformers owe Caesar-sama a debt of gratitude. At least that''s what the non-Reformed aristocrats, the Royalists and Neutrals, would think. Perhaps some of the Reformed nobles would think so as well.


    ''''Now that we''ve been hit, we''ll have to pay them back.


    That''s lukewarm for a double dip. We need to take this opportunity to cut down on the reformers a bit more... hey?


    Caesar-sama and Maria are both looking bad. After all, Caesar-sama looks like Maria, not the king.


    ''''Well, that''s our domain, so Temma can rest and not worry about it. When the time for the party gets closer, I''ll send someone from the Kingsguard to call for you.


    Saying that, Caesar-sama and Maria-sama went back to the anteroom they were in originally.


    ''''Even if they tell me I can rest I have nothing to do so I''m bored...''''


    It was better than being surrounded by students and being made a spectacle of, but it was better to have some free time. I regret that I didn''t bring something to pass the time with me if I was going to do this. By the way, Slarin and his friends are away at the mansion, and Raiden is not comfortable sitting still in his dimension bag, so he has suspended his activities. The magic bag I''m bringing this time contains only a carriage, and there might be something in the carriage, but there''s no room for a carriage in this room. There is also the bracelet-type magic bag that the gods gave us (usually invisible, but it''s neatly attached to your arm), but it contains only weapons and food, so there''s nothing to pass the time with.


    ''''As expected, if they find out that I''m carrying a weapon for some reason, Caesar-sama and the others might get in trouble...''''


    Since there''s also ''exploration'', it wouldn''t be so easy to get a peek inside the room, but it''s definitely better to have no risk than to have one.


    With that said, it won''t be much of a waste of time, but when I started preparing to pick up some sweets, I noticed someone approaching. At first I thought it was someone from the Konoe Guard coming to call out to me, but I decided that it wasn''t the Konoe Guard, given that they were trying to kill the signs and not make any footsteps.


    ''Maybe it should be this room........Huh?''


    Wow!


    Waaaaaah!


    When I quietly opened the door and surprised Luna(...) from behind as she walked in, Luna let out a loud voice, more surprised than she expected.


    ''''Ha, ha........ha~........already!��Don''t freak me out!


    Luna complained to me for a moment, and then sat down after finding a pastry in preparation.


    ''Is Luna allowed to be here?''


    ''No!��Because I was forced to go to your mother''s work before your brother''s game!


    I was curious about Lady Isabella''s job, so I asked her what it entailed, and she told me that it was a greeting tour. She was accompanied by the royalist and friendly nobles to make small talk and exchange information, and the hostile nobles to exercise restraint. He said the game was temporarily interrupted because it started in the middle of the game, and before it ended and resumed, he escaped under the pretense of returning to his classroom.


    ''And yet, how could you bring in candy and juice?''


    ''Well, it''s not something you can''t do if you want to hide it. But as long as you''ve eaten it, Luna''s an accomplice to it.


    Luna nodded happily and reached for her new snack, perhaps liking the word "accomplice" because it felt a little bad to be doing something wrong. It wouldn''t be important if she was found out, but sometimes it would be fun to have a little thrill of a treat like this.


    ''Come to think of it, Aimee-chan, you seem to be very popular with the dumb boys as well (...). She''s good at studying, good at magic, and she''s my brother''s apprentice, but she''s from a commoner''s background, so there''s a guy in my grade who wants to be in my grade as well.


    Most of the dumb boys Luna is talking about are either emerging nobles below the baron or poor aristocrats, and they seem to think that if they make Amy a side room or concubine, they can get a connection with me and Albert and the others.


    Besides, the ''potential'' part can be ''sincerity'' or ''magnanimity'' or ''charm''!


    I say among girls, but I''m guessing that those girls are either girls Luna knows or girls in her grade, but even so, it''s safe to assume that they have a pretty bad reputation.


    ''Girls are scary,''


    ''Some people talk to me for money, so I have to be careful.


    So they share such information with other students who are somewhat close to each other.


    ''Then how do they know about the boys who have a good reputation?


    ''Hmmm ... that''s more like a good friend of mine can tell me about it or I can collect it myself.


    Luna isn''t really interested in information about the more reputable ones, she says, just enough to know that they aren''t bad students. However, she said she''s never collected it herself, but she knows how to collect it, and she told me that there are two main methods.


    The first is ''using money'' - that is, you either give the money to someone who is willing to sell you the information, or you hire someone who is willing to collect it for you. The second is ''how to use your legs'' ... you''re a stalker.


    ''Right. Secondly, it seems like you can get information that hopefully only you know about... but it seems like a lot of times you get caught in the middle of collecting it and it becomes a problem.


    The first one, if you use a professional or someone you trust, you might be able to get rid of it if you get caught, but the stalking one is a crime or something close to it. If the person you have a crush on finds out, it would be a fatal blunder.


    ''''Come to think of it, I was stalked by Rion and others before...''''


    It was something I mumbled about how it was a fond memory, but it seemed to be enough to get Luna''s attention, and I had to tell her about it. Well, since the stalking was caused by Rion''s laziness, it''s basically a funny story, so there''s no problem. If there is, it would only be a slight negative impact on Rion''s image... but since Rion''s lousy episodes seem to be rather famous among the school students, it might be a plus if it''s funny. At least Luna is laughing at the story but not in a ridiculous way, so it doesn''t feel like it''s getting worse.


    I suppose it''s about time someone else came along but Luna''s here because she''s worried about me, isn''t she?


    Hmm?��That''s part of it, but mostly it''s to get away from your mother.


    I don''t know if it''s a good idea to speak my true feelings in front of the person in question, but I guess that''s how well we know each other. Because.


    Kuhu...............


    Because there was someone outside spying on the room. More than one of them. The person at the center of it all who couldn''t hold back his laughter was the person at the center of it all.......the king. When the king opened the door of the room, Luna froze in surprise as the figure of the member who had been peeping on the other side of the door appeared.


    The king was smirking, but Isabella-sama beside him was looking at Luna with a blank expression, while Jean and several of his kinsmen behind them were looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow as if they were not concerned.


    ''''Ah, ah!��Brother, I made a mistake!��Backwards!��I only came because I was worried about my brother, and as a result, it was like running away from your mother!


    Luna hurriedly told us that she had just made a mistake in her earlier statement, but as expected, that excuse was painful and none of us believed it. Well, since Luna continued to make excuses so desperately, Isabella-sama seemed to have given up in the end. But as a condition, she gave me a condition: ''I''ll tell the people around me that you went to check on me and worry about me, without any hesitation. By doing this, they were going to emphasize that the royals were feeling guilty even though the reformers had proposed it, and they were going to manipulate the information. In fact, I don''t care about it at all, but it seems the strategy is to get the people on board by making the reformers look bad. I''m being used as the core of that strategy, and my reward for that is to restrain the other nobles with a threat (or something that can''t be called a threat) like, ''If you ask me to do something impossible, the reputation of the royal family and the reputation of the people might be damaged. That''s what they say.


    ''Nope - the kind of technique that can be done because of the public''s popularity for Temma!


    ''Yes!��Maybe this wouldn''t work with your grandfather!


    The king laughed at Luna''s words, but even though it was a joke, he was somewhat hurt, and he stroked Luna''s head around quite roughly.


    ''''Your Majesty, since the time is approaching, I think it''s time to return to the waiting room.


    Jean''s words seemed to remind the king and the others of their purpose in this room, and they were in a bit of a hurry to return to the waiting room. As they returned, Isabella-sama tugged on Luna''s arm, and the king secured some snacks that were in the process of being tidied up and ate them on the move.


    ''Oh, Temma. You''re a little late.


    ''I''m sorry, Maria. I was more upset than I thought, and I was distracting myself by making small talk with Luna.


    At my words, Luna nodded repeatedly. When Maria-sama saw that, she seemed to realize the real reason why Luna was with me, but she didn''t dare mention it, instead.


    ''Yes, that must have been hard on Luna, too. Well, of all the royals, Luna is the one who gets along very well with Temma, so she''s the right person to talk to.


    In a voice that could be heard by the reformers in the waiting room, he praised Luna. Other than that, he casually said that it was the reformers'' fault, but he also apologized for not being able to refuse, and so on and so forth, attacking the reformers in a nasty way. In the meantime.


    ''Ladies and gentlemen, the party is now ready. Please come to the venue in turn.


    It was time to party.

 210-Chapter 14-6 Runaway on the diagonal

    Are you sure about this?


    It''s all right. It was all Tida''s fault.


    When we headed to the party venue, we had to wait before the entrance. They enter the venue in order of performance, but I heard that the order can change when royalty are enrolled in the party. This time, as a royal, Tida was the second best performer, Amy suggested that she give up her turn, but Master Caesar refused before Tida did. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have a problem with the order, because Teeda didn''t want to be given up last, but afterwards, Isabella-sama said, "I''m not going to let you go.


    ''But I really wanted Tida to do her best to get first. I used to long to be the last student to enter, but I didn''t get first... and if Tida couldn''t, then Luna... hey?


    Those words made Luna angry and protest... but...


    If you are going to get angry with me, you should at least study more seriously. I don''t blame you if you don''t do your best, but you''re always complaining about not doing your best.


    On the contrary, they were angry and realized their disadvantage and quickly retreated to their own classes. By the way, as for the kings'' final grades in the middle school, the king is number three, Maria is number one, Caesar is number one, Isabella is number five, Zain is number two, Misalia is number ten, Lyle is number three, and Ernest is number two. The order of Lyle-sama was higher than I had expected, but it seems that Lyle was a relatively well-educated man who was capable of becoming the Minister of War. I''ve heard that Grandpa was the best one after Ernest.


    The next in line for this year''s class is Tida von Bluemail Crustin. Enter.


    The students began to enter as they were listening to their grandfather''s story. And before they could finish speaking, Tida''s name was called and the three of them entered the hall with Tida in the lead.


    ''If Tida has been called, then we''re almost there... are you ready?


    Yes!


    Our headliner this year, Amy. Entry.


    Almost as soon as Amy answered, Amy''s name was called out. Like Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama, me and Grandpa were about to enter in line a little behind Amy, when for some reason Grandpa took out his usual wand. As expected, the staff waiting nearby came to warn us not to bring in anything that could be used as a weapon, but Grandpa


    ''You want an old man to walk without a cane?��There are many people in this room who can use magic that is even more dangerous than a wand that could be used as a weapon. The parents of the students who came before me were wearing ornaments such as hair bands and bracelets that were once used as weapons.


    I forced him to agree to bring his cane into the house. Seeing my grandfather like that, I thought to myself.


    (You can cheat an ornament as not being a weapon, but you can''t say it''s not a weapon because the wand Grandpa uses is the one he beat up the wyvern with... and he''s walked this far without it in the first place.


    And so on, but I also thought it would be just as good for intimidation, since there was a chance that the students who were targeting Aimee might make some kind of move at the party, so I dared to keep my mouth shut.


    Once again, I lined up behind Aimee, and when the door was opened and I entered the hall, there was a murmur from the participants who noticed Grandpa''s wand, as expected. However, no one complained directly to Grandpa, and although he called out teachers and others nearby, they couldn''t seem to stop us from questioning him until we stopped walking, and we easily arrived at the place that had been prepared for Aimee.


    ''''Well then, let the party begin. Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a toast.''''


    Hmm. Here''s to a brighter future for all of you.


    The party began with a toast from the king. The king and Maria will be back soon after this. Originally, they weren''t planning to join the party, but they decided to stay until the party started because they came all this way. The reason for not staying until the end is because there would be too many royals if they were to join up with two people, which might make it difficult for some students to enjoy themselves, and most importantly, Tida and Caesar-sama would not be able to stand out from the crowd.


    ''''Grandpa, we''ve been attracting a lot of attention earlier, haven''t we?''''


    Well. There''s some of us who want us and some of the boys who want Amy, so let''s just grab a bite to eat at the end of the hall.


    ''Well Amy, do you want to eat at the end?��It''s too conspicuous in here.


    Amy seemed to know that she was getting a lot of attention, and she nodded in agreement with me. It''s a good idea to make sure you''re in the right place at the right time.


    It looks like they''re fighting each other. They don''t want to displease us by making contact at the front of the pack.


    I hope they can keep fighting each other. Oh, and I''ll take this with me.


    You take care of mine.


    I was collecting delicious-looking food as we moved around, and I filled my plate to the brim. Some of the nobles who saw this were laughing at me outright...


    ''Brother, this is good too!


    Luna appeared with more plates full than me and my grandpa, and she quickly fled out of sight from us.


    ''''The concession stand didn''t have anything that good, but this one is only for party food, so it''s all good.''''


    When I was there, there wasn''t much food in the cafeteria or the shop. I used to sneak out of the school and go to a restaurant in town.


    Heh~ The food in the cafeteria is pretty good too. But my brother''s food is better.


    ''A lot of cafeteria food is a bit expensive. It''s a lot of work every day, but it''s cheaper to make it yourself.


    Even though he''s a commoner, even Amy, who earns a good amount of money from her koochie yarn and adventurer activities, says that it''s not food from the cafeteria every day. When I asked her if she''s financially challenged, she said


    No, we have some cheap food but it''s not very good.


    That''s what they say. He said he only eats good food once in a while, and he would rather eat it for a reasonable price than eat it for cheap. And if he would rather eat cheap and unappetizing food, he would choose to cook for himself, where he could eat what he wanted for less money than that.


    ''Oops!''


    As I was talking with Amy and the others, I suddenly heard a loud noise coming from very close by. The culprit was my grandfather. He had dropped his wand.


    ''I''m sorry about this,''


    Grandpa spoke words of apology to the people around him, but he didn''t seem to be very remorseful. Because Grandpa dropped his wand on purpose.


    The reason why Grandpa dropped his wand on purpose was because more than one boy was trying to get close to Amy. Probably because he saw that Luna was the first to approach Amy, and that they were talking amicably afterwards, he thought he could pretend to say hello to Luna and approach Amy now. To take the sting out of it, Grandpa dropped his wand and made a loud noise.


    He dropped his wand and let out a loud noise, "Flies, or whatever you want to call them, are cowards. "There are a lot of flies, a lot of cowards, who have the guts to surrender at the slightest threat," he said.


    He may not have heard his grandfather''s muttered voice, but one of the boys approached with an imposing gait... and then it was Tida.


    ''Temma-san, do you mind if I mix in here?''


    As long as you''re okay with Amy, I''m cool with it.


    As she said this, Tida looked at Amy with a slightly worried look on her face. Aimee laughed and mixed Tida into the conversation.......but behind Aimee, Luna was frantically opposing her, making a batting with both arms. Well, Aimee couldn''t see it because it was happening behind her, and Tida ignored it as a matter of course, so Luna''s opposition came up empty.


    Tida''s participation seemed to make it even harder for the other boys to get close to her, and some of them gave up and headed for the other girls. However, the number of onlookers, which seemed to have decreased thanks to the boys who had given up, was increasing due to the new female students who were aiming for Tida, and also the atmosphere was starting to deteriorate a bit as the fights between the female students began.


    In the midst of this atmosphere, Luna seemed to have found someone and began to beckon to them. However, even if she beckoned, the person she wanted to know didn''t seem to come, so she ran to call them directly. And then he brought her with him.


    Big brother, he''s my friend.


    It was a few girls. Luna''s friends seemed quite nervous and uncomfortable.


    ''''It''s okay. My brother and grandpa and Amy are (s)kind.


    Luna deliberately didn''t mention Tida''s name, but Tida seemed to know that she couldn''t be upset with Luna here, and on the surface she greeted Luna''s friends with a smile, but her eyes sharpened for a moment as she looked at Luna when her friends weren''t looking.


    ''Do you mind if we join them?''


    As I was talking with Luna''s friends for a while... or rather, answering questions, Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama arrived this time. In addition, because my bodyguard''s kinsmen also arrived, the population density around me increased at once. Because of this, Luna''s friends, who had begun to relax, were once again becoming restless. Later, the parents of Luna''s friends noticed that their children were acting strangely, and after greeting Master Caesar, they collected their own children. The other students who were watching the scene came to greet Caesar-sama with their own parents and started to talk to Amy, Tida, and me.


    I tried to answer as politely as possible to the students who were talking to me, asking for their impressions and questions about the matches and martial arts competitions I just had, but the ones who came with requests (...) to recommend themselves to Amy and Tida, or to introduce themselves in a good way, I turned them away before they could finish everything. I was.


    Even I had been asked to introduce them to Amy and Tida, so several times as many students as had come to me came to talk to them in turn.


    Tida looked comfortable talking to them, but Amy was somewhat awkward. As if they noticed Amy''s behavior, the boys who were talking to her were trying to force her to make some kind of promise. But.


    I''m just going to borrow Amy. Amy, let''s go.


    Luna stepped between Amy and the boys and tried to take Amy out of the room somewhere. The boys tried to stop Luna as if to warn her that it was rude to take her out of the side of the room without permission in the middle of a conversation, but...


    ''Wouldn''t it be rude to question why a girl would leave in the middle of a conversation?��Besides, I don''t think we should force him to go along with the story.


    And with that, he took Amy out of the party hall as it was.


    The remaining boys were laughed at by the other students and were taken away somewhere by their parents who looked flustered. The parents started to panic while they were talking to Caesar-sama, so I think Caesar or Isabella-sama said something to them. The reason why Luna took Amy out I think it was to take her to the bathroom. However, that was a construction, and it was probably really a false reason to separate her from that male student, but even so, the people around her would have thought that she was ''humiliating a woman'' or ''a dull man who doesn''t realize he''s being harassed'' or something like that.


    ''''Hmm... come to think of it, so much time has gone by before I knew it.


    Yes.


    Caesar-sama spoke to Isabella-sama just as the boys and their parents disappeared, and since they began to talk together, the students and their parents, who had been watching the situation from afar, lost the opportunity to speak to Caesar-sama.


    ''''Thanks for your help. Shall I get something for you?''''


    ''I''ve always been, but I think Temma is the one who''s tired.��Yeah, I''ll have the waiter bring the drinks, so Temma won''t have to go all the way.


    ''Yes. I wonder if it was harder for Temma to get used to it than it was for us?��You''re a little airheaded, you''ve been going to Temma''s.


    As the students'' parents were gone, I went over to Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama and spoke to them, and they responded in a friendly manner. And Isabella-sama, in a voice that was barely audible to everyone around her, warned the students and their parents who asked me to introduce them to Amy or Tida (...), so the students and their parents, who had some idea of what was going on, moved away to the other side of the room where we were.


    ''''Is that pretty much enough to keep the idiots away?


    I hope so.


    ''I''m sure they''re still around, but there must be fewer of them. By the way, Tida and Grandpa....


    While I was talking to the two of them, Tida and Grandpa didn''t join the conversation, and I wondered what was wrong with them, and I noticed that they didn''t join the conversation there either, so they joined me and looked around.


    ''So Grandpa''s just going to look at the food and drink. But Tida....


    What are you doing?


    That''s the direction Luna and Amy were headed, right?


    Tida stared at the direction Amy and Luna were headed, with a difficult look on her face.


    ''Well, there are no annoying people around right now, so I guess we can leave them alone.


    Caesar-sama said so, and Isabella-sama agreed to let him do what he wanted for a while, so I decided to leave him alone, too. A short time later, Grandpa came back with a pile of food, so I continued to talk about it with Caesar-sama and the others, picking at the things he had brought with him.


    ''Hmm?��Looks like Amy and Luna are back.


    About an hour after Amy and Luna had disappeared, they finally returned. Tida was relieved to see them back and breathed a deep sigh of relief.


    ''Luna, you''re late,''


    I was just talking to a friend.


    Luna hadn''t taken Aimee to the bathroom, after all, she was not taking her to the bathroom, but rather to get her away from that persistent male student, but besides that, she had promised her friends that she had talked to before Master Caesar arrived that she would go see them at some point. At first he had planned to slip out on Luna alone, but when he was on the verge of slipping out, he was curious about Amy too, so he said, "Well, you can take her with you then! ........and he thought.


    Amy told me that her friends who were waiting for her when she snuck out were surprised to see her, but they had heard a lot about her from Luna and welcomed her with open arms. However, it seems that they were asked a lot of questions, and in the end they even decided to promise to watch them study next time.


    ''But they were all good kids, so it was easy to talk to them.


    It seems that all of Luna''s friends are the children of nobles, but since they are Luna''s friends, they don''t have any discriminatory thoughts.


    ''''It''s nice to have a good junior colleague.


    Yes!


    Amy replied happily when she said that, and Luna was pleased that her friend had been complimented.


    ''Well, if that''s the reason you said that, then I suppose it''s no wonder it was so late. It must have been hard for those girls to stay because of me and Isabella.


    Just when you thought the story was going to go on like that, Amy and Luna joined in.


    Amy, do you have a minute?


    Tida, who had been waiting the longest for Amy, spoke to her with a serious look on her face.


    ''Well what''s wrong?''


    Aimee seemed to be somewhat confused by Tida''s serious expression, but she quickly agreed and turned to Tida.


    ''''Could it be that she........isn''t she going to confess?


    By the looks of it, I think it might be.


    In this place?


    Quiet. I think Tida''s going in.


    As she was speaking in a whisper so that Tida and Aimee couldn''t hear her, Tida looked at Aimee with a look of determination on her face after a few deep breaths, just as Grandpa had said. Incidentally, Luna looked dissatisfied when Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama caught her as she was about to interrupt Tida''s actions, as if she was trying to interrupt Tida and Aimee. And.


    Amy I want you to marry me!


    Tida''s confession was so oblique to us that the participants who were watching Tida and Aimee''s situation, including us, froze together.


    And then it was Amy who was confessed...or rather Amy who was the most confused and froze, as if she had forgotten to even blink.

 211-Chapter 14-7 Im sorry

    Teada SIDE


    There''s a guy at Amy''s again.


    Some of the parents who have come to bring back Luna''s friends have been the catalyst for some of them to make their sons appeal to Amy under the guise of greeting their father and mother. Along with that, some send their daughters to me, which is common at other parties, so I don''t have a problem with this, as long as I treat them the same way I always have... but Aimee is clearly not used to it, and is having a hard time finishing her story.


    (If I could, I''d keep an eye on Aimee''s side of the room... but with the factions involved, I can''t do that indefinitely...)


    While I was thinking about this, a new student was talking to Amy. And unlike the previous students, he was talking to her quite forcefully.


    Just when I thought it would be bad if I didn''t, I decided to help Aimee.


    I''m just going to borrow Amy. Amy, let''s go.


    Luna interrupted Aimee and the boys. The boys were protesting when Luna interrupted them, but Luna was better at it, so she argued one way or the other and took Aimee away. Moreover, the students around her seemed to have a bad opinion of her, and the boys were taken away by their father to somewhere else.


    Luna didn''t say anything, but she probably used the bathroom as an excuse. If that was the case, she''d come back if she waited a bit. We could talk to Amy then........................


    Too late....


    Amy and Luna didn''t come back very often. Maybe they were ambushed when they came out of the bathroom!


    ''But it wouldn''t be that way if Luna was with us...''


    Besides, I don''t want to go out here to check on them, and I don''t want them to think I''m the same as the boys from earlier... and even if people don''t think so, I''m pretty sure Luna is going to make a big deal out of it...


    Luna was the reason I didn''t go to check on her, but the worry, once born, never went away. If this was going to happen, I should have confessed before the party!��As I was thinking about this, I saw Aimee come back.


    I immediately looked at Aimee and her surroundings and saw that she hadn''t changed a bit since she left.


    ''''Thank goodness.......it looks like I didn''t get any strange bugs.......''''


    I''m glad Amy is safe, but if she doesn''t, I''m going to have the same feelings over and over again. With that in mind.


    It''s nice to have a good junior colleague.


    I heard Temma''s voice say, "I''m sorry. I think some of Luna''s friends were boys, but since they were the friends she had been talking to before her father came, it must have been all the girls she had met. However, there is a possibility that a younger male student may be targeting Amy because of the connection from that female student.


    When I thought that, my feet naturally went to Amy.


    "Amy, do you have a minute?


    She knew that if she didn''t confess now, someone would beat her to it, but when she got to the point of confessing, she couldn''t get her next words out. The longer I waited, the more my opinion of Amy would decline. So I made a bold decision.


    Amy you will marry me!


    I confessed. It''s not exactly what I was thinking, but what''s more important is Amy''s response.


    Amy, perhaps startled by the suddenness of the confession, didn''t give me much of a response. I''m a little hesitant, but I bowed my head and held out my right hand, praying for her to return my hand, and the reply that came back to me was.......


    I''m sorry.


    It was. As soon as I understood those words, my eyes went dark in front of me.


    Tida SIDE end


    "Master Caesar, Tida, I don''t think you''re breathing...


    ''By the looks of it, it''s like the initial shock was so great that you didn''t hear the rest of the story.


    ''Don''t be so calm, we need to get Tida and Amy out of here as soon as possible!


    At Lady Isabella''s words, a few of the kinsmen who were waiting nearby surrounded Tida to hide her.


    ''Amy, let''s go somewhere different for now!


    Master Caesar made sure I moved over to Amy''s side and then had a nearby staff member lead me to the anteroom where I was first.


    ''Tida, Tida ... come on, get your shit together!


    After arriving in the anteroom and having the doorway hardened by the Kingsguard, Master Caesar shook Tida''s shoulder a few times, but she didn''t respond at all, so he finally slapped her a little harder on the cheek.


    ''''Eh?''''


    Tida came to her senses at the shock of the slap on the cheek, and looked around incessantly. And then.


    ''Oh ... oh ... oh ...''


    He seemed to remember what had happened the moment his eyes met Amy''s and his poor shoulders slumped as he remembered what had happened.


    ''I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make you feel weird...''


    Tida muttered and turned her back to Amy and tried to run. But.


    Yes!


    Hey.


    Luna, who was behind her, caught Tida''s foot and rolled her over. Tida, who hadn''t even looked at her front, let alone her feet, couldn''t have noticed Luna''s presence or the trap, and went face-first into the floor with vigor.


    Luna looked very happy to see Tida fall, but Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama were frowning at her. Well, they didn''t have the usual sermon to preach, so it was probably important to note that they had stranded Tida now. ''''Now (...), though.


    ''Mr. Tida,''


    While Tida was rolling on the floor, Amy got down on both knees by Tida and spoke to her. Tida kept her face on the floor, as if she was having a hard time making eye contact with Amy.


    ''I''ll say it again, since you didn''t seem to be listening to me. You''re right, you can''t just get married out of the blue. You''re still a minor. But I''m okay with a boyfriend. I like you, Tida.


    What?


    Amy let Tida hear the words again, which she followed after "I''m sorry". However, our own Tida didn''t understand the meaning of those words and looked at Amy with a strange look on her face, then looked at Caesar-sama, Isabella-sama, me, and grandpa in that order, and finally looked at Luna, who had a dissatisfied look on her face.


    I don''t know at whose place she understood the meaning of Amy''s words, but the moment she did, Tida jumped up from the floor. And then.


    Really!��Thank you!��Yay!


    She stood up in surprise, grabbed Amy''s hand and began to dance. It was already unimaginable from the usual Tida, merrily paying no attention to the surroundings at all.


    ''''For now.......how about some tea?''''


    Okay. I''ll take it.


    You can help me with mine.


    My potatoes.


    Mine too!


    Quickly handing out tea and snacks, we watched Tida and Aimee dance. Well, Aimee just has to keep up with the buoyant Tida, but I hope she''ll bear with it.


    As it is, it''s approximately enough to watch the two of them dance. Their dance came to an abrupt end. Because of Tida''s tangled feet and her fall....


    Looks like it''s done. Isabella, take care of Amy.


    Yes, sir.


    Caesar-sama and Isabella-sama moved to the end of the anteroom with Tida and Amy, respectively.


    ''What are you two going to talk about................................only what''s coming up.


    That''s true. And maybe, with Amy in the picture, Tenma will be busy, too.


    The biggest problem between them is the ''status gap''. Since Aimee was born as a commoner, there''s nothing we can do about it. However, Cain has taught me a few tricks about it before, so it''s a relatively easy problem to solve if Aimee is so inclined. Well, that makes it harder for me and my grandfather, but I''ve decided to hold back for the sake of Aimee.


    ''Temma, would you mind doing me a favor for a bit?


    Isabella-sama, who finished talking before Caesar-sama, returned with Aimee.


    Isabella-sama was asking me for that request as a ''request'', but since I would be involved in this matter in the future, I decided to listen to it as a mere ''request'' rather than a ''request''.


    ''Temma. I''m sure I''ll be causing you a lot of trouble in the future with Tida, but since Amy is involved, I''m going to ask you to help me.


    When Caesar-sama finished talking with Tida, Tida and Isabella-sama bowed their heads, and Amy bowed her head as well, late. Amy said, ''You can''t marry her out of the blue,'' but it could be said that if it wasn''t out of the blue, it was okay to marry her. Besides, being Tida''s lover means that she is currently the most likely candidate for the future queen, so Amy will have a hard time from now on. Whether it''s education for the queen''s exclusive use or interpersonal relations.......


    Then we all went back to the party, and when the students and their parents and officials saw the flirtatious Tida, they would soon realize that Tida and Amy had become lovers.


    ''I hope no one thinks of doing anything weird to Amy,''


    Don''t worry about that. We''ll put some guards and dark matter from the royal family on it.


    Sighing at the buoyant Tida, Master Caesar and I discussed Amy''s safety.

 212-Chapter 14-8 Past man, again

    Since the day of that party, the environment and relationship between me and Aimee have changed dramatically.


    Because of Tida''s flirtatiousness at the party, it was rumored around the academy that she and Aimee had become lovers, and later on the king formally recognized Aimee as a candidate for the future queen (a candidate for the Imperial Grandchild), which caused various controversies among the nobles, and the nobles who considered Aimee''s status as a commoner to be a problem I was even going to protest to the king. But as for the nobles who were opposed to the idea just because of their status, they were told of the method I had proposed to the king and were forced to keep quiet. The method is...


    ''I didn''t expect Aimee to become a child of the Otori family and go to Eliza for adoption.......so that means that Aimee will be my sister-in-law in the future?


    It is a good thing. Since one of the most important factors in a nobleman''s marriage is the "bond" between the family and the family, he was first adopted by the Ootori family, which is a commoner but has influence over royalty and several noble families, and then, in order to supplement his family''s status, he was adopted by the Countess of Silphilde, Eliza''s parents'' family, and from there he married Tida. It was.


    Since we hadn''t yet officially become engaged, we were about to say that we didn''t have to adopt, but Eliza''s strong wishes led to the procedure being carried out right away. When I brought this up to Karina and the others, I thought they would have a hard time with the idea of giving Amy up for adoption, but their answer was simple. It was.


    ''What!��Are you sure?��Please.


    That''s about it. Karina-san and the others also thought that if Amy was going to be tied to royalty (Tida), she would have to be adopted by some nobleman, and in that case, they were wondering if they could ask the Marquesses of Samoens through me.


    When I returned to the royal capital after being beaten down like that, Eliza, who heard the story from somewhere, stormed into the mansion. Soon after that, Eliza''s father also came over, apologized for Eliza''s outburst and tried to take her home, but since Aimee is close to Eliza, and if she is adopted by the Countess of Silphild, she will be the sister-in-law of the next Duke of Sangha (Albert) in the near future, the Countess of Silphild is the best choice in terms of forming a relationship. As a result of consulting with Maria-sama about Eliza''s insistence that it was worth considering, Aimee was adopted from the Otori family to the Countess Sylphilde family.


    Some noblemen criticized this adoption, saying that the royal family was using it as a means of gaining profit, but Lady Maria frequently told the wives who attended the frequent tea parties as ''the beautiful story of a commoner girl meeting up with the boy she loves'', and this was a good story before the critical tone in the capital. It spread as. Incidentally, there are plans to turn the story into a book when Aimee and Tida are engaged or married.


    In other changes, Aimee had several female members from the Konoe and Knights selected as her bodyguards, and Karina-san and the others had a knight''s garrison base near her home. However, as for Karina-san and the others, it''s like they are part of the entire Seigen''s security reinforcement, so I''m not on guard at all hours of the day.


    And as for me, I would occasionally attend parties involving the Count Countess Silphilde and the Duke of Sangha.


    The purpose of this is to show that the Otori family, the Countess of Silphilde and the Duke of Sanga are cooperating with each other regarding Amy. The party was attended by the acquaintances of the royalist faction, such as the Marquis of Sammons, Cain, and Rion, along with the acquaintances of the neutralist faction (the nobles they met during the previous coup d''��tat fiasco), and afterwards, by telling each of their acquaintances about the party, the three families are on friendly terms and have the backing of Aimee''s I had the story expanded. As a result, it is becoming a situation where even the nobles who do not feel good about Amy are not able to take action so easily. Even so, there are some nobles who are searching for somewhere they can attack, but since the three families are on good terms, there is no breakdown in their cooperation for now.


    ''''So, are you alone in Temma today?''''


    Yeah. Grandpa said he was going to stay home and relax because it was too much trouble. The ladies said they were going to prepare for the future and then they took Amy shopping.


    So far, the parties I''ve attended have only been casual ones, but there was a chance that I might have to attend some of the ones with women in the future, so he said he was going to buy some clothes to wear then. The reason I took Amy with me was the same, because they told me that I should have some clothes sent from the Otori family.


    ''Maybe Eliza should have joined them by now.


    ''So you said you couldn''t join us today?


    Today''s party was hosted by Albert, and it was hosted by inviting mainly young nobles who knew each other. In case you''re wondering, it was held in the position of being the next head of the Sangha Dukes, so Eliza should be next to Albert.


    But it means that Eliza has chosen her new sister over her future husband.


    Normally, this would be quite a problematic event, but thanks to the fact that they were all acquaintances, it''s a laughing matter. Probably because it''s Eliza, she decided to boycott it because she didn''t think it would be a problem. Well, his father would be angry with him when he left.


    ''Come to think of it, what was written in the letter Albert received back then?


    That time?


    You know, when we were both pissed off at Mary.


    It was about the letter that Duke Sanga gave to Albert after Maria was angry with him about the Primera. At that time it was hard to ask and I just forgot about it, but I thought it would be fine now and asked with a light heart....


    Ugh....


    Albert began to shake, his face turning blue. At this rate, the other participants were going to think that I had done something to Albert, so I casually took Albert to an unpopular room.


    ''Relax, Albert, I don''t want to talk. I don''t want to talk about it, you don''t have to.


    ''Oh, I''m sorry ... no, this has something to do with Temma, so I''d better tell you.


    When I heard it had something to do with me, I instantly felt uneasy. I didn''t want to hear it, but I also knew I had to ask what the Primera had said.


    ''Let me tell you ahead of time, it was not the Primera''s letter. There was nothing in Primera''s letter that said anything bad about Temma.


    I was a little relieved to hear that, but then I wondered what it had to do with me.


    ''The letter was not only from the Primera it was also from my two sisters as well as the Primera.


    I heard that the eldest and second daughter of the Duke of Sanga''s family are married to a royalist marquis and countess respectively, but it happened that both of them had business to come to the royal capital at the same time, so they returned shortly before we returned to the royal capital.


    The truth is that both of them were planning to wait until I returned, but they were married in the north, and the snow made it impossible for them to wait.


    Just before he returned, he received a letter from the Primera, but since he couldn''t see Albert in person, he left the letter behind.


    ''The letter was mostly an angry letter to me, but it also asked me to give him information about Temma. Perhaps he wants to know if he is a man worthy of the primera. He''s not supposed to move during the winter, so if he does come, it will probably be in the spring and after the snow melts.


    For what it''s worth, the two older sisters seemed to adore Primera and were supposed to check me out in person, and although there wouldn''t be an assault on me right now, they wanted me to just be prepared for it, as I was sure it would come at some point.


    After that, I went back to the party with Albert, who had settled down after hearing some of his sister''s stories, and several of the participants asked me why I was suddenly gone. But when Albert said that it was about the future of the Otori family and the Duke of Sanga family, they didn''t ask any more.


    ''''Hmm?��I thought it was cold, but it''s starting to snow. By the looks of it, we might as well speed up the end of the party.


    It was still just fluttering down now, but from the look of the sky, it could turn into a heavy downpour at any moment.


    It was a good idea to have the party at noon. It could be the biggest snowfall of the year.


    Later, as the snow began to intensify as Albert had predicted, the party was announced to end and the participants left the Duke of Sangha''s mansion in their own carriages.


    To emphasize the friendly feeling with Albert, I stayed until the end to see off the other participants and then decided to walk back to the mansion. Albert was worried about the snow that had begun to accumulate and wanted to leave the carriage, but I politely refused because it would be difficult to return home even if the trip was good, and if I was alone, the worst thing I could do was to fly.


    ''It''s pretty cold out there. It''s a good thing I changed before I left.


    I thought it might be impolite to change into my usual clothes before I left, since my party clothes were not suitable for walking on the snow and would get dirty. I''m not going to be able to get a good deal more than just a few hours of sleep, but I''m also going to be able to get a lot more than an hour''s worth of sleep before I return home, so I''m going to use my airborne magic to fly home. Normally, flying in the middle of the royal capital is a punishable act, but as it is an emergency in the heavy snow, I''ll have them forgive me.


    With that said, I immediately flew in the sky and aimed at the mansion. However, if you go too fast, the snow hitting your face is not just cold, it''s painful, and visibility is poor, so the emphasis is on safety in the air. Well, it''s too short to call it a journey.


    We flew through the air for a while, and we were almost at the mansion, when we suddenly felt an eerie presence in the air.


    ''Where''s it coming from?''


    I searched in the direction where I felt the presence, but I couldn''t locate it due to the snow. I quickly used ''search'' to locate it.


    ''Across the mansion from here and on the other side of the mansion... are the Amur''s fighting!��The guy is.....


    Led by Amour, the two escort knights, who were accompanied by Amie, were fighting with some people, the members who had gone shopping today and Eliza. However, Jeanne, Aura, and one of the escort knights, and one of the escort knights, kept their distance from the attackers and kept their defenses with Aimee at the center. However, against the three (Amour, Eliza, and the escort knights) excluding the four of them, the raiders seem to be fighting not just evenly, but pushing back. At this rate, it wouldn''t be surprising if they overtook the three of them in the next moment and attacked Jeanne and the others.


    ''''Who''s your opponent!''''


    I increased my flying speed, and after getting the scene in sight in less than five minutes, I used ''appraisal'' against the opponent that Amour and the others were fighting. The opponent the three of them were fighting against........


    "Keios My Sails...


    He was a former (...) martial arts tournament winner who fought in the first martial arts tournament I ever participated in.


    Amur SIDE.


    It was a good buy.


    I don''t care much about clothes, but Jeanne told me to follow her because I needed to go out to a party with Temma, and I got a nice one. Well, it''s not clothes, it''s a small sword but I don''t really know how to pick out clothes, so I let Jeanne and Aimee pick out the clothes for me. If it was Aura, she was going to jokingly bring something weird, so I refused from the beginning. For that matter, this little sword was made by a proper craftsman, and for that price, I wouldn''t change it!��Maybe....


    ''Amour, since we''re all here to shop, I thought we''d have a little tea.


    Maybe it was Aura who suggested it, but I agreed with her. So I immediately nodded to Jeanne''s suggestion. Well, Temma''s sweets would be better, but if I taught Temma the sweets I had eaten elsewhere, I''m sure she would make something even better.


    With these hopes in mind, I entered the coffee shop with Aura''s guidance, but....


    Not good.


    Really, it''s not as bad as they say.


    ''Amour, Eliza, we''re still in front of the store!


    It tasted like a disappointment. If this is the case, the sweets Jeanne made are better. Jeanne was embarrassed when I told her this, but she pushed me back and pulled me away from the front of the shop.


    ''When I was taken to the royal castle, the guy who worked nearby said it was good... but it wasn''t as good as I thought it would be.


    Aura said that and Amy nodded, so I guess all but the two knights felt the same way. The knights had a look on their faces as to what they were unhappy with in that shop, but maybe that was because they had never eaten Temma''s sweets before. If they ate the sweets Temma made, these two would understand immediately.


    ''''Um~........it seems like the snow is getting stronger, so why don''t we go home soon?''''


    As I was discussing my thoughts on the snacks with Jeanne and the others, Aimee said something like that to me in a reserved manner.


    ''Ummm, cold!��I''ll be home early!


    Go home early, take a hot bath and drink cold milk!��...Why does cold milk taste so good after a bath, even on a cold day?��Well, whatever works for you, as long as it tastes good.


    ''Bath!��Bath!


    As I walked towards the mansion while saying "bath bath", Jeanne and the others came after me at a fast pace.


    ''''Ohu ... everyone, stop!''''


    As we turned the corner at the head of everyone, we saw a man who was clearly suspicious coming towards us. He was wearing ragged clothes and his face was also hidden by a dirty cloak, and he looked like he was a vagrant, but I had never seen a vagrant in the streets of King''s Landing before, let alone on the edge of King''s Landing or outside of it, and most importantly, I got a bad feeling from that man.


    ''''Amy, stay away from him!


    Eliza seemed to notice that the man was acting strangely, too, but she tried to get Amy to back off and get in line beside me, but


    ''The drill is going down!��The magic of the drill is dangerous in the snow!


    ''This isn''t a drill!��But you''re absolutely right. I''m going to be the backup. I''ll leave the vanguard to you!


    As soon as Eliza stepped back, one of the knights in Amy''s guard stepped forward. The other knight around Aimee was accompanied by Jeanne and Aura, so I guess they are going to keep that man in check. It seems that Jeanne and Aura have taken out their weapons and are ready to bring out the golem at any time, but the road isn''t very wide, so if they put it out poorly, it would block their view and might be dangerous in reverse. The two of them understand that, so they are probably trying to find the right time to let it out. If this was a wide road, they would have let out the scorpion-shaped golem they both have and would be the first to run away with Amy.


    This might have been a problem if the guy was just a hobo, but the guy was a marauder, just as I thought he was. Almost as soon as we formed up, the man drew his hidden sword and started running.


    ''Fast!��But.....


    The man showed that he was going to attack me, and then attacked the knight next to me. But the knight saw through the feint and fought back, dodging the attack. The man managed to block the knight''s attack, but...


    Mmm!


    It was blown wide open by my attack.


    ''It failed. If it had been a Bardish or a halberd instead of a spear, it would be over now.


    I took out my spear on the spur of the moment, since I''ve been using only spears for a while now, but in my current situation, I would have preferred a weapon that could knock it out. But.


    You don''t look too strong.


    They seem to be pretty strong there, but if you fight as usual, you won''t lose first. I''m good enough on my own, but we have even more Eliza and her escort knights over here.


    ''''Airball!''''


    When the man managed to stand up, Eliza released a spell. The knight also jumped in line with the attack and cut the man down.


    ''''Mm, that''s it!


    The knight''s blow stopped him, and the man sank into a pool of blood. Well, it looks like he''s just barely alive, so if they can just stop the bleeding and keep him from dying, the guards will take him away and interrogate him afterwards.


    The knight who attacked last seemed to be thinking the same thing and approached the man to capture him. But then.


    f*ck you.


    The man took a suspicious vial from his chest and drank it down in one go. When the man took out the vial, we thought it was some kind of dangerous drug (explosive or poisonous) and reflexively jumped backwards from the spot. However, when the man sipped the contents, we decided that it was some kind of suicide or recovery drug and ran towards the man, saying that we needed to get him into custody or get him to spit out the drug quickly. But the pills the man took weren''t poisonous or recovery pills.


    Puffer!


    It was a thing with an effect I had never seen or heard of before. The man who had taken the drug should have been dying, but he stood up and punched the knight away with his bare hands. His body was more than twice as big as it was at the beginning, and his muscles were raised to a funny degree.


    ''Drill, more back!��Jeanne, Aura, Golem!


    I slammed the man''s arm and the spear into his brain with all my strength.........


    Gghhh!��Ouch.... ouch... ouch, you bastard!


    The man grabbed the spear while guarding it with his hand and swung it at me and myself.


    ''''Mwah!''''


    He was going to be knocked to the ground if he continued, so he let go of his spear and got away from the man.


    ''''If it comes to this, I''m going to smash him off!


    Since I had let go of my spear, I took out my Bardiche instead and turned the golems that Jeanne and Aura had put out to face the man, looking for an opportunity to land a blow.


    I thought that if they attacked a few golems at the same time, it would create an opening, but most of the golems I had directed at them had collapsed with three punches of ni. The worst ones were crushed by a single blow.


    ''''Now!''''


    I didn''t expect it to be broken like that, but one of the golems I''d sent towards it hugged the man from behind and stopped moving for a few moments. I didn''t miss the opportunity to approach, and with a big swing of my bardiche, I


    Nuh-uh!


    I slammed it down as hard as I could.


    ''Yup, abusive!''


    The full force of the blow sliced off the man''s right arm as he tried to guard it, and his right leg was sliced wide open as well. And yet, I was blown away by the attack from the left (...). Probably the bones in my arm were shattered now. I know I have to get away immediately, but I can''t move my body properly because of the pain.


    ''Come here!''


    Eliza is firing off a series of ''airballs'' but the man is approaching us, eating the magic.


    ''''His arms....grow....''''


    What looked like a bunch of tentacles grew out of the place where he''d cut them off, forming what looked like an arm. The legs, too, had muscles rising up and closing the wound.


    ''''Everyone, niggle........''''


    A man walks up to me and slowly swings the arm of the re-grown one. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eliza coming running, but it doesn''t look like she''s going to make it in time.


    The man''s arm swung up to the top of my head, and just as I thought I was done, I closed my eyes.


    Get away from Amur!


    Temma''s angry voice could be heard, and the man''s right arm flew through the air once more.


    Amur SIDE Done!

 213-Chapter 14-9 The monster that should have been Chaos

    Get out of my way!


    I cut my arm off just in time, and with the momentum, I kicked Keos away from Amur, pulling him away from me.


    ''''Aqua Heel, Aqua Heel, Aqua Heel!''''��Eliza, take care of Amur!


    I understand!


    A trio of aqua heels closed the wounds that were within view, but Amour lost his concentration and passed out. I''m sure he has some broken bones and it might be better to carry him out quietly, but since we can''t take it easy with Keos around, I decided to leave Amour to Eliza and I''ll take care of Keos.


    ''Eliza, use this potion on the knight as well.


    I asked him to take as much of the most effective recovery and wound medicine he''d made as he could and use it to treat Amur and the limping knight.


    If you can, bring them to my house. If you can''t, get as far away from here as possible. In the meantime, I''ll kill him.


    If it was true, Kayos would have to be neutralized and handed over to the Knights to extract the information, but he decided that he couldn''t do it with Kayos in front of him. Because Keios had two new arms sprouting on the arm that should have been cut off. Other than that, his body was about one size larger than before, his body was darker, his eyes were reddened, and his hair was falling out and his veins were floating and pulsing loudly.


    ''It''s like a demon. I don''t know what happened, but it''s pathetic when it gets to that point.''''


    My anger was almost diminished by the sight of something that didn''t look human, but with a monster that could destroy golems with its bare hands and also have stupid regenerative abilities, there might be damage after handing them over to the knights, and above all, I couldn''t allow this guy to put everyone in danger.


    ''''Ugoaaaah!''''


    ''Fast!��But ... ''Stonebrit''!


    Anticipating the path of Keos, who was closing the gap at an amazing speed, he fired two ''Stone Blit'' shots at the head and chest.


    ''''Prevent that one........if you can!


    My magic, Keos blocked both shots with his two-piece right arm. The ''Stone Bullet'' was unable to penetrate Keos''s arm and seemed to stop in the middle. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things.


    Against such a keios, I changed my weapon from a korasuma to a halberd and cleaved to the side with the momentum of spinning my body.


    ''''Isn''t this.......not enough?''''


    I thought I had made both cuts, but the timing was slightly off due to Keio''s sudden braking just as it hit, and Keio''s upper and lower body collapsed to the ground, only a few centimeters connected to each other.


    Normally this would be the end of it, but Keos was still alive in that state, and when he forced the upper and lower body wounds together while he was down, the wounds closed up as he looked at them.


    ''''You''re more resilient than Hydra, aren''t you?''''


    While Djinn and the others were imagining Hydra based on Cayos'' unusual regenerative powers and wondering what would have happened to him, Cayos stood up and attacked them.


    ''It''s sturdy, regenerative, strong, and has increased speed. This is an opponent that would normally be a struggle to deal with but it looks like it''s getting less intelligent.


    It was easy to dodge, as Keos had become a muscle to the inside of his head, and all he did was repeat his stupidly honest attacks.


    ''''Hmph!''''


    While dodging the attack, I waited for an opening and delivered a momentum-building blow, and this time my left arm flew through the air.


    I''m not going to be able to get it back. Well, it looks like it''s about to stop.''''


    Again, two arms grew out of the wound, but they were thinner and shorter than the right arm. It must have taken a lot of strength to connect the bodies together.


    However, Keio''s momentum remained the same. However, the strength of his left arm seemed to have decreased compared to his right, and every time he punched the ground or the wall, his skin was torn and blood splattered, and his bones were exposed.


    ''''It''s time.......to finish!


    Even the monster turned Keios seems to have a limit to his physical strength, and his movements have clearly slowed down. I''m going to be able to swing my halberd and push back Kayos. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.


    Huh... haha, haha!


    He lost both arms from around the base of the halberd''s two blows. The strength of his body seemed to have dropped along with his decreased physical strength, and he felt softer than when he cut off his left arm, so maybe he was using his magic power to increase his strength.


    ''''U........ah.......gobun.......''''


    ''Ha!��.... hmm?


    After cutting off the arm, I wielded Halbert in a kesa-suspension to stop it, but the blade that came in from around my left collarbone hit something hard in the center of my chest and stopped. So I changed the angle a bit more forcefully from there and sliced through it again with more force, placing the top and bottom away from each other so that it wouldn''t regenerate like it had just done. Cayos seemed to have died out, but it was a good idea to be on the safe side.


    ''Jeanne, Aura, go back to the mansion and get your grandfather. And Slarin. Eliza, when Slarin arrives, carry Amour and the knight into Slarin. Amy, stay close to Eliza and the knight.


    Temma, what''s going on?


    As soon as I finished giving them instructions, Jeanne and Aura were about to run, but before they could leave this place, Grandpa came over. Shiroumaru was there with Grandpa, but it seemed that Slarin was away, so they decided to ask Shiroumaru to go back and bring Slarin to them.


    ''I thought I saw something strange, so I came to see if a demon had appeared?''


    Grandpa seemed to determine that Kayos'' body was a demon when he saw it, but when I told him what happened, he was surprised and began to examine the body, making sure it was dead.


    As soon as I started examining it, I saw a group of people coming towards us, but


    Temma, hide this body before anyone else sees it.


    Grandpa told me to hide Keos'' body. I was about to ask him why, but he looked more serious than ever, so I put the corpse in the magic bag before I could ask him why.


    ''''We have received word that there is someone fighting over here........Master Merlin!


    The ones who came over were the guards who often patrolled the area around the mansion. Since they knew each other, they seemed to recognize their grandfather right away.


    ''''What on earth?��Was it Master Merlin who was fighting with you?


    The leader of the guards saw the surroundings and asked my grandfather, but he denied it and said that me and the thugs fought. He said he killed the other guy then and asked me to accompany him to the stuffing station.


    I''m sorry, but I can''t do that. This case will probably end up in the custody of the royal family. That''s why I have to go to the royal castle right after this.


    Grandpa said and tried to leave the scene, leaving the guards to deal with the scene, but the guards were biting back, saying they weren''t convinced. I told him that at the very least, I wanted him to identify the body and tell me why it was in the royal custody.


    I can''t show you the body, but I can tell you why. This time the murderer is suspected of attempting to kill a nobleman. Moreover, the attackers were Viscountess Nambu and Lady Silphilde. There are many other suspicious aspects of the case, and it would be unwise to spread the details of the incident too widely.


    Grandpa''s threat that they were two of the noblemen who could split the country if they were treated incorrectly caused the guards'' faces to tighten, and they didn''t know what to do.


    ''''That said, you have to work over there too, don''t you?��So, someone will accompany us to the castle to meet one of his guards who will explain to him what''s going on.


    The guards accepted my grandfather''s suggestion and the leader guard was to follow him. However, he said that he had to keep a record of what happened, so I testified on the spot that ''Amur and the others were attacked, Amur and one of the knights were wounded, and then I ran in and fought with the thugs and killed them as a result. The guards wrote down my testimony on the spot, and at the end of it, they produced two sheets with the words ''likely to be in self-defense,'' and one of them was to be given to the kinsman by the leader guard.


    ''I suppose we should take Amur and the others with us, but with those injuries, it''s better to let them rest, right?


    Well, Amur''s testimony can be given later. Our priority now is to heal the wounded. Alex and the others won''t force the injured to come, either.


    That''s why it was decided that the three of us going to the royal castle would be me, Grandpa and Eliza. Jeanne and Aura stayed behind to tend to Amour, and Aimee was also to wait at the mansion. Aimee''s guard knight would wait at the mansion until the replacement knight arrived and would come back to report later.


    ''Slarin, I''ve left you in charge of guarding the mansion. If the worst happens, abandon the mansion and take everyone with you and run away. Also, I''m sorry, but please inform the Duke of Sanga and the Countess of Silphilde.


    After finishing treating Amur and the knight and giving instructions to Slarin, I suddenly remembered that I was on my way back from a party at the Duke of Sanga''s house. Since it was on the way back from being invited by the duke''s family, I thought it would be better to let them know, and since the Silphilde family had their own daughter involved, it was only natural to let them know.


    That''s what I asked for, but I thought that they might not be able to get this kind of thing done after I asked, but they took care of it by contacting the people involved with the victim. Incidentally, as for the injuries to Amur and the others, the knight''s side had a full-body bruise and a concussion, while Amur had a concussion and a complicated fracture of his left arm. Both of them regained consciousness while being treated, so they seemed to be life-threatening, but Amour''s left arm would not be able to move for a while, even though the bones were connected to each other.


    ''Temma, Lady Merlin!


    When I arrived at the royal castle, I told the gatekeeper the reason for my visit and asked him to call someone from the kinsman''s guard, Lyle-sama arrived. Behind him, Edgar-san and Sigurd-san are also there.


    ''''Lyle-sama, I think we should hear the guards'' report first, rather than the report from Temma-kun.


    Lyle-sama was about to hear from me first, but Edgar-san advised him to put the guards first. Lyle-sama nodded to Edgar-san''s advice and read the report that the guards brought with them. Then


    Thank you for the update. I''ll take care of it from now on. Also, this is all in your report.


    After receiving a gag order from Lyle-sama, the guards saluted and returned.


    ''Lyle, the fact that you are here means that you have some idea of what to expect, doesn''t it?


    ''Yes, sir. Just a short time ago, we received word that Keios had escaped from the mine where he was being held, and we were making preparations to be on the lookout for someone Keios might have a grudge against.......in and around Temma. We were on the verge of going to inform him of this when we received word that he had come in person...


    Does that mean you came in a hurry?


    ''Well, you''re right I''m sorry!��When the news came, we should have sent a knight right away!


    Lyle-sama said he made a mistake in the order he should have done it and apologized at the entrance of the royal castle, bowing his head.


    ''''No, me and my grandfather aren''t injured, and they haven''t done anything that could be called damage, so it''s fine... but the problem is that Amour and Eliza were involved, right?


    Since both of them are children of influential nobles, since Lyle-sama has admitted his wrongdoing, Lyle-sama or the royal family needs to take responsibility for the two of them. Moreover, since Amur was almost killed, the question is how they will take responsibility for their actions.


    ''There''s a lot going on in that area, so I''d like you to join me in a discussion with your fathers. Also, I''d like you to tell me what you know about this incident right then and there.


    So I was led by Lyle-sama to the room where the kings were said to be, but the air in the room was too heavy, so I almost closed the door without thinking about it.


    ''Temma, Lord Merlin, over here. Elisabeth von Schilfild, come this way.


    Grandpa and I were ushered into a seat near Caesar-sama and Eliza was ushered into a seat right in front of the king and Maria. Lyle-sama, who led the way, sat directly next to the king, and a discussion between the king, the three of them and Eliza began.


    By the way, there are six people in the room: the king, Maria, Caesar, Lyle, Din and Jean, while Edgar and Sigurd, who followed Lyle to pick up Lyle, were absent since they left before the room to go to the knights who were preparing to search for Cayos and be on alert.


    It''s a good thing that the order of apology is related to me and my grandfather who were separated from Eliza and became an afterthought, but it can''t be helped since it seems to be related to the order of the apology. Well, neither me nor my grandpa cared, so I thought there was no problem.


    ''Temma, Lady Merlin, here''s your tea and refreshments.


    Mr. Jean was being incredibly attentive. I could sense that both Mr. Caesar and Mr. Dinh were being conscientious in every word they said, but Mr. Jang was obvious at a glance.


    When I asked him why he was being so careful, he said it was because Jean-san had raised a prudent argument, which had been adopted, which delayed the initial response, and he believed that Amur and the others had been attacked as a result.


    At first, Lyle-sama immediately tried to send out the knights who were free to search and alert, but Jean-san countered, ''''With the weather unsettled, even if it''s possible, we should avoid fighting a former martial arts tournament winner, even if it''s a possibility,'''' he added, ''''Since there''s no guarantee that they''re coming to the royal capital, we should prepare our forces to a certain extent before He also said he felt responsible for the situation because he said, ''I should take care of things.


    I suppose it all backfired.......but I suppose that can''t be helped. Normally, what Jean said is correct.


    ''''In terms of the consequences, there were injuries but no deaths. Besides, this is also a consequence theory, but even if we had sent unprepared knights, I''m sure the number of deaths would have increased on the contrary.


    ''''Isn''t that ... well, considering that it took three of us to finish it off and Amur was almost killed, can''t you say it''s a mistake?


    Din-san almost argued with him, but he was quickly convinced. Even though Amur was at the mercy of Chris-san in the martial arts tournament, Amur was better in terms of pure combat power, and he was almost killed in the first place after losing three to one. Even if it had been the Kingsguard that was sent out, one or two of them would have been more likely to die.


    ''''I''m curious about a lot of things, but it would be better to hear the details with your father and the others.


    Perhaps it wasn''t because I heard Master Caesar''s words, but the kings ended their conversation at the right time, and now my grandfather and I were called in.


    ''''Lord Temma, Lord Merlin, I''m truly sorry that I put you in danger this time due to my poor judgment.


    ''I accept your apology. There are no injuries on my end, so don''t worry too much about it.


    As for me, I only rushed over after it was over. You don''t need to worry about that.


    It would be nice to hear that.


    ''Only, since Amur almost died, I''d rather have Amur than me, please.


    I''m fully aware of that. I''ll be sure to come back later to apologize.


    I was puzzled by the unusual Lyle-sama, but it was an apology, so I guess it was natural.


    ''''I''ll go and apologize and thank Amur as well. Because it''s no exaggeration to say that the damage was kept to a minimum thanks to Amur''s struggles.


    Certainly if it hadn''t been for Amur''s struggles, some of us who were there might have died, and others might have been harmed elsewhere.


    ''Nevertheless, it''s still a great credit to Temma. He really saved us.


    The king''s apology was accepted and they moved on to the next story.


    ''''So the culprit is definitely Keos, and even though he was overwhelmed by Amur until halfway through, after he took a dubious potion, he turned the tables and the three of us were in danger of being cornered... No, I don''t think he''s telling a lie, but...'''' There''s a lot of things I don''t understand.


    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about.


    It''s probably some kind of drug that greatly increases one''s physical abilities. It''s probably some kind of drug that greatly increases one''s physical abilities.


    For now, we know that Kayos used illegal drugs, but other than that, we knew very little. There.


    "Your Majesty, Count Silphilde and Albert are here.


    Mr. Cliffe came to inform me that Eliza''s father and Albert had arrived.


    ''They''re both here at the same time?''


    Yes, sir. I understand that Count Silphilde was on his way to visit the Duke of Sangha''s mansion when he received the news that he had encountered Master Albert, who was on his way to the royal castle and joined him.


    Anyway, just let them through here.


    The king was surprised at the fact that we were coming at the same time, but he quickly instructed Mr. Cliffe to show us to this room. The king seemed surprised because he thought they would come separately, but I immediately thought of the reason for this, so I wasn''t surprised at all. Maybe, but I think that Count Silphilde was trying to apologize to Eliza for not attending the party hosted by Albert. On the way there, he probably ran into Albert and came in a hurry after hearing about this incident.


    My prediction was spot on, and Count Silphilde, after greeting the kings, started scolding Eliza. On the way, Maria stopped me and apologized for my misbehavior to everyone in the room, but by the looks of it, it was going to be a real challenge when I returned.


    ''''Your Majesty, I''m sure Miss Elisabeth is probably tired from this incident, and I''m sure she has some things she needs to talk to Count Silphilde about, so I think we''ll leave it at that for today, don''t you think?''''


    Caesar-sama''s words caused Eliza to go home, but since Grandpa had actually overheard Caesar, there was probably a reason why Eliza and the others couldn''t hear it.


    ''Also, Mother, I have to go back to my room now to examine Keos'' body, so please go back to your room.


    Yes, I know. That''s a tough one for a woman to accept.


    Lady Maria seemed to understand that there was something seriously wrong with Master Caesar''s words, but she left the room without asking anything.


    ''So, what was the problem with Kayos'' body?


    Well, I have a bit of information I''d rather not share with you and, frankly, I wouldn''t believe what I''m seeing with my own eyes.


    The king also seemed to know that it was Grandpa''s instructions to keep Maria away, so he asked Grandpa the question directly, not Master Caesar. Grandpa had the same serious look on his face as when he told him to hide the body from the guards.


    When the king and grandpa were talking, Caesar-sama and Lyle-sama looked at me, but I shook my head because I hadn''t been told why either.


    ''Temma, do you have a dimension bag that you don''t mind getting dirty?''


    There''s a guy halfway across the room, though?


    Give it to me. Now, in case I have to destroy the bag you don''t mind?


    Since I have a few spare Dimension Bags, I decided to offer them on the premise of destruction. Well, even if it wasn''t necessary to destroy them, I didn''t want to use the bag with Keio''s corpse out of it, so it was a premise or rather a decision.


    ''''Um ... shouldn''t I leave?''''


    When he brought out his dimension bag, Albert, who had been forgotten to be present, spoke up in a reserved manner. The king made a face for a moment as if he had forgotten, but quickly put it back on and told him to stay. In a manner of speaking, he said it was because he has been representing the Duke of Sangha and he wanted to hear the opinions of young people other than me, but since he was asked to this extent, he would draw them over here and say that he would make sure they couldn''t escape.


    As if he understood such a king''s idea, Albert accepted the order (...) with a blue face.


    ''''Clef, don''t let anyone enter this room. Even if it''s Maria!


    Yes, sir.


    After receiving the order, I made sure that Mr. Cliffe had left the room and we all went into the dimension bag to bring out the body of Kayos when we got inside the dimension bag.


    Temma, get me out of here.


    Grandpa told me to bring out the body of Kayos, which was split in two, around the middle. Immediately after bringing it out, everyone frowned and looked away for a moment, but quickly returned their gaze.


    ''''Merlin-sama, it is indeed unnatural in many ways, but why are you so concerned about your surroundings to this extent?''''


    All of them nodded in response to Lyle-sama''s question, except for Grandpa.


    I suppose you could cheat by using a magic tool or a spell if you wanted to say you have four more arms, but this is impossible. And this must be kept as secret as possible.


    With that, Grandpa took out a knife and cut open the center of Keos'' chest.


    We were surprised by Grandpa''s action, but soon it didn''t matter. Because.


    The magic core...


    It was because something I was familiar with came out of Keos'' body. And that''s something that should only come from a demon....

 214-Chapter 14-10 What is Peace?

    "Demons are not the only ones who have magical nuclei. I''ve never heard of demonic nuclei being found in either beasts that are close to demons or humans that have powers beyond those of demons. I don''t know if this is implanted or the effect of a potion, but if word gets out that a living person has become a demon, it might create unnecessary conflict.


    If the corpse turned into a monster, then the story ends with it being an undetermined type of monster, but according to Eliza''s story, Keos didn''t look any different from a normal person when he started fighting, and although he didn''t speak much, he was using human language. However, shortly after Amur knocked him down and nearly took him down, Keos turned into a monster and overwhelmed Amur and his team, who had been beaten one-sidedly before. It is said that the medicine he used when he was being seized was the catalyst for his reversal.


    I don''t know what it was, but the potion that Keios used definitely changed him into a demon, or at least triggered it. By the way, where did Cayos go after he was taken from his home to fight Temma?��And why the delay in getting word that Cayos had escaped?


    At Grandpa''s question, Master Lyle stepped forward.


    After the fight with Temma, Cayos was captured as a sinner and sent to the mines to work as a slave in the mining industry.


    It is said that at the mine the engaged slaves were kept in separate groups of a few to a dozen men each, and were made to work in separate places, but a few days ago one of these groups stopped reporting. The next day, however, when he went to check on the group with soldiers, he found the bodies of the slaves and the caretaker who had lost contact with them.


    He and the soldiers went to check on the dead, but they couldn''t find only the body of Kayos, so they determined on the spot that it was Kayos, and immediately notified the surrounding towns and villages to be on the lookout for him, as well as sending a report to the royal capital.


    ''''It only took a few days for the report to reach the royal capital from the mine officials... less than ten days from the day when the crime was supposedly committed, and yet Cayos arrived at the royal capital almost simultaneously. Perhaps he has a collaborator.


    Even though there was some loss of time, the officials sent their reports to the royal capital two days after the date of the crime. They used horses for the report, and although they interrupted during the night, they used several transit points that connected the mines and the royal capital by the shortest possible distance, and they delivered the report while switching between soldiers and horses, so they arrived in almost the expected time. In contrast, Cayos was probably almost entirely on foot along the way, even though he was traveling two days earlier than the soldiers. Even if he had procured a horse from somewhere to travel, he hadn''t been seen at the staging point, so he was likely to have traveled a long way.


    ''''If that''s the case, then it''s a little strange to say that even if they moved by horse, it''s almost at the same time as the reported soldiers, and if they''re on foot, that means it''s even stranger...''''


    ''Exactly. That''s why I suspect there are collaborators.


    Keios could have used magic, so he could have strengthened himself, or flown through the air to move around, but if he was going to escape, it would have been better to do so as soon as he was taken to the mine, but there were still questions as to why he started running away now, and where he procured the medicine from.


    I cut off Keio''s arm when we played against each other before, and in addition, his arm should have been shattered because of the ''Exploding Knife'' that Keio was using. Eliza hadn''t said anything about Kayos regarding the ''ship arm'' that was supposed to be his best feature.


    ''''Jean, go check with Elisabeth immediately!��They may still be in the castle!


    Mr. Jean started running before Master Lyle could say anything else. And a dozen minutes later.


    ''Huh, huh, huh.......I''ve checked!��They say Cayos had both arms!


    Mr. Jean returned, out of breath.


    Eliza had just finished greeting herself and the Count''s acquaintances and had just gotten into the carriage and was just about to leave.


    ''So that would mean when did you grow an arm in the mine....................Let me check it out right away!


    This time, with the king''s instructions, Mr. Jang started running again. I don''t think we can find out about this matter from the materials in the king''s castle, so it seems that we have to ask the authorities who manage the mine, and in some cases, it will take some time since we have to go to the site.


    ''''Then we''ll have to keep Keos'' body...''''


    "So that''s why...


    No.


    Before the king could say it all, I refused. I didn''t want to have that thing with me, no matter how much I said I could leave it in my magic bag.


    After that, the King, Caesar and Lyle asked me to take care of Keos'' body, reluctantly.


    ''So, Temma. What was Keos like after he became a monster?��In particular, I''d like to know the strength and what characteristics they had.


    As soon as we finished talking about Cayos'' corpse, Dinh asked me a question. The kings also seemed to be curious about the strength of Cayos, so they decided to talk outside the dimension bag.


    ''''So you''re saying that after taking the potion, Kayos has the strength and sturdiness to overwhelm Amur, and the ability to regenerate as much or more than a hydra, but as the battle progressed, he became more like a man?''''


    ''''Yes. We don''t know the exact cause of this, but maybe he was using some kind of enhancement magic to increase his physical abilities.


    If it''s true that he ran out of magic and fell like a human being... or rather, returned (...), then it''s possible that it was a form of magic.


    ''The other possibility is that he''s back because he''s off his medication or... Either way, if a similar guy shows up in the future, you''re suggesting that we should take it into an endurance battle while we fortify our defenses.


    I can''t say for sure that it''s the right answer since the only precedent is Cayos, but it seems to be effective so far, so we''ll just have to try it then.


    ''''It''s best if it doesn''t show up, but since there''s a possibility of human hands on Cayos this time, it''s better to think that similar monsters will appear in the future. Lyle, first gather the knight''s captain-level people and have them prepare for the contingency. You''ll have to be ready to move as a ranger at all times. But do not disclose the information about the magical nucleus in Chios. The earliest we can do that is to wait until after the second incident.


    It''s a good idea to have a gag order on Cayos'' magic nucleus, but the medicine is not restricted to information, but made known as dangerous.


    It''s not easy to explain why Amur has been defeated by Cayos if you put a gag order on the medicine as well.


    Since Amur was known as a famous and talented person in the King''s Capital thanks to the martial arts competition, the decision was made that it was difficult to convince him that a guy who had been blanked for three years, even though he was a former competition winner, and yet had been overworked in the mines, would be on the verge of killing Amur in his current state.


    It''s okay to talk about the drugs, but please don''t tell anyone about the nucleus. Even if Amur and the others hear about it, you must not talk about it.


    The king reminded me and nodded, and when there was nothing more to say, we dismissed the group.


    I greeted everyone and headed for the door, and Albert greeted the king and the others and followed me and my grandpa.


    ''Albert, do you want to take a ride in our carriage?''


    We walked for a while, and when we were away from the room we had just left, I invited Albert to come home in our carriage, but he refrained from doing so because he was coming in the duke''s carriage.


    ''And by the way, Temma, I was surprised to hear you were involved in an incident on your way home from the party. Also, thank you for helping Eliza out.


    No, if anything, it was Amur who saved Eliza.


    ''Nevertheless. I''m going to thank Amur next time, but I''m sure it would have been dangerous if Temma hadn''t arrived in time.


    As he said this, Albert bowed his head once more. Slightly embarrassed, I waited for Albert to raise his head.


    Mr. Temma!��Is Amy safe?!


    Tida came running over from afar. She was running as fast as she could, as if she was really worried about Amy''s condition, and by the time she got to me, she was looking quite breathless.


    ''Temma-san, Amy is!


    Still, Tida put Amy''s safety ahead of breathing, though.


    Master Tida, please calm down.


    Albert stopped him. Tida didn''t seem to notice Albert and was surprised to be approached.


    ''Tida-sama, I understand your concern for Amy, but you should work on Tenma first. And then, next, Amur and the others present should be the last to hear about Aimee.


    Albert warned me, and Tida immediately looked like she was on to something, apologized to me and my grandpa, and after thanking me again and asking me about the condition of Amour and the others, she asked about Aimee.


    I told him that Amy was safe thanks to Amour and the others, and he said he was still worried about her, so he said he was going to go check on her... but...


    There''s no way I''m letting you go out in this snowstorm.


    The moment she heard Isabella-sama''s words as she appeared, Tida became quiet and turned aside so as not to block her path.


    ''Albert, thank you for your help earlier. Your words, having been in the same position, must have sunk in for Tida. ''I''m sorry, Temma, Lady Merlin, I''m sorry. If Temma hadn''t been able to get to you in time, it would have cracked our relationship with the Southern Autonomous Region and the Countess of Silphild. I am grateful. Also, I will be writing a letter of thanks to Amur and the others later.


    Isabella-sama spoke in a different atmosphere, perhaps because the nobles working in the castle might see where they are now, so I returned the courtesy in the best possible manner.


    ''Tida, I''m coming back. Amy would be safer in Temma''s mansion, so there''s no need to worry too much about her.


    Yes.....


    ''At home, it''s not so easy to break in if you''re suspicious, and you''ll have an escape route in case of an emergency, so don''t worry. Also, I''ll make sure to tell Amy that Tida was worried about you, and if there''s anything else you want me to do, I''ll deliver it to you.


    When he said this, Tida thought for a moment and then said, "I was worried when I heard that you were attacked. She asked me to deliver the words, "Next time I see you, I want you to show me how well you are and reassure me. I felt it was a bit simple, but on the contrary, I didn''t want to get into all sorts of trouble if I was asked to deliver words of fervent love, so I promised to deliver them to Amy for sure and decided to leave them and go back to the mansion.


    When I returned to the mansion, there I found........


    The golems are everywhere.


    The golem that had been lurking in various places to protect the mansion was on alert in the yard.


    ''Maybe it was Slarin,''


    If this had been a sunny day and people were walking around as usual, there would have been a crowd around our house for sure.


    ''For now, I think we should be fine as long as we put back all the golems except for the required number and keep them more alert than usual.


    That''s true. It''s going to be very difficult for the carriage to get through.


    I left about twice as many golems as usual and let the rest return to their original positions. They heard the sound of the golem returning, and Jeanne opened the door to greet them.


    ''Jeanne, how''s Amur doing?''


    I regained consciousness a while ago, but...


    I was just wondering what the problem was.


    He''s being selfish about his meat cravings.


    As typical as it is for Amur, me and my grandpa were worried that something was wrong, and we almost zipped to the spot like a contrast. Well, we held on just in time, but the snow made the floor slippery, which was a real hazard.


    ''Did he say he was in pain somewhere?''


    He said his left arm, left armpit, right shoulder and right leg hurt, but he didn''t feel sick or have a headache.


    If it only hurts where he was hit or bumped into, I don''t think there''s a problem at the moment.


    ''Did you give Amur anything to eat?''


    If you''re going to eat something and ask for additional meat, I''d suggest you put up with it, but since you said you didn''t feed him anything, I decided to make him something good for his digestion.


    ''Amour. I''ve made some porridge, you''ll have to put up with this.


    I made egg porridge, which is easy to make and easy to digest. Since there was no meat that Amur would want on its own, I also made beef soboro and served it with it.


    ''Mmm!��I would have preferred a thick cut of steak anyway...


    So no food for you today.


    ''We don''t want that!��Aye!


    Selfishly, I pretended to bring back a pot of porridge, and when I pretended to bring back the pot of porridge, Amur moved his body in a hurry to keep him back, and he was in pain.


    ''Until the pain subsides, you''ll have to endure with something easy to digest. Once you''re fully healed, I''ll make you something you like.


    Amur nodded reluctantly as he said this and looked at the porridge on the side table.


    Temma... hmm.


    And then he opened his mouth. I suppose he means to make me eat, but I''m not comfortable with the quicksilver. So.


    Aura, it''s all yours.


    I''m on it!


    I decided to ask Aura, who was watching the porridge. Amur was protesting a lot of things, but I pretended not to hear it all and let it pass.


    Maybe Jeanne or someone around her will go get some water, so I''ll go to the dining room first and prepare some cold water.


    ''Water, water!��Ah!��Come on, Temma!


    Amour''s burns seemed to be worse than I thought, and Jeanne came to get some water, found me, and had to be taken away to treat Amour. Speaking of which, I''ll have to tell Aimee what Tida said before I forget.


    There''s a lot of noise about Tida and Aimee, and about Keos, when I get back to King''s Landing. Hopefully this will pass without incident, but I don''t think that''s possible. Even if we don''t care about the two of them, the incident with Keos is too suspicious, and it''s better to assume that there will be a commotion somewhere someday, for sure.


    First of all, let''s hope it''s peaceful until the snow melts, which makes it easier to move.


    ''Temma, quick!��Amur''s supposedly burned and hit his arm, and he''s screaming in agony!


    ...I hope you are in peace.

 215-Chapter 15-1 Pomelo

    It''s getting warm enough for you.


    ''Yes. But there are still some days when it gets cold so I recommend this.


    The snow has melted and the sun is getting warmer, and Lani has arrived after a long time. In addition, Leni-san followed her, but she went shopping with Amour and the others.


    ''''Is this........tangerines?''''


    Grandpa held the citrus fruit that Lani had taken out, peeled it, smelled it, and threw a bunch into his mouth. Then.


    Suu!��What the hell is this!


    He spat it out in surprise, as it didn''t seem to taste like what he''d imagined.


    ''Is this yuzu (...)?''


    Yes. On a cold day, you can warm yourself up by floating in the bath. Not many people eat it as it is because it''s too salty, but the peels and juice can be used in liquor, cooking or as a snack.


    When he heard it was alcohol, Grandpa smelled the yuzu again and nodded his head in agreement. Then he looked at me as if expecting something.


    ''I''ll buy it.''


    Thank you. There are about a hundred kilograms at a thousand g''s per kilogram. If you''ll buy them all, I''ll lose out on one kilogram, nine hundred g.?


    So I decided to buy them all without hesitation.


    ''And I thought you''d want these things too...''


    And Lani brought out three yuzu trees. Of course, we bought these too. The branches have been cut, but they''re all about three meters long, so hopefully they could be harvested in two to three years.


    ''So, now that we''re on the subject of being a southern intelligence agent, could you tell me more about the situation when your daughter was injured?


    Lani-san''s smiling face from earlier changed and she asked for information about Keos.


    ''''Just so you know, that information has been gagged by the king, though?


    ''With that in mind, I''ll ask again. Please tell me.


    Wondering what to do, Lani said


    ''Even though the South is part of a kingdom, it''s actually more like a separate country. Besides, even if she is no longer a legitimate son, the young lady is definitely one of the most important people in the South. If such a person was in danger and not a single piece of information was disclosed... the South may have to reconsider the idea of an autonomous region (...).


    ''When Maria gets mad at you, I''ll take Lani along for the ride, too.


    After being threatened to this extent, as an adventurer, you can''t help but talk.......so I told Lani what I knew. However, I had to make her agree to be my companion on the road. When I told him that this was the minimum requirement for talking, and that I couldn''t compromise on that, Lani-san immediately nodded. Incidentally, Grandpa had fled the room while I was troubled, and he was probably trying to feign irrelevance.


    ''''Can we just pretend that Grandpa''s share of yuzu didn''t happen?


    I decided to say that about my grandfather and discussed the future with Lani. The biggest issue that came up was.


    I''m sure Hana-sama will understand what''s going on but maybe Lobo-sama will charge in here.


    It was something like.


    ''''That gentleman tends to run amok when it comes to your daughter, and most importantly, he''s much easier to move around than he was before... if you let him go, I think he''s almost a hundred percent likely to come around...'''' ...I mean, Hana-sama was pissed off at me for trying to follow her on this peddle, and...


    ''What if Amur hates you and your relationship with the kingdom deteriorates? ........He gave up after receiving a sermon about it, but in addition to the name of going to check on the badly injured Amur, if it was known that the cause of this time was on the kingdom''s side in no small measure, the Honorary Viscount Lobo would definitely come to the royal capital.


    ''''In order to prevent that from happening, I''ll have to ask not only Hana-sama, but also Sana-sama and Blanca-sama for their cooperation.


    ''Come to think of it, I think I''ve heard that Lani and the rest of your organization is headed by Viscount Emeritus Lobo or something like that from Amur...''


    I asked him what he suddenly remembered, and he said that was already a long time ago, and that Hana-san was now in charge of the authority. For what it''s worth, the subordinates said that it was problematic for anyone other than the head of the family to be in control of the department that handles information.


    ''Lobo-sama''s job right now is to represent Hana-sama when something goes wrong, but his most important job is to be the chairman of the festival''s executive committee.


    The former head of the festival seems to have dropped out of favor, but he''s surprisingly good at it, and he takes the initiative in proposing festival plans to Hana-san. However, he only makes suggestions, and often leaves the details to the other committee members.


    "Do you just say it...


    No, a friend of mine said it''s very easy to do because they negotiate the most important things, like getting permits and the budget, and they basically let you do whatever you want with the rest of it.


    I won''t get into the hard part, but I won''t talk about it either. Maybe he''s a better boss than I thought.


    Well, there wasn''t much point in talking more about the Honorary Viscount Lobo, so I decided to listen to the other Southern stories. The one that came up the most was Yoshitsune''s story, who was attracting a lot of attention for being the next Viscount of the South, and he was already talking about his fianc��e.


    ''''Not to mention the daughters and relatives of the most influential people in the South, there''s talk from other nobles as well. Well, there are some who are looking for southern interests and some who are thinking of taking over, but this is the first time we''ve heard of an engagement from another nobleman, and whether you accept it or not, it''s a popular topic of conversation now among Nanao.


    It is true that Nambu had never been an honorary baron or received an honorary baronet, but since he was officially made a viscount by Hana-san, his second generation and child, Yoshitsune, would be thought to be able to rip off the concession in a big way.


    The rumor is that Tenma-san might be involved in Yoshitsune''s marriage.��That''s one thing.


    Yes?


    ''No. Tenma-san''s apprentice would have been adopted by the Otori family and become the royal fianc��e. In connection with that, there is a rumor that instead of giving the young lady from the south as a bride, Mr. Temma''s adopted son will be given to Lady Yoshitsune''s wife. Incidentally, it''s popular to speculate that Miss Temma''s adopted children will be taken from the dukes of Sangha and Samoens, or from the relatives of the Haust Frontier Count family.


    It''s an interesting story, and it certainly sounds compelling, but when I said that I didn''t intend to do that at the moment, Lani laughed and said, "I agree with you.


    ''''However, if it comes to pass, Yoshitsune-sama.......or rather, the Southern Viscount Family can be associated with the ''Dragon Slayer'' and the ''Great Nobles'' and, albeit thinly veiled, the ''Royal Family''. With that in mind, it''s far more tasty and interesting in terms of profits and prosperity for the Southern Viscount Family than forming a relationship with an influential person in the south or an unfamiliar aristocrat who is aiming for interests, and it''s a story that I want to make happen.


    I thought I heard a glimpse of real feelings from Lani''s mouth, but I laughed and decided not to listen.


    ''Well then, let''s make some things out of a large amount of yuzu, shall we? How is Lani-san doing with the inn?


    Lani and Leni had come straight to the house when they arrived in the royal capital, and they hadn''t taken any accommodation yet. So when I told them to stay at home this time, they refrained from doing so at first, but when I told them that Leni would likely stay the night by herself, she smiled bitterly at the sight of it and decided to stay.


    ''''Well then, I''ll go look around the royal capital a bit later. Oh, by the way, there''s something I haven''t heard about Keos yet, can you let me hear about it this evening?


    ''''As expected, that one will be the secret information of the kingdom, so I can''t tell you about it without my permission. Even if you say you''re going to take not only Lani-san but also Leni-san along for the ride, it''s not worth it.


    The confidential information is when Cayos'' arm was returned to its original shape. As it turns out, Cayos'' arm most likely grew back around the date of his escape. It seems that the place where Cayos was last taken was where he started digging about six months ago, and the physical characteristics section of the document registered at that time said that he had one arm (...).


    The reason I didn''t tell Lani about it was because I decided that this was also inside information about the mine, so it was beyond what I was allowed to tell her.


    When I refused, Lani, who apparently knew what was going on from the beginning, laughed lightly and did not persist any further.


    As soon as I showed him to the guest room, Lani-san went off to unpack and stock up on goods. After seeing her off, I headed straight for the dining room.


    ''''With all this stuff, we could do a lot of things... but it''s going to take a lot of prep work.


    We decided that we couldn''t prepare and cook the food all at once, so we decided to do the prep work this time and spend a few days cooking. Since I didn''t have Jeanne and Aura to assist me, I decided to ask Slarin to help me. Well, when I called Slarin into the dining room, he came with a seemingly useless extra, but as long as he didn''t get in the way, I left him alone... Solomon snacked on some yuzu and was surprised by the sourness of the yuzu and made a big deal out of it.


    Solomon''s rampant cleanup took up a lot of extra time, but I got my mind back on track and decided to work with Slarin on the preparations.


    Slarin''s job is to clean up the yuzu. The slarin takes citron into the body and dissolves the dirt on the surface of the body to clean it, but since there is some resistance to using it as it is, it had to be rinsed off with water once.


    The cleaned citron was separated from the peel and the contents, and the white part was removed as much as possible.


    ''Put this in a container, pour the high-degree liquor into it ... seal it up and you''re done!


    I didn''t add sugar at this time because I only have regular sugar. If it needs sweetening, I''ll add more sugar when I drink it and see how it goes.


    As for the rest ... maybe I''ll make some yuzu pepper.


    I have a lot of green peppers that I harvested last year, so let''s try to make sense of consuming them. Well, it''s easy to make... but there are a lot of things you have to be careful and messy if you try to make it properly, so I''ll see how everyone reacts to a trimmed-down version and then think about whether or not to make a real one.


    ''Shiroumaru, Solomon, stay away from it, it''s dangerous.


    I was careful, but I asked him not to let Slarin near it either, as his curiosity and appetite were enough to make him come to me.


    ''Cut the yuzu peel into small pieces and chop up the chillies to the same size... and mix them with salt and grind them up.


    It would have been better to remove the seeds from the peppers, but it was too much trouble, so I cut off only the stems this time.


    I put them in a container and let them rest in a cool place and they''re done.


    I put the hand-cut yuzu pepper in a cool, dark place with a piece of paper taped to it with the words ''yuzu pepper, very hot'' on it so that someone wouldn''t eat it by mistake.


    ''The only other thing I can think of is ... jam, tea, ponzu and cake?��Well, it might serve as a substitute for other citrus, so let''s try something else.


    With that said, the first round of yuzu cooking was over. But that evening.........


    ''Kalaaahhhh!''


    Two victims of the pepper paste were found.


    Grandpa and Aura tasted the pepper with a spoon, despite the fact that they had put up a sign, of all things.


    If they had smelled it or licked it on their fingertips, they wouldn''t have suffered so much damage, but they were able to say: ''There''s something unfamiliar'', ''Temma was making something'', ''She was buying a citrus called yuzu'', ''It says "pepper" but it doesn''t have any black grains'', ''Then it shouldn''t be inedible'', ''Because it''s yuzu''. They made a mistake in writing "sour" and "You can''t taste it unless it''s like this" and so on and so forth, and they blew themselves up. By the way, Aura was the one who found the pepper and Jichan happened to come to the place where Aura had found it and, out of curiosity, picked it up and ate it.


    "Although it was pepper, we thought it would be safe if it was made from citrus fruits...


    You wouldn''t normally think that citrus fruits are spicy, would you?


    He didn''t seem too remorseful, so I prepared dinner with an extra hot meal in mind.


    ''''Oh, aren''t you an ogre... no, it''s nothing...''''


    When I served the hot stew I''d prepared especially for Grandpa and Aura, I thought they said something unheard of, but when their eyes met mine, they began to eat maturely.


    ''This is an interesting condiment. Is it yuzu pepper?��And it''s interesting that it''s a pepper and it''s called pepper.


    ''No, in some parts of the South, they call chili peppers pepper, so that''s not necessarily wrong. Well, I''ve never heard of a condiment mixed with yuzu and chili pepper, so it''s a rarity... but I guess what goes with it will determine how well it sells.


    Leni and Lani tasted the yuzu pepper I had made and exchanged ideas. And.


    ''Temma, please sell the recipe for this. I''d love to sell it at Lady Sanna''s!


    ''''If we sell at Sana-sama''s place, we can limit our sales channels in the South. Well, they''ll eventually imitate us, but in the meantime, we''ll establish the status of the ''Temma Seal''.


    I guess establishing a position means branding.


    ''It''s easy, I don''t need to get paid for it...''


    He said that if I did that, he said, there would be a lot of products with my name on them without permission, and that a financial contract was required. I asked him if it was okay for him to sell yuzu pepper but not the sweets from "Manchuria Pavilion", but that was before I became famous, and he said he couldn''t do anything about it because of my long stay in Gunjo City and my relationship with "Manchuria Pavilion", and most importantly, Duke Sangha was behind me.


    ''No sweets, but I want to handle the condiments in the south.


    So I was told to sign a contract with them. However, the contract was not to end with the sale of the recipe, but rather a royalty-like contract with a portion of the amount of money sold, which would be paid for by the food, drinks, and condiments of the South. I left it up to Lani to choose the things and get them all together when she came to my house to peddle.


    The next morning.


    ''Then I will return to the South ahead of you.


    Lani had to leave ahead of schedule in order to bring back the information about Keos and the yuzu pepper back to the south.


    I saw Mr. Lani off at the gate of the mansion and relaxed in the house for a while.


    ''Speaking of which, Temma, didn''t you say that you and your brother were going to visit the king to greet him?''


    Leni came to visit me as if she suddenly remembered.


    ''Ah!''


    Speaking of which, he had said that he was going to go to report to the king that he had given the information to Lani-san without permission and that he was going to be angry with her. He must have remembered that Lani-san had told Leni-san at the after-dinner drinking party last night that they were going to go to the king''s place together... but I wish he had remembered a little earlier anyway.


    ''''So Leni-san let''s go and get pissed off together.


    Why?


    Leni seemed to think that me and Lani were going to the king''s place as a job to make the southern and royal pipes thicker, and he didn''t think I was going to apologize at all.


    ''''Hey, I''m going to bring my brother back!


    Leni said, and then tried to go after Lani, but


    ''No matter what you think. Even if they''re returning home by the usual route, it would take them a couple of days to catch up and come back now, and if they''re convinced, they''d have to chase them to the south.


    Even if the information was leaked to the extent allowed, it''s better to go to the king as soon as possible, so Lani-san has no choice but to give up. I can only say it''s unfortunate for Leni-san, but as for me, it''s no different whether it''s Lani-san or Leni-san who apologizes with me, so considering the hassle involved, it''s easier to take Leni-san with me as it is.


    ''''Well when I get back to the south, I''ll spread the bad news about your brother to everyone I know.


    Leni-san had a cold smile on her face, which was unthinkable from her usual appearance. I was curious about what kind of rumor (made up or exaggerated, I think), but I was afraid that if I prodded her poorly, I might get caught, so I prayed that the brunt of the rumor wouldn''t turn on me in the slightest, and I tried to distract her and get airborne.


    ''I see, so that''s why they called me in.


    I decided to ask Cleif-san to come to the mansion to report to the king as soon as possible. There was also a way to go directly to the king''s castle to meet him as usual, but


    ''''It''s true that if we headed directly to the royal castle with a woman, strange rumors might start. In that respect, if we just pretend that we''re guiding a messenger from the Southern Autonomous Region, we can cover it up no matter how much noise it makes.


    Mr. Cliffe, who said it in a deliberately implied way, went towards the carriage before I could rush in.


    ''For now, let''s get in the carriage, shall we?


    He got into the carriage with a nervous Leni and drove to the King''s Castle with Mr. Cleife driving. But during that time, there was no conversation between Leni and me.


    ''Hmm, so that''s the situation. Well, since the relationship with the South was brought up, it can''t be helped that Temma gave him some information. Just to be sure, you didn''t divulge any more information, did you?


    ''Yes, sir. Mr. Lani I''m a southern agent, but other than that, he understood that it was a secret of the kingdom. Well, they asked for other concessions but they were my own personal ones and there was no mutual loss, so we didn''t get in trouble.


    For a moment the faces of the king and Maria soured when they heard that concessions had been asked for, but when they talked about the concessions that had been asked for, they started laughing. Before they laughed, Leni''s face was drawn up from nervousness and her tail was upside down.


    ''Well, if Temma''s good and there''s no problem, then it''s not for us to talk about...''


    I''m curious to know what that yuzu pepper is called.


    And so I was urged to bring some yuzu pepper. Well, that''s how I felt about coming, so I brought it to him properly. I gave him a few warnings, but the king was curious and used his finger to taste it on the spot, and was surprised at how spicy it was. He also rubbed his eyes with the finger he used to taste and was writhing in agony.


    ''It''s not as habitual as I thought it would be. If you think of it as a spicy seasoning, it can be used in many different dishes.


    Despite the king''s distress, Maria was calmly analyzing it. Mr. Cliffe also tasted it and said he wanted to use it in various dishes once the taste was a little more refined.


    ''Leni worries too much, you know. Her Majesty and Maria aren''t the kind of people who are stern but a little blinkered, so you should be more relaxed and talk to them.


    ''I can''t!��Normally, if you''re behaving like Chris, you''re either headed at best, or you''re headed off at worst.


    You think too much.


    When Chris heard that Leni was coming, he decided to come over to the house to visit, as he had the next day off, and he got into the carriage for the return trip home.


    ''Well, if it wasn''t polite, they''re not the kind of people to be picky about people who are making an effort to be careful.


    That''s right. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get away with it. Even now, it is not uncommon for him to deal with His Majesty in a perfunctory manner. Well, I wouldn''t do that to Maria, though.


    ''Mr. Chris, the only time I''ve ever treated the king roughly is when he has a problem with me. Therefore, I have never treated Missalia-sama to Caesar-sama, Isabella-sama, or Zain-sama in a messy way.


    ''Which, conversely, means that those of you who didn''t name names have been treated in a messy way, haven''t you?


    I didn''t argue with Leni''s prodding, but one thing I can say is that I''ve handled it more often than I''ve ''handled it''.


    ''But you don''t get messy then, do you, Maria, when sometimes you get out of control, do you?


    I have my own clear answer to Chris'' question. It''s.


    ''Mr. Chris do you think you can equate someone who always (...) runs off and someone who sometimes (...) runs off?''


    I can''t.


    This is what it means. Chris-san, who understood the meaning of that in a moment, also felt that it couldn''t be helped.


    ''''Temma-sama, the carriage of the Sanga duke''s family is parked at the mansion.


    A little before the mansion, Mr. Cliffe spotted the Duke of Sangha''s carriage and reported to me.


    ''Which one is coming, I wonder?


    What is it that either the Duke of Sangha or Albert is coming to see you?��With that in mind, I walked into the mansion.


    I''m sorry, Mr. Temma!


    He was called into the parlor and suddenly bowed to the Duke of Sangha, who was waiting there. And Albert, who was beside him, also bowed silently.


    ''''Albert........did you do something again?''''


    I could only think of a reason for the Duke of Sangha to apologize to me other than Albert, who was beside him, so I said it with the intention of defusing the situation...


    Not again, but that''s generally true.


    He said to me.


    ''Temma, you two have come here with a serious story to tell, so why don''t you sit down and listen to what we have to say, instead of fooling around?


    To be honest, I wasn''t expecting Albert''s reaction, and I was wondering how I should react, so it was a relief to have my grandfather step in between us.


    ''So, what is the reason why the Duke and Albert bowed together?


    I asked him why, in the form of a re-division.


    Well my daughter is coming....


    ''Primera ... or is that your sister above you?


    I don''t see the point of the two of them coming together to apologize if Primera is going to come. Besides, the moment I mentioned Primera''s name, I remembered something. It was.


    "of the sender of that letter that made Albert pale and pale.


    I left an angry letter to Albert about playing matchmaker with Primera, and it was expected that he would eventually come to check on me in person, the older sisters.


    ''My second daughter is coming to King''s Landing soon, and she wants to see you, Temma, then.

 216-Chapter 15-2 Guest × 3

    ''I don''t mind meeting you but of course, at the very least, Albert is going to be present, right?


    The other party is a married man, so it''s unlikely that we''ll be alone when we meet with the opposite s*x, but without Albert, there''s a good chance I''ll be the only target of the attack, and if I can successfully sacrifice Albert, the damage to me might be minimized.


    ''That''s only natural. According to Primera, it''s Albert who''s to blame and Temma-kun is the one who''s been set up, so there''s a reason why Albert has to be present.


    I guess that means I''m going to have to take the brunt of it, now that I''m involved.


    So, do you have any idea when it will be soon?


    Now that we have the shield and sacrifice (Albert), all we have to do is get the projected date of arrival and information about the person in question. But.


    ''Honestly, it''s unpredictable. That ... Angela has a feisty side, and she''s the one who was the strictest on Albert, so maybe it''s just around the corner.


    Yeah, make it easy on him.


    I have to gather information about my sister and I have to take measures to deal with that. If that''s the case, I''ll have to ask Duke Sanga or Albert, who knows a lot of information about his sister, to tell me a lot of things, but since it''s impossible to hold the duke in custody for a long period of time, naturally the only choice is Albert. Even though Albert has a job to do, he can still make a substitute.


    The two of them seemed to understand that very well, and Duke Sanga immediately agreed to lend Albert a loan, and Albert nodded without saying anything.


    ''''I''ll have someone from the house deliver Albert''s change of clothes, lodging and other expenses later.


    As expected, I told him I didn''t want to pay for my lodging, but he asked me to accept this much for the trouble I was causing him, and even told me that it was a matter of my face as a nobleman, so I decided to accept it.


    ''''I''m not asking you to take it in lieu of lodging, but you can take this home as a souvenir.


    I gave him some yuzu as a souvenir and told him that it smelled good but was sour, so I told him to put it in his bath or in his drink, and he left, happily saying that he would try it this evening.


    ''Temma-kun, duke-sama.........................What''s left of Albert?''


    Mr. Chris called out to me in the corridor when he saw the carriage in which the Duke of Sangha was riding leave, but he was wondering why Albert was still there.


    Chris-san has a bit of a connection with the matchmaker, so I told him the story of my conversation with the Duke of Sanga in a nutshell.


    ''Is my senior coming?��Rachael?��Or is it senior Angela?


    Rachel is the name of the oldest sister, but as Chris-san called her ''senior'', they were both graduates of the school and were five years and three years older than Chris-san, so they didn''t know each other directly, but they knew each other because they were famous.


    ''''Would you like to meet them too, Chris-san?''''


    I told her that it was Angela and suggested that it would be better to have at least one more person with me on the road, but Chris refused, saying that he might be angry with me for not stopping Albert, so I wouldn''t see him this time.


    ''Albert, the first thing I want to ask you is the nature of the two of you. If I don''t know that, I can''t take action.


    However, even though they say they can''t stand up with their mouths, no matter what they choose to do, they have decided to sacrifice Albert in the end.


    Sister Angela is a devil who attacks people physically and mentally with her bishops.


    Okay, I get it!��I''ll offer this to Angela. The witness is Slarin.


    Showing me a piece of paper with Albert''s words transcribed verbatim, "Did you call for me? I pointed at Slarin, who was peeking at me as if to say


    ''I''m sorry!��Just kidding!


    ''For God''s sake, don''t joke around at a time like this. If you try to joke around again I''ll have your sisters give you this paper via Primera.


    I decided to keep the paper I wrote down the bad words on as one of my cards in case something went wrong and asked them to tell me their personalities again.


    Whenever she tries to hide something, she pursues it until she''s satisfied, and even after she''s confessed, she keeps trying to find out why she''s cheating. Angela''s sister has a strong and savvy side, but when she gets angry, her fists fly out of her mouth and she yells at them without allowing them to stand upright and move even slightly.


    I thought there might be a problem with both...


    Is that real life experience for Albert?


    When I asked him about it, he nodded, so it was possible that there was simply a problem with Albert.


    I don''t know how true it was, but I decided that it was a reference to the extent that there was such an aspect from my own brother''s point of view, and I tried to think about how the discussion would go.......


    ''After all, it''s going to be what you think of Primera... or rather, that''s all I can think of as a goal.


    The most likely topic was the Primera story, followed by an apology for what Albert had done, then the pipeline between the Otori family and his wife, and finally small talk. Well, all of them seemed possible, but I don''t think he would come to talk about anything other than primera alone, so if he did, it would be after the primera story.


    ''Rather than faking it poorly, I guess we''ll have to talk about it just like we did to Maria-sama and Duke Sanga-sama.


    ''Well I don''t really remember much about that time...''


    Because of the shock of the sisters'' letters on top of being stared at by the Duke of Sangha and Lady Maria, Albert probably subconsciously didn''t want to remember what happened at that time, or almost sealed off his memory.


    Even after that, because of Albert''s allegations of bias and memory loss, the discussion didn''t turn out to be very useful. So.


    Seniors Rachel and Angela?


    I asked Chris for information. Chris-san gave me a look like why he was asking me when Albert was there, but when I told him about Albert''s condition, he looked dumbfounded and told me about them.


    ''''First of all, you''re Rachel-senpai. You''re a beautiful woman with a laid-back, receptive, and long silver hair that catches your eye. Normally you are a ladylike person with a nice smile, but when the time comes, you also have the strength not to back down, even if your opponent is a teacher.


    He was popular with both men and women on campus, and he had a few unofficial fan clubs that were very popular with the boys, among them. It was quite different from Albert''s story.


    ''''Angela-senpai, you''re a beautiful woman who seems like a wispy older sister. She has a strong temperament, and when she saw a junior female student being teased by a senior male student, she slapped him on the cheek, and even when he yelled at her, she didn''t even make a gagging sound.


    He thought it was consistent with Albert''s story, but the truth was that he had heard both sides of the story before he slapped her, and in addition to hearing both sides of the story, he had decided that the boys were worse off, and that the boys had slapped him because he had done something threatening while the girls were talking to him. The boys didn''t like him at times, but he was very popular with the younger girls.


    After listening to the story, I thought that Angela might be the same type of person as Chris. Maybe Albert''s weakness to Chris is because he feels that Chris is similar to Angela-san.


    ''''So, when is Angela-senpai coming to King''s Landing?''''


    Chris probably doesn''t plan to come when Angela''s arrival date approaches, but as far as I''m concerned, the more road warriors I have, the better. That''s why.


    The letter came today, so it''s a long way off ... maybe.


    He had no idea where he was married, etc., so he replied vaguely, "Maybe, According to her father and brother, it''s possible that they may have arrived earlier than they imagined... but I don''t need to tell them that. Even if Angela-san arrived earlier than expected, it doesn''t necessarily mean that Chris-san would come to visit her that day, so if they ran into each other, it would just be Chris-san''s bad luck.


    When I was about to go back to my room after we finished talking, Chris-san said, "I''m going to stay the night, so I''ll rent a room for you," and went to the room I usually use. It''s brazen enough to compete with the kings, but I don''t mind it too much since it''s already a part of my daily life. In the meantime, I have an aspect of being a liaison with the royal family, and I also pay for food and other expenses. And above all.


    ''Temma, I''m waiting at the gate because the person who brought the letter has to give it to me in person. Just so you know, I''ve been shown the family crest of the ''Sanga Dukes'' as proof of identity, so I don''t think the letter is from a strange place.


    ''All right, I''ll be right there. And, Jeanne, don''t tell anyone that the duke''s people have brought you a letter. It''s an order(...).


    For some reason, there was a pretty good chance that something unfortunate would happen to Chris when he stayed at our house. And this time, too, a shadow of misfortune had crept up on Chris.


    When I received the letter, the sender was Angela, just as I had expected, and at the beginning of the letter she apologized for sending the letter out of the blue, and also apologized for the trouble Albert was causing her, saying she wanted to apologize in person, thank him and talk to him once, and would like to visit him at a day that was convenient for me. Incidentally, the letter was written after arriving in the capital, so it also said that if today is okay with it, I''ll come over right away. I asked the person who brought the letter to me to tell me, albeit verbally, that today was too urgent and I would invite him tomorrow morning.


    That night.


    This yuzu fruit is the best!��You can float it in your bath, or you can put it in your drink!


    Some people say that adding yuzu ruins the sake''s natural flavor, but it''s nice to have a different flavor in this way. The downside to this is that it increases the amount of sake you can drink.


    Chris and Leni were frolicking around with their yuzu-infused drinks. They seemed to think that Angela was going to be here for a month at the earliest, and they were completely caught off guard.


    He''s a grandfather, and he''s supposed to be drinking alone while taking a bath. He took a large amount of yuzu, sake and snacks with him, so he''s probably enjoying himself in various ways by now.


    Albert says he''s tired and goes back to his room. When he returned, he also said he had a bad feeling about something, so he must have sensed Angela''s approach on instinct.


    Jeanne looks at me from time to time, as if she is concerned about the letter from the dukes (which she mistakenly thinks is a letter from the dukes), and Aura seems to think that Jeanne''s reaction to her has led her to believe that something has happened between her and me.


    Amur seemed to have finished his share of the snacks Leni had made and was rummaging around the kitchen for something else to eat.


    Shiroumaru and Solomon kept Amur in their sights as he scavenged in the kitchen, trying to find something tasty to eat.


    Slarin collected the empty plates and other items and carried them to the kitchen. He occasionally gets the remains of strained yuzu and eats them, so maybe he likes the yuzu.


    So the night has gone by almost as usual, but to me it didn''t seem like the calm before the storm. Well, my road companion No. 1 is nourishing his spirits as he takes on the storm, and No. 2 doesn''t seem to be able to escape, so for me, I''d like to welcome the storm as it is.


    And the next day.


    Greetings, my dear Otori. My name is Angela von Cagliostro, the second daughter of the Duke of Sanga, Lord Arthas.


    The storm(...) came to our house, as if in anticipation, just as breakfast was finished.


    We led him to the parlor and when the tea had survived to each of us, we discussed the matter, but Angela only had one maid with her, while this one was facing me, Grandpa, Albert and Chris (but Chris and Angela''s maids were not (They each stood in the back.)


    ''My father and brother have always been very helpful to me.


    No, we''re in your debt, too, so it''s mutual.


    After introductions, there was some bland talk for a while. However, during that time, Albert and Chris-san were still nervous, and Angela-san was freaked out if she moved a little.


    ''And yet, we hear about Ootori-sama in so many places, I don''t feel like this is the first time we''ve had it. Especially the one I hear about most often........how my brother is causing so much trouble.


    Angela hesitated for a moment and laughed as she stared at Albert. The glare made Albert reflexively try to run away, but when he floated halfway down, Angela-san coughed and he sat back down and sat back down. Well, I''m sitting shallower than I was before, and I think it''s unconscious, but I was only a few centimeters away from Angela-san than I was in the first position... Honestly, I think I''d want to run away even if I wasn''t Albert if he gave me a face like that.


    After hearing the story, my husband and others in the mansion told me that I was about to take the sword that was displayed in my room with great speed and head for the royal capital. Well, I was about to get on my horse, but my husbands stopped me and brought me back to my senses.


    ''Just so you know........the main stalker wasn''t Albert. Rather, I thought he was just involved.... and you can call me Temma. That''s what everyone close to me calls me.


    The moment I heard Angela-san''s story, my first thought was "Albert is lucky that Angela-san isn''t in the royal capital"....... However, I couldn''t bring myself to say such a thing, and I couldn''t think of any way to return it, even if I wanted to talk about other places. The result was a word that came out in defense of Albert.


    ''Feel free to call me that. I found out later that it wasn''t a initiative, but since we were acting together, Albert is just as guilty. It''s nice to see two legitimate sons of the same age getting along, but too much of a good thing...''''


    As expected of a family member and former school student, he seems to know that Albert and the others are rotten girls'' idols.


    ''''To be honest, half of the rumors about Albert and the others are about that (...)... I wish I could put myself in the shoes of those who are told.


    ''Oh, sister, I think we''re going to talk about me in that area and I''m sure you''re not here to talk about that today, but something else.


    Albert, who couldn''t stand Angela''s teasing anymore, unexpectedly tried to use me as a shield.


    Well, we''re getting off on a tangent. The reason I''m here today is to talk about the Primera.


    Finally, we''re talking about this........


    ''First of all, I want to say that I''m not asking you to take responsibility for the primera, Temma. If you''re going to take it, that''s great, but I don''t think both of us would be happy if we got together on responsibilities and such.


    It was a little ... well, a lot different than what I was expecting.


    ''Well, for that matter, the boy is unlikely to marry, and you can think of Temma-san as your brother-in-law, which is the most likely outcome.


    I thought it was much different, and then he came back with a change of pace.


    ''Sis, that''s...''


    ''I don''t tell others what I think, just because I think so. And you are the one who caused it to happen, do you deny it?��I just think, you tried to use people''s weddings to get Temma to marry Primera, didn''t you?��Which of us is more sinful?


    Just when I thought he was back, he went back to Albert for a change....


    ''By the way, I''ve been wondering since earlier, but the one standing behind me is Christina the Kingsguard...no, it''s Chris? Why is she here?


    I thought Angela''s eyes went to Albert, but then she passed by and went to Chris.


    ''Ha, nice to meet you, Angela-senpai!��Today, well I felt I had to apologize for going along with Albert''s plan, and imitating my sister by setting her up, so I thought I''d sit in!


    Chris stepped forward and quickly assumed that Albert was the main culprit and bowed his head, making it look like he had come to apologize voluntarily.


    ''I don''t think you need to apologize for that first. I don''t believe that your actions have affected the Primera in any way, and above all, I have already heard that the Queen has reprimanded you for your actions. If I were to accuse you here of anything, it might be said that it would be an act of disgrace to the queen''s face.


    As for Albert, he had the right to scold her because he was a member of her family, but since he had nothing to do with Chris, Angela-san couldn''t talk to him as long as Maria-sama, who was in a superior position, ended up scolding Chris.


    If Angela scolded Chris now, she might think that it was because Maria scolded her in a bad way and that she had to do it all over again.


    ''I''m sorry, over and over again!


    Chris mouthed his apologies one last time and returned to his original position. Angela, too, smiled at Chris-san, then broke her gaze and looked at Albert again.


    (Can''t we just leave once, at some point?)


    Angela-san didn''t feel like she had any complaints about me or anything, so she wanted to avoid the possibility of hitting a stray bullet to Albert. Probably because I thought that if I left my seat once here, Angela-san would proceed to talk with Albert in the meantime, but the question was how to leave.


    But such a thought had gone to the heavens.


    Oh, excuse me. Master Temma, you have a visitor.


    Jeanne came to announce a visitor, using unusual language as a maid of honor.


    ''A visitor?��Since you can''t leave now, can you tell him to wait a bit?


    But in my mind, I was gutted many times. When I heard that he was a visitor, that person I knew from ''exploration'' and ''appraisal''.......


    It''s...


    Jeanne said the name of her visitor with an earful to me, with Angela in mind.


    ''Angela, I''m sorry, but I have to leave the table for a moment. Chris, may I ask you to follow me?


    All right. Excuse me, seniors, if you''ll excuse me.


    Angela graciously agreed to take Chris with her, as she understood that her visitor was that much of a person. And.


    For my part, I have a few things to talk to Albert about, so don''t worry about this one.


    He smiled at her. On the contrary, Albert said, "Don''t leave me! He looked so sad that I could almost hear a voice in my mind saying... well, I don''t know what Albert and Angela talked about in the meantime, because both me and Chris completely ignored them and left the room and quickly left the parlor.


    ''Yo!��Excuse me for being a guest.


    The person who came at the right time was someone Angela couldn''t complain about, Lyle-sama.


    Why did Master Lyle come?


    ''Hey!��Hey, Nami!


    He''s kidding as usual, he''s brought this fish species with him.


    After all, when Lyle-sama was passing by the river on his way back from the knights'' exercise, the knight who was ahead of him found a demon jumping in the river and confirmed it was a Namitarou. Incidentally, the knight who discovered it seemed to know the existence of Namitaro, and when he called out to him from afar to try it out, he answered back and reported that he had been identified.


    ''So you brought me here!��I was going to sneak in at night like I usually do, so that was a huge help!


    When he said that, Namitaro said, "Souvenirs and stuff~! He began to make a pile with various seafood, shouting.


    ''Namitaro I appreciate it very much, but at least serve it in the kitchen... yeah?��What is this egg?


    As I was putting the pile of fish and shellfish into the magic bag, breaking it up a bit, a large egg appeared from the center of the pile.


    ''''Mmm ... huge. How many egg rolls?''''


    I feel like I could make enough for a hundred or so people, let alone how many.


    When Amour and Jeanne saw the eggs, they were right, the eggs that came out were about a meter in size and weighed.......


    ''Wow!��It''s heavy!


    It was so heavy that he couldn''t lift it without magically raising his physical abilities.


    ''Temma, that''s not a souvenir!��I''m owed something!��Don''t you ever drop it!


    When Namitaro saw me lifting the egg, he hurriedly retrieved the egg into his magic bag.


    ''This egg is my friend''s child.


    According to Namitaro''s explanation, the best friend who laid this egg was ill, so he is keeping it instead. Even so, I thought it was a bit of a mess to handle, but since it''s very sturdy, this much is normal, he said. In fact, it''s better to give them just the right amount of stimulation to have a positive effect on them.


    ''''Otori-sama, Angela-sama and Albert-sama have finished talking, and they would like you to show your face once.


    I''ll be right there. Jeanne, Aura, we''re going to do our annual thing (...), so get ready.


    I handed them both a magic bag of seafood and I headed into the parlor by myself.


    ''I''m sorry I left you alone,''


    No, I''m afraid we''re on short notice.


    Afterwards, Angela and I made small talk, but not a single mention of Primera came up in that conversation.


    ''Oh?��I''m afraid it''s getting late. I''m going to have to leave now, Temma-san. So I''d like to ask you to do a few things for me.


    I thought it was going to end like this, but at the last minute, Angela said she had a favor to ask.

 217-Chapter 15 -3 Hello, baby!

    Sister!��The story of the Primera.


    Albert, shut up for a second.


    Albert also thought it was about Primera, and he tried to stop Angela''s words in a hurry, but on the contrary, Angela glared at him and he fell silent.


    ''Albert, I''m not going to rehash the story your father ended. Apart from my personal feelings, at least as someone involved in the Duke of Sangha''s family, I have no intention of disputing the head of the family''s decision.


    When Albert and I heard those words, I couldn''t help but nod my head, as if to say, if that was the case, what are we talking about?


    ''What I''m asking is ............I need you to sign this.


    Angela took out a picture book that Angela wanted me to sign, and she took out a book.


    ''This is...''


    That was the first book, based on a story from my childhood and supervised by Maria. After that, I heard that three more picture books were published by the same author, and it has become a popular series among children.


    I was trying to find a way to get my youngest child to sign the book through her father, but I apologized for the incident with Albert, and I thought I''d like to say hello to him directly.


    That''s what he said. I suppose there was a reason for him to look at me for the primera thing, but more than that, it seems that the purpose was to connect our faces as the Cagliostro family, and to sign off on it. Well, Albert''s apology would have been one of the purposes, but since it was something I could have asked for in a letter or from the Duke of Sangha about it, Albert would have just been used. However, it would have been a decision for Albert to be angry, but staying at our house would have been the best situation for Angela to be in. Perhaps the Duke of Sanga also lent Albert to me with that intention.


    ''''Yes, I don''t mind that much. But I can''t write very well, can I?


    I''ve only signed so many books in my life, and that''s because I''ve only ever signed so many books. By the way, we only have two signed books, four each for Maria and Yoshitsune.


    When I told her that, Angela said she should have brought other books with her, so I decided to sign the other three books we had at home.


    ''My boy will love these!��So, in the thick of it, perhaps your sister Rachel''s kids will want an autograph too, so thank you for that.


    It''s fine for me to sign the papers, but I''ve decided to leave the older sister''s kid''s portion with the Duke of Sangha. As expected, I don''t want to set up a discussion like today''s again, so if we really need to meet, I''ll ask Duke Sangha to make it a party style. That way, it would be easier for me mentally, since I might be able to prepare a road companion as well, rather than a wall.......or even a sacrifice......such as Cain or Leon.


    When we finished talking, I invited Angela-san to lunch as she was just ready for lunch, but she said she had a packed schedule after this, and she had to take Albert around with her to do some things. When Albert heard this, he looked at Angela with a surprised look on his face, but he nodded meekly, as if he felt he couldn''t object.


    I headed to the front door to see Angela and Albert off, who said they would be coming back later to pick up Albert''s luggage and that they would be leaving without them.


    Hmm?��Oh, it''s been a while.


    It''s been a long time, Master Lyle.


    On the way, he met Lyle-sama, who was walking down the corridor. The two of them were close in age, and apparently they knew each other as seniors and juniors in the school.


    After a brief greeting and small talk on the spot, Angela-san and Albert headed to the carriage, and Lyle-sama followed them to see them off. He said they knew each other, but they may have been reasonably close friends.


    ''Well then, let''s have lunch!��........and I hope it doesn''t get messy.


    Lyle-sama''s last muttered words gave me an ominous feeling, but I couldn''t hear them because I arrived at the dining room before I heard them.


    ''So everyone has their own bowl of rice ready then........so who''s your first pick?


    The nomination of the ingredients for the seafood bowl by Namitaro''s souvenir began. The first ingredient that everyone pointed to was.....


    I guess tuna tataki is the most popular. Then it''s rock-paper-scissors.


    Okay, see you later.


    Apparently Leni-san chose it because it was her first time, but it seemed like a hurdle to choose it for the first time.


    Leni carefully spooned in the spoon, going over the rules, and tried to quickly transfer it to the bowl, but


    Well, it''s not going to be that easy, is it?


    I failed and didn''t get on the bowl much.


    ''Well then, it''s our turn!


    Chris led the group in a game of rock-paper-scissors for tuna tataki.


    Number one, you get it!


    Number two, I got it!


    Number three.


    Aura was the one who took the first prize, Amour was second, and I was third.


    ''''This time........ah.......''''


    Pfft...........................


    Aura and Amur planned to get a large number of them and tried to salvage the center from the bottom... but they both failed and were only able to scoop up a small amount.


    So I''m going to aim for this place and... well, that''s okay?


    I put the spoon in through the gap created by their failure and was able to scoop up quite a bit of food. Chris and Jeanne, who were watching them, imitated me and put the spoon into the bowl and put almost ten times as much on the bowl as Aura and Amour. Well, even though it was ten times as much, it was only a small amount for the two of them, so even Grandpa and Lyle-sama, who failed a bit, had three to four times as much on their bowl.


    ''''Well then, let''s have it.''''


    When everyone''s bowl of rice was completed, we all gathered to start eating....


    Again!


    Amour and Master Lyle had finished their food quickly and were about to plunge into their second drink.


    ''We''re late to the party!''


    Don''t you two have too much!


    Chris and Grandpa also finished their food and went for a refill after they were defeated.


    Okay, water.


    Aura was choking on her cheeks from her hurried attempts to catch up with the four of them, and Jeanne had to take care of her.


    After such a noisy lunch was over, each of them were relaxing to their hearts'' content, when they saw Lyle-sama going to the bathroom, so they followed him.


    ''Lyle-sama, can I ask you a few questions?''


    What''s the matter with you?


    I waited for him to come out of the bathroom and went straight to my room. Master Lyle was momentarily alarmed as I entered the room and locked the door, but he quickly let his guard down and sat down in a nearby chair.


    ''So, what do you want to ask me about before you lock the door?''


    ''I heard him muttering ''I hope it doesn''t get nasty'' after he left Angela,''


    After Lyle-sama showed a surprised face at my direct question, he sighed deeply.


    ''''I didn''t mean to say it out loud...''''


    ''It was so quiet, I don''t think anyone but me could hear it.


    When I said that only I, who happened to be nearby, could hear it, Lyle-sama looked a little reluctant, but quickly became serious.


    ''Well, it can''t be helped that he heard me, and for now it''s only a prediction like ''maybe'', but to put it simply, ''there''s a chance that the royalists might crack,'' and that''s what I thought when I saw Angela.


    ''Royalists split?��Does this mean that Angela-san might create a new faction?


    I''ll tell you that it didn''t look like that.


    ''No, I don''t think Angela has any intention of doing that. If anyone is going to be the head of a faction, it''s her father, the Duke of Sangha.


    There are several factions in the kingdom''s aristocracy, the three most famous being the ''Royalist'', ''Reformed'', and ''Neutral'' factions, and the other factions are said to be less than half of the smallest of the three, the ''Neutral'' faction, when all the rest are combined.


    Within those factions, there are several more factions. For example, in the case of the ''Royalty Faction'', there''s the central faction led by your father, the royal faction in the north, and the royal faction in the east......


    Incidentally, the faction with the king at the center belongs to Lyle-sama and the other royalty, the Duke of Sanga, the Marquis of Sammons, and the nobles called Haust Frontier Count.


    ''''But there''s a nobleman from the royalist faction who''s increased his influence all at once in recent times.


    Is that the Duke of Sangha?


    ''''That''s right. In addition to the original influence, in recent years three of his children have been married to influential noblemen. Furthermore, the adopted daughter of the family of the next head of the family of the head of the family (Albert)''s fianc��e is the lover of the most likely candidate for the future king. With all this, it''s not surprising that decades from now, someone who is directly descended from the Duke of Sangha''s family could become the king. There isn''t, and it doesn''t mean you won''t suddenly have ambitions. You never know what''s in a person''s heart.


    Certainly, I can understand Lyle-sama''s fears, but that would have been mentioned before, and that wouldn''t have led to me unintentionally muttering to myself when I saw Angela-san.


    When I told her about it, Lyle-sama thought for a moment before she


    ''Temma, when you heard Angela was coming, what did you think she was going to talk about?


    Huh?��I thought it was, well ... a story about my marriage to Primera.


    Master Lyle nodded in reply.


    ''''Angela''s actions would have made the other nobles think as much as Temma thought. In other words, some might suspect that Duke Sanga is using his daughter to draw Temma, the ''dragon killer'' and strongest adventurer in the world, into his camp. What''s more, Temma is very popular with the residents of the royal capital. If such a Temma were to join the faction created by the Duke of Sangha, the Duke of Sangha would gain power, strength and popularity. If he wants to, he could even start a new country.


    It may seem like very much overthinking it, but if we''re just talking about possibilities, there''s certainly nothing that can''t be done.


    Even if Duke Sanga didn''t have the intention to do so, there might be other nobles who act on their own with the thought that maybe there might be someone who will act on their own with the thought of doing so, or someone who will leap into the dark to confuse the royalist faction.......like the ''reformist'' nobles.


    As a reformer who is being differed from the royalist faction, he could reduce the power of the royalist faction by simply putting the Duke of Sangha and the royalty at odds, even if he couldn''t do that, he could just plant suspicion.


    Well, these problems tend to occur in connection with aristocratic marriages and the like. In fact, it''s not an uncommon story, since it came up during Albert''s engagement and Angela''s marriage, but it''s a hassle to take countermeasures every time it happens.


    ''Could it be that Angela said she had other places to go...''


    I''m sure it''s just a precaution.


    ''Maybe a party would be better. Even if you leave it with me and give it to me, as a nobleman, I''d still prefer to meet you in person to thank you, so I''d have to meet you anyway. If that''s the case, I think it''s easier to give it to them at a party, because it can be done at once. But since you''re only giving it to Rachel, it''s inevitable that you''ll be seen as giving her special treatment.


    I''ve heard that this is the case, but if you give it to the Duke of Sanga first and then pass it on through the Duke of Sanga, it should be possible to avoid the problem to some extent.


    ''''Incidentally, if you send an invitation to that party to Tida in the name of Duke Sanga, you can show how close the royal family and the Duke Sanga''s family are. Fortunately, Tida''s lover Amy is Elisabeth''s sister-in-law, so it wouldn''t be wrong to say that the invitation was sent out because of that relationship.


    I''ll take Master Lyle''s advice to the King and the Duke of Sangha at the earliest opportunity. I know they''re probably both thinking the same thing, but my political skills are either tacked on or pushed too hard, so we''ll have to be prepared to move as they see fit.


    ''''Well, since Temma is the one involved, we can leave the hard stuff to your father, your brother, and the Duke of Sanga. With those three, it''s not a bad thing... well, maybe we should mix your mother in as well. Your father and Duke Sanga will be fine, but your brother is going to take advantage of Temma with all his might.


    As for Caesar-sama, he doesn''t have as much of a relationship with the kings as they do, so I can''t say that''s not the case, but I think it''s possible that he could be used for the benefit of the royal family.


    Let''s report to your mother from my end.


    I''ve decided to ask Lyle-sama to report to the kings. It would be easier to throw the whole thing to the kings, and only after the movements of the royal family and the Sanga dukes are decided would it be easier to interfere.


    ''''Well then, I shall return to the castle. I''m sure your mother will come or call on me soon, so please do me a favor then.


    I could have done it in a hurry, and Lyle-sama said he was going back to the royal castle here, so I decided to ask him to wait a little while and prepare a souvenir. Lyle-sama may not have noticed, but even though he had the job of sending Namitaro, he would be disgusted if he found out that he was the only one who ate the delicious food.


    ''''Well then, please give this to Maria-sama. As for the cooking, I''m sure Kryfe-san or Aina can do it.


    I''m sorry. Thank you.


    Lyle-sama looked at the souvenirs I had prepared for him and seemed to realize that Maria would have been sarcastic if I hadn''t, and he bowed his head deeply. The contents of the souvenirs are enough seafood and rice for a dozen or so people, and we decided to call it a joint name with Namitaro. This way, I wouldn''t be hacked off because I had eaten only Lyle-sama''s food.


    After seeing Lyle-sama off until he was out of sight, I returned to the dining room...


    Come on, man, we''re doing the best we can.


    Hmmm~~!


    Hang in there~!��O-o-o-o-sa-ma~!


    We all gathered around Namitarou and did something together.


    ''''Mufu~.......good job!��But I can''t!


    I knew it was impossible~. Only Merlin and Jeanne are the only ones who have made it so far.


    When Amur surrendered, Namitaro was lightly tapping the egg that Amur had just touched and done something with, and he made a disappointed sound.


    ''What are you doing?''


    ''Oh!��Here comes the real deal!��And now.........Temma, here you are~


    I called out to him, and Namitaro said, "I''ve been waiting for you! I don''t know why, but I beckoned to him in my Kyoto dialect.


    Look, look, look, look, over here. I want you to put your hand on this egg and pour a little magic power into it. Just a little bit of magic!��Just a little bit, please!


    Okay.


    Hmm?��Temma, it''s my face you want to touch, not the eggs.��Hey, Temma do you hear me?


    I decided to play along with Namitaro, who was completely goofing around, and I decided to play a little bit too, and put my hands between Namitaro''s face. And.


    Takemi...


    "Wait a minute!��That''s not right!��Because that''s not a joke!


    I was about to cast the most powerful magic that seemed to work the best, when Namitaro, I don''t know if he heard it from someone else or if he guessed it from his name, quickly pulled my hand away and backed away from me at a tremendous rate.


    ''I''m just kidding. Even for me, I can''t use ''Takemikazuchi'' without preparation... at best, my body will be tingly and numb.


    "You may say it in a low voice, but Nami-chan Ear can hear you!��You can''t chatter on a fish!��You''re not allowed to fly for billiards!


    An excited Namitaro said, "Bili is the enemy of the fish!��Environmental destruction!��God may forgive me, but Nami-chan won''t! He made a fuss about it.


    ''So what the hell do you want me to do?


    I want you to share the magic of Temma with this egg.


    ''After all the noise you''ve made, what are you doing having a normal conversation with me...''


    I waited for Namitaro''s excitement to subside, and when I asked him why he called me over, he told me what he wanted as if nothing had happened.


    Chris, who was watching us, said something as if he could speak for everyone else''s minds, but I could only say it was because me and Namitaro had this kind of relationship, and I pretended I didn''t hear it because it was the usual thing.


    ''Tenma used to pour magic into Solomon when he was hatching him, didn''t he?��And I want you to do the same thing.


    That Namitaro''s words convinced me that this egg was not an ordinary egg. Well, I knew it wasn''t an ordinary demon egg when the ''appraisal'' didn''t ask, but.......I have a bit of a bad feeling about it.


    ''''It looks like you are being cautious about something, but this is what this egg''s mother asked me to do. It is said that if you pour various magical powers into the child, it will produce a stronger child.


    That''s not what I''m wary of, but I poured my magic into the egg, remembering what happened with Solomon, thinking that if the egg''s mother allowed it, it was fine.


    ''Oh!''��It''s just that he''s experienced, and his magic is getting better and better at what he does!


    It had been a while, but the infusion of magic power seemed to work... or rather, it seemed to work too well, and it took about as much magic power as I used ''Tempest''. As a result.


    It''s cracked!


    You''re going to be born!


    Hey, back off, you two, out of harm''s way!


    The egg cracked, and Amour and Aura, who had been watching, tried to lean over and peer in, but an alarmed Chris-san pulled them away by the back collar, forcing them to keep their distance.


    ''It''s out, it''s out~.......................out!


    Buhi~........buhi......buhi?


    With a crunching sound, a ''turtle'' like creature emerged from the egg. Except for me and Namitaro, everyone else looked at the baby turtle-like demonic creature with pleasure or interest, but I was in a cold sweat. Because.


    Species ... behemoth


    And that''s because it was in the ''appraisal''. In this world, behemoths are a type of ancient dragon, a dragon that has no wings, but has a huge body that is well over a hundred meters in length. It is the most commonly sighted dragon species of the same individual, and because of its relatively gentle nature, it is not dangerous to watch from a distance, but because it is so huge, if you approach it carelessly, it can be caught in the shock of movement. Incidentally, the figure has the shape of a giant tortoise, but seems to basically live in the sea.


    ''''Ah!��I''m hiding in a shell!


    The baby behemoth didn''t like being surrounded, and the baby behemoth pulled its head back to hide in its shell. While everyone was engrossed in such a sight, I pulled Namitaro out of the room and


    What do you mean?


    Have you been found out?


    I thought about giving Namitaro, who was blubbering, a shot at the Takemikazuchi, but when he got down on his knees, I couldn''t bring myself to kill him.


    I may have told you before, but my friend Hi-chan is the baby''s mother.


    It was definitely a name I remember hearing. I didn''t ask because I had a very bad premonition even then, but that premonition seemed to have been correct. In the first place, I knew that when ''appraisal'' didn''t work on the egg, I knew that that egg wasn''t an ordinary demon''s.......


    When I told that to Namitaro, he said, "I wouldn''t bring in something weird! And for some reason he was angry, but there was no way he could make that argument after bringing in such a big and how suspicious the egg was.


    ''Let''s leave that aside I''m just asking if you let it hatch on its own and your parent behemoths won''t get mad at you for it.


    Namitaro grinned as he said it, concerned that everyone would not hear him.


    Giddyup!


    I was so pissed off that I punched Namitarou in the head as hard as I could. It wouldn''t have worked for me in the old days, but over the past few years my strength has become stronger and my use of magic has improved even more, so it seems that I can now deal damage to Namitaro with my bare hands. Well, it seems that I still take more damage from the recoil, and it looks like I''ve cracked a bone somewhere in my fist.


    I''ll make sure that it doesn''t come to that, so you won''t have to come here. I might ask you to come over, though.


    It would be much easier for me to go to see her than for you to come to King''s Landing. So I strongly reminded Namitaro to make sure to tell Hi-chan well when he meets her.


    After my discussion with Namitaro was over, I went back to the dining room to check on the baby and found that before I left the dining room, Grandpa and the others had surrounded the eggs, but now they were just watching from a distance, with Slarin and the others following close by instead.


    ''Oh, you''re back,''


    What happened to you being so far away?


    When I asked him what happened while he was gone, he said that the baby was stressed out from being surrounded by everyone, and he used his magic on his grandfather and the others. Fortunately, the magic that was used was only to produce water, and he said that Slarin absorbed it quickly, so there was no damage, but it produced quite a bit of water.


    ''That''s why we got away from that little turtle,'' he said. That''s why Slarin and his friends stayed away from the hatchlings, perhaps because they were also demons, but the hatchlings were not alarmed by the three animals.


    That''s why they''re having Slarin and the others to calm the baby down.


    ''I have some information I should tell you about that but come over here for a moment.


    What is it?


    As I moved to the corner of the dining room with my grandfather, Chris and Amour tried to follow me, but I controlled them with my hand and instructed them to wait for me. And then.


    What?


    Grandpa''s voice echoed throughout the house when he heard what happened.

 218-Chapter 15-4 Shame

    Grandpa, you have a big voice!


    What are you hiding, Mr. Temma?


    Chris and Amur came first and stood in front of me to tell me what happened.


    Temma, let go of Grandpa before you tell us. Grandpa, I think he''s going to die.


    ''Ah!��Sorry.....


    He was in such a hurry that he held his mouth and incidentally his nose with all his strength, and Grandpa''s face was red and distressed.


    ''''Buhoa!��I thought I was going to die!


    In the meantime, is Grandpa okay?��I was also able to confirm the baby''s identity, so I told him again the baby''s identity and Namitaro''s story. Then.


    ''Mr Temma, you''re sure the behemoths aren''t coming!��Mary will be pissed at me again!


    ''Miss, let''s go back to the South!


    Travel!��I need my lunch!


    Aura, we need to hurry and pack!


    ''Yes!��Slarin, help me!


    Everyone was very confused.


    ''So do it all right!��Trust Nami!


    Namitaro said confidently, but that didn''t stop everyone''s confusion.


    It wasn''t until a short time after Namitaro''s statement that the confusion subsided, and the first thing that subsided was that Leni-san had finished packing. The ladies went into packing with a bang, and when Ms. Leni, who had the least amount of luggage, finished packing, she suddenly took a breath and cooled down and came up with the idea that it wouldn''t be a problem if I went to see her mother, Behemoth.


    When the women heard Leni''s story, they blamed me for not telling them about it sooner, but I countered with a witness (slarin'') that I had mentioned it several times in the midst of the women''s confusion, but they hadn''t heard it. With such physical and mental exhaustion, the women have been sitting slumped in their chairs for some time now. Incidentally, Chris, who had almost no need to pack, was actually the slowest to cool down after hearing Leni''s story because he finished his own things first and then immediately started packing for Mary and the others. Incidentally, when Chris-san had cooled down, he had a dimension bag and a magic bag in his hand, which was filled with Merry and Allie, as well as the Juvees and their household items and even food.


    ''''That''s why Behemoth''s mother won''t be coming to King''s Landing, and if she does want to see me, Namitarou will come to let me know beforehand and I''ll make sure that I come to see her, so there shouldn''t be any problems.......''''


    I don''t know what a behemoth is, so I can''t say for sure, but Namitaro said it was okay because its intelligence was higher than human and it had common sense.


    I''ll have to leave that part to Namitaro... By the way, Tenma. Why are you so enamored with the baby behemoth?��They wouldn''t even let us near them, let alone come near them...


    Everyone nodded in agreement with Grandpa''s words, except me and Slarin and the others.


    ''Why, if you ask me why... isn''t it the personality?''


    When I said that with a tilt of my head, I got a cold look from everyone. All the while, the baby behemoth was rubbing his head against my hand, urging me to nudge him.


    ''All joking aside, maybe it''s because I gave it a large amount of magical power. Even with Solomon, he was nipping at me as soon as I was born when I was giving him magic, but on the other hand, he was intimidated by Amy.


    ''The fact that you were latching on to Temma-kun and threatening Amy, it sounds like the theory that it was the amount of magic you poured out is correct... and with your personality, it would be the opposite.


    ''The way you put it, Chris, what happens to people who aren''t very personable and can''t pour out their magic power?��Maybe they''re going to eat us up?


    Buhiii!


    ''Temma!��If you eat Chris, that boy will get a stomach ache!��Gunnu!


    The baby squealed in affirmation of my words, and Amour got on board with me and teased Mr. Chris. Well, Amur was caught right away because of his proximity to Mr. Chris............................but I had the baby behemoth right next to me, so Mr. Chris couldn''t get close.


    When Namitaro was about to touch the baby, saying he was going to go back to his mother, the baby struck him with his tail.


    You can''t stay here forever, let''s go to your mother.........��Ho-ho!


    Biiiiiiiiiiiiiii!


    The baby let out a high-pitched squeal after slapping Namitaro back and forth with its tail. The squeal seemed to be an ultrasonic means of attack as well, and several tables, chairs and dishes in the dining room were broken. And.


    Hiju...


    Oh, my head...


    "Ta-da!


    Naturally, we were affected as well. Among them, the two beastmen and Shiroumaru, whose hearing was better than that of an ordinary person, had been driven to the verge of fainting.


    ''''Well, that''s just too hard... sorry!


    Bi?


    If this was the case, it was going to be terrible even if it wasn''t Amur and the others, so taking advantage of the opening where the baby was turning towards Namitaro, I took out a spare dimension bag and forced the baby into it.


    ''Ooh ... even the baby is a behemoth, as expected. My head is dizzy.


    Namitaro, who was supposed to have been hit by the baby''s ultrasound, had only suffered a mild concussion, and we, who had been damaged by the reverberations, had done more damage.


    ''Hey Tenma, lend me the dimension bag with Vonn in it. As it is, I''ll take you to Hi-chan.


    That said, Namitaro tried to take the dimension bag with the baby in it from me, but


    ...why do you have to lift it out of the water?


    No, I''ll get hurt if I give it to you. I don''t want to be the only one who hates me, just Namitaro. I don''t want them to hate me.


    I don''t want to give Namitaro the baby that has missed me so much and have him resent me for giving him to Namitaro.


    So you''ll have to talk it over.


    Yes?��Ahhhh!


    The moment Namitarou stopped moving, I used the ''Guardian Gigant'' to push Namitarou into the dimension bag.


    ''Now, if Namitarou can be successfully convinced to do so.


    No!��Vonn, I need to talk...


    If you can convince him!


    Temma, I don''t think that''s possible.


    Yeah. I can''t.


    I shoved Namitaro, who had made a face in the middle of his words, with the ''gigantism'' once more to finish, but he was immediately confronted by Jeanne and Chris, who told him he couldn''t.


    ''Temma, I can''t!��Bonn is totally....


    Namitaro makes another face, but he shoves it in again, silently.


    ''Hey, Temma........''


    I push in again.


    ''Temma........''


    I push in again.


    ''There, there.....


    I think I got some blur, but I don''t care, I''m just going to press on...


    That''s enough!


    I couldn''t get into it. As expected, the goofiness was too much, and Namitaro''s crown........


    Pick up the blurbs!


    But it wasn''t.


    So, did that persuade you?


    No!��I don''t want to go home, I don''t want to go home, I can''t talk to you at all!��You know what? I''ll take care of the rest!��Hey!


    Wait, wait!


    I tried to listen to him properly, but this time it was the other way around and I got shoved into the dimension bag.


    Shh!��.........Bii~!


    The baby at first tried to make threatening noises, as if it had mistaken me for Namitaro, but it soon realized and ran up to me happily. Apparently, he wasn''t angry that I pushed him in here.


    ''You know, no matter how much you don''t like Namitaro and don''t want to follow him, your mother will be sad and you have to go back to her.


    Vi!


    I tried to convince the baby to admonish him, but he said, "No! He refused with a squeal that sounded like "I''m not going to do this". After that, he refused to do anything I said, and I had to get my head around what to do. The baby seems completely intent on living in our home. Maybe it came to us as an egg and was born here, so it seemed more natural for it to live at home than for it''s mother, whom it had never met.


    If that''s the case, then it''s completely my fault.


    To be exact, it''s a fault with Namitaro, but this is not the time to say that. After all, this baby should have proper parents and be looking forward to meeting them... so...


    You have to listen to me.


    Vi!


    I was determined (...) to make him return to his mother, and I was determined (...) to make him return to his mother.


    ''There is no place for you here. You''re only a distraction if you''re here.


    Bi.....


    I continued to speak, threatening the baby with a fairly strong killing intent. Even though it was a newborn, the baby seemed to instinctively feel what was being directed at it, and it took a step or two backwards, distancing itself from me.


    ''I''ve lost my parents. It''s the same with Slarin and Shiroumar, and when it comes to Solomon, I don''t even know who my parents are.


    I don''t think a newborn baby could understand this sort of thing, but it was the only way I could come up with to share my thoughts about my parents.


    ''But you have a mother. You have a mother who''s waiting for you to come home. I can''t leave a man like that in this house. So go home with Namitaro!


    Bi, bi, bi, bi....


    He didn''t know what it meant, but he understood that he was rejected with strong words and a killing intent. The baby looked clearly depressed and then....


    Biiiiiiiiiiiiiii!


    For some reason, he rubbed his head against my leg.


    I thought I''d failed, and I thought I''d have to make sure I couldn''t get out of the dimension bag when this happened and force Namitaro to take me back.


    Bii!


    The baby made its own way toward the doorway.


    ''Are you leaving?''


    I asked him that, and he gave me a short squeal in return.


    I felt bad for the baby, but I knew that this solved the big problem... then...


    ''Temma!��So you were able to convince me!


    Namitaro poked his face into the bag with a line as if he was sure the conversation was over. And then.


    Biiiiiiiiiiiiiii!


    Bon, don''t bite!


    The baby bit me on the tip of my nose and started to freak out. The way Namitaro said it bothered me, but I didn''t want to interrupt the baby''s playfulness, so I decided to let him do what he wanted and went outside... and for some reason, everyone looking at me was strangely kind.


    I had a bad feeling about this, but I didn''t want to know why, so I thought about running away for now, but before I could act, I


    Temma I will always be here for you, even if Ricardo and Shelia are not.


    Yes, Mr. Temma you can always call me when you miss me.


    Grandpa and Chris said that with tears in their eyes.


    ''Maybe ... did you hear me?''


    I asked the four men behind Grandpa and Chris fearfully, and they all gave a small nod.


    ''Temma, we can''t replace your father and mother-in-law, but we are family!


    Yes, I do!��I''m a slave but I''m going to try my best to be your family!


    That''s the spirit, Jeanne!


    ''Miss!��And for that, let''s work on your cooking and sewing too!


    When Amour and Jeanne said something, the other two continued to say something, but I didn''t have the time to hear what they said.


    ''''Uh, uh ... uh ... ah ... ah ... ah!


    He didn''t know what to say, and tried to calm down for now... but he couldn''t calm down, and in fact, he couldn''t bear the growing shame, so he ran out of the cafeteria at a brisk pace. Then he ran into his room, locked it, put his things in front of the door, gathered up the bedding and crawled into it.


    But as I crawled under the covers, I didn''t feel sleepy or anything, so I could hear my grandfathers banging and shouting at the door as they chased me. And that''s what makes my shame stronger.


    It seemed like Grandpa and Amur thought that banging on the door would not clear the air, and they tried to break in through the window, but they were blocked by the golem that had been placed to intercept the intruders and screamed.


    ''''It''s already morning.......as expected, this isn''t good any more.......''''


    I had been holed up for more than half a day, let alone overnight, so it was time to give up and leave, but I couldn''t quite get ready for it.


    ''''Hmph~ Okay, let''s go!


    With a lot of energy, I got out of the futon, put away the things I had put in front of the door, and went out into the hallway... Grandpa and the others were cooking fish and meat in front of the door for some reason.


    ''Temma''s here!��Secure!


    Namitaro shouted as he pointed at me with a skewer of fish, but Grandpa and the others were in charge of the grill and looking up at the smoke, so they couldn''t move as quickly as they could, and I was quicker to close the door.


    ''What do they want, those guys?''


    My sense of shame had temporarily disappeared when I looked at Grandpa and the others. If this had been Grandpa and his friends'' strategy, then it would have been a great success, but instead of feeling great, I was too disgusted to say anything, or I felt like it was better to stay out of it first.


    ''Temma!��Please open the door!


    As I was troubled by my grandfathers'' odd behavior, I heard them yelling at me from outside, followed by Maria''s voice calling me.


    ''You look better than I thought, don''t you?��I was worried when I heard you were holed up.


    When I open the door again, I see Maria-sama with a look of relief on her face at the door, and Grandpa, King, Ernest-sama, and Lyle-sama sitting upright behind her. And then there''s Zain-sama, who is a little farther away from Grandpa and the others, looking at Grandpa and the others with a dumbfounded look on his face. And outside the window, I could see Namitaro being hung upside down by Slarin and the others.


    ''Chris came to report last night, in a hurry, that ''Temma is holed up and hasn''t come out''. So I left it to him because that guy said he''d go talk to him... but it was a mistake.


    After waiting until late last night, Chris went to report to Maria in a hurry, saying that she might be quite mentally ill because she didn''t come out of the waiting room last night, but she decided to wait until the morning because it was late at night and she thought it might be better to give it some time, but the person she was going to talk to Lyle-sama agreed with the king and Ernest-sama''s idea that it would be difficult for me to talk to him if I were a woman, so he came to my house with only royal men (older than me) who could move quickly... but no matter how much he talked to me through the door, he didn''t get a response from me, so... As a result of adopting Namitaro''s suggestion of "Operation Iwato", he started a barbecue at the door. Zain-sama saw that the plan was about to be adopted and decided that it was not a good idea, so he went to call Maria. By the way, our women, as the king said, "The conversation goes more smoothly when there are no women around! He''s spending a lot of time in the city due to the decision to


    ''No matter how much they don''t show up, they''re not going to catch it with food... so why didn''t Temma respond to those people''s voices?


    The answer to that question is simple and straightforward: he was simply asleep and didn''t realize it. He said that he screamed quite loudly, but he didn''t notice it because he hadn''t slept until late and because he had his earplugs on and he was deep asleep.


    Then Mary laughed and said that it was no wonder they couldn''t hear him, and Grandpa and the others lamented that what they had been doing was in vain.


    ''We''re hungry, and I think we''ll use these for breakfast.


    Can you get one for me?��And for Zain.


    I was hungry when I saw the fish that my grandpa and the others were roasting, so I casually muttered to myself that I was going to make breakfast, and Maria and the others decided to make it with me, since morning was not yet over. In the meantime, my grandpa and the others were still sitting on their haunches, all of them looking at me as if they were asking for help... but I decided to ignore them and just take the grilled fish and meat with me. And by the way, the barbecue set and ingredients.


    ''''Oh, Temma-sama. Is the shut-in over?


    When I went to the dining room, Mr. Cliffe was preparing tea, and as soon as he saw me, he teased me about it. I tried to complain about it, but I couldn''t say anything back, so I ignored him, and when he saw the grilled fish and grilled meat I had, Mr. Kleif immediately decided it was a meal and went into the kitchen.


    ''Well, what will we be making?''


    Since the rice that takes the longest time to prepare, I prepared miso soup, pickles, grilled fish that I confiscated from my grandpa and his friends, kinpira with leftover root vegetables, and natto (fermented soybeans). I gave the meat to Slarin and the others to eat in my room as an apology for my concern.


    Both Maria and Master Zain said they didn''t have much of a chance to eat Southern-style meals, but they seemed to enjoy them, except for the natto (fermented soybeans). Well, natto is not strange that Maria-sama and Zain-sama can''t eat it, since even in the South, they have their own likes and dislikes... but... even though you said you''ve rarely eaten natto, you stirred it more than a hundred times with your accustomed hands, and even mixed it the way I did. I think it would be a lie to say that Mr. Cliffe, who was careful and used his chopsticks to cleanly eat his natto rice, had hardly ever eaten it in any way. Incidentally, Maria-sama and Zain-sama couldn''t use their chopsticks well, so they used a fork to eat.


    When we had finished eating, my grandpa asked Maria''s permission to ask her for permission, hesitantly stifling the numbness in his legs.


    ''Oh?''


    Maria said such things in a white-knuckled way, and Grandpa was a grandfather, and he said, "Yes, that''s right!��Alex and the others forced me to go along with them! And then he gingerly sat down in a seat near me.


    The three abandoned men looked at him as if he were a traitor. Grandpa completely ignored their gazes and begged me for breakfast.


    ''''Temma we''re hungry too.........Hee!��Temma, you have to convince Maria!��Quickly!


    When I was making a meal for my grandfather, the king, who apparently couldn''t stand the smell of it anymore, asked me to be his mediator with Maria. It''s a shameful thing to do for his wife, but he thought it would be a bad idea if he had to do it with Maria, so he looked at Maria to ask her to do what the king asked.


    "Give it up, my king.


    The moment our eyes met, Maria smiled meaningfully at me and I decided that I couldn''t do it.


    ''''Maria, your majesty needs to have something to eat as well, or I don''t think I''ll have the energy to do my work this afternoon.


    But the tide turned when Mr. Cliffe, who had brought my grandfather''s food to the kings I''d abandoned, offered to help, and Maria had to give him permission to eat, rather than not be able to work. But


    ''I''m sorry, Your Majesty, Master Ernest and Master Lyle. This is all we had left of our breakfast.


    That said, what Mr. Cliffe brought out was the natto that Maria-sama and Zain-sama had left behind. The three of them wanted me to make miso soup and so on, but Maria-sama agreed with Mr. Cliffe''s words that it was a waste not to eat the leftovers, so she ate the natto rice while picking her nose. I don''t know if Lyle-sama got used to the smell or became paralyzed, but he ate his fill, even getting a second helping.


    Thus, it seemed that "Operation Iwato" had come to an end, but....


    "Ten mama~!��I''m sorry, come back to me~~!


    He had completely forgotten about Namitaro and left him hanging outside, such as until the ladies returned.

 219-Chapter 15-5 Dried and Smoked

    So, can I have this?


    Buhiii!


    What the baby gave me, it was the ''dragon''s eggshell''. According to Namitaro, baby dragons eat the eggshells they were born with, but sometimes, like this baby behemoth, they don''t want to eat the shells.


    ''I don''t know what they''re good for, but I''ll be grateful for them.


    I can''t think of what kind of use it would have, but when it comes to the eggshells of ancient dragons, it would definitely fetch an unbeatable price... I couldn''t remember what I did with Solomon''s eggshells, but since it was Solomon, I ate them without leaving them behind! Id.


    ''Then I''m going to borrow your dimension bag. Come on, say hi to Vonn. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!


    Biiiiiiiiiiiiiii!


    When Namitaro tried to place his pectoral fins on the baby''s head to greet him, the baby didn''t like being touched by Namitaro, whom he didn''t like, and bit Namitaro''s pectoral fins as hard as he could.


    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who can do this. It will grow back soon.


    With such carefree thoughts, Namitaro put the baby in his dimension bag and got into the carriage driven by Mr. Cliffe. The carriage would carry us to the river near the royal capital. I prepared the food for the trip, but since I didn''t know how much the baby would eat, Namitaro was determined to get as much local food as possible.


    ''Hey, Sai Sai!��Here, Bonnie, too.


    "Bi~~~!


    Following Namitarou, the baby emitted an ultrasound called a greeting. Thanks to that, Jeanne and Amour and the others who were with her at the entrance to see her off, and Maria and the others who stayed behind because they were accompanying her, were all suffering from covering their ears. They were pretty gangly horses, but the baby''s ultrasound had knocked them unconscious while they were standing. Fortunately, the horses weren''t injured and didn''t cause any damage to their surroundings as they passed out before they could get out of control. It''s probably a good thing that the golem went to support him, as I immediately instructed him to do so. But it''s also true that because of that, there were no horses left to pull the carriage. So.


    It''s not a choice. You want me to take you to Raiden?


    That''s what I had to do. I suppose I should have done that from the beginning, but there was a chance that the baby would squirm again if I took him there, so I asked Mr. Cliffe to take him.


    ''I''m sorry it had to come to this, even though I took it on once,''


    Mr. Cliffe seemed to be wobbling because of the ultrasound, and he regretted not being able to drive the carriage.


    When the baby found he could stay with her a little longer, he was generating more ultrasounds with joy, but he didn''t do as much damage as he did at first as Namitaro shoved him into the back of the bag and closed his mouth.


    ''I''ll go tell you what then. Slarin, Shiroumaru and Solomon, shall we go for a walk while we''re at it?


    With that, the three of them got into the carriage in turn. Following them, Amour and Jeanne tried to get in, but they gave up when the baby trapped in the bag forced its head out and looked ready to threaten them. Instead.


    Tama, you want to go with me?��Mary and Allie?��Juve and Hiro too?


    Unusually, the tamas wanted to go outside. I tried to take them with me to see if it would be a good idea to take them out once in a while, but the Juvees couldn''t get into the carriage, so we had to go in the dimension bag.


    We can swim to the ocean from here. You see, we''ll come back!


    "Bi~~!


    As soon as Namitaro finished greeting the baby, he dove into the water and swam downstream.


    ''Every time Namitaro comes, it gets noisy. Now, first we have to retrieve the fish.


    After Namitarou and his men left, the baby''s last ultrasound brought the fish floating across the river.


    ''Solomon will guard the area from the air, Shiroumaru will use his nose and legs to escort Jube and the others, and Slarin will join me in retrieving the fish.


    I gave instructions to each of them, and let the Juubae family and Mary Ally out. If Juubae were there, they wouldn''t be able to lose to the demons and animals around the King''s Capital, but honestly, the adventurers were more afraid of them than such things. From the side, there''s a superb prey walking around. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with this particular brand-new, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with this particular brand-new, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with this particular brand-new, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of this new situation. It''s also possible.


    ''In the meantime, I''ll have Shiroumaru and the others to be on guard, and I''ll be careful on my end, but don''t go too far, and as soon as you feel something unusual, raise your voice and run away to where I am or by Juubae''s side.


    When I told my balls to Mary Ally, I don''t know if she understood, but all three of them squealed back. And then they just rushed off into the grass. As expected, I was worried, so I put out a few golems and increased my vigilance a bit.


    ''''Well then, don''t take care of the jubae too. Well, there''s no point in being too vigilant and getting stressed out, so be moderate.


    Boom!


    Joubert said, "I got it! I replied emphatically, and I decided to head out to retrieve the fish.


    ''Looks like some of them have recovered and escaped. Slarin'', ignore the muddy ones and let''s capture them from the ones that look good!


    With that, I floated in the air with my ''flying'' and Slarin took up a position on a large rock nearby.


    ''This one looks like a trout. I wonder if this is a chaya?��Let''s let Huna go, and we''ll keep the carp.....


    I magically fill the dimension bag with water and put the fish in it.


    "The catfish is secured. Next up is ... oh!��Eels, get it!��Slarin, if you see this slender one, make it a priority to catch it.


    He shouted at Slarin and made a circle with his tentacles. Such a Slarin was reaching out with his tentacles from the top of a rock to catch fish on the surface of the water. I saw a certain archaeologist in such a Slarin''s image.


    After catching most of the fish, Slarin and I checked the species again, sorted the fish into two categories: those that needed to be muddied and those that didn''t. We put the fish that needed to be muddied into a water-filled dimension bag, and those that didn''t, we rinsed them lightly and strained them into a magic bag.


    That''s it," he said. Now we just need to relax and keep an eye on the area... hmm?


    I was just about to climb up to the roof of the carriage to see what the tamas are up to now that we''re done with fish relations, when I hear the footsteps of a horse running towards us in the distance. Shiroumaru noticed it sooner than I did, and he is on alert, so I can intercept it if it were to attack me, but it could also be that it is simply running nearby, so I decided to use my "appraisal" to determine what it was. Then.


    ''An acquaintance of yours... shall we say?��Well, let''s just be vigilant. Jube, get everyone over here!


    Bumoo!


    I don''t think it''s there, but I instructed him to keep it in his dimension bag just in case he might point his sword at Jouvees and the others for some reason. And.


    What''s going on there, my dear sir... excuse me!


    I''ll get the captain as soon as I can!


    The knight(...) who tried to question me with a strong tone, noticed my identity and hurriedly went to call the person in charge. And the person in charge who came after a while is.........


    Primera, good to see you.


    ''Yes, it''s been a while. By the way, what have you been doing here, Temma-san?


    ''No, I think that''s more of a line from me, since I focus on King''s Landing and Seigen, don''t you think?


    I don''t mean to hide or cheat, but it would be more unusual for the Primera belonging to the Knights of Gunjo City to lead her subordinates to the vicinity of the royal capital than me, an adventurer, to be in the grasslands near the royal capital, no matter how you think about it.


    ''''No, well, that''s true, but.......I''m a knight, so I have a duty of confidentiality......''''


    ''Indeed it was. I was walking Jube and the others as I was seeing Namitaro off.


    Primera and the others would not have to worry about harming them, so they let Juubae and the others go outside, but Juubae and Hiro took up a position between the Knights and Tama-chan and the others behind Primera, as if to protect Tama-chan and Merry Ally, who were jumping out of their bags and playing around.


    ''''Well we''re on our way to the royal capital on a mission, so we''ll have to excuse ourselves here.


    After a quick chat, Primera looked at Jouveye and Hiro and smiled bitterly, slowly backing away and keeping a distance between them, and riding her horse to the King''s Capital on a path as far away from Tama-chan and the others as possible.


    ''''Look, as you can see, Primera and the others have gone, so Juubae and the others should go and relax.''''


    When the Primera and the others were out of sight, Joubert and the others finally let their guard down and began to graze as they looked at Tama-chan and the others.


    ''Let''s take a look around the area and see if we can find anything interesting.


    I walked around the area with such a light heart....


    Really, it''s nothing!


    Despite what we expected, we found nothing.


    ''Well, I guess once we captured the fish, there was nothing left to gain,''


    With that in mind, I decided it was time to head back to the mansion. But.


    Mary and your balls have too much energy.


    It took a little longer because the two animals didn''t want to leave and ran around. Eventually, Mary was teased by Slarin''s tentacles, and Tama-chan went back into the bag after being pissed off by Juve and Hiro. Incidentally, Allie came to me as soon as I called her. Allie had been sleeping in the bag for the whole time they were running away, but Mary, in spite of being caught, head-butted him and forced him to wake up.


    ''You''re finally home. You''re so late, I was worried something had happened to you.


    When I returned to the mansion, Maria and the others had already left, and Grandpa, who said he was worried, was relaxing in the dining room.


    ''Speaking of which, I met Primera in the meadow. She didn''t tell me the details because of confidentiality or something, but it seems she came to the royal capital on a mission for the Knights.


    Well then, you may be coming with the Duke or Albert in the near future. By the way, what is Temma doing here?


    As I was in the kitchen, taking out the smaller fish and washing them, Grandpa peered in with interest.


    Just as we were leaving Namitaro and the others, the baby emitted another ultrasonic wave, which caused the fish to pass out and float to the surface. It made the fish pass out and float to the surface, and we had a great time catching them. Storing them in a magic bag would solve the freshness problem, but I thought I''d make something else with a twist.


    I''m going to do that prep work now, but my grandpa doesn''t seem to want to help when I explain it to him. Rather, he grabbed a few washed fish and began to prepare grilled fish to accompany the drinks.


    ''''Smells good...''''


    ''Really... oh!��Temma, you''re back?


    The women (except Chris), who seemed to be out and about, reacted to the smell of Grandpa''s roasting fish as soon as they came into the dining room. Jeanne had noticed me immediately, but Amour had noticed me in Jeanne''s voice after walking up to Grandpa (smell).


    ''Master Temma, what are you making?''


    Is there anything I can do to help?


    Aura and Leni-san came in late and approached me to help me with my work... but unlike Leni-san, who was looking at my hand, Aura was obviously distracted by the grilled fish (smell).


    Jeanne and Amour, who noticed that Aura and Leni-san were trying to help with the work, also asked if there was any work for them to do, but since there was no more urgent work to do, we decided to have them grill some grilled fish for dinner at random. While Jeanne and the others were explaining their work, Aura and Leni finished putting on their aprons and washing their hands and waited.


    Aura removed the scales, guts and guts from these small fish and put them in the brine. Leni, you can grate these trout into three pieces.


    He gave orders to Aura and asked Leni-san to do it, and they nodded and began to work. However, when Aura heard what she and Leni-san were working on, she asked, "Just my work, won''t it smell fishy? He said, "I wonder what Aina would say if she heard that you made Leni do the hardest job of all? I muttered, "Now, let''s get on with it! And it was a simple misunderstanding. Incidentally, he didn''t let Jeanne do Leni''s job simply because of the difference in skill in handling the fish.


    ''I need to make some smoked seasoning before Mr. Leni finishes judging me.


    Since it was my first time making smoked fish, I decided to make a simple seasoning liquid (somule liquid) without using any herbs.


    ''Let''s try sake, water, salt and sugar, and pepper for the rest.


    This way, even if you fail, you won''t have to make something so bad that you can''t eat it.


    ''Temma-san, I''m done with this one, so I''ll help you with the small fish.


    Before the seasoning liquid had cooled, Leni finished judging the trout and moved on to help Aura. Leni''s deftness didn''t change when it came to the small fish, and the pile of small fish before it was processed was diminishing in the blink of an eye. And then.


    I guess that''s it.


    In the end, Leni, who came in to help midway through the process, processed more than half of the small fish pile. After magically cooling the seasoning liquid and marinating the trout fillets, I stepped in to help, but I couldn''t even process a fifth of the pile.


    ''The dried ones will just need to soak in the brine for a while and then dry them out. As for the smoked fish, if all goes well, it will be ready the day after tomorrow. Jeanne, Amour, bring me the burnt fish.


    I asked them both to bring me some grilled fish and I saved all of it (...) in a magic bag. However, there was one thing that Grandpa didn''t want to give away for his own nibbles, so we decided to have no dried and smoked fish instead. Well, the next minute I said that, he offered me some grilled fish other than the one I was eating now, so I retracted my statement.


    ''''Now we''ve made the side dishes for this evening. Now all we need is some rice, miso soup and pickles.


    One person is enough for the rest, so I''ve decided to let everyone do what they want to do... but...


    Are you ready to eat, Temma?


    No, I don''t think I could do it for an hour.


    ''Yes. Originally, dried fish were made for preservation purposes, so I suppose they have to be dried to some extent.


    No one wanted to leave the dining room, as if the dried fish on the zaru was bothering them. It was the same with Grandpa, and I could see that he was listening closely when Amur asked him if he could eat it.


    ''I don''t know if it''s good or not, but I''ll just use my magic to dry it out for what I''m going to serve for dinner.


    I was defeated by Amour and Aura''s (and Grandpa''s) gaze, so I decided to try making dried fish using wind and fire magic.


    ''''As expected, it''s not safe to use fire magic inside the mansion, so let''s go out into the garden.


    We left the dining room with the suggestion of making dried fish in the garden, in case something should happen, but by the time we got to the garden, not only the four of us plus Grandpa, but also Slarin, Shiroumaru and Solomon had joined us. And then Tama-chan came in, probably because Slarin and the others were there, and Tama-chan was there, and Juve and Hiro also came to check on him, and then Mary came in with a sleepy Allie in tow, probably because they were all gone. And.


    ''Phew!��Ghohohoho....


    Instead of a greeting, Merry gave Aura a headbutt on her stomach.


    ''Merry, Tama, I''m going to make some dried fish now, so don''t make any dust.


    Mr. Tenma, I''m not worried about my...


    Aura said something to me, but I decided to ignore it because it was always the same. It was more important that Mary and Tama didn''t ruin the dried fish.


    ''Here''s the deal, let''s get out the rock and the base to shelter from the wind, and since we don''t have a drying net ... we''ll put a cast net on the base ... that''s it.''


    Now that the foundation was ready, I sprinkled some water around the perimeter for the last time to wash away the dust and began to work my wind and fire magic.


    ''I hope this works,''


    I''d prefer natural drying for the effort, but today I''ll consider it a training and experiment. If the wind is strong, it won''t get warm, and more importantly, the dried food will fly away. On the other hand, if the fire is strong, it will be like steaming and the dried fish will not be able to be made. If the balance is wrong, instead of ''warm wind'', it could just be ''strong wind'' or ''hot wind'', or in the worst case, ''flame radiation''.


    ''''Next time, let''s teach this training method to Aimee and Tida.


    As long as it doesn''t become ''flaming'', it''s just a strong or hot wind, so maybe it''s a rather good practice.


    When I mentioned this to my grandfather, he agreed with me, so I decided to invite them over soon.


    Grandpa agreed and we decided to call them over soon. I can''t keep the wind up at just the right temperature while I''m talking to him, but it''s usually hard for him to concentrate.


    About an hour or so after we started to generate the ''warm air'', my grandpa started to say something like that.


    ''Once you get used to it, all you have to do is keep doing the same thing. I guess it''s kind of like running while talking.


    It would be difficult to run a complicated course, but I don''t think it''s unusual for someone to be able to run the same course while chatting away.


    If you put it that way, there''s nothing you can''t do. That being said, it''s not impossible to do it if you''re concentrating on it alone.


    ''But if you can''t do it, you''ll never be able to. Even if Aura was a master of magic, she would definitely poke around somewhere.


    ''Right. Aura would probably get distracted by the chatter and the magic would stop, or she''d blow dry or burn the whole place to the ground.


    Amour and Jeanne''s venomous tongue, Aura admitted to herself, even though she looked frustrated. Indeed, when considering the three of them, Aura seemed to be the least qualified.


    ''''It''s about time, isn''t it?''''


    Once the laughter had died down, I decided to stop the magic and look at the dried fish. From the looks of it, there didn''t seem to be any problems, so I used my fire magic to burn one on the spot and tasted it, and the taste wasn''t particularly problematic either.


    ''''I think it''s like this.''''


    The fish was gone in an instant as they passed the tasted ones around to everyone else. The remaining bones were fought over by Shiroumar and Solomon, with Shiroumar getting the head and Solomon getting the rest.


    ''Slarin, eat the small ones,''


    I handed the small dried fish to Slarin, who failed to eat it, and Shiroumar and Solomon lined up behind Slarin to get theirs too, but I made them hold back as we had less to eat.


    ''Not good,''


    It''s a bit bland compared to what I got as a souvenir from the South?


    Maybe there''s a difference in the fish?


    Considering the ingredients and the way it''s made, it''s not bad, but it doesn''t taste as good as what''s sold in the South.


    Amur and the three of them were reserved, but Leni was clear in her assessment. Well, there was no problem for them to eat themselves, so no one objected to serving it this evening.


    ''Hmm?��You look like a visitor.


    I was about to collect the dry goods and go back to the mansion when the golem started moving at the gate, and I knew someone was coming. Incidentally, if I knew him, the golem would let him walk by unimpeded, so at least I knew it was someone the golem had judged to be a stranger.


    ''''I''m going to go for a bit.


    Aura went to deal with him and soon returned with a guest waiting.


    ''''Temma-sama, there''s a letter from the Sangha dukes. They wanted to get a reply as soon as possible, if possible, so I''ve asked the steward to wait a bit.


    Okay.


    When I received the letter and read the contents, it said, ''I would like to visit you soon, so let me know when it''s convenient for you. Normally I don''t pay attention to such things, but I wondered if something had happened, but I told the butler the afternoon after tomorrow anyway.


    I''ve never seen anything like it before, so maybe something went wrong...By the way, why the afternoon after tomorrow and not the day after tomorrow?


    Grandpa also seemed to be curious about the fact that the Duke of Sangha had gone out of his way to use his butler to send me a letter, but he seemed to be saying that it could happen. He was more concerned about the day I had specified.


    ''No, tomorrow would be too fast, and most importantly, I have to make some smoked food tomorrow.


    My grandfather looked dumbfounded when I said this, but at last he laughed and said, "That''s important, too.

 220-Chapter 15-6 Second example

    Thank you so much for making time for us today.


    Well you''re going to have to go up anyway.


    When it was past noon on the day of my visit, the Duke of Sangha, Albert and Primera arrived, and they started with a stiff greeting, unlike usual, and even brought a souvenir with them. The polite appearance of the Duke of Sanga and Primera was not strange, but I felt a strong sense of discomfort with Albert, who always came in a casual manner. Because of that, I even suspected for a moment that he was a fake.


    ''''Anyway, tell me the purpose of today''s visit. Also, if you could keep your tone like usual........Honestly, it''s very uncomfortable for Albert to be so cocky.


    Pfft!


    When I passed them through the parlor and used Albert as a bailout to get them to do the usual early on, Primera was the first to blurt out, and although Albert looked like he wanted to say something, he seemed to be holding back before the Duke. And the Duke of Sangha himself looked at the two of them, sighing and in his usual mood.


    ''Father, isn''t it indeed rude to blame me?


    ''No, I''m under the impression that Albert is a set with Leon and the others. If you stay quiet and quiet, you''ll think that he''s a fake or he''s planning something good. Or do you have something to be guilty of?��Or something.


    The three of them thought that there was something guilty or something close to it based on their attitudes, but that idea seemed to be correct, and all three of them were smiling bitterly.


    ''''It''s true that it''s not a good thing to be called a good thing, but.......Actually, the Gunjo City Knights Fourth Unit.......I mean, we want you to see what the Primera and her men are capable of....


    It''s true that with the content of the request, it can''t be helped if it''s called a bad plan.


    Up until now, Duke Sanga has sent me a few requests itself, but most of them are delivery-type requests. It''s not a bad way to say it, but it''s just a request to secure food while I''m in the middle of completing a request that I chose and received myself, or it''s a request for Gol and Jill''s yarn, which is distributed only to acquaintances, as a matter of convenience.


    It''s not only that, but this is a request that can only be said to be for the purpose of improving one''s own military strength, and if the contents of this request spread, other noblemen could predict that they will say, "I''m going to make the same request, so please accept it," and furthermore, it is a request that is likely to displease my (supposed) backing royal family. You can say: "I understand your doubts, Temma.


    "I understand Mr. Tenma''s concern. However, I have spoken to His Majesty beforehand, and he has assured me that this is up to you, Tenma.


    I was thinking how unusual it is that the King and Mary would not let me know about it.


    ''''In fact, this is information known only to some of the Sangha Dukes and their Majesties, but a monster similar to Cayos has appeared in our territory.


    Nah!


    I almost shouted out, but then I remembered that the mansion had a Southern Autonomous Region agent, Leni-san, so I quickly covered my mouth and searched the surroundings with a ''search''. As a result, Leni-san seemed to be doing something in the kitchen and I didn''t see her exploring the parlor.


    ''''I know you have some questions to ask, but please listen to me to the end first. As for that monster, as far as results go, it ended without any damage.


    I don''t know how much of a difference there is between each of them in terms of strength, since the only precedent is Cayos, but I still thought it was amazing to beat them unscathed. But.


    ''Just because it ended without any damage doesn''t mean it was defeated. According to the relative, it was the same as Keos until it was cornered and took drugs, but unlike Keos, it vomited blood as soon as it was deformed and collapsed. He continued to watch her for a while, but she showed no signs of moving at all, and when he touched her to check, he said she was dead.


    It''s unfortunate that we didn''t get much information from the second example, but if the monster had been as strong as Cayos, it would have only caused the deaths of the miscreants with ordinary strength........


    Do you want me to measure the strength of the Fourth Squad?


    If a monster with the same level of strength as Keios appeared, they would want to see how far the fourth unit would be able to go.


    ''''That''s how it would work. However, if it is left as it is, it is likely that other nobles will submit similar requests, so if you can accept the request, you can take the Fourth Unit of the Knights of Gunjo City, which I have decided to place in the royal capital as a private soldier, on the day that Temma-kun is training with the Kingsguard, even So, His Majesty and Lyle-sama remembered the story of how the Fourth Squad had caused trouble for Tenma-kun in the past, so they decided to get on the bad side of it and have a mock battle under the guise of a drill.


    For someone who claims to have come to ask for a favor, it seems that the conversation is proceeding on the assumption that I''m going to accept it. That''s probably why the three of them behaved strangely when we first met.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s not a bad idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing.��Under those conditions, at least if the Marquis of Samons or the Earl of the Haust Frontier did the same thing, there''s no reason for me to say no, and with the increase in numbers, wouldn''t it be hard to say no if nobles I don''t know.......dukes and other dukes who have influence over the royal family, etc., came?


    If it was the Marquis of Samonth and the Earl of Houst Frontier, I wouldn''t mind since I have a relationship or acquaintance with the knights, but otherwise I don''t want to do it, and the king might not be able to say no if their numbers increase. With that in mind.


    ''''This is not an order from the royal family or a request (a request), but rather an outburst by His Majesty and Lyle-sama. Therefore, just as the mock battle is about to end, Maria and Caesar will notice the commotion and come over. And then His Majesty and Lyle-sama are taken away somewhere.


    ''So you''re saying that it was a ''prank'' that the two of you are always doing to me... does it work?''


    It will work. It will cost you and Master Lyle a fortune.


    ''No, I hate to say it, but we do everything by making them do it, so isn''t that the same thing as calling it a sacrifice?


    I wondered if the duke had misspoken, but not only the duke, but even Albert and Primera looked sad.


    ''No, well this has been kept quiet by Maria and Caesar, but they said that it''s just the right time for them to reflect on a lot of things because of their usual bad behavior.


    When I asked him if it was okay to talk about such things to me, he said he has the Duke''s permission to talk about it at his discretion as long as it''s someone he doesn''t have to worry about leaking to the King and Lyle-sama.


    ''''I don''t mind if that''s the case, but what about this time''s reward?''''


    ''It is to be paid by the royal family as a nuisance fee. Well, it''s actually a 50/50 split between the royal family and the Sangha dukes, but if the dukes pay it outwardly, it will be exposed as a trick.


    As for me, I don''t mind if the royal family and the dukes take care of the troublesome things, as long as it''s enough to replace the training partners that I do from time to time. Besides, depending on how you think about it, you can train a little differently and get paid for it, so it''s profitable.


    ''''So, when are you going to do it?''''


    ''It means you can take it. Thank you!�� I will arrange for news to go to Temma-san the day before the scheduled date.


    Even though a request is a request, we can''t leave documents and contracts behind, so we only have a verbal promise of remuneration and conditions, but I don''t expect the king and the dukes to break their promises, so this much of a promise is enough.


    ''''So I was wondering.......You said that you would place them in the royal capital as a private army, but will Primera live in the royal capital in the future?''''


    Putting them in the King''s Capital as a private army would mean that Primera, the troop leader, would be moving to the King''s Capital.


    ''''Although not completely, I will be spending more time in the King''s Capital. The Gunjo City Knights, but the number of recruits has been increasing for the past few years, and there is a situation where there might be a surplus of members. Therefore, it was decided to move the base of the Primera to the royal capital and create a specialized liaison corps that travels back and forth between towns and villages in various parts of the Duke''s territory and the royal capital. Fortunately, many of the Primera''s troops are related to noblemen, so their status is clear, which makes it easier for them to pass through the checkpoints when carrying urgent information.


    Oh, so you want to know what you''re capable of?


    Now that the second monster is out, it''s more natural to assume that there''s a third one, and it''s only natural that you need a liaison person for that. However, if that liaison person encounters a monster, even if they can''t defeat it, they''ll need to be able to escape or just buy time. They would want to know if they could do that. And that''s what the royal family would want to know, and if they were to do so, they might also want to get information on the duke''s family.


    ''''Well, we''ve agreed to exchange information with the royal family, so there''s no need to be too geeky.


    And the duke, noticing my concern, assured me that there would be no problems with the royal family.


    ''''For now, is that about it as far as the request is concerned?��And.........shall we hear about the usual Albert stories?


    Father!


    ''Then you might want to invite Grandpa and Amur and the others as well.


    Temma!


    ''Mr Temma, I''m sorry that my brother is always and always bothering you.


    Primera!


    Albert, who was teased by the three of us, was screaming in protest...


    Isn''t it?


    Isn''t it?


    Isn''t it?


    It wasn''t meant to be, but it was damaging to be told by all three of them together, and Albert was understandably unfaithful.


    Later, when they really called Grandpa and Amour and Albert''s embarrassing story was revealed, Albert fled out of the parlor and ran off somewhere else. Well, the place he escaped to was inside the Jouvees'' hut, where he was seen perfectly by Steele, who was waiting outside the mansion, and was quickly brought back by Primera, who went to look for him.


    ''Well, it''s been a good day. I was able to get my request accepted, the food was good and I got to hear some interesting stories about Albert.


    ''''That''s right.


    After they had finished talking about the request, the three of them were to go to dinner. The dinner was mainly served with dried fish that had been dried naturally to improve the taste somewhat and smoked fish that had been completed in the morning, so it might have been poor compared to what they would eat at the Duke''s house, but both the Duke and Primera seemed to enjoy it.


    The Duke was in a good mood when he left, partly because he had been drinking, and Primera, who was also drinking (the second drink had been stopped by the Duke), her opinion of Albert seemed to have plummeted. Well, being in King''s Landing more often means that she and Albert will be coming to our house more often, and if she comes to our house, she''ll have more opportunities to see why Albert (+ Cain and Leon) is called the Three Fools. Our reputation could fall further.


    ''''I''ll bring Cain and Rion with me next time...''''


    With his sister''s reputation continuing to fall, Albert seemed to have decided to take Cain and Leon on the road as well. His eyes seemed to be dark and cloudy........


    ''''Then please feel free to do it during the mock battle. Then, here we go.


    Mr. Temma, excuse me.


    Next time I''ll come back there will be three.


    I couldn''t quite decide if Albert''s "it''s the three of us" just meant that he was going to bring Cain and Rion next, or if he meant that it would be the three of us who would be disrespected and despised by the Primera... but I couldn''t quite decide if it was probably the latter.


    The three of us left and there was nothing more to do, and we launched into a drinking spree earlier than usual that day.


    ''''Even so, Chris-san''s sense of smell is amazing. It''s a day when there are a lot of snacks to drink, and yet you still come as if you''re aiming for the day after the Duke has left.


    Chris, who was being served by Leni, was reaching for the dried fish with a scowl on his face.


    ''I think I was even feeling myself today. After all, I helped Jean-san with her work on a whim somehow, and I didn''t have to run into the duke. No, well, it''s not that there''s anything inconvenient about seeing each other, but it still makes me feel unnecessary. We''re both........and most importantly, it''s great that I was able to sell my debt to Jean-san!


    And so on, but I guess the point is that it''s too much trouble to wear a cat. Besides, he says he sold his debt to Jean-san, but I don''t think he considers it a favor. Rather, he seems to think that he deserves it, or that he''ll let me help him in the future... or something like that. Well, it sounds interesting, so I don''t want to tell Chris-san about it now, but I''ll check with Aina later.


    ''But then again, Temma you guys are so extravagant. If this dried fish is so bare minimum, then what the average soldier eats is less than adequate. Do you think the Cavalry could be a little better than "so-so"?


    Perhaps it''s because dried food isn''t sold much in King''s Landing, but it''s a rather tasty category of food for soldiers to eat.


    ''''Soldiers need to get used to having food that lasts for a while in case of an emergency. Sometimes the food they''re given is all dried meat, dried fish, dried vegetables," he says. Not something a little raw like this one, but something that''s been dried and hardened to a crisp, in case of emergency.


    Even if it''s compared to such a special kind.......but it seems that that''s what dry food is to soldiers, and what they stockpile as preserved food in ordinary households isn''t that different from soldiers'' food.


    ''''The only people who can eat raw or half-raw food are those of high rank among the nobility or those who can afford the magic bag.


    Chris said, and as he chewed on his new dried fish, he said, "You, you extravagant man! He said and drank his drink.


    ''So, Mr Temma. What''s the Duke of Sangha up to?


    Chris seemed to say what he thought, and after saying it, he added, "If it''s classified information or something, you don''t have to say it. But in this case, if he said something that was gobbledygook, it would be the same as saying "it''s classified information". I don''t know how much Chris knows about this case, but it would be safer for both of us to assume that he doesn''t know at all.


    ''Oh, it''s no big deal. It seems that he came to say hello because he''s going to make the Primera''s troops with the Sangha dukes in the royal capital. Well, it was a bit of a formal greeting because Albert is always bothering me, but that was only at the beginning and the rest was the same as usual.


    And when I taught him without saying just the true but important part, Chris-san said, "Well, it can''t be helped because it''s Albert. Rather than that, Primera being assigned to King''s Landing.......it''s going to be interesting.


    Early in the morning of the next day.


    So we''ll head out tomorrow afternoon?


    A messenger from the king''s castle arrived as soon as possible. Duke Sanga had said, ''The day after tomorrow at the earliest,'' but considering the character of the king and Lyle-sama, I felt that it was natural.


    When I checked with the messenger who brought the letter, he replied, ''I have heard as much,'' he bowed and left.


    ''What can I do for you, Master Temma?''


    Aura, who was the first to respond to the messenger, asked me with interest what the letter was about, but I couldn''t tell her the details.


    They want to invite you to join them in training tomorrow for the Order.


    And I only half told her. When I asked if Aura would be joining in, while I was at it, she hurriedly moved away, saying something like, "The laundry is done," or "The cleaning is done.


    ''Aura''s so much easier to handle at times like this,''


    As I watched Aura run away, I threw the letter I received into my magic bag. You might want to burn this letter later.


    Then I''ll check on Ji-chan and the others.


    Yesterday, Grandpa and Chris are in bed with a hangover because they started drinking earlier than usual and had a lot of dried fish to snack on. Well, it''s not an unusual situation. Leni-san was drinking in a controlled manner, so she''s safe, and Amour, who seems to drink in a fit state, is not hungover because Leni-san stopped him.


    I went back to the mansion, thinking that today''s meal would be easy on my stomach, and remembering the medicine that would help me with my hangover.

 221-Chapter 15-7 Black Devilish Devil

    So, Temma. What do you think?


    The scheduled training day. I finished the mock battle earlier than expected, and Duke Sanga asked me for my impressions of the mock battle, as if to ask me just in case.


    ''''Well it depends on the situation, but I think it''s best not to think about fighting. At the very least, if you go for a win with one or two people, you will definitely die. With three people, it''s more like saying that if you fight well, you might be able to buy yourself some time.


    If we consider the case of Cayos, if we buy ourselves some time, our opponent could destroy himself. That''s what I''ve come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to go for it.


    ''How was the Primera?''


    ''''If the Primera and his second in command, and those two are supported by a knight who is skilled in magic, they might be a good match even against Cayos. Well, just to say it might be, I think it''s more likely that they''ll be killed.


    Primera and his second-in-command would be good enough to join the Kingsguard, but many of the others seemed to be better than the average soldier. Well, they seemed to be more accurate in their coordination and individual strength than in the past, but they weren''t at the level of being able to compete with the Cayos.


    ''''Does that mean we shouldn''t form a liaison force?''''


    ''No, I think that with the training we''re going to do, our chances of survival will increase considerably. But we need to make sure that fighting is a last resort, and we need to prioritize fighting to escape or survive.


    I''m saying this myself, but I don''t think most of the fourth unit is capable of fighting that way. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about it.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it is a good idea to have a good idea of what kind of training the fourth squad needs.


    I didn''t pause to answer the Duke of Sangha''s question.


    It''s about building up your strength. Secondly, we need to build up our muscles.


    I replied. ''Ideally, I''d like to develop enough stamina and speed to run and escape against a monster, but I don''t think that''s possible, so we should at least try to get away with minimal sacrifice when we run away in pieces.


    ''It may be ruthless, but I think we should also incorporate a fighting strategy that is based on sacrificing someone else.


    ''Sure, it''s probably necessary... by the way, what do you think we need to do to make sure we can fight and win?''


    The Duke seems to want to ask how to win without using decoys, but it''s a much simpler way. It''s.


    If we consider the unit of the squad to be three men, our chances of winning will be greatly enhanced if we can get three more than Amur, the Kingsguard, and Eliza to team up.


    That''s what I''m talking about. Up to the middle of the game, those three people were able to corner Keos, and since I think the main reason why we lost was due to carelessness and lack of information, if we can surpass those three people in terms of overall strength, we will be able to win. Well, how many groups of three people can be made to surpass Amur, who is one of the best in the country as a vanguard, the Kingsguard, who is one of the top knights in terms of strength, and Erza, who is quite capable as a magician, even if the Kingsguard and the Knights of the King''s Capital are combined?��That''s about as high as it gets, so it''s impossible for the fourth unit alone, no matter what you think.


    ''''That''s.......impossible. If we can stir up the knights of the Sanga Duke''s territory and pick from the top of them, we can probably do a few pairs, but it''s unclear if we can gather enough to create a squad, and most importantly, the strength of each place will be greatly reduced.''''


    ''The other idea would be to simply increase the number of fights. However, the greater the number, the harder it is to coordinate, and I think the speed needed for a liaison team will be lost. So, even if we do it, I think we''ll just move a group of three people in three squads.


    That''s true. If there are nine of us, we should be able to coordinate well enough with each other depending on our training... but even so, we must be short of people.


    If we let nine people act on it, this time the number of liaison teams will be insufficient.


    ''''This is one way to make up the numbers with golems..............Ah!��In fact, my family has been working on securing a group of wizards who can produce golems for a few years now, and we''ve recently started to get our numbers together.


    He thought they''d think I was relying on my golem, but he quickly added that he could provide his own.


    ''As a discarded piece, it''s costly, but it''s better than risking human life.


    If possible, he wouldn''t want to use the golem as a discarded pawn, but since the death of a person from the aristocracy would cause the family''s house to be noisy, and the possibility of defection if they were not good enough, Duke Sanga said with a sigh, saying that it was better to sacrifice the golem if that was the case.


    ''''I guess we''ll just have to ask Primera and the others to work hard on their training so that the cost of the golem won''t be too much.......Primera!��It''s time to get the men up!��Don''t let him be exposed in a haphazard fashion forever in front of the Kingsguard and the Knights of the Royal City!


    The duke issued a proclamation to the knights who were still falling or sitting on the ground. However, less than half of them were able to respond to his voice right away, less than twenty if you count the number of people.


    ''''Shall I excuse you, my lord? Fourth unit, line up!''''


    As Primera hurriedly gave the command, the knight who had stood up earlier lent a shoulder to the still-heaving knight and made a line, albeit a distorted one.


    ''''Salute Your Majesty!''''


    The Primera and the others saluted to the king, who was away from me and the duke. In response, the king lightly raised his hand and replied.


    ''''Get back on your feet!��Lord Sanga, Lord Temma-Otori, I salute you!


    He then turned to salute the Duke and me, and the Duke replied with a light raise of his hand, just like the King, but I didn''t know what to do, so I bowed my head lightly.


    Seeing that I bowed, the Primera moved her troops to the edge and took a break.


    ''''Duke Sanga, I''m sorry for asking you to do that,''''


    ''''No, those guys must have had a good experience. Even though they are knights of the duke''s family, it''s not often that they come to the royal castle when they belong to a local city''s knightly order. And yet, he was able to wield a sword in front of His Majesty. It would make those men proud.


    When Duke Sanga said that, the king nodded hawkishly. So far, the king knows the flow of events.


    ''''Your Majesty, may I have a moment?''''


    And this is where the king''s story begins to unfold.


    Maria and Lyle-sama were standing behind Caesar-sama who called out to the king. Lyle-sama hadn''t been told about what was going to happen yet, and he looked no different than usual.


    The king, who was called by Caesar-sama, approached Caesar-sama and Maria-sama without showing any signs of concern, even though it wasn''t something he knew about beforehand. And then they took me away from my sight.......and didn''t come back.


    ''Duke Sanga, Temma, I''m sorry for leaving you alone. Your Majesty and the Warlord had some urgent business to attend to, so they had to leave their seats.


    Only one person came back, Master Caesar, and he uttered an apology to me and the Duke. Well, it''s a play to show the people around us, though.


    ''''Even so, the way things are going, it looks like the liaison team is going to suffer a lot of damage if something goes wrong.


    ''''Yes, I was talking to Temma-kun about that, but under the current circumstances, it looks like we''re going to have to increase the number of people in the squad to deal with it, or be prepared to throw away and use golems.''''


    ''Well, that''s a lot of work... well, you should get them involved in training at the royal castle once in a while. It will be a good stimulus for both of us.


    Master Caesar said, ''I''ll take this opportunity to allow the other knights of the nobles to join in,'' and he also said that he would make a suggestion to Master Lyle, who wasn''t here, next time, and walked towards where the kings had disappeared.


    ''Well, it won''t happen. Especially since the reformers won''t want their forces to be known, and even if we did get them to participate, it would be better if some mid-level knights came.


    In fact, Duke Sanga also brought here the fourth unit of the Gunjo City Knights...................knights who not long ago could be treated as a burden. It''s not that they''re all painful or itchy, even if their abilities are known.


    It''s a good thing for us, though. It''s a good thing for us, though, because it makes it easier to get our knights to participate. If possible, I would like to see other noblemen gain a certain level of competence before they join, but it will be difficult.


    The reason why it''s so difficult is because the fourth troop is going to take a long time to build up its strength, and if the Marquis de Samons knows about this, he''ll probably let them join right away.


    ''If the Marquis de Samons hears about the Liaison Corps, he will probably create a similar unit.


    I was wondering if there are no units in this world that do things like giving orders, but I heard that there are, but it''s inefficient because basically available ordinary knights serve at the same time.


    It''s not a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but you can''t really rely on it as a fighting force, and it requires quite a few horses, so in the name of cost-cutting and so on, it seems to be almost non-existent now. Besides, if it''s just a little communication, the adventurers will take care of it. It''s cheaper that way.


    That being said, Ted was the first thing that came to mind. Adventurers who use demons like Ted to carry information may feel that the money they cost at a time is high, but the means of transportation is basically their own, so they don''t have to pay for the expenses used to keep and manage horses and other things, some adventurers arrive faster than knights who travel by horse, and if they are involved in an accident or incident along the way, the new knights'' The advantage is that you don''t have to replenish or compensate the survivors. Well, there are disadvantages such as information being stolen, but the advantages seem to be greater since it''s just a matter of not having to use adventurers for important information.


    ''''There are things like the Wyvern fiasco in the Haust frontier county, the imperial invasion fiasco, and monstrous disturbances like this one. There will definitely be occasions when we need our own specialized liaison unit. With that in mind, we can''t blame ourselves for spending a little money.


    Just when I thought that would be the case, the Kingsguard appeared in the square where I had been training with the Fourth Squad earlier.


    ''''Temma!��Now that we''re here, let''s do it with us!


    It was Jean-san who loudly invited me to join him. Today is a rare day for the main force of the Konoe Guard, and they all seem to be full of motivation, so it''s unlikely that they would let me escape if I refused. In fact, Chris-san and Edgar-san are trying to get behind me to prevent me from escaping.


    ''The Gunjo City Knights can come in whenever they want to join, too!


    When Mr. Din shouted that, the Primera responded first, followed by the second in command, and then a dozen or so people stood up, but the knights from the nobility didn''t stand up except for the first two.


    ''''Well then, I''ll take care of the Primera, shall I?''''


    Please!


    Chris-san was the first to catch the primera and move away from me. Following Chris-san, the female knights of the Kingsguard caught the female knights of the Fourth Unit in the same way and took them near Chris-san.


    Seeing that the female knight of the fourth unit was gone, the other knights of the Kingsguard began to catch the knights of the fourth unit who were standing one by one.


    ''''Well then, Temma-kun, shall we play with us as usual?''''


    Edgar-san smiled freshly and was about to do what could only be considered the work of a demon, taking him to where Din-san, Jean-san and Sigurd-san were waiting.


    ''You say it''s business as usual, but you''ve never done this combination before, have you?��If there''s magic, that''s fine, but what do you want to do?


    It''s not an option. Edgar, you can deal with them later!


    No, not Mr. Edgar, Mr. Dinh should be out!


    ''Then get Sigurd out, too!��Temma, that''s it!


    I nodded in agreement, but just before we started.


    (I''ve never worked with this duo before... but it''s usually too tight, right?


    I thought, but it was later. Without magic, he and Din-san were about 50-50 with each other, but if Jean-san was added to the mix, he had no chance of winning. If it was someone other than Jean-san, like Din-san and Chris-san, you might still be able to use that person as a shield or as a weapon, but Jean-san never showed such an opening, she was thoroughly clothed by Din-san, and Jean-san''s blow came at her from behind. They made us go through a training session that could only be considered bullying in any way.


    When the bullying by the elders was over, Edgar, Sigurd, Chris, and Primera came at us. They didn''t even have time to catch their breath before they attacked us, as if they were taking us by surprise. As expected of him after that bullying, he couldn''t keep his strength up, and he had to do his best just to defend himself. Well, although we were being pushed around by the four of them, we didn''t give them a decisive blow, so I''d say it was a draw.


    However, after Jean-san told us the end of the game, Chris-san said that we won the game because we had the advantage in the game, so I said that since the four of us couldn''t beat him, Chris-san would lose. , please let Mr. Din and Mr. Jean deal with me before you say anything," said Chris, and Mr. Din and Mr. Jean pulled him away. And he was being bullied just like me.


    ''As bad as Chris is, Temma, you''re not too shabby either.


    ''Well, Chris has been on a bit of a roll since winning the martial arts tournament, so it''s a good feeling.


    Edgar-san and Sigurd-san didn''t defend Chris-san, but quietly watched him being hit.


    ''Temma-san, are you okay?''


    ''I''m tired, but I''m not seriously hurt... well, I guess I''m okay?


    Since some injuries are commonplace in training, I felt like I said I was fine except for fatigue. I replied that, but Primera looked apologetic, so I said, "Chris-san forced you to go along, didn''t he? I asked, and he gave a small nod, hesitantly.


    Then it was all Chris-san''s fault, so when Primera said that she didn''t have to worry about it, Edgar-san and Sigurd-san said the same thing to encourage her, and the female knights of the Kinsmen''s Guard, who were watching, started to say the same thing. As a result.


    ''''Why, if I come back alive from the demons and demon squeezing, my reputation is going down!


    In this way, Chris''s reputation in the unit has declined proclamation. Well, half of them are acting like that to make fun of Chris-san, but... I guess it''s not my imagination that some of them have really gone down.


    ''Alright!��That''s enough!


    At Din-san''s command, the training ended. It''s probably because of the presence of the fourth unit today, but the way the knights of the Kingsguard were fired up seemed different from the usual. That''s probably why the knights of the Kingsguard were discussing their plans for the rest of the day, laughing and smiling, while the knights of the Fourth Unit looked dead and dying, and the only ones who were able to stand were the second in command and a few veterans.


    ''''Da, Fourth Squad ... stand ... bow.''''


    Primera saw the knights of the Kingsguard begin to line up and hurriedly had everyone stand up and curtsy. When the knights of the Kingsguard saw this, they responded thoughtfully, calling out and waving, and with Din-san''s words of dismissal, they flexed and went back into the castle, respectively.


    ''How many of you will be in good spirits tomorrow?''


    ''Maybe a little less than half..... Of course, I''m okay with that.


    I''m sure there aren''t many more. Of course, I''m sure I''m okay with that.


    To my question, Mr. Edgar laughed and said it was less than half, and Mr. Sigurd said it was less than that. The two of them are right, I think it''s about that much too. At any rate, no matter how much the knights of the Konoe Guard greatly surpassed the ordinary knights in both physical strength and skill, they were training more spiritedly than usual, with more people than usual, and a significant number of Konoe Guard knights were straining to look good to the Fourth Unit. Normally, they would have been just as hefty as the knights of the fourth troop.


    ''''Well, being able to be skinny is also a necessary skill for a kinsman guard.


    As you can see, we can''t afford to show our weakness in front of the other units.


    ''Don''t you two get too skinny talking like that~?


    It was Chris, who seemed to be too skinny to be able to speak for others, who came in to make tea for Mr. Edgar and the others.


    ''Lately, Edgar-san has been saying that he''s having trouble with muscle pains coming in two days, and Sigurd-san is worried about his hair loss, isn''t he?��Isn''t that old?��Is the day coming soon when you will give up your seat to a younger man?


    Chris-san says so and treats them as uncles, but........they are not that much older than Chris-san. In fact, they are so close to the same age that you could say they are the same age.


    The two men who were treated like uncles by Chris-san were quietly angry. They were already clenching their fists so tightly that they felt as if they were going to bleed, and blood veins appeared on their foreheads as if they were going to spurt out blood. And Chris hadn''t yet noticed their anger.


    ''Hmm?''


    As I was watching the three of them, half amused by what was going to happen, I saw Jean-san make a gesture from a distance telling me to do something about Chris... with a smile. I replied that I couldn''t, and this time Din-san was amused and started to make the same gesture.


    ''I can''t help it.......well, I''m sure today.......oh!��There she is!��Come on, come on out!


    I looked into the dimension bag I had placed in the corner to meet Jean and Din''s expectations. Then I unleashed the demon(...).


    ''Meh?��........meh!


    Wait, the target is Mr. Chris the chance to make up for his daily grudge is now!


    Then I suggested ''Merry'', the black devil.


    For a moment, Merry braced herself to collide with me, but when I made her look at Chris just before she jumped on me, she seemed to understand what I meant right away. For Merry, who is always stressed out by being forced to mooch, I decided to say that now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    ''''Meh.......meh!


    Merry looked at me with respectful eyes, then purred as if to salute me.


    Meh~........meh!


    He rushed towards Chris.


    ''What?��Why is Mary here....?��Now, damaa!��Forgive me now, yeeeeeeeeeeeee!


    Sure enough, Chris didn''t have enough left over to make a fool of Edgar and the others (rather, he seems to have left less than the two of them), and when he noticed Merry''s lunge, he couldn''t escape, and was blown away by a body hit to his back, and was chased down when he rolled, Chris The three of them were suffering from hell. And Chris-san was being laughed at by the remaining knights of the Kingsguard. Among them, Jean-san and Din-san laughed loudly without restraint, while Edgar-san and Sigurd-san smiled like fools. Besides, the knight who had gone back to see what was going on when he heard Mr. Chris''s shouting came to check on him, so all of the Kingsguard could see him being beaten by Merry.


    ''Merry, it''s about time you came back,''


    Meh!


    Merry tried to crawl away from Chris, who tried to crawl away, but he kept giving her body blows and stomps over and over again, and finally he looked contented on top of Chris, who had stopped moving.


    I couldn''t bear to call out to Mary like that, but I called out to her to come back as I had to leave soon, and she surprisingly and honestly came back and went into the dimension bag herself.


    ''Temma I didn''t ask you to go that far, you know.


    ''So am I... or rather, why are you bringing me here?''


    Dinh and Jeanne were taken back by Merry''s behavior, but when I told them that Merry''s behavior was inevitable since there was an aspect of Chris''s own fault, they agreed with me that it was, and ordered the female knight who was nearby to move Chris to a corner.


    Well, to say I was kicked out is an exaggeration, but they shoved her into a dimension bag and left her with me on my way to the royal castle. I guess Jeanne and the others were going to tell me that they were going to leave Mary, who was in the way, with me to finish redoing the laundry and other cleaning, and get her away from the mansion.


    When I told the two of them about it, Din told me that it was a problem that I hadn''t told them that I had brought her here, but since no one but Chris had been harmed, I would pretend that I hadn''t seen her. As expected, it was a bad idea to keep quiet about bringing him along, but it was a form that was overlooked because he wasn''t a demon and he didn''t cause much damage.


    ''''But there is a condition,''''


    Jean, who had been overheard by the knight who had finished carrying Chris-san, offered a condition of exchange. It was.


    ''Is this a Shilomar mooching party?��As long as you can provide me with a snack for Shiroumaru, I''m sure I''ll be fine.


    When I said that, the female knights of the Konoe Guard and some of the male knights cheered. After all, the knights who can come as escorts for Mary and the others are limited even among the konoe guard, basically knights like Din-san, Jean-san and Chris-san who met them when they came to Kukri village in the past are the main ones, and even if other knights are occasionally assigned to be in charge, they are often made to wait outside or return to the royal castle once.


    That''s why the knights who love animals as much as Chris-san do look at him enviously when they can interact with Shiroumaru and Merry at any time, and knowing that, Chris-san brags about Shiroumaru''s fur and Arie''s comfort in his arms.


    ''Hmm?��...Oh, I''ll tell them that too.


    As Din-san and I were discussing the scheduled date of the mooch party, the female knight was overheard by Jean-san again.


    ''Temma, about that mofo party, Chris would like to be banned. You don''t mind, do you?


    So I nodded instantly. However, as soon as I made it a condition that Chris-san would be restrained and that he would bear the burden of facilitating and guarding the mofo party, I heard a voice saying yes.


    A few days after the training, an unidentified masked person (according to the security knight) tried to sneak into the venue for Shiroumaru and Mary Ally''s mofuri party, the knights found him and chased him around, but he escaped, and his whereabouts are not known after that........ Edgar told me that a number of reports had been left alone in the anteroom of the Kingsguard and placed on the desk of Chris, who was supposed to have been assigned to organize the paperwork.

 222-Chapter 15-8 Hierarchical Relationship between Brother and Sister

    Is this what the prototype looks like?


    The prototype that finally took shape...........................I moved it around lightly while checking the comfort of the improved wheelchair.


    ''''It''s not quite as good as the one in my previous life, but it''s still a far cry from the one I used before.


    I shaped it, remembering the one from my previous life, and I put a plate spring in the chair and used frog skin for the tires, so the impact is pretty low. However, it''s dangerous on hills because it doesn''t have brakes, and although I added a hand rim so that it can be moved by itself, I think it''s hard for people with weak strength to move it because of its heavy body.


    ''Well, let''s just say it''s a prototype and this is how it is, and maybe next time we''ll make it lighter?


    Eventually I''d like to build in a golem and be able to autopilot it, but for now I''ll aim for something similar to the one in my previous life.


    ''It looks like they''re planning something crazy.


    You could have just knocked, Grandpa.


    I thought the region''s kneading door was open, and when my grandfather came in, he gave me a dumbfounded look. As for knocking, he said he had done it a few times and I just hadn''t noticed.


    ''So this is ... a wheelchair. It''s not much different from the one on the market, but it has been modified in some places.


    Grandpa sat down on the prototype and began to move it around.


    It might be good to get used to it now, since Grandpa might take care of it in a few years.


    I will walk on my own two feet until I die!��... Well, that''s not a bad ride. But it is a bit heavy. It may be a bit hard for an invalid or injured person who needs to use it.


    Grandpa was also concerned about the weight of the wheelchair and mentioned it as a problem... but he was able to maneuver the wheelchair with powerful movements that didn''t make it feel heavy at all.


    The next challenge is to make it lighter. The next challenge is to make it lighter," he said.


    That would be good, wouldn''t it, by the way, why are you making a wheelchair?


    ''No, well I haven''t had much time to myself lately because I''ve been so busy with everything, so I thought I''d take it easy for a day or two... I was in a daze and then I heard about Russell City. Remember....


    And then you remembered that you had planned to improve it when you had time to do so. And you did it.


    It was free time and.....


    It seems contradictory to say that I was so busy that I had to take a rest day and then work on it, but I''m sure I wouldn''t feel comfortable letting it go once it got to my attention, so it''s the right thing to do in terms of relieving stress that I immersed myself in the prototype!


    Well, the day of rest was worth it if it was refreshing. So, this prototype can be seen by anyone?


    ''Yeah, I''m thinking of taking this to Zain-sama. Whatever it is, he said he wants to build a medical school, and more importantly, it would be good for Missalia-sama. I''m sure he''ll be happy to help us out, and I''m sure he''ll take care of things after that.


    ''It''s disrespectful to use royalty! But Zain is likely to be willing to cooperate, and more importantly, it''s going to be profitable for the royal family. Even if it''s just a game to the Temma.


    Grandpa is being mischievous, but it''s better to give the technology to someone who can help society in some small way than to make it for my own personal enjoyment and then leave it in a dead hoard after I''ve finished it!��......... let''s just say.


    ''Temma, sir.........what is this?''


    Jeanne, who had come to call me, froze when she saw my grandfather moving in his wheelchair in every direction in the room. She was in the middle of saying something about customers, but if an old man playing around in a wheelchair suddenly appeared in front of me, I might as well forget about my work.


    ''Jeanne, who''s the customer?''


    ''Ah!��I''m sorry. Master Albert and the others and Miss Primera have come to visit, so I''m sending them to the dining room.


    I replied, "Okay," and turned to go to the dining room, but Grandpa liked the wheelchair and was trying to move around in it while I sat down.


    When I went to the cafeteria, the three of us, who are usually sluggish or eating and drinking without permission, were sitting quietly in our chairs waiting... or rather, we were being pissed off.


    ''''O-suh. We''ve come to play........?


    ''''Listen, brother. No matter how close we are, I don''t think it''s appropriate for the next duke to walk around the mansion without permission before being shown around. It is precisely because they are close friends that they should pay attention to details and refrain from doing things that would be pointed out by those around them. There are quite a few nobles who want to be close to Temma-san on behalf of the Sangha dukes. If you consider them your friends, you should be careful not to cause trouble for Tenma-san. Brother Cain and Brother Rion are both good!


    It seemed that the usual behavior of the three of us was unbelievable from Primera''s point of view. Albert and the others couldn''t argue with him because Primera was right, even if it was because he was allowed to do so by me and grandpa.


    Primera was so focused on scolding the three of us that she didn''t realize it, but a large, well-dressed man came in just before we spoke, opening the door to the dining room somewhat roughly.


    ''Master Lyle, please don''t stop at the doorway, but come inside. Am I determined to mooch Shiroumaru all day today........ra?


    ''Besides, I was brought in because it''s a holiday, but the knight''s holiday is used to rest my body and make sure I can work adequately in a time of need. And since I''m in a position of responsibility as a captain, even though it''s a holiday, I still have some things to do!��And if you''d told me where you were going, I''d have dressed better and dressed better and my hair has been neglected lately, it''s a mess. .....


    Behind the well-dressed man, a female knight, who was in a much more responsible position than the average knight, also came in. Primera didn''t even notice the new arrival.


    ''Both of you, get out of my way!��Don''t just stand there like that, come on in!


    Whoa!


    Yikes!


    Then, pushed by a third small figure who appeared, the well-dressed man and the woman in a position of responsibility walked into the cafeteria in a pinched position.


    ''''Ah........''''


    Primera heard the sound of footsteps on the tatara they were being pushed on and turned around, noticing the three of them for the first time. And when their eyes met, the three of them let out a voice that sounded somewhat out of place and froze together for a few seconds.


    ''''Well... how should I put it, I got permission (a long time ago), and I called out to them, and it was meant to show off to the people around us that we''re such an uncomfortable friend...''''


    The first thing you need to know is that you and Tenma-kun have been friends for a long time, and playing with Shiroumaru and the others here helps to nurture your spirit... and you''re here after you''ve done what you need to do. .....


    ''What?��Well ... no!��I''m not talking to the two of you, I''m talking to my brothers!��Because to those who don''t understand the relationship well, the actions of my brothers could be mistaken for taking Tenma-san lightly or thinking it''s okay to treat her that way!


    They were making excuses to the Primera in a daze, but the Primera didn''t understand what they were saying because she didn''t mean to say it to them, but when she realized what they were trying to say, she desperately explained that it wasn''t because they were talking about them, but


    ''Primera, the way you answer that question, those two are often more applicable.


    Haha!


    He choked on his words as Amur prodded him.


    ''Well, we''re rather like that in our house, so don''t worry too much about Primera.


    When I said that, not only Lyle-sama and Chris-san, but also Albert and the others nodded and tried to calm the primera down, but


    I agree. But I agree with you about being polite in a friendly way. By all means, tell that to Alex''s guy!


    ''I can''t!��I''m dying!


    And because of Grandpa''s mischievousness, Primera was in a state of half-crying. By the way, ''I''m going to die'' doesn''t mean to be put to death for impoliteness, etc., but it seems to mean that your heart bursts with surprise and nervousness, etc.


    ''By the way, where did Luna go?��I''m pretty sure you were there as far as the two of you walked into the dining room?


    Well, if you use ''search'', you can find them in the mansion in one shot, but by the looks of it, Caesar-sama and Tida and the others must be having a hard time....................and then you deploy ''search''


    There they are. They''re hiding in there.


    It wasn''t long before they found her. It was the kind of place where, knowing Luna, I would only go looking for her at the end of the day.


    ''Anyway, since it''s Luna, she won''t come out even if I call her, so I''ll call her over to look for her... it''s too much trouble. Luna!��And if you don''t come back soon, no more treats in the future!


    I was about to yell this out into the hallway and head back to the dining room when I heard clattering footsteps coming from the direction Luna was in.


    ''Brother!��I don''t think that''s fair!


    Within a minute of shouting, Luna burst into the dining room.


    ''No, it''s not cheating. There are no treats that we serve to people who aren''t there. If there were such a thing, Shiroumaru and Solomon, and Amur and Aura would handle it!


    How can you be sure it''s not there!


    The two animals slobber and make a determined face as they say it with their chests.


    ''If you want a snack, the first thing you need to do when you come to our house is say hello to someone. You understand.


    ''Yes!��........so please give me a snack!


    Luna replied cheerfully and took her seat, claiming her snack. Primera looked at Luna with a stunned expression on her face, but


    There''s always this.


    You''re just fine.


    Primera was even more surprised when she heard Grandpa and Jeanne''s words.


    ''I know you''re surprised, but this is our usual scene. That scene includes Albert and his friends. Incidentally, among the guests who come to visit us, the king of this country behaves as unusual as or even more so than Luna. It might be hard to get used to it right away, but just think of it that way and give up. Also, the scariest person in the country ... the one with the most power is also coming, but be careful.


    Oni~chan, ha~yaku~o~yatsu~


    Primera looked at Luna again and nodded in resignation. When Albert and the others saw that, they were happy to be finally freed...


    ''But that''s not the same as this. The royal family has its own way of doing things, and the Sangha dukes have their own way of doing things, and the Sangha dukes have their own way of doing things. So from now on, my brothers, I ask you to change your minds and behave appropriately as the next head of the dukes, marquises and frontier counts!


    It seemed that they simply didn''t give up, they just split up. That''s why the three of them were afraid it would be tight for the kings... but...


    Wait a minute!��If you think about it, the only thing Primera has to pay attention to is Albert, right?��Look, I''m still the next head of another family!


    Yeah, that''s right!��I''m not going to give Primera a hard time over us!��We''ll just have to take care of ourselves!


    You''re the one who told me to do it because I can''t.


    Amour blurted out, and the two stopped for a moment, but they seemed to immediately pretend not to hear him and decided to ignore him. Albert said to them, "You''re abandoning me! He shouted, but when he met eyes with Primera, he became quiet.


    ''Brother Cain, Brother Rion. You two are in a trio with your brother, right?��It would be unfair to say just your brother.


    I felt uncomfortable with the unusual primera, but after thinking about it for a moment, I recognized that atmosphere. It was similar to Albert. To elaborate, it''s similar to the atmosphere that Albert has when he takes Cain and Rion on the road. Perhaps he is planning to get back at them for being forced to bring them to him without telling them where they were going, and getting back at them for what they did to him earlier.


    I don''t know how far Primera is serious about this, but it probably won''t be that bad.


    I decided to leave the stress-relieving Primera alone, and I headed to the kitchen to make a snack to answer Luna''s request. I guess it was to follow me and help make the snack, but in addition to Jeanne, Aura, and Leni-san, even Amour and Chris-san, who didn''t seem to be able to fight... or should I say the last two escaped.


    Even though there are some people who seem to be dragging their feet, because we possess a force that is more than enough to make up for it, if we wanted to make it, we could make enough pancakes in two to thirty minutes to make enough for everyone to have a second helping......but we deliberately took the time to I was making pancakes. It took nearly an hour to finish, and a numbed Luna (who had fallen asleep in the middle of the process) charged into the kitchen, but she was in a colossal mood when I told her that I was producing a large quantity so that everyone could eat the quantity.


    I brought a few plates of pancakes, stacked in large quantities on a platter, into the dining room, just as Lyle-sama was talking to Primera about something. Primera looked horrified, but Lyle-sama seemed to be in a good mood, so she must have enjoyed herself thoroughly before stopping him.


    Albert and the others were freed when Primera was stopped by Lyle-sama, but during the snack time afterwards, they ate more beautifully than we''ve ever shown them in our house. Well, Rion seemed to be having a hard time with it and only managed to refill the second one, and Albert and Cain ran out of food when they were halfway through the third one. Unlike the three of us, we ate the usual way, and each of us ate about four or five cards (but Jeanne and Primera ate two), and we were enjoying our after-dinner tea with satisfied faces.


    ''I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you today,''


    After relieving stress with Albert and the others, eating a slightly inspired dinner, and taking a bath to relieve her exhaustion, Primera was in a good mood when she left. On the contrary, Albert and the three of them seemed to be exhausted and looked like they were having a hard time. Well, it was natural since they were being monitored by their own sister and sisterly existence and had to pay attention to their every move, but they couldn''t sympathize with them since they had a lot of self-inflicted wounds.


    Later on.


    ''''Temma-san, Luna''s escape and hiding skills have improved recently, and it''s hard to catch her.......''''


    Tida, who had come to visit, was complaining about it.


    ''Then you should look for a place like a library or study room first. Maybe Tida and the others wouldn''t be the first to look for such places, thinking that Luna would stay away from them or subconsciously think about it.��After a while, it won''t be easy to find Luna if she''s moved to where Tida and the others have already been looking for her.


    When he had called Luna over with the treats, it was in the storeroom where she was hiding. If it was there, the more people who knew Luna, the later they would be put off. So when I pointed this out to her, Tida seemed to have an idea, and she looked frustrated.


    ''To be honest, I was making fun of Luna. I thought we were spinning our wheels because of Luna''s actions, which are based on intuition alone...


    It''s a pretty terrible way to say it, but if you look at Luna on a regular basis, it''s far more unlikely that she would act with that much thought (although there''s still the possibility that she acted on instinct this time, too), so maybe it was a reasonable decision for her brother.


    After this day, Luna''s capture rate increased significantly... but Luna''s was gradually becoming more 50-50 as she began to hide in ways that Tida and the others could not even imagine.


    Also, when I showed the prototype of the wheelchair to Master Zain, he said he would love to help me out. The first improved model was sent to Missalia, and she was seen more often in the castle than ever before.

 223-Chapter 16-1 Topic over winning

    That''s enough!��The individual winner is Temma Ootori!


    Almost at the same time as Blanca falls, the referee''s voice echoes through the hall, followed by loud cheers. In the officials'' seats, my people on my side, plus Yoshitsune, are happy. Well, I don''t see Blanca because she''s unconscious, but during the game, Yoshitsune was growing in strength with hatred every time he cheered me on, and if I''d seen her, she would have attacked me even though the game was over.


    I answered the crowd''s cheers by raising my hand and telling the attendant to hurry up and take Blanca away. This got my attention.


    You should never see Yoshitsune happy when you follow him.


    ''Temma Ootori, we have a pair of finals in an hour, will you be okay?''


    I''m fine.


    This year''s tournament, even the pair that abandoned the tournament last time made it through, so they''ll be competing in the finals in three divisions. I''ve just finished one of them, the individual competition, but the finals will be played on the same day in all three divisions, so I''ll have to play two more times. Well, my partner in the pairing is my grandfather, and he''s eager to get rid of last year''s resentment, so I might just be able to help out in the rear, and the opponents aren''t very strong, so he''ll be able to win the game on his own.


    "The question is, will it be the team game...?


    The opponent for the final of the team competition it was the Kingsguard team led by Mr. Dinh. There were five members, Din-san, Jean, Edgar-san, Sigurd-san and Chris-san, with no reserve. I''m used to seeing these guys around, but when they were chosen to participate, there was a lot of noise about them being the hottest team in the tournament.


    The victims of such a high-profile team, especially our opponents in the qualifying round, were so depressed that they ended up with no good points at all and looked like they might have been traumatized. Well, even among the knights who routinely put emphasis on cooperation in interpersonal battles, only selected knights could become the Kingsguard, and furthermore, they had to deal with the top five knights among them, so a half-hearted skill..................especially against a demon like adventurer In a team with so many opportunities, it''s no wonder we ended up with nothing to show for it.


    As for "Oration", the usual members of me, Grandpa, Amur, Surarin, Shiroumaru, and Solomon clashed with the "Southern Selection" led by Blanca in the semifinals. Amur was damaged in the fight against Blanca and the others and had to leave, but he wasn''t seriously injured, and he''s confident that he''ll be able to overcome his fears with Chris in the final. When Grandpa and Blanca started punching each other in the middle of the match, the top guys in the South took the odd step of watching the two fighters without a care in the world, but the crowd was so excited by the fight that they didn''t get blamed for it.


    And as for the two men''s fisticuffs, Grandpa countered a straight right hand from Blanca with a pair of blows, resulting in a double knockdown. But unlike Grandpa, Blanca was the leader of the Southern Section, so Blanca''s team lost.


    An hour and a half later, he said.


    "Grandpa, you did a great job.


    ''Ho-ho!��We wanted a little more challenge, but that was a pretty interesting game. With a little more experience, I''m sure we can become one of the top pairs.


    My opponent in the final, which was overrun by my grandpa, was a pair of young adventurers who were making their first appearance in the final. The match was our... or rather Grandpa''s overwhelming victory, but Grandpa''s reputation was high in spite of the result. In the final of the pairs, Grandpa, the vanguard, fought against the two of us, and I didn''t have much to do. Well, since it''s not a good idea to just stand there, I did a reasonable job of restraining the opposing rear guard whenever they tried to use their magic.


    ''''Well then, ''Oration'' people, the finals of the team competition will begin in an hour, so please get ready before then.


    As soon as the attendant left the waiting room, we decided to plan our strategy right away. Well, even though we''re going to plan a strategy, who is going to deal with whom is what we call in "Oration".............but first.


    The finalists are me, Grandpa, Amur, Shiroumar and Slarin.


    Cui?��.........cue!


    Solomon said, "You''ve been in the game before, why! I sounded like I was going to say.


    ''Simply because Slarin is stronger. When Solomon comes out, Mr. Dinh will probably be the first to go after him.


    In previous matches, Solomon''s control of the airspace was a huge advantage, but that was also because our previous opponents had no way of defeating him. However, the Konoe Guard had Din-san, who was capable of dropping Solomon with a single blow, and they had enough members to hold the rest of us back while Din-san dropped Solomon. And while we may be stronger individually, we''ve lost a great deal in terms of coordination...there''s a difference between us that''s too great to compare.


    The pattern most likely to cause us to lose is that Solomon will be dropped and reduced by one person, and I will be surrounded by Mr. Din and Mr. Jean, then Solomon will be dropped, Amour will be held back by Chris, Grandpa will be surrounded by Edgar and Sigurd, and Jean will be the opponent of Shiroumaru. The three of us do. And while I''m going at it with Mr. Din, a handful of people - Chris or Jean or both - will take my back...but Amur, Shiroumaru is unlikely to be out of the fight, so it''s significantly less likely than the best one.


    However, what both have in common is Solomon''s dropping out of the race, and I believe the chances of him getting to that point are quite high, and that''s why he''s being replaced. In the first place, Slarin is the third of ''Oration'' in terms of strength, so it was odd that he hadn''t left so far out. Well, it was like Slarin was listening to Solomon''s selfishness.


    Solomon had been complaining quite persistently, but in the end, Slarin had convinced him to allow him to be replaced.


    ''Next up is who''s going to deal with who...''


    "I''m gonna beat up Chris!


    Amur will be Mr. Chris. So, Shiroumar, take care of Mr. Jean. The first priority is to not let him join Mr. Din, and don''t force him to attack you. Slarin I want you to go after Mr. Edgar and preferably Mr. Sigurd. Grandpa, if Slarin leaks one of them, he''ll be the one who does it, and if it looks okay, he''ll go after Din-san with me........................... Well, it''s only a plan, and it''s possible that Din-san and the others will read that plan and try to outsmart you, so please be flexible at that time.


    We know each other''s strengths and we''re both top-ranked in our abilities, but we''re the top team in the tournament, especially when it comes to cooperation, so we''re going to bring in Slarin to increase our overall strength, and at the same time, we''re going to have the selfish side, including me, to follow up on our cooperation. ��Slough?��There is none.


    After discussing a certain amount of strategy, we spent our time thinking about it until game time. And


    Final, ''Oration'' versus ''Kommandant''............................begin!


    As soon as the game started.


    Uggee!


    Amur was blown away. His opponent was Mr. Dinh.


    As expected, our aim was read, and we had been outsmarted. But although Amur was blown up and sustained damage, he barely avoided a direct hit and was not rendered incapable of fighting. In the meantime, however, Din-san and the others took advantage of their numerical advantage and went to their respective opponents.


    Chris-san interrupted Siloumaru, Edgar-san interrupted Grandpa, Sigurd-san interrupted to block the front of Slarin, and Din-san and Jean-san rushed at me. Perhaps Din-san and his team''s plan had worked out well in this(-) and this(-). Yes, up to this point.


    Huh!��f*ck!��Slarin''!


    Jean, who was coming towards me along with Mr. Dinh, lost his balance and nearly fell over just before he got to top speed. His legs were entangled with tentacles that extended from the slarin''


    I thought I was outsmarting them, but they read me!


    Mr. Din said that happily as he wielded his sword, but


    ''Unfortunately, I couldn''t read it. It was rather chilling to be outsmarted. All thanks to Slarin.........!


    He exchanged a few strikes with Mr. Dinh, forcing him to gain distance with a forceful blow....


    It''s not something to be proud of.


    Mr. Dinh looked dumbfounded and reasserted his sword as if nothing had happened.


    ''''Slarin is my subordinate, so I guess I can be proud of him, though!


    ''That would be true but!��If you leave it to your family, they''ll laugh at you!


    To whom?


    "Your Majesty!��Master Lyle, and!��Lady Luna........!


    When I heard the three names, it made sense to me. Then the image of the three of them laughing came to my mind and I felt uncomfortable.


    ''''Well then, let''s have the captain of the Konoe Guard, who can lose to me like that, change that role.......kah!


    Sorry, that''s my head!


    In the end, I''m going to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Dinh... or so I thought.


    ''Tsk!��I knew it was impossible!


    Mr. Sigurd cut at me from behind.


    I thought it was Slarin who was dealing with Mr. Sigurd, and while I prevented it, I blew Mr. Sigurd away and looked towards where Slarin was.


    ''That''s a messed up way to fight...''


    Mr. Jean wielded his great sword with force and scattered the body of the slarin.


    ''''Slurin are troublesome away and troublesome up close, but slime is a demon with extremely low defense. That''s no exception, even for Slarin.


    Din-san is right, Slarin has an exceptional defense for a slime, but not enough to withstand Jean-san''s attacks. However.


    Ugh!


    ''Mmm-hmm!��Vice-captain of the Kingsguard, strike it out!


    Amur attacked from behind Mr. Jan, who was facing Slarin.


    Jean-san also noticed Amur''s approach and was about to intercept him, but the moment Jean-san''s consciousness turned to Amur for a moment, a part of Slarin''s scattered body clung to Jean-san''s leg, blocking his movement and causing him to faint under Amur''s attack while he was almost defenseless.


    Din-san was right, Jean-san had left, and the Konoe Guard was losing the battle.


    Amur, who had defeated Jean-san, attacked Chris-san, who had managed to handle Shiroumaru''s attack, and Sigurd, who was about to attack me again, was trapped by Slarin, who had collected his scattered body, and Edgar, who had been dealing with his grandfather, was pinned down on the ground and unable to move! It was a state of affairs.


    ''So, Mr. Dinh, shall we decide on a tie-in?''


    Nice of Temma to go to all the trouble of a one-on-one meeting.


    Good job!


    ''Hey!��It''s not safe, Amur!


    No, if it gets dangerous, you might switch places with your grandfather.


    ''Well, that''s what team games are supposed to be about. That''s just the way it is.


    Hooray!


    You buzzing, buzzing round!


    Then feel free to throw Grandpa and Slarin in there if it''s too dangerous.


    Temma said, ''I can''t beat Master Din, so help me! And if you''re going to call it that, I''ll admit it.


    Hey, hey, hey!


    ''Oh, f*ck it!��If I wasn''t so tired in Shiroumaru, I could easily avoid such an attack!


    Shut up...


    ''Well, we''re not the only ones fighting...''


    Me and Mr. Din''s motivation was greatly diminished by the exchange between Amour and Chris, but it''s not wrong because it''s a team fight so those two are right, and most importantly, the crowd is very excited about the two of them fighting. What''s wrong is me and Mr. Din talking without paying attention to the people around us in what should be a melee team fight, Grandpa sitting on top of Mr. Edgar watching the game, Slarin caring for Mr. Jan while he has Mr. Sigurd in his grasp, and Shilomar lying there yawning. It''s unusual that half of them are wrong, but for some reason the audience doesn''t care, and on the contrary, they seem to be getting excited, so maybe it''s both unusual and normal.


    ''''Well, there''s no point in worrying about it...''''


    It''s called ''catnip''!


    ''What!��''Catcalling''!


    ''Temma, those guys don''t care. They''ll care, but I think it''s part of their training.


    The two of them were starting to go off the rails in many ways, and I was about to lose too much motivation, but I told myself that Din-san was right, it was part of my training, and I decided to focus on the single combat.


    ''Let''s go, Temma!


    I''m ready for you!


    And so the one-on-one battle between me and Mr. Dinh began.


    Unlike the usual training, there was a unique sense of tension and exuberance as this was the final of a tournament, and the battle continued, with techniques that we wouldn''t show in normal training, and mistakes that could lead to fatal mistakes if we weren''t careful even a little bit. And then.


    Oh, shit. I give up.


    It was a close call, but I''m glad I beat Mr. Din in a swordfight on even terms... but...


    Go to hell, Chris!


    Don''t get cocky, Amur!


    If it weren''t for the two men behind me, still fighting, I would have been able to rejoice from the bottom of my heart...


    Hey, ref, come here.


    When Mr. Dinh called the referee over and gave him an earful, he nodded lightly. And then.


    The winner is "Oration.


    He declared the victory of ''Oration'' loud enough for the two people still fighting to hear it, and indicated me with his hand.


    ''Temma, let''s get out of here so the two of you don''t notice us.


    Yes, sir. By the way, what did you say to the referees earlier?


    As we were all leaving the arena, except for Amour and Chris, I asked Din what he had secretly said to the referees.


    ''Yeah, I told the referee, ''Those two still seem to want to fight, so let them do it to their heart''s content. And I said, ''Oh, and don''t make a big deal out of your declaration so you don''t get in the way.''


    I see........Mr. Dinh is very kind!


    "Yes.


    I understood that it was the least we could do to leave unnoticed, so as not to disturb their service to the audience.


    ''You''re a demon. The captain, and Temma....


    You two are to blame for not realizing it, but there''s no denying that they are devils.


    Grandpa and the others seemed to agree, and none of them called out to Amour and Chris, but they followed behind me and Din.


    ''Why did you leave us!


    I demand an explanation!


    After that, Amur and Chris continued to fight for a while after we left the arena, and when they left once to regroup, they found that they were the only ones left in the arena. Meanwhile, we were chatting over refreshments and being called in by the king to explain the situation. Then the two of them came over and confronted me.


    No, you don''t usually find out without being told.


    The two men choked on their words with a single word. Furthermore, the


    In the first place, in a team fight, you have to assume that you will be attacked by someone other than the one in front of you, and if you were attacked from behind in that condition, you would have died, right?��Amur might end up with only himself in the damage, but in Chris''s case, the worst thing that could happen is that the king would be killed, right?


    Nuh-uh!


    ''''If that happens, at the very least I''ll be deprived of my title and fallen into slavery, at the very worst I''ll be executed. Well, I''m sure I''ll be punished in some way as well, but it''ll probably be demotion or house arrest.


    ''Hey!��Even the captain!


    Mr. Dinh is also teasing Chris, but what he''s saying is quite likely what he''s saying, so Chris couldn''t argue with him even though he knows he''s being teased. And there''s more to it.


    "Chris I''ll pick you up in the South when you fall into slavery. And ... I''ll rub it in!


    That''s not possible!


    Amour''s teasing with a yawning smile, Chris-san denied it with a tremendous swagger....


    No, I guess that''s about right.


    The king, who had been listening quietly (while stifling his laughter), suddenly took Amur''s side.


    ...I mean...


    Chris complains about that while glancing at me, but


    That will never happen. The slaves of the Temma are nothing more than a reward. It has been decided that a person who has fallen into slavery for this reason cannot be made a slave of those closest to him or her. There are many people who know Chris and Tenma''s relationship. It''s a good thing that the Viscount Nambu family, although close with Amur, is far away from the capital, and considering Chris''s accomplishments so far, they can disguise their ownership of the property to Viscount Hana, who served as his partner at the tournament.


    Well.....


    As the king explained, Chris-san had a look of despair on his face.


    ''''If you don''t like that, then you won''t make the same mistakes you just made when you were on your original mission.


    ''Yes!��I would never do that!��I will never be a slave to Amur!


    At Mr. Din''s warning, Chris-san straightened up and declared loudly. When Amur heard Chris-san''s words, he looked very boring, but since I don''t want to see someone I know have someone I know as a slave, I would definitely want Chris-san to take care of a lot of things.


    A short while later, we all went to the venue, as we were ready for the award ceremony.


    ''I see that Amour and Chris-san have caused a delay in your schedule,''


    I''m sorry I''ll make sure Chris gets it right. As a slave master!


    I''m not a slave!


    Chris overreacted to Amour''s words and yelled out... but...


    Chris, shut up!��As a Kingsguard, you are exposing yourself to shame!


    Because of the proximity of the ceremony site, Mr. Dinh was pissed at me.


    ''Amur, you should be careful, that joke will be unfashionable in some cases.


    Amour was also warned by Grandpa, but not as strongly as Chris.


    ''It was a more exciting awards ceremony than usual, wasn''t it?


    Isn''t that the most exciting thing I''ve ever heard of?


    That was all thanks to Amur and Chris, wasn''t it?


    Buh!


    Don''t.........say anymore........


    Because Amur and Chris fought until the last minute, the heat of the audience didn''t take long to settle down before the awards ceremony was held, and it was a more exciting ceremony than usual. During the ceremony, the audience called out Amur and Chris''s names, and whenever Amur waved his hand, they cheered. Chris, meanwhile, looked down in embarrassment.


    Then, a week after the tournament, at a party hosted by the royal family.


    Yes.


    ''This is indeed a cute one do you want me to go and call you now?


    ''Branca, that''s not possible. Chris''s guy, he volunteered all the way out of King''s Landing for a mission outside King''s Landing and went out early this morning.


    It was a party hosted by the royal family, and Chris-san of the Kingsguard was allowed to attend, but he was too embarrassed about the award ceremony, or maybe he was too embarrassed to be made fun of, so he declined to participate, saying he didn''t want to be made fun of, and also volunteered for a mission to leave the royal capital temporarily. However, the other members of the Kingsguard are participating, and since Din-san is off today, he has left the king''s side to eat and drink with us.


    Only then would Chris-san be able to


    ''Temma, there''s another guy who wants to ask me about Chris.


    He was very popular with the men. They said they liked the way Chris was fighting with Amur, or the way he was embarrassed at the award ceremony, and they tried to talk to some of them in the days leading up to the party, but Chris thought they were going to make fun of him, and he was running away from them.


    ''Shut up, you blind idiots,''


    While Chris was running away, Amur was watching the scene with amusement, but the participants of this party may have mistakenly thought that Chris''s partner was Amur, and he had been calling out to Amur every time he went to get food and drink. Amur didn''t seem to be amused by such a situation where Chris-san was so popular, and his mood became more unhappy whenever he was surrounded by people.


    The next time you''re surrounded by people, I''ll go get it for you. As expected, you won''t have the guts to surround me.


    Blanca''s got a scary face, so she has to be used at times like this, and there''s nowhere to do it, dammit!


    Even though Blanca had taken care to say something self-deprecating, Amour had taken some of his resentment out on Blanca and had been fist-bumped on the head in public.


    ''Hmm?��Is it getting a little noisy?


    ''His Majesty will be here what''s the matter?��........Ho. That''s going to be interesting.


    One of the Kingsguard came up to Mr. Dinh, who was talking with me, and gave him some kind of earful. Mr. Dinh heard the report and smiled happily.


    ''''Mr. Din, what happened?''''


    "Hmm. This is definitely a concern. Whenever you smile like that, something bad is happening or about to happen.


    Well, I won''t deny it, but I''m sure His Majesty will have more details to say about it. So I''m afraid His Majesty will sulk if I tell him first.


    Grandpa agreed with my question, but Mr. Dinh wouldn''t tell me because the king was sulking. Well, when he said that, it was easy to picture the scene of the king bullying (and even the scene afterwards where the king was complaining and getting angry with Maria), so I didn''t ask any more questions and waited quietly for the king''s announcement.


    ''I see you are enjoying yourselves, gentlemen. I see that you all are enjoying yourselves. We have just received a report that the Sword of Dawn, a regular participant in the tournament, but who did not participate in this tournament, has conquered the dungeon in Seigen.


    It was something of a hazy story about the existence of the competition winners.

 224-Chapter 16-2 Dance Partner

    When the nobles heard the king''s announcement, the topic of conversation for the nobles became the only choice for Jin and the others ''Sword of Dawn''. Amour, who had been following them around about Chris-san earlier, was in a better mood now that Chris-san was no longer being talked about, so he went to refill his plate with a new one.


    ''This is going to make a lot of noise,''


    Well, it''s bad for the Djinn, but it''ll make things easier on us.


    I and the other members of the ''Oration'' are supposed to be backed by the royal family (Amur is a Southern Viscount, but they are treated as a set with us), and since the strength and influence of the Otori family has been widely known in the past few years, they don''t get into as much trouble as they used to, but still. There are those who seem to be willing to take a chance. Particularly after winning a tournament, sometimes people say they are distant relatives of your father and mother, or that they used to take care of you in the past, so some fools go along with that and make a bad deal out of it. By the way, I have asked Mary and the king to confirm whether they really know each other or not. If he is a friend of Mom and Dad, there is a high probability that Mary and the King also know him, so I can tell right away. By the way, when you meet people who claim to be your friends, Maria and the King and Grandpa will also be present.


    ''Temma!��Isn''t it about time you came over here?


    As I was talking with my grandpa and the others about The Sword of Dawn, Rion called out to me from outside the space reserved for tournament participants. Normally, the act of a noble calling out to participants like this is reprehensible, but when they found out that it was me who was being called out and Rion who was calling out, the nobles and participants who were wondering around them went back to their respective conversations as if to say, ''Is this the usual thing?


    ''''Oh!��I''m coming!


    ''Mm. Have something good ready to go!


    As he was about to reply and head to Rion''s place, Amur followed him, saying something pompous, but those who were listening around him didn''t seem to think anything in particular when they heard his words. It was the same with Rion, rather, "I''m already prepared! He replied proudly.


    ''You''re right, the three of you will get a good spot.


    Three of us!


    Don''t praise me. You''re embarrassing me.


    I don''t think I''m complimenting you in particular?


    ''When it comes to Amur, I feel rather foolish. Well, as usual.


    ''I suppose you could say that about Mr. Leon.


    That''s a bit...


    Sister-in-law (nee), that''s a bit too much......don''t you think?


    The place where Rion took me was the terrace of the party hall, and perhaps because of the presence of Albert and Cain, the other nobles were only watching from a distance.


    ''''Mm!��Drill and Primera ... and who?


    So it''s not a drill!��You''re definitely saying that on purpose!


    Yeah?��I have no idea what you''re talking about. Mr. Dril the Twin Guru?


    What''s that dubious name?��How can there be anyone with a name like that!


    ''I made a mistake. Mr. Gruffuddin'' von Zindrill.


    No!


    Would you two gentlemen like to stop there?


    The two of them were joking around (Dori..........Eliza just got caught up in it), but Primera stopped them. Next to Primera, a familiar woman was looking at Amur and Eliza with a surprised look on her face.


    ''Right. I''d better introduce you to her first, something Temma and Amur don''t know about.


    Cain changed the subject before Amour and Eliza''s protests and moved on to introduce the woman.


    ''Temma, this is my fianc��e,''


    ''My name is Sierra von Ibrick, second daughter of the Countess of Ibrick. Please call me Sierra.


    If I thought I''d seen him before, it was the fianc�� Cain had mentioned. Well, I had only bailed lightly when I was in the royal castle archives or in the city''s library, but this was the first time I''d heard his voice.


    ''''Mmm!��Mmm ... just in time!


    Amur stared at his chest before exchanging greetings with Sierra and began to say such rude things. Sierra felt something ominous in Amour''s gaze and fled to hide behind the primera. Incidentally, Cain had said later that Sierra was about average, by the way, and that she was probably bigger than Chris, or something else that was hard to react to. For God''s sake, I didn''t want to talk about my fianc��''s breasts like I was talking about my own fianc��''s breasts to another man. No, seriously.


    ''But then again, you''ve lost your taste for betting on Temma.


    ''Yes. It''s almost like a payback. Everyone is betting on it, as if it were a must, and one of the people I know who works for Master Zain has been complaining about how little money he''s made in the last few years. When this happens, we''ll have to make a raffle to not only predict the winner, but to guess the second and third place, or to guess the first and third place!


    It would be like a single win, a double win, or a trifecta in horse racing, but unlike the previous world where everything is handled by computer, in this world where everything is handled by human hands, the calculations would be more complicated, so the idea would be good but difficult to execute.


    ''The quickest way would be for His Majesty to ask Temma to withdraw from the competition, but that would be impossible as the public would probably be very critical of him.


    ''Then why don''t we just say Temma is in the Hall of Fame or something and not let her compete, but let her fight the winner of the tournament?


    Rion gave Albert an idea, but when he heard it, Albert shook his head.


    ''That won''t work either. The idea of entering the Hall of Fame might be a good one, but having him fight the winner would mean that Tenma would have to be held for the duration of the tournament. There''s also the issue of how much reward we have to prepare for holding an adventurer as long as Temma for a long period of time, and to begin with, Temma is an adventurer, not a knight or a soldier belonging to the country. I''m sure the reformers will make a loud noise that not allowing them to participate is an act of depriving adventurers of their freedom in the name of His Majesty the King.


    Even though they are smaller and more mature than before these days, they still hold the second most power after the royalists, so they will try to take advantage of whatever opportunity comes their way.


    ''''If you don''t want me to answer, then I don''t really need to answer...''''


    ''Even if the Temma is good, the people won''t be convinced. If the reformers mention around there that His Majesty had a hand in it, the people will think that it was the royalists'' ... or rather His Majesty''s doing.


    That was the troublesome part. Because no matter how much the king and I said it wasn''t so, the question of whether there was some kind of deal between me and the royal family is known throughout the kingdom, so the question of whether there was some kind of deal would remain no matter how anyone explained it.


    ''''I don''t want to get involved because it''s too much trouble, but I''m sure the king will come to talk to me about it... seriously, it''s too much trouble. Let''s just go to the south for a while or something?


    "Mm. It''s the best thing to do!��The South is welcome!


    The south will be noisy in the south, but there''s little political difficulty there because it''s basically the noise of brainy ideas. Well, it''s easier to call it a fool''s errand, and since there are many people who will treat you favorably if you show your ability, and since it''s far away from the royal capital, it''s a great way to escape from all the trouble.


    When I was thinking about escaping from the capital.


    ''I don''t want that. I''d rather you didn''t travel to the South until after we''ve talked about next year''s convention, wouldn''t you?


    The king has come to this place. Next to him, Caesar-sama and Zain-sama are also there. The smell of trouble was pungent.


    ''''You were talking about something interesting, but what were you talking about?


    The king looked at Albert and the others as he said this. Since I wouldn''t talk about it, he wants me to talk to three of his subjects. And just as the king wanted, the three of them told the king and others what they were talking about without hesitation.


    Hmm. I''m sure the Temma and the others think so too.


    Your Majesty, this can''t just be a bother. You must take this more seriously.


    The king made a look of heartfelt annoyance, but he was chided by Zain-sama, who was next to him.


    It''s a problem that must be solved, even if it''s troublesome. And so, Tenma. What do you think we should do?


    I don''t know. Please don''t leave it to me. You''ll have to discuss those things with Master Caesar and the others before you bring them to me.


    ''Well, that''s the way it is. But to take what we''ve discussed with you to Temma means that the decision has already been made. In other words, it''s an order from the royal family. We want to avoid that, and that''s why we want to talk about it with Temma. Understand.


    To the king of the roundabout, Caesar-sama politely and retreatingly explained to him.


    ''''Isn''t it okay for Caesar-sama to take the throne now?


    Well I''m beginning to think so.


    I muttered, and the king agreed with me, but....


    ''''Your Majesty is still very quiet and well, so we need you to stay on the throne for a while longer.


    That''s why Master Caesar said he would not take over the throne yet. Maybe he thinks that if the king quits the throne while he''s still healthy, he''ll start doing whatever he wants at will. Well, I think so too. And since I feel that I''m the most likely to be the biggest victim of this, I want Caesar-sama to be right and give up the throne when I''m a little weaker...and more mature. Then Maria-sama will be able to restrain me even with a collar on.


    ''''Well, well, Caesar is right, I want to talk to Temma once about the future with Temma, so I want you to wait to leave King''s Landing until that''s over.


    Well yes, sir.


    The king took his words from me and left, saying that he would not be able to relax any longer here.


    ''When the king shows up in a kingly manner, that''s usually when he brings trouble, isn''t it?


    ''No, Temma. Isn''t that disrespectful, indeed?


    ''Call me disrespectful, but I''m not a vassal and I''m the one being asked to do it... and as expected, I don''t have as much respect for you as Albert and the others who sold you my information.


    ''No!��I''m sorry about that, but you can''t blame Albert for... hey?


    ''Yes!��Even Albert didn''t mean....no offense....to be offended, did he?


    Albert, selling out your friends to get ahead I got a word for you!


    When Albert returned the warning with a half-serious, half-teasing response, Rion and Cain got on board (but there''s a good chance Rion said it plainly), and Amour composed a haiku that wasn''t really a haiku, just to stop him.


    ''No, wait!��I didn''t mean to!��Elsa!��Primera!


    Albert may have been betrayed by Leon and Cain and turned to Eliza and Primera to hang on...


    ''Rion-san, Cain-san, and Amur notwithstanding, Temma-san is not wrong, and...''


    ''Regardless of the way you say it, from Temma-san''s point of view, you can''t help but say that your brother''s conduct is so, and from a stranger''s point of view, it looks like Amur is right.


    Neither of them said it was not a mistake and did not cover for Albert. Sierra smiled bitterly the whole time Eliza and Primera were talking, but didn''t deny it.


    ''Let''s leave Albert out of this, we still have some time before the dance, so I guess I didn''t need to tell you that we''re going to have some food first...''


    Me, Amour and Leon were reaching for the food and drinks that Albert and the others had prepared while the Primera''s were denting Albert.


    ''So, Temma, who are you going to dance with first this year?��Last year was Viscount Hana, and before that it was Amour, and even before that it was Lady Mary, right?


    When I asked him how he remembered it, Cain replied, "That''s how much attention you''re getting. The way you put it, there must be others who remember it too.


    ''I don''t really need to dance but it''s weirdly expected of me.


    The first year the party was cancelled before the dance because of the kidnapping frenzy between Jeanne and Aura, but the next year''s dance went on as planned and they were halfway kidnapped by Mary for the dance. Well, after that, they were talking to Mary and the kings, so no one tried to ask them to the dance. The next year, I announced that from the next year, I would limit my dance partners to people I knew or winners of competitions... and in the middle of my words, Amur snatched me away. And last year, I was kidnapped by Hana-san, who had heard about it from Amur, just for fun. Well, by limiting the conditions of my dance partners, I didn''t have to dance with a woman I didn''t know, but... I didn''t know many women from the aristocracy to begin with, so I was always with the same kind of members, and furthermore, among this year''s prizewinners, the women were Amour and Chris. Well, both of them don''t seem to be too eager to dance, even if they are invited to the dance in terms of their personalities.......but I decided to ask them anyway. If I ask them out and they refuse, I will not dance this year.


    ''''Then, Miss Primera, would you be willing to dance the first song with me?


    Of the two people who had never danced before, I invited the one I was closest to (Primera) first. It was possible that Primera''s personality would have made her too shy to dance, but in that case it would only be a funny story about how she invited someone she knew and was rejected. But.


    Yes, with pleasure!


    In two words, I accepted the invitation. It was unexpected, but I''ll be happy that I found a dance partner. Well, it bothered me that when I asked Sierra out afterwards, for some reason she gave me a cold look and refused.......except for Sierra, Amour and Rion, who gave me a look that said I had no choice, so I must have made a mistake in my manners of some sort.


    ''Temma, then me!


    Amur is going to book the next one for the Primera, but


    I''m going to be the only person I know who''s never danced before today, so I''m sorry, but give me a break.


    Mmm.


    I wasn''t convinced by those words alone, so I wasn''t sure what to do, but Cain and Eliza convinced me to do it, so I was saved. It was helpful, but the fact that these two moved at the same time was a bit scary, as there might be something behind the scenes.


    ''''Well then, it''s almost time to move closer to the venue, shall we move closer to the venue?


    At Cain''s word, we asked our respective partners to move together, closer to the venue, but...


    ''Wait a minute!��I don''t have a partner for me!


    I don''t care if I can''t dance with Temma. Leon, Gamba.


    Amur reflexively rode up to Leon''s shout, but he immediately remembered that I said I wouldn''t dance, and he lost interest in the process.


    ''In Rion''s case, don''t you have a partner to dance with in the first place?��And my potential fianc�� is training in a frontier county.


    ''It would be a bad idea to ask another woman out under those circumstances, wouldn''t it? Well, isn''t that what happens every year?


    ''''Dancing with Brother Rion isn''t quite the right thing to do...''''


    Even Primera is evaded by Rion''s dance, which is pretty low-rated. According to Albert, it is difficult to dance with Rion unless you have a much higher level of dance skill, because he has the skill but learned it wrong and never got a chance to fix it. For that reason, he said, his evaluation was the same as mine four years ago. By the way, it was four years ago when my dance was rated the same as Rion''s, and I''m better than him now. Well, even if I say I''ve improved, it''s not a skill I can brag about, so I can''t make a mockery of Rion when it comes to dancing.


    ''''Well then, it looks like it''s time... shall we all just leave Rion alone and go dancing?


    ''Right. I don''t want to be too cavalier with Rion and have everyone here say they''re not participating.


    As Cain and Albert said, the heir apparent of a great aristocrat representing the royalist faction could not possibly miss the dance all together, and we started moving, ignoring Leon who ran off to look for his partner.


    When we went to the dance hall prepared in the center of the party hall, it was crowded with pairs fighting each other to secure a prominent place... but when the pair of Albert and Eliza and the pair of Cain and Sierra appeared, the pair that had blocked the front of the room. We all gave way at once, so we were able to proceed to the center of the hall without difficulty. Incidentally, Primera and I agreed to dance as inconspicuously as possible, so we tried to move to the end of the hall, but Eliza forcefully pulled Primera away, so naturally we were close to Albert and his friends... the most visible part of the hall. He was to be taken to the center.


    ''Temma came too?''


    There was also a pair of kings and Maria, Caesar and Isabella-sama in the central area. Other than that, all of the high ranking nobles were gathered in the central area, so I, the only commoner, was also out of place.


    ''''And so........Primera, let''s move to the edge.


    Yes.


    It would be either someone who has himself a dance or a very stupid person who would dance in such a place. So when I suggested to Primera to leave the place and dance in a discreet place, Primera understood the meaning without asking why and immediately started to move... but...


    You may dance here.


    ''Temma is a guest of the royal family and her partner, Primera, is the daughter of the Duke of Sangha. No one will complain about that.


    The King and Master Caesar grabbed me by the shoulders and stopped me from moving.


    ''Primera. If you''ve come this far, be prepared for the future.


    ''Coming here and running away is like tarnishing the Duke of Sangha''s sign.


    Lady Maria and Lady Isabella had cut off the primera''s retreat. The royal pair convinced us to return to the center and dance near Albert and his friends, but we had no choice.


    ''Welcome back, Temma. If those two catch you guys, no amount of Temma will be able to get away with it.


    There''s no way the Primera could have come so close to running away.


    I took refuge near Albert and his friends, and I was immediately approached by two of them. Cain had a way of teasing me, but Albert said it in a dumbfounded way. It''s true that it''s uncool to come here and run away, or perhaps as a nobleman, it''s an action that would be licked by other nobles, but....


    Shouldn''t Albert and the others have never forced you to come here in the first place?


    I''m not a noble, so I don''t care if I get licked, and since Primera has said that she will get out of the noble register in the future, it doesn''t matter much. Well, if the Sangha dukes are brought up, that wouldn''t be the case, but even if he knew that and ran away, I think the Sangha duke would just laugh out loud.


    To make such a point.


    ''Ah!��Here, Temma. It''s about to start.


    Yeah. You two better get ready to go.


    And then he got away with it.


    ''Totally, those two ... well, there''s no point in mourning, and we should get into position.


    Yes.


    So that''s how the dance started I think we managed to avoid major embarrassment.......... Well, there were a few small mistakes, but we didn''t have any fatal ones, so that''s good.


    ''''I''m tired as expected.......if this is the case, I''d feel better if we had another individual match................Good job Primera too.


    ''Good job, Temma-san. But that way of thinking is absolutely ridiculous.


    Well, that''s the right response...


    It''s a tenma. Well, I''d rather dance than have a game.


    My grandfather was like this. You can''t blame him for thinking like that.


    After the dance, me and Primera moved to the table where Grandpa and Lady Ernest were making themselves at home.


    We had originally planned to dance only one song and then go back, but Lady Maria caught us after the first song, and then we danced with Lady Isabella, Eliza, and Sierra, and then danced with Primera again.


    Even though it was an unexpected number of times, I ran away from the dance hall because I was tired of dancing six songs in a row... but even so, there were noblemen who came to invite me, so I ran away to the place where the most important person in the hall was bored and yet the most important person in the room. By the way, Primera also danced with the king and Caesar-sama while I was dancing, and she seemed to be mentally quite tired. At the same time, I guess she had become somewhat tolerant of royalty, and even when I said I was going to Ernest-sama''s place, she followed me without saying a word.


    Your first dance was terrible, but you''ve gotten better and better. Your last dance was like a different person. It''s like a beginner became an intermediate dancer.


    Master Ernest''s phrasing is a bit awful, but let''s assume he''s complimenting you on your improvement.


    ''Indeed, it was easier to dance the second time around than the first, wasn''t it?


    Well, there were too many gorgeous role models around.


    Master Caesar, Albert, Cain, and the other nobles... by the way, the king was good at what he did, but he was also good at what he did... but he was like a backwards replacement for Caesar, and compared to Albert and the others. I didn''t use them as a role model because they were a bit underwhelming as well. Also, it would have been nice if Maria-sama and Isabella-sama had also led the way so that it was easier to dance.


    ''''Now, I''m sure I''ll get better at it after a few dances... but I don''t really like dancing itself, so it''s good if I can dance at least. By the way, Primera is a good dancer. That''s the daughter of a duke.


    ''Well, dancing is like a required subject for the aristocracy. But I''d rather move my body outside of dance, too.


    I see. So we''re all partners in the same thing, aren''t we?


    You don''t know what you''re talking about.


    Ernest-sama teased me, but I ignored him because he would only be happy if I reacted. Primera was about to react, but she couldn''t make a sound because the timing of her grandfather''s shove at Ernest-sama coincided with the timing of his shove at Ernest-sama.


    ''Temma, do you have a minute?''


    ''Master Lyle, where have you been all this time?''


    Lyle-sama, who I hadn''t seen before in the hall, approached me discreetly and spoke to me in an unusual whisper.


    ''''I have a little favor to ask. The ''Sword of Dawn'' that is being talked about will soon be summoned to the royal capital. It is likely that a dispute will arise as to which nobleman will take care of it...well, there is going to be a dispute as to which nobleman''s lodging facility they will be allowed to stay in. There is no problem as long as they are lodged in a royal castle or a place related to the royal family, but it is said that the royal family already has Temma and the rest of the Oration surrounded by them.


    So you want me to take care of the djinn at the Otori household?


    Well, to put it simply, yes.


    As long as the royal family is supposed to be surrounding us, it''s better to give the djinn to other nobles, but since the dungeon captured by the Sword of Dawn is located in Seigen, which is under the direct control of the royal family, we don''t want to let other nobles take the djinn away from us. Therefore, he wants to prevent other nobles from touching them by having them stay with me, who is an acquaintance of the djinn, and indirectly show them that they are royalists.


    ''''If it''s okay with the djinn and the others, I don''t mind, but if you explain it to them and they refuse, you''ll have to give up.


    That''s fine, thank you.


    After saying that much, Lyle-sama left somewhere else.


    ''I thought I could get away from all the trouble, but I ended up getting involved... well, it can''t be helped.


    Hmm, sheltering the djinn may cause more resentment than we need to, but since it''s the noblemen who are in rivalry with the royalists who will hate us, we can only assume that there will be no change.


    ''Well, it''s not going to make more enemies. The resentment will run deep though...


    The royalist faction and the nobles who side with the royalist faction might give up on the fact that even if I ruin their chances of winning the djinn and the others, they might give up on the indirect benefits, but for the hostile faction like the reformers, they''ll have more enemies, so they''ll be resentful. Well, it''s a little late for that now, since the Reformers don''t like us.


    Whatever the case may be, it''s all about what the djinn think of it.


    Well, that''s true, but I''m sure the Djinn don''t want any trouble, so we''d better assume that they''re almost certain to stay at our house.


    Those djinn are going to cause me a lot of trouble!��........and so on, but after this party, my indiscretion caused a lot of noise to be made because of my indiscretion.

 225-Chapter 16-3 Gourd to pieces

    Temma, you''re in our custody for a while!


    ''Oh please show Jeanne, Aura, Jin and the others to their rooms.


    A few days after the party, the Sword of Dawn arrived in the King''s Capital, and we were to stay at the Otori family''s residence. I had sent a letter beforehand informing him of the situation in King''s Landing and leaving him to decide what to do, but a letter was soon brought to me by Ted with a reply saying that he would be in trouble at our house. But there was more trouble for me than the djinns. It was.


    ''Before we go, I have to ask you, Temma-san, is it true that you and Primera are engaged?


    I thought that the topic of King''s Landing was going to be the only topic of discussion in King''s Landing during the dungeon attack of the djinn and the others, but after me and Primera danced at the party, rumors started to circulate that me and Primera were engaged to be married. The daughter of a nobleman and an S-ranked adventurer who is currently undefeated in tournaments are engaged to be married, and moreover, they have known each other since the time I officially started working as an adventurer. They say it''s the story of


    ''It''s only a rumour about it but it''s entirely because I was a complete stranger to things. I feel sorry for the Primera and the Duke of Sangha.


    My fault it was that I chose an unmarried woman as my dance partner. And, of all things, the first song partner........


    Come to think of it, the first song in a dance is the one that you should do.


    The first song of the dance is basically a dance with a spouse, fianc�� or lover, and this is especially true of a nobleman''s party. In other words, the fact that I invited Primera to the first song of the dance in such a situation means that I showed Primera with my attitude that I wanted to have such a relationship with her and she accepted it.


    ''''Hmm?��Then why didn''t you make a scene when you danced with Amour?


    So far, the first song was danced by Maria-sama, Amour, and Hana-san, in that order, and since Maria-sama and Hana-san are married and what kind of relationship they have with me has already been spread around, people around them would have understood that it wasn''t that kind of relationship, but since Amour is single and a noblewoman, I don''t know why it wasn''t rumored that it was. And then you think.


    I suspect that they thought they had to make it in time with their teammates to be without a partner for each other.


    And then Leena said and I thought about it for a minute....


    ''Sure, it was probably the same scene as usual. And the dancing was a mess.


    It was like Amur hanging around me like usual, and since it was a dance between people without skills, I was also dancing quietly in the corner and trying to be inconspicuous, so I guess it wasn''t a topic of conversation other than that I was a bad dancer.


    Incidentally, when I was with Maria-sama, I had to do my best not to fall down because the level of dancing was so different, and in Hana-san''s case, it was because she was the only one dancing a samba rhythm while everyone around her was dancing a waltz, so I had to do my best not to fall down even then.


    ''Anyway, just don''t do anything that might make Primera-chan cry, please.


    Leena concluded, and Aura, deciding that the conversation was over, tried to show Jin and the others to their room.


    It''s not easy being a man of color.


    I don''t envy you, my dear.


    Jin and Garratt teased me. So.


    ''Aura, take Jin and Garratt to Joubert and the others. In the corner, Joubert and the others will forgive you. Jeanne, show Menace and Leena to the guest room as planned.


    I understand.


    As Aura flippantly replied, Jin and Garratt began to panic, and Menace and Leena followed Jeanne past them with a thin smile on their faces.


    After that, they played with the djinn and Garratt for a while, and when they were satisfied, they instructed Aura to show them to their room.


    Once we greeted Jin and the others, there wasn''t much to do, so we headed to the dining room to mass-produce a snack, and in the dining room, Chris had been drinking since midday. When Chris came back the day after the party, he was devastated to learn from his colleagues that the men were very popular, and that their time was short.


    ''Mr Temma I wonder what my worth is...''


    It was a hassle, but they caught me. I wish I could have gotten away before they noticed me, but I was thinking about it a little too much and it took me a while to notice Chris.


    ''Well?��I don''t know what people are worth, because everyone''s worth is different, so I don''t know.


    I responded blandly and ran away to the kitchen to stay out of it. And as I was in the kitchen preparing to make a snack.


    ''Jeanne, go further back!


    No, no, don''t push me, Aura... what?


    Jeanne and Aura came over, looking flustered. They probably ran away from Mr. Chris as much as I did.


    ''If you have something to do, I''ll give you the place, okay?


    If the two of you have a job to do, I could always go somewhere else to get out of the way, but


    ''No, well I didn''t come to the kitchen to work...''


    I saw that Jeanne was having a hard time saying it, and I understood that the two of them were running away from Mr. Chris, not from their work.


    ''Well, can you help me, then?''


    "Gladly!


    I could tell they were both bored, and I felt bad about sending them back to Chris'' place, so I decided to ask them to help me make a snack. They both replied with a bite of food, just as if they had a reason not to return to Chris-san''s place.


    ''I''d like to focus on the quantity of sweets I have in my magic bag, because I''m not sure I''m ready for them. So, Aura and Jeanne are baked goods, mainly cookies. I''m going to make pancakes. Any questions?


    "Mm!��I''ll take care of the tasting room!


    I''ll be joining you for the baked goods.


    I thought I was speaking to Jeanne and Aura, but before I knew it, Amour and Leni-san were nearby.


    ''Leni-san, please. Amour, unfortunately, we''re not looking for a taster. Well, if you help out, you''re not limited to that.


    Copy that.


    Amour felt like he was unsure of himself, but he decided to help out for the sake of eating the sweets.


    ''Well then, once again........Jeanne and Aura will be doing baked goods other than cookies, Amour and Leni-san will be mass producing cookies, and I will be making pancakes. Then you can each begin.


    I decided to team up with Amour and Leni and limit them to relatively simple cookies, which would be fine, so I decided to have Jeanne and Aura, who were used to it, take charge of the other sweets.


    ''At times like this, you feel lucky to have a large kitchen.


    I don''t know if the king built this mansion for his grandfather, and whether he intended for the people of Kukri village to use it as well, or whether he thought the people of Kukri village would also use it, but the dining room and kitchen are spacious in comparison to the size of the building. Thanks to that, they can make three different kinds of sweets at the same time.


    ''''It''s kind of like baking Dorayaki crusts rather than pancakes.


    When you put several small pieces of batter on a large grill, some of them become too dark in color. The dark browning makes them look more like Dorayaki crusts than pancakes.


    The one with dark brown color can be separated to put bean paste or cream between them.


    We have azuki beans from the south of Japan, so if you make red bean paste, you can make something like dorayaki. Well, I have never made anko, but I have made zenzai, so if I boil it down, I can make something like anko.


    Since I could make a crust to some extent, I lowered the temperature of the griddle and started to mass-produce pancakes. Then


    ''Temma-kun what do you think of me...''


    The ghostly Mr. Chris came in.


    ''You''re Chris, Chris,''


    ''That''s not what I''m asking!


    As I was fed up with the unusual teasing, I sensed by the signs that someone had entered the dining room. There were three people who came in, and the one who came in at the front seemed to be Albert, so it must be three idiots any time.


    ''''Hey~ Temma-kun, are you listening~?��So, who would make a better wife, me or Primera~?


    While I was slightly distracted, Chris''s conversation was taking a strange turn.


    ''So that''s primera. I don''t have to get drunk and make fun of me like Mr. Chris does.


    In the case of Primera, she often gets drunk before she can tease, so it''s probably not the standard of a good wife that''s often used, but it''s an important standard for some people.


    ''So, then, mother!��Which one do you want?


    ''Primera. I don''t think a woman who frequently gets drunk in the daytime is going to be a good influence on her children.


    Whoa!


    I''m sure Chris has an idea about this. Well, just because you get drunk frequently doesn''t mean you can''t raise your children properly.......but it doesn''t sound good.


    ''Well, then...''


    Primera.


    I don''t know what he was going to say, but I don''t think he should have to deal with drunks in a decent way.


    ''Chris, you''re interrupting me, go back to the dining room.


    Yes.....


    I turned Chris away and went to bake one pancake after another with the remaining batter.


    ''We''re out of batter, so that''s about all we need.


    I made a large quantity of batter, so I could make a hundred pancakes about ten centimeters in diameter and fifty Dorayaki crusts of the same size. However, there were fifty pancakes that were misshapen or badly burnt, so I decided to turn them into a snack to be tasted.


    Some time after I finished baking the pancakes, Jeanne and the others seemed to have finished making their own snacks. Out of the ones they made, they decided to turn in the failed ones for tasting first, and the rest were stored in the magic bag.


    With a large amount of cookies in front of him, Amour is being quiet. Moreover, when I called out to him, he didn''t respond at all, on the contrary, he didn''t even seem to open his mouth.


    ''''Actually, well........I chewed on a few freshly made cookies and my mouth was burned.


    "...Amur, turn around and open your mouth... ''Aquaheel''.


    It was nothing, it was just that it was the usual Amur. It''s just that he was so greedy that the freshly made cookies would be delicious, and as a result, he was burned in the mouth and unable to speak.


    ''I thought I was going to die ... freshly baked cookies are a deadly weapon!


    After treating him with an aqua heel, he returned to his usual noisy amour and complained about the danger of cookies.


    ''You''ve kept me waiting, Albert, Cain and Rion are going to eat too........?


    When he lightly apologized to Albert for leaving him alone and called out to Cain and Rion to proceed with the snack as well.......it wasn''t Cain and Rion sitting near Albert, but the Duke of Sanga and Primera, who were sitting near Albert.


    ''Mr Temma, which way did you mistake me for someone else?''


    Duke Sanga asked happily, but even if it was Cain, he wouldn''t be able to say that he had mistaken it for Rion. Well, Albert and the others originally just didn''t confirm it from the image of three people in one set, so they didn''t mistake it for either Cain or Rion.


    ''''No, I didn''t confuse them with either of them or anything like that, I simply made a mistake because if Albert came to our house as a set of three, there was almost a hundred percent chance that the other party was Cain and Rion. Well, it''s down to ninety-nine percent after this incident but.......I''ll be more careful in the future.


    ''Oh, it can''t be helped, then. In fact, I suppose it could be said that Albert and the others are the cause of so much intrusion.


    Duke Sanga laughed when he heard why I made a mistake, and Albert smiled bitterly, as if he thought the Duke had told him that he was going to play around too much.


    ''''So, duke, before you say what you want today..., what''s up with the primera?''''


    Primera plopped down on the table and didn''t look at me. The way she looked, oddly enough, she was dressed exactly the same as Chris-san... but I don''t know what caused Primera''s, but Chris-san is just drunk from drinking too much, so the only thing that''s the same is the way she''s dressed... which should be... ...


    Don''t you understand... really, don''t you understand?


    Duke Sangha asked me to remind him, but I didn''t remember it at all.


    ''''Temma I could hear your exchange in the kitchen with Chris-senpai, all the way to the dining room.


    The diner ... exchange?��........Ah!


    Come to think of it, she asked me questions about whether Chris-san or Primera would be a better wife or mother, and I answered them all as Primera. It was a hassle, but even if I''d thought about it seriously, my answer wouldn''t have changed... or rather, if there were two options and the other person was Chris-san in that state, I wouldn''t have gotten any other answer than Primera.


    ''There are rumors in the world that she is engaged to Temma or something. Even if you don''t care about the rumor itself, you''re probably embarrassed by the favorable words that came out of Temma''s mouth. Leave him alone.


    ''''Well, when it comes to rumors, there''s a part of Primera that''s self-inflicted. Even if you don''t care... no, in this case, it''s probably better for Primera if you care about it...


    Duke Sanga was muttering thoughtfully in the middle of the conversation...........but he was close enough to hear it all. Perhaps it was on purpose.


    ''''So, Duke Sanga-sama, what do you want today?''''


    When he asked in a slightly stronger tone, the Duke of Sangha interrupted his muttering to take up residence and turned serious.


    ''''Actually, I''m here about the rumors of your engagement.


    I knew it.


    ''''It''s not a lie to say... but I''m here today about The Sword of Dawn. Bringing Albert and Primera with me was a camouflage, and if they come together, the world will think they came here on their own to talk about the engagement, and that''s the kind of excuse we can give to the reformed nobles...............So, could you call the ''Sword of Dawn'' people?


    What he really wanted was to meet Jin and the others. I think you''ve been enjoying messing with me for a while now.


    "Aura, go get Jin and the others.


    That''s how the djinn were brought in.......they were extremely nervous. Well, they were just relaxing, when they suddenly got a call from the Duke. No matter how much he knew about the Duke of Sanga through me, I don''t think he would have the opportunity to talk to me directly, except for Leena, so it''s no wonder he was nervous.


    ''''First of all, congratulations on your conquest of the Seigen dungeon,''''


    Oh, thank you.


    Jin thanked him, and Garratt and the others followed suit.


    ''''So, you wanted to offer the dungeon''s core to the royal family, what do you want in return?''''


    In exchange for dedicating the nucleus of the Seigen dungeon, they would give each of them an official title and a fiefdom. However, Djinn and the others declined on the grounds that they didn''t have the ability to run the fiefdom and that they had no intention of becoming nobles in the first place.


    ''''That''s troubling.......because if the price is money, it''s no different than buying it.......you don''t want jewels because they''re bulky, right?


    The royal family would like to give the djinn some kind of special reward, but if it''s money, it''s no different than buying it as the duke said, and if it''s worth anything other than jewels, they can''t provide anything else worthy of the dungeon core.


    ''''So in the end, as a royal family, it''s quick and straightforward to give them a knighthood?


    ''''There are people like Temma-kun who have accumulated numerous achievements, yet refuse the title. I''m sure everyone from the ''Sword of Dawn'' will have a point...


    ''In my case, it''s a monetary achievement, unlike the djinn''s,''


    The dragon zombies are now unofficial, and the earth and running dragons are achievements as an adventurer, and I only sold parts of them that I didn''t need without offering them. In the meantime, I''ve conquered dungeons in the south, but it was a small-scale achievement, and since it was in the southern autonomous region, I received the reward from Hana-san. The fact is, Hana-san wanted to give me Amur as a reward, but since the opinion of the Honorary Viscount Lobo and I unusually coincided, we settled on money and southern specialty goods.


    ''Maybe I should have given him a knighthood, even if I had to force him to do so during the coup uprising.


    If the king tries to force things, he''ll cry to Mary.


    It was a cowardly move, but if he could get Lady Maria on his side, he could manage most things when it came to royal relations.


    ''''Well, let''s leave Temma-kun out of it for now, so what shall we really do?


    The Duke of Sangha looks like he''s not in trouble, and he says a series of troubling words.


    ''Why don''t you just owe me?��The djinn don''t seem to be interested in knighthoods since they''re working as adventurers now, so why don''t we just give them knighthoods when they retire as adventurers?


    The point was to postpone the reward, but I thought it would work as a reward as long as we were assured as a royal family.


    ''''I suppose. That might be a good idea.''''


    The Duke of Sangha readily adopted my proposal. Perhaps he was waiting for me to come up with the idea. The djinn were also convinced that they would receive the title not right now, but in decades to come.


    ''''Could it be that you were planning to put me between the djinn and the royal family from the beginning?''''


    ''''Well, you''re right. I could imagine that everyone in the ''Sword of Dawn'' would reject the title. Therefore, the negotiation plan proposed by Mr. Temma, who is deeply involved with both the royal family and the Sword of Dawn, and who has influence over the nobility and the public, would allow us to restrain any opposition.


    I didn''t feel used by the kings, but if I was the only one who could stand between the kings and the djinn, then it can''t be helped... If my idea is adopted, I''ll make a small request to the king.


    ''''Temma-sama, you have a visitor.''''


    I wondered who came at the right time with the Duke of Sangha.


    You''re in my way.


    He was my grandfather''s best friend (Master Ernest). And, like royalty, he came into the mansion before I gave him permission.


    ''Go home!��Jeanne, salt!��Sprinkle some salt!


    At the sudden appearance of Master Ernest, my grandfather shouted angrily and shouted for Jeanne to sprinkle salt on him. Surprised by his voice, Jeanne hurriedly got the jar of salt... but she didn''t know what to do and handed it to me.


    ''''Grandpa, I don''t want you to be turned away. The person who looks like the mastermind is finally here........For now, just sit down in the area. Jeanne, bring me some water while I bring this back.


    ''Jeanne, the cup you serve this snack in should be the second-hand Siloumaru cup from the sink... or rather, use it!


    Shiroumaru''s old one - the one I was going to discard because it was no longer being used and had cracks in it. I''m sure I''m terrible at trying to treat him to water, but my grandfather was even worse.


    ''Jeanne, I knew you''d bring me a normal cup of tea.


    If I joked around any longer, it was likely that my grandpa would get serious, so I decided to stop here.


    ''''So, today''s objective is about the ''Sword of Dawn'' reward, isn''t it?��Then the djinn''s wishes are settled. The Duke of Sangha will report to the king at a later date.


    You''ve done your job, haven''t you?��Why don''t you just go home....or rather, go home!


    Grandpa is always trying to turn Ernest away, but if Ernest''s business was about the djinn''s reward, he should have finished his business already. Therefore, there shouldn''t be any problem in turning him away here, but Ernest-sama ignored his grandfather as if he had something else to talk about and took a seat near the Duke of Sanga.


    ''''Hmm, has that side of the story been settled, it''s superimposed. So, Duke Sanga, what''s going on with your main topic?


    ''Ha!��I was just about to tell you that story.


    I looked at Albert, wondering what he was talking about, and Albert seemed not to understand and shook his head. I looked at Primera for a moment but as soon as our eyes met, he fell face down on the table.


    The djinn seemed to have decided that they had moved from their own conversation to my personal one, so they declined to Lady Ernest and Duke Sanga and went back to their room.


    ''So, what is the real story?''


    I have a bad feeling about this, but it doesn''t look like the two of them are going to make a move until they talk, so I asked them


    ''Actually, I was hoping to have more time to talk about it when I had some extra time to spare, but the reward talk went quicker than I thought it would, so we can talk privately.


    Duke Sanga''s presence seemed to have changed to something completely different from the usual.


    ''''To put it bluntly.......Temma-kun, would you be willing to get engaged to the Primera?


    What?


    Whew!


    Duke Sanga''s words startled me, but Primera was even more surprised than I was. Other than that, Grandpa, Jeanne and Aura are frozen in place because they are too surprised, and Amour and Leni-san are frozen with their ears and tails upside down in surprise. Incidentally, Albert seemed surprised and confused at the same time, and was hovering around the primera, making strange movements.


    ''If you''re uncomfortable with the engagement, you can just keep it close by. Well, to put it plainly, it''s a form of ''mistress''.


    There''s quite a gap between his fianc��e and his mistress, and he''s wondering if the father should ask his daughter to stay as his mistress.


    ''''No, well........normally I wouldn''t ask you to make Primera your mistress, even if it''s Temma-kun, I wouldn''t ask you to make Primera your mistress. However, there''s a bit of a situation this time.......


    The Duke of Sangha was looking a little awkward to say.


    When some of the noblemen saw the Primera dancing with Tenma the other day, they thought that the Primera was willing to marry her, and some of them were foolish enough to offer their own sons instead of Tenma''s. The other day, some of the noblemen said that it was irresponsible for the Primera not to marry the Primera. And others said it was irresponsible for Temma not to marry Miss Primera. They don''t talk about it, but they say it''s irresponsible of both the Duke to neglect it and His Majesty to speak out, although they deny it.


    Master Ernest inserted his mouth on behalf of the Duke of Sangha. It''s true that some of them may seriously think so, and some of them may say it out of harassment, but he said that it was still true that there were aspects of the aristocratic society that condemned me and Primera''s actions.


    ''''It is possible to physically silence those people, but doing so would not be surprising if it caused havoc that would split the country in two or three. I''m not saying it''s a fault, but there are aspects of the aristocratic world that can''t help but be considered strange, so I can''t say that we are absolutely right either. So, if we pretend that Primera is Temma-kun''s fianc��e or mistress, we can avoid criticism.


    It''s not uncommon for nobles to offer their daughters as mistresses to influential people, and some of the nobles who criticize them are doing so, so they can be silenced. Besides, they can also accuse me of trying to mimic something that would divide me and the primera.......well, I feel that I''m being somewhat forceful about it, but since it''s like I''ve made it difficult for the royalty and great nobles in the first place, no matter what happens to the other party as a result. I think I deserved it.


    ''Since that''s the case, would you be willing to keep Primera by your side, assuming she''s your mistress?


    Duke Sanga said it plainly as if he was making small talk, but I feel like it''s starting to become quite important.


    But still, taking Primera as your mistress........................I couldn''t have thought of that when I first met her.


    If you will do what the Duke of Sangha asks, I promise you that the royal family will take responsibility for dealing with those noisy flies.


    When I was troubled, Master Ernest misunderstood and said he was going to restrain the noisy nobles.


    ''No, well, I don''t mind getting engaged, but I was just thinking that when I first met you, I had no idea this was going to happen.


    ''I see, can you keep me as your mistress?


    Duke Sanga seemed to feel uncomfortable with my words and stopped talking mid-sentence and started looking around.


    ''''Uh........you''re not going to make it a mistress, but an engagement?��Really?��You''re not kidding?


    Yes, I said that.


    Primera, come here for a minute. Albert, come with me.


    Duke Sangha still couldn''t believe it, and he called Primera and Albert over to him. They, too, seemed to not believe my words and approached the Duke of Sanga without making a sound of surprise. And then.


    Hmm!


    ''Ow!��It''s a dang thing!


    Duke Sangha gently pinched the Primera''s cheeks, twisting Albert''s cheeks up as hard as he could.


    ''Hmm ... from Albert''s reaction, it doesn''t seem to be an auditory hallucination ... congratulations, Primera.


    He threw away Albert, who had a bright red mark on his cheek, and sent his congratulations to the Primera.

 226-Chapter 16-4 Report

    Uh ... the Duke of Sangha?


    You stink of water, Mr. Temma!��You can call me your stepfather!


    Duke Sangha, who was in a state of heightened tension, was unable to have a proper conversation with me or Primera no matter what I or Primera said because of his buoyancy.


    ''''Duke Sanga, be still.''''


    ''....I''m sorry, Grand Duke. I got a little carried away.


    As he was wondering how to calm down, Ernest-sama stopped the Duke of Sangha with a voice that was not loud but resonated in his body... It was a rare sight that allowed him to recognize Ernest-sama as a big man near the highest level in the kingdom.


    ''''Duke-sama, it''s not like we''re engaged yet, so please calm down a bit.


    "What?


    When I said that, the Duke of Sangha and the Primera looked startled, but they didn''t care, they stood in front of the Primera, held out their hands, and


    ''Primera, would you be willing to marry me?''


    For the first time in his life, he confessed to her. As expected, it''s not right to proceed with the engagement with the momentum of the Duke of Sangha, and most importantly, he hasn''t heard of Primera''s feelings. I don''t think he hates her.......but it''s possible that he doesn''t see her as a marriage partner. Besides, this is the first time I''ve ever been involved in a marriage like this, even in my previous lives combined, so I also wanted to take the proper steps. I''ve seen a few sad images of people being rejected at this point in their past lives'' happening footage, so it would be better to assume that the engagement would only be consummated after hearing the Primera''s side of the story.


    ''Yes, nice to meet you,''


    Well, from the way things were going just now, I knew they wouldn''t say no... but I was confident that if they said no, I would be shut down.


    But since Maria will sulk if we go any further, I think it''s better to do the rest of the talk in front of her.


    It''s true that Ernest-sama is right, and if Maria-sama finds out that my engagement has been going on without her knowledge, she could continue to be nebbish and sarcastic every time she sees me in the future.


    ''''Primera, let''s go to the royal castle at once. Duke Sanga, please report with me. Also, while you''re at it, Grandpa and Ernest-sama.


    ''''It''s just as well!��Well, okay, but....


    As expected, they were best friends, and they breathed well together.


    ''That''s why I''m going out for a bit. Take care of the house.


    I asked Jeanne and the others to stay at home, and we decided to hurry up and head to the royal castle. By the way, we had to travel to the castle in our respective carriages. At that time, Primera was to ride with me in my carriage, and for some reason Albert was moving to be my carriage''s coachman. When I asked Albert why he was moving to Gohja, he replied, "Because your father is too buoyant and uncomfortable," to which Primera looked embarrassed.


    Amur SIDE.


    It was planned.


    What''s the plan?


    I was so happy that things were going the way I wanted them to go that I couldn''t help but let my mind wander. And I was so buoyant that I didn''t even notice that Jeanne was right there with me. ''Oh well.


    ''To put it bluntly, this may be the first step ... maybe the second or third step in my plan to be tied to Temma.


    I hadn''t thought through the details, so I don''t know what stage we''re in.


    ''Oh well. Anyway, in order for me to tie the knot with Temma, Primera needs to be in her rightful place as his wife.


    Why?


    ''As it stands now, it''s impossible for me or Jeanne to marry Temma ... maybe not, but it''s quite difficult. Because me and Jeanne are too close to Tenma.


    I don''t think it''s possible that Temma doesn''t see me as a woman, but the feelings of family come before that, and also stronger than romantic feelings. It''s the same with Jeanne, and it''s unlikely that we''ll ever get married.


    ''I might have an idea...''


    ''That''s where you''ll need a primera. Someone who is reasonably distant from Temma, someone Temma recognizes as a woman, and most importantly treats... kindly!


    ''I think I just heard a very rude word?


    It''s just my imagination.


    Jeanne doesn''t seem to believe it very well, but that''s just a slip of the tongue, so let it slide.


    ''So, Primera''s role is to liberate Temma''s s*xuality....and to make me change my view of her from ''family'' to ''woman''. If my perceptions change as I interact with Primera, then I have a chance!��........should be. If it''s still too difficult, I''ll appeal to Primera''s compassion.


    Fortunately, Temma''s perception of women is thanks to Rich in Kukri Village?��So, I''m softening up a lot, my grandfather said. Besides, if I tried to force myself to be Temma''s rightful wife, there might be some kind of interference from Duke and Queen-sama Sanga. If it was a side or concubine lower than the full wife, they wouldn''t complain. In the meantime, I''m the daughter of an influential viscount....... Since that is attached to a lower rank, the public reputation of the primera should rise but not fall. It should be the same for the Sanga dukes.


    When I told Jeanne about it.


    ''Amur you were able to think and act that far ahead.


    He was very rude to me, such as


    ''Excuse me, Jeanne!��If this works, Jeanne could be a man and a woman with Temma!


    When he said that, Jeanne was in a panic, her face red.


    Amour SIDE end


    ''Alex, can you call Maria and the others?��I have a little report to make.


    We arrived at the king''s castle and headed straight for the king''s workroom, but neither on the way nor in the king''s workroom was Maria there.


    ''What is the matter, uncle?''


    The king was looking at us and trying to find out what the report was about, but Master Ernest was all, "I''ll tell you when Maria gets here.


    ''Cliffe, go get Maria at once!


    The king shouted into the corridor, and there was a reply, "We''ve already sent Aina towards them. Me and my grandfather were not surprised since Mr. Clife-san had been behind us many times, but Duke Sanga and Albert and Primera had turned around in surprise at the voice that suddenly came from behind us. I didn''t turn around, so I can only imagine it, but perhaps now Mr. Cliffe has a satisfied look on his face because the prank was successful.


    ''You, you have something to report to Aina....oh?''


    As we moved to the table and were chatting idly, Maria-sama and Aina came in a few moments later. Maria-sama showed a surprised look on her face as she came into the room, as if she hadn''t been informed of me and Primera''s presence. And then she glared at Aina afterwards, but Aina seemed to be convinced and seemed to be nowhere to be seen.


    ''''So, not only Temma and Merlin-sama, but also the Duke Sanga''s family are together.......so Temma has finally decided to settle down!��.... not. It''s Temma.


    And so on, Maria tried to sit next to the king....


    I''m here to inform you that I''m going to be engaged to be married to a Primera here.


    Huh?��Aaah!


    ''Whoa!��Phew!


    A startled Maria failed to sit in the chair and managed to avoid scrambling as she pushed the king away. Instead, the king rolled the whole chair to the floor.


    When I saw Maria''s surprise, I felt like I had a revelation to turn around and look behind me now...so I turned around and saw Mr. Cliffe and Aina, who had the most surprised look on their faces I''ve ever seen.


    ''''That, that''s...that''s...gosh!��That''s a true story, isn''t it?


    Me and Primera nodded at the same time, and Maria-sama sat down in her chair as if she had lost her strength from her body. Seeing this, Kleif-san rebooted and began to prepare tea, and Aina........ran off somewhere.


    ''''Nugu, my waist, my hips....tsu...''''


    Because no one paid any attention to the king, he crawled up on his own and sat down in a chair.


    ''So, Temma. Why did you bring up the subject of engagement?��Oh, and I''m going to go ahead and say that I''m not going to disagree with you in the slightest, so you don''t have to be so adamant. I''m just curious.


    The first half of Maria''s words were directed at me, but the second half was directed at Primera. It was from looking at Primera, who got stiff and nervous in the middle of the words, but it still didn''t seem to have much of an effect.


    ''Well, well, after the recent mishap, and since I was originally fond of Primera, I thought it would be a good opportunity to confess to her. Well, it was a relief when he accepted my engagement, since there was a chance he would refuse me.


    As they talked with a bit of laughter mixed in, Primera''s nervousness seemed to gradually dissipate and she was able to answer Maria''s questions.


    ''So, now that you know we''re engaged, when are you going to get married?��I don''t like to put it this way, but it''s partly because of Primera''s age, isn''t it?


    Primera''s age is twenty-four this year, so she''s about as late to marry as a nobleman. Well, Albert and Eliza are twenty-six and haven''t been married yet, so it''s not so much that there is no precedent at all.


    ''''With regard to that, I have a favor to ask Duke Sanga-sama and Primera, the marriage will take place after next year, and I would like Primera to get out of the noble register when we get married.


    What do you mean by that?��I understand that you want to set aside a period of time until the marriage, and Primera originally said that she would be out of the noble register in the future, but if you''re going to get married, wouldn''t it be more convenient for you to have the noble register in some way?


    The Duke of Sanga''s questioning of the king, Maria, and Albert, and even the Primera seemed to wonder.


    ''First of all, the reason I say the marriage will be after next year is that Primera has just started her new job with the Sangha Dukes, so right now would be a hindrance to her duties, and the reason I want her to get out of the noble register when she marries is because I don''t want to give that child the right to inherit the Duchy when she has a child in the future.


    ''''Hmm, I understand that Temma-kun is thinking about the duke family, and I can agree with you about the timing of the marriage, but it''s impossible that you don''t want to give the child the right of succession. Even if the Primera leaves the noble register, as long as the child has the blood of the duke family flowing through him, he will be given the right of succession.


    ''''Even so, the chances of succession are much lowered, aren''t they? As I recall, the two older sisters each have more than one boy, but before the succession of the duke''s family, the succession of the paternal family''s family occurred, didn''t it?��In contrast, the Otori family is not a noble family, so there is no such thing as a right of succession. At worst, there would be no problem if an adopted child who is not related to them by blood takes over. In that case, if something happened to Albert or Albert''s child, he could be seen as a strong candidate for succession.


    Some of Duke Sangha''s vassals might think of capturing the power of the Otori family, and some of the rival nobles might think of pushing my child into the candidate''s ranks to disrupt or split the Sangha duke''s family. But if Primera pulls out of the aristocratic register, no matter what the blood is, the family will say they are commoners.


    ''''If it''s a child with a noble registry and a right of succession and a commoner and a child with a right of succession, you could argue that the former would be a more suitable successor, right?


    As much as possible, you want to keep your own children away from the bloody world.


    It''s not ... well, I can''t say it''s not possible. And I can''t say that it can''t be done. Primera, Temma, you say so, but what do you want to do?


    ''''I think Temma-san is right, too. In the first place, the reason I wanted to get out of the peerage was also for the purpose of relinquishing my right of succession.


    Depending on how you think about it, it could be taken as saying that he''s still connected to the dukes but not responsible for them, which is a pretty convenient thing to say, but....


    ''''It''s a cheap thing to think of being able to have a relationship with the strongest force in the kingdom. If you think about it the other way around, the possibility of the duke''s family being taken over is quite low................................There''s no problem. And even if something comes up from below, it would be easy to silence them.


    I knew the Duke of Sangha would say that. In the case of the duke, the happiness of the primera is probably more important than the takeover of the duke''s house by me.


    ''''If the duke is fine with that, then it''s not for the royal family to interfere, is it?


    ''Yes. Temma, Primera, congratulations on your engagement.


    The King and Maria also congratulated me and the Primera and the Duke of Sanga for not interrupting because they were convinced by the parties involved.


    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that Temma is here, so let''s talk about next year''s tournament. I''d like to tell you about next year''s event.��Kah!


    The moment the king suddenly started talking about work and then threw it further to me, he let out a strange sound and fell off his chair. Maria-sama, who was sitting next to him, must have stomped on him because she was holding the back of his leg at the end of his fall.


    ''That''s it, but I think I''m going to make it an individual battle only because I''m about to get married or something. To be honest, it''s too hard for me to get out of it all.


    ''I''m sure that method will work for next year but not after that, right?


    ''We''ll think about the year after next year. Maybe I''ll change my mind and want to get it all out.


    That would mean I might get out again next year if I''m in the mood, but I''ll probably manage to remember that until next year or so. Maybe.


    ''''Well, we''ll come up with some sort of plan before next year as well, and there''s no way we can keep the adventurers from competing in the first place. You don''t have to push yourself.


    And, says the king, it''s probably a problem if I''m the only one who wins too much. Like finding talent or betting income. Incidentally, the dividend is calculated by subtracting 20% of the sales, so whether I win or lose, the amount of money that goes into the country will remain the same, but more and more people are saying they won''t buy if I win and it''s a payback (possibly negative in some cases), which is why overall sales are decreasing.


    ''Isn''t it me who''s overreaching, Zain-sama, who needs to come up with a new way to sell?


    When he heard that, the king gently removed his gaze from me.


    ''''I mean, you seem to have forgotten, but even if Temma is out, ''Oration'' will still participate in the team competition.


    I suppose that means I''m out and we still have the numbers to go around.


    You seem to have forgotten that the fact that Tenma will not take part in the tournament means that Slarin and his friends will not take part in the tournament.


    ...Ah!


    Grandpa seems to have forgotten all about it, but since Slarin and the others are my subordinates, they can''t participate in team fights without me, the tamer, being there. It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who has been in the same team, as the Marquis of Samos has previously teamed up with Gulliver and his knights, with him playing second fiddle, so if you have a tamer in the same team, the family members can still participate in the game even if he is playing second fiddle, but if he is not in the team, his family members will not be able to participate in the game, but will instead be able to take part in the game. I will not be able to register as a team. In other words, if I''m out, Grandpa and Amour will be the only members of this year''s "Oration" team to remain. Well, it''s possible to form an "Oration" with me out next year, but in that case, Jeanne, Aura and Aina will have to replace me and Surarin. In addition, Aina still keeps her registration as Jeanne and Aura''s instructor.


    ''''It''s a shame........''''


    Grandpa looked disappointed, but he said, "Then I''ll team up with Amour to compete in a pair! He was quick to say, "I''m not sure. At this minute, he might compete in the individual competition as well.


    ''''If that''s the case, after announcing Temma-kun and Primera''s engagement, it might be better to casually play it off as a rumor level story, saying that he might not be competing in any other individual matches due to marriage preparations, etc. If he doesn''t participate completely, people might wonder if the royal family has pressured him in some way, and if it''s a definite story, there might be a backlash if Tenma-kun changes his mind.


    I think it''s safe to proceed as the Duke says. I''m sure there are people who will approach you to get something to back you up, but you don''t have to deal with them. It''s only a ''rumor'' level story.


    If someone you don''t know comes to ask, don''t take them up on it, and if someone you know comes to ask, just say that you''re sure you''re going to be busy, but you haven''t decided what you''re going to do yet. For starters, letting the djinn know would naturally lead to wider publicity. Well, we won''t release the information until after the engagement is officially announced, so we don''t know when that will be, but since the djinn are surprisingly well-acquainted with each other, I''m sure they''ll do a satisfactory job.


    Afterwards, they discussed the timing of the engagement announcement, and it was decided that it would be after the djinn''s commotion had died down, and it would be announced at the party hosted by the Duke of Sangha after the new year. Maria wanted to make the announcement at the party hosted by the royal family, but it became impossible to do so without the Duke of Sangha, so we agreed that Primera and I would attend the party after the Duke made his announcement.


    ''Grandpa, what do you think we should tell Uncle Mark and the others?''


    The sooner the better, the better, but there are a lot of things to think about, and we don''t want the news to get out before the duke announces it. I''m sorry, but you''ll have to wait until after the New Year. Well, I''m sure people will notice, but as long as you don''t say it outright, it should be fine.


    It pains me to keep quiet with my uncles, but I don''t want them to be accused if something goes wrong, so I''ll tell them why and apologize after I announce it.


    When me and Primera''s conversation had come to an end, Duke Sanga started talking about the djinn''s reward, so we decided to leave without him.


    ''''We''ll have to keep Amur and the others quiet when we get back.


    It''s not... hmm?��That''s just like Din and Aina.


    Aina ran from the room, apparently to fetch Miss Dinh.


    ''Temma, Aina told me you are engaged to Miss Primera, is it true?


    When I returned that it was true, Mr. Din congratulated me and Primera, but then chided Aina when she said it was something she couldn''t disclose yet. Apparently, Aina hurriedly jumped into the place where Din-san was training and suddenly pulled Din-san away. The other knights were there too, but the reason was that they heard the reason in the middle of nowhere, so the engagement story wouldn''t have been leaked. However, he said it was rare for Aina to be in such a rush, so he said it was troublesome to think about the reason he was in a rush when he was asked.


    ''''For now, we''ll go to His Majesty''s for now.


    ''Dear Temma and Primera, I''m sorry to show you how unseemly I am.


    Aina seemed to have calmed down after meeting up with Din-san and seemed to be the same as usual.


    ''''And even so, are you sure you didn''t want to send me to the Duke''s residence?


    Father will be back at the Temma compound once, and most importantly, the Primera will have to talk to Amur and the others.


    ''No, well you''re right but...''


    Primera says nervously............well, it can''t be a bad thing.


    I was thinking lightly about it....


    ''Temma!��Is it true that you are engaged to Primera!


    ''Hey!��Leon, you''re too loud!


    The remaining two of the three idiots were making a lot of noise. Because of that, the djinn seemed to have found out, and they had a hard time keeping their mouths shut. Incidentally, even in the midst of all that commotion, Chris did not wake up.

 227-Chapter 16-5 Requests from Jin and others

    I''m sorry.


    It seemed that it was Amur who had leaked the information, and while Rion was angry with Albert, he went in front of the Primera and got down on his knees and apologized.


    ''Mr. Amour, I''m not angry, please sit down in your chair. I can''t talk to you as it is.


    Yes, sir. And you can call me Amur.


    Amur seemed to know that Primera would say that, and he immediately stopped getting down on his knees and sat down in his chair.


    ''''Well I didn''t expect Brother Rion to make a fuss, but we were also responsible for forgetting to keep Amur and the others quiet, and it''s not like the people who would spread the information about the engagement for fun knew about it, so we don''t have to worry about it.


    The reconciliation between Primera and Amur (it wasn''t so much a reconciliation as it was a reconciliation) was concluded, but Albert''s anger didn''t subside. Well, his precious sister''s engagement would be ruined by Rion''s carelessness.......but he probably couldn''t allow it to become complicated. Incidentally, from earlier, "Don''t speak lightly of an unannounced nobleman''s engagement! Or, "You''re going to ruin Primera and Temma''s engagement! Or, "Your carelessness will be my fault! Or, "You''re trying to put a crack in the relationship between the royal family and the Haust frontier earl! He said something messy like.


    ''Albert, forgive him for that. That''s a bit of an exaggeration, as expected, and I''m sure Leon was just confused by the suddenness of the situation, and he didn''t take offense, and he seems to be sorry enough.


    Well, if Temma says so...


    Albert released Leon with a grudging disapproval. Perhaps Albert himself had been too excited and had lost sight of the drawback.


    ''Temma, Primera, I''m sorry,''


    ''''Well, it''s not like anyone other than the people in this mansion heard about it, so if everyone keeps their mouths shut, there won''t be any problems. And I''m sure Jin and the others will understand that.


    ''Yes. Besides, if I remind Leena later, I don''t think I''ll have to worry about it.


    Leena is still a former Viscountess, even if that is the case, so even now that she''s off the register, she''ll understand the fear of nobility. If it''s what Leena says, Jin and the others will definitely try to protect her. But still.........


    ''Leena calls Primera with a chi-(-)n-(-), but Primera calls her out.


    I was a bit curious. After all, was the difference in status between the dukes and barons the reason?


    ''No, Leena usually calls me by my name too. I just joke around a lot and deliberately call her the way I did when I was a kid.


    I thought that was a childish way of putting it, and that''s why... I thought Leena was plain because of her naturalness, but I thought she was just joking around... After thinking about it, Leena I''m sure Primera is right about some of the blacker parts. I''m not sure why you''re channelling him in front of me when he''s not there, though.


    I''ll be sure to make sure the djinn are aware of this. Well, it doesn''t make a difference to the engagement if it''s revealed, but it will hurt the reputation of the djinn and others.


    Honestly, I don''t think it will be much of a problem if the engagement is found out, but even if it''s not intentional, the djinn who divulge it will be in disrepute with the royal family and the Sangha dukes. Combine that with the advice from me and the advice from Primera via Leena, and you''ll understand how dangerous it is. Well, they might complain to me where they don''t know why, but I''m sure they can manage to put up with that much. And if they can''t, we can force them to go along with the training matches.


    ''As for Jin and the others, that''s fine... Chris, you''re okay with that, right?��After all the fuss I''ve made, it hasn''t happened at all...


    Chris didn''t wake up, which made me worry. I can hear him breathing properly and he doesn''t seem to be suffering, so I think he''s fine, but if he doesn''t wake up this much, I''d suspect he''s sleeping like a raccoon or something.


    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s quiet, so Chris-senpai should be able to leave it at that, right?��If it happens badly and I find out what''s going on, I''m going to make more noise than Leon.


    After a few words from Cain, we decided to leave Chris alone. It''s because he was pretty grumpy even at Leon, but if he finds out about the engagement story while he''s still drunk, he might not be able to handle it. It would have to be in a situation with Maria-sama, or at the very least, with Aina, to tell Chris about me and Primera''s engagement story.


    After that, Chris-san didn''t get up until it was time for dinner, and Aina, who had come with the Duke of Sangha, took her back. I tried to invite him to dinner, but he didn''t seem to have an appetite because he couldn''t sober up. By the looks of it, he''ll be suffering from a hangover tomorrow.


    "Then I''ll leave you alone for today.


    The Duke of Sangha and the others left when dinner was over. As they were leaving, they asked if Rion wasn''t going to stay at the Primera, but since the engagement was still ostensibly a secret, the duke decided to avoid any imitation that might give them the slightest bit of exposure.


    ''''Even so, I thought that Temma would be married.......I thought he wasn''t interested in women, but it seems that my fears were unfounded.


    Jin laughed hysterically, followed by Garratt, Menace and even Grandpa, who started laughing as well.


    ''As for me, I thought Primera-chan was the most likely to be the one, so I''m not surprised. Well, I didn''t expect her to get engaged out of the blue.


    Leena was puffing her chest out, saying that it was to be expected, except for the sudden engagement. And for some reason, Amour was also puffing out his chest in the same way, and Jeanne was blushing a little when she saw Amour.


    ''''Well, there''s still some time before the engagement announcement, and I''m sure it''s only then that people will start to get noisy around us. More importantly, I think the djinn will get more attention until the engagement. What are your plans after your audience with the kings?


    When I said this, the djinn looked a little uncomfortable, but soon returned.


    About that, I need a little help from Temma.


    I said.


    ''Actually, we recovered the hydra''s magic core and dungeon core, but we left the other materials behind. We couldn''t bring all the Hydra materials with the magic bags we have with us.


    So you want me to be the courier. But I''m stuck on the lowest level, a long way up.


    I''m sure Jin and the others know that. But if you''re still asking me, you''re either going to let me get down to the bottom of the stairs by myself or you''re not.


    Do you mean the djinn will lead me to the lowest level?


    Just like the last time I took Amy into the dungeon, one of the djinn would hold hands with me to get to the warp zone near the bottom level.


    ''Wouldn''t there be any complaints from the other adventurers if we did that?��Rather than doing that, I think it would be better to ask the guild staff to follow you and collect the materials?


    I thought that was the only way for me and Jin and the others to avoid incurring some weird resentment, but...


    ''That would certainly bring an adventurer who is intimately acquainted with that guild official to the lowest level. And then they die.


    Guild staff should be neutral, but that is just an ideal, and it is certainly not all such staff. If such a staff member was asked to do something by an acquaintance, or if a large sum of money was accumulated, he or she might take that dependent(s) to the lowest level in secret. Or they might send adventurers as the consensus of the guild for the materials near the lowest level.


    ''''On that note, if it''s Tenma, he has several magic and dimension bags by himself, and he won''t be defeated even against the lowest-tier demons.


    ''You can do it then, but don''t ever complain if you uproot the material around the bottom level?


    I''m not going to do that, but I did give you some advice. You can''t say that you won''t take it with you if you find something unusual.


    I don''t care. Since it''s Temma, I''m sure he''ll think it''s better to dive once on his own after the request is over, rather than have a strange rumor started about him.


    It seems that the request was made after reading my character as well.


    ''''It certainly sounds like a request based on knowing me well. If that''s the case, I''ll have to make a move right after I present the dungeon core to the king, so I should probably tell him first. That way, you might be able to get a higher price for the parts that the djinn don''t need.


    In the case of a hydra, the things called flesh and internal organs are poisonous and cannot be eaten, but yes, the poison glands are useful, and the skin and bones can be used for weapons and armor. According to the djinn and others, the hydra this time is a pretty big one, so even without the meat, they would be able to get quite a bit of material from it. Well, some of those materials will have to be sold wholesale to the guild, but if you also offer them to the king (though you''ll get compensation in the form of a reward), the king''s feelings about the ''Sword of Dawn'' should be even better.


    I''m not sure if I''ll be able to get a response from Tenma.��It would be quicker for us to tell you that it''s something that Temma has agreed to do than for us to say it alone.


    That''s what the djinn say, but I think they are simply afraid of being asked a lot of questions by the king and the others. It''s not a bad thing to do, so I think it''s fine to be imposing, but unlike me, I think the king has an image of being close to a cloud to Jin and the others. So I guess they need me to explain it to them as quickly and reliably as possible.


    ''''Well, okay but in return, as a reward for carrying the luggage and explaining to the kings, give me some of the Hydra materials. I''d be happy to get a certain amount, but what you give me will be fine after I''ve secured enough for the djinn, the king and the guild.


    You won''t actually get much since it only takes a lot of work to carry your stuff, but Hydra materials are rare, so I''d like to secure some of them. Well, we still have materials for the demons called Earth Dragon, Running Dragon, and Wyvern, so I guess we''ll call them part of the collection, but if we consider that the other information about the warp zone near the bottom level is also part of the reward, we can''t say we''re getting too much reward.


    ''If that''s okay with Temma, we''re fine with it... but maybe we don''t have many skins to use, so give us a break then.


    Jin bowed his head apologetically, but his words surprised Grandpa more than me.


    ''''Hydra''s regenerative power is ridiculously high, so you must have kept giving it a very caustic attack.


    Of the two of us, only Grandpa had experience in defeating Hydra, so I was convinced that he was surprised by that. But the djinn looked so subtle.


    ''Well, well, to say it''s caustic is an understatement...''


    We all looked at Jin, who was having a hard time saying it.


    ''They brought in dozens of ballista''s, shot arrows into the hydra, poured oil on it and burned it. When it weakened them, they cut off their heads, and when they couldn''t move, they forced out the magic core.


    The reason Jin seemed to be having a hard time saying it was because he thought he had defeated the Hydra in a way that could be called evil.


    When I asked him for details, he told me that he brought five or six ballistae at a time to the lowest level, one floor above the lowest level, and when he saw an opening in the hydra, he placed them at the very edge of the ballistae''s range, and when he was able to set up enough of them, he fired them in sequence, and the arrows were specially made, with the arrowhead and body hollowed out like a thick straw. When it stings, blood spurts out from behind.


    It seems that no matter how high the regeneration power of the hydra was, it couldn''t produce enough blood to surpass the amount that flowed out of every part of its body, so he poured oil on it and burned it when the blood flowed weakly, and when it was weak, he cut off the heads one by one. He said that when he damaged them to that extent, the regeneration power was quite low, and the heads didn''t regenerate before he dropped all of them (just the flesh rose up from the cuts and created a kind of base of the neck), but the heart was still working, so he forced out the demon nucleus and the heart.


    ''''What a.......devilish way to fight.


    But I think we''ve found an effective way to deal with the Hydra. You need to have a place where you can''t escape, such as a dungeon, and the ability to carry a large amount of goods and money, but it''s much safer than the way I fight, and there''s a much better chance of getting out of there alive. Well, we may have to give up our skins," he said.


    Unlike me, who thought it was a bit of a disappointment, my grandpa had a high opinion of it. I guess this is the difference between those who have actually fought and those who have not. Jin and the others were probably very happy to have their grandfather''s opinion of them, and they began to talk about all sorts of hardships, and grandpa began to talk about his own hardships as well. The party went on and on.


    The party continued until late, and early the next morning, Grandpa, Jin and the others were found by Jeanne and Aura in a drunken state in the dining room.


    Me, Jeanne, Aura and Leni had pulled up to their room before the date changed, so they were fine, but Amour stayed with Grandpa and the others until late and was brought back by Leni in the middle of the night, and he woke up at the same time as me but looked a little under the weather.


    ''Hey Jin, wake up!''


    ''Umm ... my head hurts ... be quiet ...''


    Jin seemed to have a bad hangover and it was hard to speak.


    ''I''m meeting the king in a few days, so no alcohol until then.


    Uh....


    Garratt, Menace, and Leena didn''t even have the energy to speak, but Jin replied on their behalf. While they were dealing with the djinn and the others, Grandpa was staggering his way to the kitchen, but


    ''Grandpa, I''m collecting the pills I left in the kitchen, so there''s nothing for you to do over there.


    Nuh-uh-uh...


    Grandpa gave up his medicine and came to me quietly.


    ''''Grandpa, the djinn are here to meet the kings, so I won''t let them get carried away and drink. I''ll report this time to Ernest-sama, so be prepared for a sarcasm or two ... ten or twenty.


    It wouldn''t do him much good if I was sarcastic, so I decided to ask the person he didn''t like most. If Ernest-sama could say sarcasm to Grandpa, he would accept it without being asked.


    ''''Well, that''s........''''


    Be patient.


    Without saying anything, I told them that reporting to Ernest-sama was a decision, and handed out the hangover pills to the djinn first. It was a form of giving priority to the djinn who were our guests, but.......


    I''m sorry, Grandpa. I''m out of medicine.


    I gave them to Leena and she ran out of pills. Lately, Chris had been drinking so much alcohol that he had been consuming a lot of pills.


    I''ll go to my uncle''s place and get some for you, so just wait until then.


    Come back, come back, come back, come back...


    I don''t feel like I''ve been flagged for something, but I hurried to the inn where Uncle Mark runs the inn to share the same medicine as the house (I''m giving out the stuff I made) anyway.


    ''Grandpa, I got it for you...?''


    ''You''re asleep.......grandpa, rest in peace.


    He placed the cup of medicine and water near his grandfather, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together.


    "I am alive....


    I thought I heard something, but I left quietly, as I had things to do today.


    ''Now that I have a full belly, let''s get on with it.


    Today, we have to make a golem to give to Primera. In a sense, the golem has become the standard equipment of the Otori family. And since the golem will be used to protect my fianc��e, we need to make a golem with good performance. So, although it might take a few days to complete, we''ll take our time and get to work on it.


    ''''First of all, what kind of shape do we want it to take.......maybe a knight type?


    Since Primera is associated with the image of a knight, I decided to make the shape of the golem resemble a knight.


    ''''I''ve decided on the shape, but how will I make it...?''''


    The golems I''ve made so far include a golem made of wood, stone, and earth joined together, a golem with the core of the best golem of them all reconditioned, a scorpion-shaped golem that I gave to Jeanne and Aura as a golem for royalty, the "Guardian Gigant", and the horse-shaped golems of Tanikazee and Lyden, as well as the Golem.


    The level of difficulty in making them is also roughly in the order I just listed (but Tanikaze is just before the royal family-only one).


    ''The reason for the latter half of the golem has to do with the rarity of the materials and the amount of metal used to make it, and as for Raiden, I still don''t know what allowed him to make it, but...''


    If we could make a perfect manual on how to make Raiden, we could have the strongest army in the kingdom... well, if the instructions on how to make it leaked out, there would be a conflict that would split the kingdom into several pieces, so maybe it''s better if we couldn''t. ........Inevitably, the feeling of waste is left behind.


    ''''If I were to make it, I''d like to make it exclusively for royalty, but I promised that I wouldn''t sell anything exclusively for royalty to anyone other than Maria-sama and the others, and it would be better not to let Primera have it.


    Since I''m not selling to Primera, it doesn''t mean that I''m breaking my promise, but maybe the meaning of ''not selling'' includes the meaning of not giving it away, so it''s best to avoid it as much as possible.


    ''Then we''ll have to make it up a new way... what to do...''


    There was no way I could come up with a new method that easily, so I decided to look for a magic core that could be used to nucleate the golem first.


    ''''Let''s see, the magic core that could be used as a nucleus is...''''


    Searching through the bag, he found all sorts of things. In terms of high-value items, there were dozens of different types of items in the bag, from running dragons and earth dragons to orcs and goblins, and more than ten thousand of them were in the bag.


    ''''Running dragons and earth dragons are too large in size, and orcs and goblins can''t make them strong...''''


    The S-ranked demon I have in my hand is too large in size, so I''d like something a little smaller, but I don''t have an A-ranked one, and the only one that''s close to that is Wyvern''s.


    ''If it''s a wyvern''s demon core, I can use it as is.


    The larger the nucleus, the thicker the area around the nucleus must be in order to protect it. If you do that, the weight will increase by that amount, so you''ll have a slow-moving golem or, conversely, a fast-moving golem, but the wyvern''s magic core is about 10cm in size, so it should be fine even if you make the coating and the perimeter thicker.


    ''''There are some things missing, but this should be no problem at all.


    For Gigant and Tanikaze, I used the cracked magic core of the Dragon Zombie, so it should be possible to do it with the Wyvern as well. However, the Dragon Zombie and Wyvern''s magic core is too different, so what worked for the Dragon Zombie may not necessarily work for the Wyvern, but even if it fails, the cracked core can be used as a variety of materials, so it should be used not as a nucleus but as a material for strengthening.


    ''''It''s not quite so easy.''''


    The magic nucleus in good condition could be nuked without any problems, but the missing magic nucleus has a distorted shape, so it''s difficult to neatly carve the golem''s information.


    ''''Well, I made some mistakes, but I was able to neatly make five of them, so we should be able to make as many as planned.


    We failed a few times, but we got the number we had planned, so we decided to stop making nukes.


    ''Even if we can nuke it, we haven''t made the outside so what do we do?


    I had an eye on the core of the golem, but I still couldn''t decide what kind of golem I wanted to make.


    ''Well, let''s just make it a meal.


    I was so focused on nuking the golem that it was past noon before I realized it. Once I thought about lunch, I felt strangely hungry, even though I hadn''t even bothered to think about it before, so I moved to the cafeteria to get something to eat.


    ''I don''t have any good ones. Let''s go outside.


    I couldn''t find anything in particular I wanted to eat, so I decided to look around the stalls and shops as well as take a walk.


    ''''Shiroumaru and the others.......seem to be ready to go too.


    I turned around to see Shiroumaru and Solomon waiting for me, as if they understood that I was going to tour the stalls with my words. Both of them were drooling with a crisp look on their faces, and Slarin was wiping the drool off the floor.


    ''Well then, let''s go. But Solomon, as usual, move in your bag.


    "Yeeeeeeeew.


    Solomon replied something like, "Hey, hey, I know," and dove into the dimension bag he always had in there.


    ''Thanks to the djinn, there''s still a lot of stalls out there.


    Normally, the number of food stalls would drastically decrease around the time of the royal family-sponsored party after the tournament, but this time, thanks to the buzz that the Sword of Dawn had conquered the dungeon, many food stalls that usually pulled up and went back to their hometowns had hastily extended their stay in the royal capital. Thanks to that, we were able to choose a variety of food.


    I''m feeling a lot fuller. Shiroumaru and the others........still not enough?''''


    After visiting a few stalls, I was quite satisfied, but Shilomar and Solomon said they still hadn''t had enough. By the looks of things, it didn''t look like we were going to be able to stop hitting the stalls just yet.


    ''So you''re finally satisfied,''


    It was close to evening when Shiroumar and Solomon finally seemed to be satisfied and began to sleep in their bags.


    ''You have a good status, sleeping when your belly is full,''


    At my muttering, Slarin bounced his body and agreed with me. By the looks of it, dinner................no, these two would eat it at will. As I was heading home while taking the long way around, with a hunger pangs, I saw the knights of the royal capital coming and going in platoon units several times. It is probably an act of restraint that doubles as a patrol. As is the case every year, this is the time of year when the criminal activity in the royal capital increases the most, and this year the festivities are prolonged due to the activities of the djinn and others, so they are probably increasing their vigilance.


    ''''Somehow, are we starting to see the direction of the golem?''''


    I had only decided to make it a knightly golem, so I had an idea of how to make it when I saw the knights actually moving with their armor on... but...


    It''s going to be more difficult if it''s just me, so why don''t you get Kelly to help?


    He decided to consult with the most trusted blacksmith in the King''s City.

 228-Chapter 16-6 Hydra Recovery

    Hello.


    Long time no see. How''s it going?


    I came into Kelly''s shop and told her the idea I had, and asked her if it was actually possible to produce it.


    The only problem is the output of the golem core. The only problem is the output of the golem nucleus. I think this is the one thing that, no matter how much we improve it, it will be difficult to make it work the way Temma thinks it should.


    When I made Amy''s golem, I first made a bone-like golem, then I added armor to the golem instead of a physical body, and finally I completed it by covering the whole body with demon skin. This method is currently the most versatile golem, but this time, he''s going to equip it with even more armor on top of that.


    He had only told Kelly that he was going to make Amy''s golem with armor attached to it, so she was worried about the output.


    ''That''s it, but the armour to be fitted will also be a golem. Furthermore, I''m going to use enough demon nuclei for several wyverns, including the number of golem nuclei, for the contents and the golems in the armor.


    The nuke we used for Aimee''s golem was also selected from a number of good quality golems, but this one was carefully selected for its materials (a magic core of an A-rank level demon (wyvern)), and we used it for several more.


    Even though the output of its contents alone is sure to surpass Amy''s golem, if the armor''s portion works well, it might be able to exert several times more power. Imaginatively, it would be like having a power suit attached to a golem, but it might not be such a simple multiplication of performance, but if you think of the armor as having auxiliary abilities, it could be stronger than the contents alone.


    ''''Making the armor into a golem as well, does that mean you''re making a single golem out of two?��Totally, you come up with some crazy stuff.


    ''''No, I''m going to make two golems into one, but I''m going to use two nukes plus a few demon cores, so if I count in demon cores, it''s like making one for a few of them?''''


    I''m going to use two nukes for the inside and armor, and I''m going to crush a few magic nukes to strengthen the golem. So if we think that one golem needs one magic nucleus, then we''ll need several magic nuclei for one golem this time.


    ''It''s not a crazy thing, it''s like you came up with a stupid idea. Well, it''s a stupid idea that seems to have a high success rate considering all the golems Temma has made so far.


    Kelly looked dumbfounded, but if we''re just talking about the total amount of nukes we used, Raiden and Gigant had more, so it could be argued that we''d already made something similar a success.


    ''So I guess we can say I''m in charge of making armor?


    ''Yeah, please. I''m sure there''s nothing I can''t make, but I''d rather ask my day job to do something better than to make something half-assed.


    If you only know a blacksmith who is less skilled than me, then you have to make it yourself, but fortunately I know two blacksmiths who are more skilled and trustworthy than me, so I ask the more trustworthy one of them. By the way, the other one is Master Gantz, but when he gets too excited, he goes out of control, and I can''t control him. Moreover, I''m almost certainly going to be involved...and in that respect, I''m less trustworthy than Kelly.


    ''''Well, it looks interesting, so I''ll let you do it even if you don''t ask me to, but when it comes to the armor dedicated to the golem, I''ll have to make it to match the contents, so I''ll have to wait until after Tenma makes the golem inside.


    ''Well, you''re right, but we have to talk about materials and rewards and stuff. So, armor, full plate type, and the materials are mithril or adamantine or orichalcon.


    Wait a minute!��You might be able to get by with mithril, but you can''t get enough adamantine or orichalcon to make it into full body armor that easily!


    If you made a full body armor out of adamantine or orichalcon, that would be a national treasure class gem!��........So I decided to have them collect a large amount of mithril and magic iron.


    ''''This time of year, mithril is relatively easy to collect, so it should be easy to gather about a hundred kilograms. If there are other things that could be used for a golem, I''ll collect them.


    At this time of year (during the martial arts tournament), they sell a lot of things like weapons, armor, jewelry and metals to fund tournament bets and auctions. Kelly said that if she went around to people she knew or vendors who specialized in metals, she would be able to gather mithril.


    ''Please,''


    ''Oh!��I got it!��I''ll gather the materials for the armor, so Temma can make the contents as soon as possible. Also, I''ll bill you for the materials later.


    I don''t know how much they''re going to charge me later, but if Kelly says she''s going to collect it, she''s going to collect it out of spite, so it might be more than the market price... but I think we''ll be okay with the money.


    ''Then you don''t have to hold back.


    When he told her about the money, Kelly laughed wryly and said, "I heard good things," and ran out of the store, saying she''d leave the rest to her employees.


    A few days after my visit to Kelly''s store, I


    I''m tired...


    In this case, I''d better take on Hydra again...


    I don''t like them either.


    The djinn''s audience with the king was successfully completed. As I was an attendant, I came with the djinn to the castle, but since I wasn''t allowed to accompany them until the audience, I was forced to wait in the waiting room. Well, I had asked the king and the others to make sure that was the case, so I was going to be allowed to relax while the djinn and the others were struggling... but it was a bit noisy because Tida and Luna had come to visit us. However, they didn''t seem to have been informed about my engagement to Primera and I, so the topic of engagement didn''t come up while we were in the waiting room.


    ''But then again, Leena seems to have plenty of time to spare, doesn''t she?��Did your old experience live on?


    I''m glad my old experiences have come to life!


    As expected of a former nobleman. I wondered if he was used to meeting with the higher-ups.


    ''At times like that, it''s best to leave it to our representatives!��I was quietly in the air, a little behind Jin and the others!


    It seems he was just using the djinn and the others as a shield. Well, I guess the experience certainly came alive. It''s heartless, but in a way it''s the right choice.


    ''''You''re heartless.''''


    You''re heartless.


    ''''Garratt-san and Menace-san should have stayed behind Jin-san quietly. Since Jin-san is the only one among us who holds a title, albeit an honor, it''s not strange to stand back.


    "I see!


    With Garratt and Menace convinced, it seems that they have decided that if something similar happens in the future, Jin will sacrifice the name of his representative.


    ''''I''ll never be convinced!��Next time something like this happens, I''ll make sure you guys get talked about, too!


    The djinn was a djinn too, and he didn''t want to be the only one to take the brunt of the arrows, so he decided not to let Leena and the others get away with it.


    ''Well, so much for the ugly conflict I''m sure the djinn will continue to be busy.


    The djinn don''t seem to understand what I''m talking about.


    ''''The djinn are all bachelors, with the promise of future titles and rewards, and have enough honor even in the current situation... For a single nobleman, or a nobleman or merchant who wants honor for the sake of publicity, The Sword of Dawn is a target.


    I said, and Jin and Menace started to panic. Garratt and Leena looked disgusted, but they didn''t look flustered, so I asked them.


    I''ve got a guy back home who promised me a future.


    I''m sure it will be fine.


    Then I guess I won''t have to worry too much about it.


    Leena''s explanation made Menace look relieved, but since the conditions seemed to be similar but not the same between Menace and Leena, it was quite possible that the part that only wanted honor would throw powder on Menace. Well, since it was only conceivable, I didn''t point it out.......but rather than that, a surprising statement came out of Garratt.


    ''''Garratt you had a fianc��e?''''


    Hmm?��Yeah, I''ve never told Temma that. There''s one.


    After all, when he returned to his hometown a few years ago, Garratt was confessed to by a childhood friend... or rather, a woman who had taken care of him as a child.


    ''Shortly before I left my hometown a long time ago, she asked me to marry her when I grew up, and when I lightly replied, thinking it was a joke, I took her seriously and waited for her to not even have a girlfriend. So we''re getting engaged... but I think it''s time for us to start bearing fruit, because we''re both of our ages...


    He says that for various reasons, the marriage has been postponed. He''s not sure if he''s going to call that woman to Seigen for this dungeon conquest.


    ''''Tch!��Let it blow up!


    I don''t know why she chose to do this.


    Jin and Menace also knew the woman, Jin looked unamused and Menace mused curiously.


    ''You say you took care of her as a child, but how old is she?''


    Well, we''re ten years apart in age, if I recall.


    So, how old was Garratt when he left his home town?


    Fifteen.


    This means that Garratt was proposed to by a five year old child when he was fifteen and agreed to it.


    ''Jinn, Menace is that normal for your homeland?''


    It''s not going to happen!


    It''s just a regular country scene!��...Well, I''m having trouble with them using us as a promotion for the village to try to bring in customers, but it''s basically a place that has the same view of love and marriage as King''s Landing.


    When I heard that, I wondered for a moment if Garratt was of such a proclivity.


    ''If this were the case now, I''d rehabilitate Garratt even if I had to sack her, but she''s a grown woman who''s grown up and respectable. I may have my feelings about it, but I can''t complain about it now.


    ''As expected, if you''re saying you''re trying to mess with a five-year-old girl right now, I''d cut out the nannies, bag them up and dump them deep in the dungeon, but it''s all in the past now.


    Both of them muttered heartily and grasped something in their hands as if they were clutching something. When Garratt saw this, he turned blue in the face and ran behind me.


    I don''t care if you want to cut off Garratt''s claws, grip them, or burn them up, but do it outside. If you do it in the city, the kings will be mad at me too.


    I decided not to mess with the ''Sword of Dawn'' issue and told him to stop only in the city for now.


    ''''So when are you going to go to the dungeon to collect the Hydra?''''


    Ignoring the wary Garratt behind him, I asked Jin when he was going to Seigen and he said he wanted to go as soon as possible.


    ''I''ve left most of the material in the dust, and I''m worried, indeed. Well, I don''t think my peers will take it with them, but there''s a chance that the demons in the higher levels will devour it.''''


    The body of a hydra is poisonous everywhere, and if an ordinary creature (including humans) were to ingest it, they would very likely die, but some creatures would not mind eating the poison, and if they were hungry to the extreme, some creatures might even eat it even if they knew it was poisonous.


    "If they only ate the meat, I wouldn''t mind, but not if they ate the skin, claws, and other parts of the body that would be used as ingredients.


    We have to be careful about poisoning the hydra when dismantling it, so if it reduces the amount of meat we have, it''s welcome, but we''ll lose money if the material is ruined, so we should do it as soon as possible.


    ''So we can leave tomorrow?��If we hurry up Leiden, we can get to Seigen in three or four days. Well, that won''t give us much time to rest, and we''ll spend most of the day traveling.


    If you use anything other than nighttime breaks for travel, you''ll get to Seigen in about half the time it normally takes. I don''t want to do it too much because it''s tiring, but it''s probably the best way to get there considering the materials.


    So, please.


    In exchange, I''ll need you and the other djinn to help me with the chores.


    Jin and the others have also promised to help you, so as far as manpower goes, we already have enough. All that''s left is.....


    I''m coming with you!


    If you''re going, miss, then so am I.


    I''d be very interested in that.


    If everyone else is going, I want to go too.


    Of course I do!


    It was what to do with Amur and the others who were trying to follow the request. The plan is to have only my grandfather, who claims to know how to dismantle the hydra, follow me. I thought it would be best to limit the number of people going to the bottom level of the dungeon to the minimum number, and I explained that, but Amur and the others did not agree. However.


    Don''t worry. As long as I''m with you, there won''t be any weirdos around!


    Amur and the others finally gave up on accompanying them when they heard Grandpa''s words, "I''m going to leave tomorrow morning.


    ''Anyway, we''re leaving tomorrow morning, so I think it will be about ten days before we come back.


    The plan is to have eight days to go and return, one day to collect the hydra, and one day for a reserve day, but I told them that if something unexpected happens, it will stretch a little longer, and we will each start preparing for tomorrow and beyond.


    ''Well it''s easier to move around when you''re with Temma. Besides, we''ll be more comfortable even at times like this.


    Four days after we left King''s Landing, we arrived in Seigen as planned... well, just before the date changed, so even though we arrived, we were still camped outside Seigen.


    ''Even though we couldn''t get into Seigen, we got there in less than half the time than it would have taken us to travel on our own, and thanks to our detour, we''re able to get this kind of feast, so it''s nothing to do with camping,''


    The reason we were going to camp right in front of Seigen was that we had chosen a spot near the river as our last stop on our way to Seigen.


    We were supposed to stop for lunch and a quick rest before we left, but just before we left I discovered the cause of the delay. It was.


    ''''By the way, this suppon hot pot is delicious. And I''ve heard it''s good for your skin, so it''s a great dish!


    The reason for this was that we had captured a school of speckled soft-shelled turtles.


    The size of the speckles varied, but they were huge, up to over two meters in length and over 200 kg in weight. By the way, the one we cooked was one of the smallest ones we caught, and it was also nearly one meter long.


    They were sunning themselves on the river bank. Well, they seemed to be on alert for their surroundings, and as I got a little closer, some of them ran into the river, but there were still more than a dozen left, so I asked Slarin to sneak up on them while they were drawing attention to me, and I captured them all at once.


    I was able to capture a total of ten of them in Slarin''s surprise attack, and while I missed a few obviously young individuals (still over fifty centimeters in length), even the six that remained were a massive amount, weighing well over five hundred kilograms in total.


    It smelled a little stinky due to the lack of mud removal, but I used a lot of spices to make up for it, so that''s good enough for me.


    We proceeded with our meal, bragging about the quality of the Suppon pot... but we may have done a bit of a disservice to the people who were similarly camped out in the vicinity. We used a lot of spices to reduce the muddy smell, which caused the mouth-watering smell to spread over a fairly wide area. This has led to the occasional resentful glance at us. Well, it''s a relief that no one comes close to us, since Shiroumaru is near us and we have a flag with the Otori family crest flying in a prominent spot on the carriage. However, even if they approached us with malicious intent, there would be no chance of that happening with these members. If it was just in case, though, there might be.


    ''''We''ll go to bed early today and dive into the dungeon early tomorrow morning. It''s right next to Seigen, and if we keep the golem standing, there won''t be any problems if we all sleep at the same time.


    No one would attack us in this place, and even if they did, we could take care of them as soon as we got the golem out. More importantly, since we''re going to the lowest level tomorrow, I decided not to set up a lookout this time, because it''s better not to get a little tired.


    ''Slarin, Shilomar, Solomon, you guys can sleep out of the bag today too.


    Plus, if you keep the three of them laying outside the bag in a no-good way, it will be an obvious check on them along with the golem, and if anyone comes close, Shiroumaru will notice them.


    ''''Can I say this is perfect?��Well then, I''ll go to bed first.


    I heard that Grandpa and Jin and the others were up for a bit longer, so I was the only one who got under the covers early. It was a bit noisy, as there seemed to be a drinking party going on around us as well as Grandpa and the others, but since this is how it usually goes when we''re camping out in a group near the city, it wasn''t anything that bothered me, although it was noisy.


    ''''I''m really glad I brought Temma with me...''''


    Well....


    We''d be dead on our own, for sure.


    It was easy to imagine with a little thought, wasn''t it?


    All four of the djinn voluntarily sat on their haunches while I worked.


    "I can''t be of much help under these conditions.


    Grandpa said apologetically, but he brought out a chair and table to drink tea.


    The reason why this is happening is because, to put it very plainly, the hydra was rotting. The djinn had just defeated the hydra a little over half a month ago, but the acid or some kind of enzyme in the hydra seemed to have accelerated the decomposition, and when they came to collect it, the meat was already half dissolved and emitted a terrible stench. There were rats hovering near the hydra, so it was unlikely that they were releasing poison along with the smell, but just to be sure, I distanced myself from the hydra and let the golems dismantle it (I just peeled off the skin and gutted it).


    ''From a distance, the skin doesn''t look too damaged. I thought it was more charred.''''


    From what I''d heard of the way the djinn and the others fought, I''d expected the skin to be more tattered, but from what I''d seen, a few scorch marks, holes, and cuts would be enough to make it worthy of the material. For that matter, the djinn seemed to wonder about it.


    ''''Maybe he regenerated after he died.......Hydra is ridiculously strong in regeneration, so even if his heart and demon core were removed, he still has some regenerative power.


    When they heard Grandpa''s guess that this was the case, they all agreed. After all, when he had killed the bicorn that was the basis of Raiden before, he had cast ''heal'' on the bicorn''s wounded skin after it died and erased the wound. Even the bicorn was able to recover magic even after it died, so a hydra with high regeneration power would not need to cast a recovery magic after it died, but on its own?��I didn''t think it would be strange to recover to some extent in


    While we were talking about the Hydra''s regenerative powers, I had the golems place the Hydra''s skin and internal organs spread out on the ground, and I poured the flesh that had dissolved into the dirt and the poison that was attached to them with the water magic method and flushed them away.


    Hydra''s internal organs, the heart, stomach, lungs, and bladder remained in a clean form, but the kidneys and liver, which were the kidneys and liver, were melted and left with very little. And, incidentally, the ''poison glands'' that contained poison were also left, and they were full of poison inside. Moreover, the hydra had two places to store the poison, one was a space in its upper jaw, and the other was near its stomach (well, this hydra has nine necks, so to be precise, there are ten places). The two are connected by a thin tube, and when the venom gland in the upper jaw is emptied, it is supposedly replenished from the venom gland near the stomach pouch.


    ''It''s pretty sticky, so I wonder if it''s the original fluid of the poison?��Grandpa, there''s a hundred liters of what looks like poisonous primordial fluid, what do you think I should do?


    If it was a small amount, I think we could just dump it around there and flush it down with water and it wouldn''t be a problem, but with that much, I was afraid that we wouldn''t be able to use this room for a while that way. So I asked my grandpa about it.


    I don''t know how I could possibly know that much, except that I''d have to dig a hole and pour a little bit into it.


    He said he hadn''t been able to do anything about it. Incidentally, when I asked him what he had done in his case, he told me that he had burned half of them and left the rest on the floor.


    The poison had evaporated and we were in serious trouble. If I hadn''t burned them all at once, the vaporized poison would have killed me.


    Grandpa says with nostalgia for the old days, and I felt deeply that Master Ernest''s story about how Grandpa used to be a bastard in his younger days was true. Well, I didn''t say it out loud, but I guess I''m one of the same kind of person when it comes to burning small amounts of stuff, even if it''s just to burn it.


    I''ll think about how to deal with it later, but for now, let''s divide it up into small portions and keep it for now. Just so you know, do the djinn ever need this poison?


    I asked them just in case, since it seemed that they would be concerned about the money there if they sold it, but they said they didn''t need it when they thought about the risk after selling it, so it was decided that I would keep it all together. Incidentally, the risk after the sale is when it is misused after it leaves our hands, so we can say that we are not responsible no matter how it is used after the sale, but it will still lead to our reputation being tarnished, so we don''t want to cross such a dangerous bridge.


    In the meantime, Hydra''s poison is valuable, so even if we were to sell it, it would be best to only deal with people whose identity and purpose of use are clear and trustworthy. Well, since I don''t have any idea who such a person would be, the safest thing to do would be to dispose of it.


    After rinsing off the excess skin and internal organs, I rinsed the body of the body as well, thoroughly rinsing off the poison and dissolving flesh with a strong stream of water, and cut it into pieces of appropriate size before tucking it away in the Magic Bag. If this were a normal prey, I''d carve the meat from the bone, and when I was done, we''d have a party with that meat!�� They say that''s what they say. Granddad said that if you leave the meat in the water or soil for a long time, the meat will rot away and the poison in the bones (there is also a poison in the spinal cord and others that seep into the crevices of the bones) will also be released, so that it can be processed safely.


    I think it would be better to sell the bones with their flesh still attached. Some people will complain, but it''s the best way to prove it''s from Hydra.


    I washed off the poison on the surface, and even if I touched it with my bare hands, as long as I didn''t have any scratches or scratches on my hands for a short period of time, it would only itch a little. Well, if you grip or bite it for a long time, you could die, but that''s the responsibility of the person who handles it.


    The only thing left to do is to take care of the dirty parts.��I''m going to look around the area a bit after this, what about Grandpa and Jin and the others?


    I asked him if he and the other djinn wanted to look for mithril to use for their new golem, and he said he would go back to look for it, since he wanted to take care of his weapons and after a quick search. Grandpa also said he was hungry and would return, and left with Jin and the others.


    The meeting place was Amy''s parents'' apartment (I used to use it before, and Jin and the others are renting it), and they said that they would let me and Grandpa leave the carriage we were going to sleep in on the grounds. We didn''t have a set time to meet, but at worst we could be there before we left tomorrow, so it was agreed that we would have free time until then.


    ''Well then, let''s go out and find it.


    I covered the pools of blood and poison created when I dealt with the hydra with dirt over the pools of rotten flesh that had been washed away and let the golems trample it down to deal with it. It''s a fairly appropriate method, but for now, only me, my grandfather, and the djinn can come to the lowest level, so the poison will be broken down and gone by the time the other adventurers arrive. All that''s left is for us to not touch the soil where we''ve been trampled, and that should be enough.


    ''I was hoping to get some mithril if I could, but all I can find is iron.


    The lowest level was as large as a number of stadiums, as Hydra had used it as a base.


    ''''But then again, I don''t see any living creatures other than insects, what did Hydra eat to survive?


    I don''t think it would be possible to maintain that huge body by eating the magic power in the air.......or something like that. It seems most likely that they are luring the demons from the upper floors in some way or another, but we don''t even know the details of how those feeding demons occur in the dungeon in the first place.


    ''''Something tells me my head is going to hurt if I think too much about it.......I guess it''s time to cut it off.


    The next time I come back, I''m going to take the regular route and not the subterfuge like this one, and as I''m about to quit mining to get back to the surface... I''ve found a suspicious place.


    The place is opposite to the entrance, and only there it looks like a large pile of rocks. Maybe it just happened to look that way, but maybe Hydra was using it as a place to sleep, so I decided to go check it out a bit. And.


    There''s definitely something down here...


    The smell of rotting flesh was rising from underneath the rock, along with the damp air, and there was also the sound of something moving.

 229-Chapter 16-7 Streaks

    Each rock is so big that it''s going to be hard to move it out of the way... well, I''m not going to do it myself, so it doesn''t really matter.


    I decided to do something with the rocks for now, so I took out five large golems and moved the rocks out of the way. There were ten rocks piled on top of each other that could be lifted by a few golems, and even the smaller ones must have been over ten tons in weight.


    When all the rocks were removed, there was a vertical hole, and when I dropped a pebble into it, the sound reverberated far away, so it was as if there was a large space like a cellar or a long space like a road.


    ''Well, what do we have here?''


    The hole was almost vertical at the beginning, but after three or four meters down it turned into a gentle slope.


    ''It''s nice to go down, but there are signs that some kind of creature has walked down it, and once we get back...''


    Just when we thought we might as well go back to the ground and report back to Grandpa and Jin and the others, we heard something coming towards us from a distance.


    There were two types of sounds that I heard, a sound that sounded like kacha... kacha... kacha... and betta... betta... ...It sounds like. Both of them seemed to be footsteps, but they were quite slow compared to the average person''s speed. Besides, along with the sound of footsteps, I could also smell it, so I somehow understood the identity of the owner of the sound.


    ''''Fireball........I knew it was a skeleton and a zombie......zombie?��Are they zombies?


    One was a skeleton, just as I thought it would be, but the other was similar to and different from the zombies I knew.


    "''Appraisal,''


    When I appraised the figure that appeared in the light of the fireball, I found that it was a very large and shiny object.


    A species ... a carrion golem.


    And it came out. Perhaps it was a spontaneous golem that spontaneously arose from a collection of rotting flesh. It was the first demon I had ever seen, but it was one that I had no desire to examine in detail.


    ''''Could it be that this was the food for the hydra?


    Thinking about that, I offered the Fireball to the carrion golem at the front of the pack, and it easily caught fire and crumbled down... but at the same time as it burned, a horrendous stench wafted out, so I decided to use the Aircutter from the second golem onward to cut it up! I did. The ''Air Cutter'' one wasn''t as effective as the ''Fireball'' one, but if you aimed at the legs, it was impossible to walk, and since it was soft, it was easy to penetrate, and since it could reel in a few bodies with one shot, it was efficient.


    ''I don''t want the golem one, but I''d like a few samples of the skeleton one.


    Both the skeleton and the golem were just coming straight up to me, so I concentrated on the golem alone and aimed it with my magic, and let the skeleton come closer as it was. And.


    Hey!


    I destroyed the head of the skeleton that came close with ''Stone Blit'' and recovered the magic core when it collapsed. Skeletons can''t move if the magic nucleus is removed from the bone, so if you know how to deal with them, they aren''t that much of a threat. However, sometimes skeletons that are much stronger than the average skeleton are born, so it is a demon that can''t be tricky. In fact, once every few years, I''ve heard of a new adventurer being wiped out against a skeleton or running for his life....


    ''''Well, it seems these guys aren''t that strong.


    Since it didn''t have any weapons and was a weak skeleton that could be defeated with bare hands, I decided to pull out the magic core with my bare hands and secure it in a clean state from the second one. Although it was a dangerous act, it seemed to be possible enough considering the difference in strength, and most of all, in order to examine this skeleton, I needed one that was as unbroken as possible.


    ''''We''ve secured ten of them, so let''s just take them all down in one piece.


    With enough samples secured, I decided to magically blow it up with the golem and get out of here.


    ''''Airball.''''


    I released an ''air ball'' that was just barely big enough for the aisle and blasted the remaining skeletons and golems to the back of the passage. Since there were quite a few of them, I felt that the magic nukes were a waste of money, but as far as the skeletons'' magic nukes at hand were concerned, I felt that they were of low quality, so I decided to abandon them. Well, I think it will revive if I let it go, so if I really need it, I can come back for it again.


    ''''In the meantime, let''s collect the golem''s demon core as well...''''


    I didn''t want to, but it was better to take some of them home as samples, so I used the skeleton''s bones to stir up the piece of meat of the golem I defeated in the beginning to find the magic nucleus, and then used the skeleton''s bones as chopsticks as well to take out the magic nucleus. After washing the golem''s nucleus with water magic, he wrapped the golem''s nucleus with the cloth in the bag and separated it from the skeleton''s nucleus. Incidentally, the bones used to find the golem''s magic nucleus and the bones used as chopsticks were thrown away because they were dirty.


    After retrieving the demon core, I didn''t forget to retrieve the skeleton''s sample as well, and used the ''flying'' magic to go back up.


    ''''After that, I just put the lid on it just like the first time...''''


    I made the golems that had been made to wait move the rock once more to seal the hole, and while doing so, I covered the entire rock with a dome-shaped lid using earth magic. With this, those skeletons and golems wouldn''t be able to get out no matter what they did.


    ''''Oi, it''s time to get back!


    As I moved from the lowest level to the one above, I called for the slarin'' who were supposed to be playing around here. Slarin'' couldn''t stand the smell and ran upstairs while I collected the hydra. Well, it was Shiroumaru and Solomon who couldn''t stand the smell, and it had nothing to do with Slarin, who couldn''t smell it, but I didn''t know what they would do if I left them alone, so I asked Slarin to follow them to keep an eye on them.


    When I used ''Search'' while calling the Slarin''s names, all three of them were heading towards the warp zone. Perhaps Slarin is directing them to head that way. By the looks of it, they''re going to arrive before me.


    ''Slarin, we need to hurry up and let Grandpa and the others know..........Oh!


    Sure enough, Slarin and the others followed ahead of me, so I turned the corner at a short run to hurry up and join them... and in front of me was a minotaur, a humanoid demon with a cow''s head. I hurriedly took the distance and prepared to release my magic, but when I looked closely, I saw that the minotaur was dead, bleeding from its mouth. Behind him was Slarin, who was shaking his body apologetically, and Shiroumaru and Solomon, who looked like their prank had been successful. However, the stringy parts can be used as material for weapons and armor (and, by the way, they can be used as animal snacks when dried), and the skin, horns, and bones can be used for a variety of things. Besides, minotaurs are rare among A-ranked demons, so their internal organs and other things can be sold for experimentation as well.


    ''''You guys, this isn''t the time to be naughty!��Shilomar and Solomon will be snack-less for a while!


    As he retrieved the minotaur into his magic bag and announced that he was snack-free, Shiroumaru and Solomon began to squeal pathetically, their heads down on their knees in a panic.


    ''Slarin, something unexpected has happened, and we''ll be back upstairs soon. You''re going to have to run around looking for your grandfathers, so stay in your bag while you can. And Shilomar and Solomon, if you really don''t want to get your treats pulled out, get in the bag now!


    As soon as I said that, they tried to get into the bag as if they were competing with each other. Then they caught me in the doorway.


    "Slarin'', I''m sorry, but...


    Before I could say anything else, Slarin had them both together and took them into his body. And when Slarin couldn''t get into the bag, I decided to take him in my arms and take him away.


    ''Thank God!��There you are!


    The first place we headed out of the dungeon was the Adventurer''s Guild, and since you can drink and get information here, and there''s a high probability that Aguri, my grandpa''s drinking buddy in Seigen, is there, I felt like I should start here, but as I expected, my grandpa was here. In addition, Jin and the others were drinking here as well, so I didn''t have to look for them.


    ''''Grandpa, Jin, I want to ask you a few questions, so follow me to the dungeon.''''


    The grandfathers looked surprised, but when I hurried them along, they followed me without saying a word. There were some adventurers (yoparai) who saw us... or rather, the djinn, and came up to us, curious, but when I glared at them, they quieted down and went back.


    So, Temma," he said. "So, Temma, what is the reason you have brought us here?��You pretended to be angry, but you weren''t really angry, were you?


    Grandpa, who had been quiet up to this point, asked what it meant to come to the lowest level instead of the djinn who were trying to remember why they had been brought here.


    ''''Before we go, let me ask you, is it possible for more than one dungeon to exist?''''


    What do you mean you don''t think this dungeon is the one you''re talking about?


    Grandpa looked dumbfounded for a moment at what I was saying, but he soon understood what I meant, and excitedly grabbed both of my shoulders and started shaking me roughly.


    ''Hey grandpa, calm down!��So, is there ever going to be a dungeon within a dungeon?


    At least I''ve never heard of it. It might be possible to do it right next to the dungeon, or inside it, if conditions are right, but then it''s likely to be absorbed by one of them.


    Grandpa thought about it for a bit as he said this and finally decided to leave it up to the king to find out what it was if he had Alex look into it. He then asked the djinn and the others, but they said there was no way we would know if Grandpa didn''t know.


    After that, we opened up the sealed vertical hole once more and went ahead and looked at it with Grandpa and the others, but all that came out were skeletons and carrion golems, and the rest were ordinary creatures that weren''t demons like insects and rats.


    ''''Hmmm.......I guess this is definitely a different dungeon than the one above.


    After walking around for about thirty minutes, I found a hole that led down. Skeletons and carrion golems were crawling up from that hole as well, so there was a good chance that the hole was the same as this floor, and since a dungeon core had been found on the floor above, Grandpa had decided that this hole was a different dungeon.


    I''d like to continue exploring, but I don''t think it would be a good idea for today. But I think it would be better not to do that today.


    I have no information at all, and I didn''t come here with that intention, so I decided to pull out today when I was sure of the hole that led down.


    ''''I''ll have to report this to the king when I get back to King''s Landing. Then I''ll have to check for any other precedents and get everything ready before I dive?��Jin, I''m going to look into it after I get to the bottom level on my own, but you can look into the ''Sword of Dawn'' without worrying about it.


    As an adventurer''s courtesy, I decided to go from the interrupted level to the lowest level and dive when I stepped through, but I said it in a way that said, "The djinn have already reached the lowest level on their own, so don''t be shy,


    We''d love to explore it, but it''s awkward to explore the new dungeon Tenma found first, and we can''t move the rock we put there to seal it in the first place on our own. ...


    Even though up to the place he examined, only skeletons and carrion golems, which were relatively weak compared to the demons around the bottom level, it couldn''t be said that there were only the same demons beyond that, and considering the nature of the dungeon, where demons become stronger the further down you go, it wouldn''t be surprising if there was a demon stronger than Hydra.


    Considering the possibility of such a demon, Jin seems to think that it would be better to leave the vertical hole that serves as the entrance sealed until the next time he comes back. Then, after the discussion on what to do with this dungeon was held on the spot.


    ''''Then I guess we''ll start exploring jointly with the Sword of Dawn after ''Oration'' arrives at the lowest level.


    It was decided that it would be a good idea. Normally it would take a few years to get from the hierarchy I interrupted, but when the djinn offered to lend me the map they made during the conquest, it was decided that it wouldn''t take a year at most, and the djinn said they would wait until then.


    This doesn''t mean that they are holding back from me, it''s just that they were originally planning to take a long rest with the aim of relieving their fatigue after so many years of work, since the dungeons they conquered would be noisy for a while. Well, if it were me, I''d prioritize the new dungeon over resting, and I think that''s the same for Jin and the others, so they''re probably refraining from it for whatever reason.


    ''I have an engagement announcement in four months, too, and I''ll try to make it to the lowest level by then.


    ''No matter how many maps and information we have, there''s no way we can usually traverse dozens of layers to the lowest level in four months or so, but... well, it''s Temma, you know. And there''s Merlin-sama.


    He said that if me and Grandpa were here, people would agree with him. Jin also joked, "If they say anything, I''ll tell them it''s a monster that arrived at the lowest level with a little advice.


    ''''Then let''s head back to King''s Landing.''''


    ''''About that, Temma you''re the one who has to report to His Majesty. In the first place, Temma was the only one who discovered the new dungeon, and we only need to be added to the first exploration.


    Jin said, and Garratt and the others nodded, but


    You really think it''s too much to ask to be surrounded by kings twice in such a short period of time?


    When I pointed that out, the djinn all nodded.


    When it comes to reporting on the new dungeon, we''ll be standing in front of not only the kings, but also many nobles in the royal castle, and I know that the djinn who aren''t used to nobles will say it''s tough, so I''ve decided that me and grandpa will report to them, but... I can do it too. If it''s a matter of course, I don''t want to do anything troublesome, but it will be easier as long as you have a clear ally like Duke Sanga and Marquis Samonsu on your side.


    ''''Well, I''ll take care of that one, but you''ll have to come to the royal capital. Maybe you''ll say you want to talk to the djinn and others as well.


    ''It''s ... well, I know, but try to keep it that way as long as you can.


    The djinn clasped their hands together in front of them, pleading, and Garratt and the others each bowed their heads.


    ''I''ll try as much as I can, but the king will act as soon as he thinks of it, so be prepared to at least meet him informally.


    As long as we are sleeping in our house, we have to give up the assault on the kings. When I said that, Jin and Garratt said something about looking for an inn when we get to the king''s capital, but Leena said that if that was the case, it would be assumed that they moved to an inn because they didn''t want to meet His Majesty and the others, so they will continue to stay in our house. Well, it''s not wrong to look for an inn to escape like Leena said, and I don''t think she''d be offended by that much, but I''m sure the other nobles would accuse me of being impolite.


    ''''Anyway, Temma, did you harvest anything other than the new dungeon?


    As we were moving to the nearest warp zone, my grandpa asked me that. So when I said that I didn''t find anything particularly unusual on the bottom level, he said


    ''''Hmm........if there was a demon as powerful as Hydra, I have a feeling that there should be at least a mithril.......''''


    ''''Not to say that it''s an alternative, but Shiroumaru and the others killed the minotaur. It seems extremely unnatural for something that big to be in a dungeon, but I wonder what''s going on there?


    Grandpa felt like the lack of mithril didn''t add up, but he seemed to put it out of his mind as soon as he heard about the minotaur.


    It''s a name I haven''t heard in a while. The meat is hard, but the ingredients are easy to use, and those muscles saved my life a few times.


    Some adventurers in the olden days would take some dried strands of large monsters like the Minotaur with them on their adventures, and use them as emergency food in case of emergencies. They don''t taste very good as they are, and they don''t bite off much, but chewing them repeatedly like gum distracts them from their hunger somewhat. It is also said that it can be used in cooking by simmering it for a long time to soften, but it is said that you have to simmer it for hours, so it was not recommended during the adventure. Incidentally, even if it becomes soft, it doesn''t taste so good, so they don''t recommend it even in normal times.


    ''''I don''t know where they appear from, but they''re a tricky opponent in a dungeon. If they set up in a narrow passage, it''s hard to get behind them due to their big figures.


    If the djinn and the others were working together, it wouldn''t be one or two minotaur enemies, but if they were camped in the corridor and fought head-on, they would struggle with the sturdiness and stiffness of the minotaur.


    ''''At any rate, it''s nice to have some usable materials, isn''t it?''''


    Jin was right, it''s a shame we didn''t get Mithril, but it''s a nice miscalculation that we got the Minotaur material to come out. This would be good enough to forgive Shiroumaru and Solomon''s unwantedness and still give them a bellyful of snacks... well, I''ll forgive them and give them a snack, but I''ll let them reflect on it some more.


    ''But still, Temma. Why did you pretend to be angry and take us out to show us your new dungeon?


    Menace remembered that I was pretending to be angry at the guild and asked me like it didn''t add up.


    ''If we pretended to be angry like that, the other adventurers would think that Djinn or Garratt or the Sword of Dawn would have gotten together and done something, wouldn''t they?��And if that happens, no one will think there''s another dungeon underneath the lowest level of the dungeon.


    If he told them about the new dungeon over there, there would be a big fuss about it being a great discovery, and there was a chance that the guild staff would tell him to take them to the lowest level to check. There might be other idiots dreaming of an untouched dungeon and trying to force their way to the bottom level.


    Not wanting to take the guild staff to the lowest level and not wanting to let the adventurers die for nothing was the first reason why the djinn asked me to do it. With that in mind, I think it''s best to report the discovery of a new dungeon to the king first, so that he can take some measures. However, aside from the guild staff, I think it''s completely your own fault if an adventurer dies, but if you intend to reduce the hassle as much as possible, it''s best not to give them any information.


    ''''That''s true, but.......I''m not sure I''m comfortable with that.......''''


    It seemed to be annoying that the other adventurers thought they were always angry at me, but I didn''t say more than that because it seemed to occur to me. Well, the number of times I''ve been angry at Menace and Leena is not that many, but Jin and Garratt have been conspicuously angry a number of times, making me sit upright and burying me on the ground, so I figured that if I had taken the Sword of Dawn with me while I was angry, the adventurers who were watching would definitely be mistaken! ...


    You can hold a grudge, you can hold a grudge against Jin and Garratt for what they do to each other. All right, let''s get ready for our return to earth. I want to leave in the morning as planned.


    They did.


    That explanation made sense to Grandpa and Jin and the others, and they were talking about where they would eat (or drink) today. Well, I don''t think they''re going to drink deeply, but it would be better to say a few words before they eat.


    ''By the way, Temma, what part of the hydra do you want?''


    On the way to the warp zone, Jin asked me as I remembered.


    At first, I was thinking of getting the bones because I didn''t think I could expect the skin of a hydra, but the regenerative power of the hydra seemed to take enough to get me around, so I thought about getting the skin, but then I got something to try, so I decided to opt for the hydra''s streaks (stripes). With stripes, they''re less useful than other materials, so given the size of the hydra, I might be able to give away more than I need.


    ''Is that what you want?��We don''t need it because we don''t use bows, and His Majesty didn''t say anything of the plot, so if His Majesty doesn''t want it, you can take all you want.


    As expected, I don''t feel comfortable taking it all, so I''m going to pay for some of it, but depending on the negotiations with the kings, I might be able to get enough of it.


    ''''Temma just so you know, you''re not going to eat hydra muscle, are you?


    And so on, Grandpa asked with concern. And the djinn also looked worried, as if they were curious.


    I don''t know if the hydra''s muscle is poisonous, but it''s almost all over the body, so it''s probably best not to eat it. Well, like a puffer fish, "It''s poisonous, but it''s delicious if handled properly! I can''t leave out the possibility that I''m not going to be able to do that... but I''ll try it in secret and alone. I''m good with poisons, and this is a biologically worthy experiment!��...and if they find out, I''ll explain.


    No way.


    Tenma I can''t honestly say I trust you. You could try it yourself, but don''t make the mistake of trying to experiment on someone else.


    Grandpa saw right away that I was lying, and he put conditions on me regarding the experiment. The djinn who had been watching them moved behind Grandpa and nodded repeatedly.


    ''They wouldn''t do that. But, you know, stewed beef broth and soup with beef broth is delicious... no, I don''t mean anything else...''


    Hearing those words, Grandpa and the others took a step or two back, wary of me. While Jin and the others are around, let''s serve them beef stew and soup at least once. I''m sure they''ll have an interesting reaction.


    I couldn''t help but smile at the thought of the djinn''s reaction, and I noticed that Grandpa and the djinn were even further apart than they were earlier.


    ''So much for fooling around, let''s get back upstairs. We''re hungry.


    With that, I headed to the warp zone and my grandpa and his friends followed, keeping a little distance from me.


    I was really hungry, and talking about the plot made me want to eat some kind of oden, so I somehow decided when I turned around to look back that if the place I was going to eat today had stewed food, I would be sure to ask for it.

 230-Chapter 16-8 Report

    Thank you for the update.


    As soon as I went to inform the king about the new dungeon, I was sent to the audience chamber to explain it in front of the nobles who were working at the royal castle.


    The explanation was short and I wanted to leave quickly, but soon the king started to think about something and the nobles began to rejoice that a boom like the southern autonomous region was coming, so no one gave me permission to leave. Just when I thought I might as well just go home in silence.


    ''One question, do you think that dungeon will be able to enrich the economy of King''s Landing like it did in the south?


    ''What do you think?'' asked Master Zain, somewhat coldly.


    ''In my opinion, it is unlikely. Rather, it seems to me that the expense could be higher.


    I don''t know if the dungeon I discovered in the south was due to the mountain being turned into a dungeon or if it was originally a mine, but valuable ores such as magic iron, mithril, iron, copper and silver were found in abundance. Moreover, since the place where it was discovered was under the control of the Southern Viscount Family, the Viscount Family was able to manage the dungeon at an early stage. Because of that, the dungeon''s profits went entirely to the Viscount family because the resources were prevented from flowing out of the dungeon to the outside world, and the effect of that was to enrich the South with a booming economy centered on Nanao. On top of that, Hana-san had sealed off the dungeon from the fifth level down, and also placed restrictions on adventurers taking resources out of the dungeon, so the south could expect a long-lasting economic boom in the future. Incidentally, the reason why the dungeon was open to the fourth level was because it was a low-risk dungeon that would attract new adventurers and create a flow of people to the south. By limiting the amount of resources that could be taken out of the dungeon, veteran adventurers would not be able to enjoy the dungeon, and those who took out resources without permission would be prosecuted as criminals. Incidentally, adventurers will be charged an entrance fee before entering the dungeon, but they will receive a training course on how to mine and what to do in the dungeon, and will actually get a portion of what they mined.


    As for the blockade of the dungeon, the royal family delivered a letter questioning its meaning (suspecting independence or a coup), but Hana-san said that the location of the dungeon is the land directly controlled by the Viscount''s family, and that it is secluded and to protect the surrounding environment, and because of the small size of the dungeon, it is completely He returned it because he feared that if he let them go, they would quickly run out of resources. In theory, there was nothing particularly strange about it, and furthermore, Hana-san''s argument was accepted because the wave of economic boom had reached the royal capital, but there are some nobles who don''t find the situation like the Southern Viscount family''s single victory amusing. Most of those making a scene here are nobles who don''t think the Viscount family is amused like that.


    ''''The main difference between the new dungeons in the South and Seigen is the difference in the level of danger. The dungeons in the south are shallow and less dangerous, so even novices can bring back some resources, but the only people who can go to the new dungeons in Seigen are currently only ''Sword of Dawn'' and me and grandpa. Even if there are some useful resources, there''s a limit to what we can bring back.


    So, when I put it this way.


    ''Then why don''t one of you take us with you?


    It was easy to see this coming back from some of the nobles but....


    Are you serious about that?��If you try to do that on command, the worst thing you can do is kill the country.


    As he said, this one could also think of words to return in advance.


    The lowest level of a large-scale dungeon like Seigen is not something that can be reached by piling up gold, and above all, it is an asset that adventurers cannot exchange for gold. That''s why the djinn took me to the lowest level of the dungeon, which is something that would be unthinkable under normal circumstances. They might say that you (Temma) knew that much and you (Temma) were doing whatever you wanted, but.......that was part of the reward (that''s what I''m saying) and I''ve decided that the next time I go to the bottom level is when I dive on my own.


    Well, aside from me, the fact that the nobles use their power to dive into the lowest level means that the nobles could be said to have taken away the adventurers'' wealth, and if that''s the lowest level of the largest (Seigen) dungeon in this country, there''s a chance that many adventurers won''t follow the kingdom in the future. If that happens, I won''t be cooperating with the kings like I have been doing.......maybe. At the very least, the nobles other than the nobles I know will treat me as an enemy figure.


    Maybe some adventurers who think like me will leave the country, and if they flow to the empire, it will lead to a decline in national power. In fact, in the House of Haust Frontier Count family, because of the incident in Kukri Village, many adventurers left the Frontier Count family''s territory, the Frontier Count family''s business was in a dangerous slump. The fall of the country is an exaggeration, but if the adventurers are uncooperative, the possibility of a decline in national power is high, and it''s not unreasonable to expect the country to be invaded and destroyed by the empire, who might take advantage of the decline in national power.


    However, although all of these things are just my own imagination.......but my statement that I am actually the cause (or representative) of the frontier county''s slump is reasonably convincing, and the audience room, which had been noisy, is much quieter. Well, I guess the main reason for the quietness is that the royal family who understood the possibility of what I''m saying, the king and Caesar-sama, as well as the high ranking aristocrats who said the Duke of Sangha and the Marquis of Samoens, stared at the nobles who were making a lot of noise.


    ''''Indeed, there''s a fear of that. Until now, the royal family had never set any restrictions on Seigen''s dungeons. That''s because when Seigen''s dungeons were discovered, they didn''t expect the dungeons to be conquered due to their sheer size. That''s why they were more concerned with getting more adventurers to lose money by attracting more adventurers than they were with the loss of resources. And now, when new dungeons are discovered, it''s a bad idea to take away the rights of adventurers by imposing restrictions on them.


    At Master Zain''s words, the nobles who had been making a lot of noise until then became quiet.


    ''''But on the contrary, if your lordships conquer Seigen''s dungeons, the royal family can''t complain if they get resources from those new dungeons.


    If they used their power to conquer a dungeon and take the resources out of the new dungeon, the royal family would not remain silent, but if a third party such as an adventurer came between them, the royal family would have no say in the matter. However.


    If you guys had the strength to conquer it, or enough adventurers to do it, that is.


    Zain-sama was right as he muttered in a voice so loud that the buzzing nobles couldn''t hear him, it would be if we could reach the lowest level. The dungeon''s attacker, The Sword of Dawn, is connected to the royal family through me, and my grandfather and I, who are also able to reach the lowest level, are also royalists who are directly connected to the royal family. Currently, there is no way for other nobles to get to the lowest level. And I will reach the lowest level on my own before the other nobles get a ticket to the lowest level, and if that happens, I''m confident that I''ll have a rough idea of the new dungeon before the others reach it.


    ''''Your Majesty, I think it''s time to send Lord Temma down... as expected of him, he''s probably tired from the forced march to the royal capital after discovering the dungeon.


    You''re right. That''s right, Tenma. "You and the Sword of Dawn will be rewarded together. You may leave now.


    Ha!


    When I finally got permission to leave, I left the audience room to go home quickly.


    Come on in, Lady Temma. Mary is waiting for you.


    Aina, who was waiting for me at the door, was taking me to Maria''s place.


    ''Ah!��Temma, it''s been a while.......so where am I being taken?


    On the way to Maria''s place, I found a handsome man who looked like he could be my companion. So I decided to grab his arm to keep him from running away and force him to go with me. And then I noticed something I didn''t like. It was.


    Tida.......when did you get so big.......


    The fact that my height has been lined up...or maybe even overtaken. A year ago, there was still enough of a difference between us to make it clear...


    They''re taking your brother away!��Finally, the s*xual harassment of Amy is an issue.......it''s a lie, I''m sorry.


    As she was shocked at Tida''s growth, Luna, who didn''t seem to have grown up at all, appeared and teased Tida, apologizing and running behind Aina before she could get angry. It was a bit of a reassuring sight.


    ''So, Temma-san, where are you headed?''


    ''Maria called me over for a minute. I found Tida on the way there and thought I''d take her with me.


    At the mention of Maria''s name, Tida said, "That''s not a good reason," and tried to walk off in the same direction, but Luna looked impatient for a moment, then turned on her heel and tried to run away. But.


    Luna, since Tenma-san invited you to join us, why don''t we go and say hello?��Aina, take Luna to your grandmother. Don''t let her get away.


    With a quick movement, Tida caught Luna and nailed Aina not to let her escape, then ordered her to take her to Lady Maria.


    ''Lady Maria, I have Lady Temma and Tida, and Lady Luna with me,''


    ''And Tida and Luna?��Please come in for now.


    Maria seemed surprised that Tida and Luna were with her, but she quickly gave them permission to come in.


    ''I''m sorry to interrupt you, Maria,''


    I''m sorry to call you out, Temma. Have a seat there. Tida and Luna, too.


    Me and Tida sat in the recommended seats, but Luna sat down with one empty. When Maria saw this, she overheard something to Aina and sent her somewhere else.


    Then, for a while, Maria continued to talk about a rambling story. The content of these stories were interesting to listen to, such as the king''s failures, Lyle-sama''s nightlife and Ernest-sama''s suspicions of dementia, but they were all stories that I didn''t understand why I was called in.


    I had a feeling that I hadn''t been called in for these stories, so I thought it was time to ask about the main topic.


    I think he''s coming. Come in.


    A knock sounded and Aina came in. And another.


    ''What have I been doing, Luna, when I threw away my studies?


    Lady Isabella was standing there. I knew there was something going on because of Luna''s suspicious behavior but I wasn''t surprised because it always passed by.


    After that, Luna laid out all sorts of excuses, all of which were debunked by Isabella-sama, and she was taken away in disappointment.


    ''Now it will be quiet.


    The story that he didn''t tell Tida is probably about Primera. I met Tida and Luna after I got engaged to Primera, but the reason they didn''t tell me about the engagement was probably because I wasn''t informed of it at the time.


    ''I''m sure Tida would be fine. It''s just that Luna....''


    I''ll bet you''ll talk about it somewhere. If you can''t, then you must leave this room now.


    Tida looked startled by Maria''s swordsmanship, but she quickly sat back in her chair and took up a listening position. Maria looked at her and nodded in satisfaction.


    "Tida, Temma has recently become engaged to the third daughter of the Sangha family, Primera. The story must be kept secret until the New Year''s party hosted by the duke''s family. If anyone in the royal family who knows the story leaks it, it will damage the trust of the Sangha and Otori families. ''''I understand.''''


    Yes!


    Tida was nodding at Maria-sama''s words, surprised at my engagement. This made Luna the only one in the royal family who didn''t know about my engagement.......but I decided to ask her just in case.


    ''Yes, the only one who doesn''t know is Luna.......what about Lyle?''


    Maria didn''t seem to know what Lyle-sama was on the way, so she sent Aina to call her. If she didn''t know this, Lyle-sama is being treated the same as Luna.


    ''''Mother I''ve heard that indeed!


    Lyle-sama''s eyes were swimming when Aina brought her into the room, but she calmed down when she was asked what she was keeping secret about me, and she gave Maria-sama an earful and got the right answer.


    ''Well, you''re right, I am indeed teaching you. I''m sorry Lyle, you can go back. Also, I don''t know what you''re hiding from me, but don''t worry me too much... right?


    Lyle-sama smiled at Maria and slipped out of the room with a bitter smile on her face.


    ''So, Temma-san. Why did you suddenly become engaged?''


    When Tida confirmed that the door was completely shut, she asked me, with surprise, what had led up to the engagement. I had to explain for the umpteenth time, but it wasn''t a hassle, considering I had an extra ally. Yes, if you think of it as an ally to keep Luna in check.


    ''''Well, considering Temma-san''s rapport with the Sanga dukes, it''s not surprising that it feels like it came out of nowhere. Congratulations.


    Tida didn''t say anything, as if she thought it was best not to ask any more questions. Instead.


    So, what was the new dungeon like!


    She didn''t hesitate to ask about the dungeon. Lady Maria seemed to want to hear about the dungeon as well, and she raised her eyebrows a bit at Tida''s high level of tension, but she didn''t say anything and remained silent.


    ''''You didn''t find the vast resources that the nobles were hoping for, did you? At least not on the lowest level where Hydra was and near the entrance to the new dungeon.


    He went on to tell Maria-sama what he thought of the dungeon, as if he were reporting back to her rather than letting Tida hear it. Maria-sama asked a lot of questions about the resources I mentioned at the beginning, but Tida only asked about skeletons and carrion golems.


    ''It doesn''t add up to say that it''s a dungeon below the lowest level, but it''s all weak demons.


    ''Well, no matter how weak you say they are, if Tida challenges them, they''ll get stuck near the entrance. No matter how weak they are, a group of people who are not afraid of death is a scary thing. If such an enemy appears, or is about to appear, or you feel that the place is unfavorable to you, you have to think about retreating immediately. Especially Tida, who is in a position to command, right?


    ''Yes, I''ll be careful. By the way, if I encounter a situation where I can''t retreat, how do I fight it?


    It''s good that he doesn''t get weirdly stubborn, but after all, he''s only Luna''s brother, so he seems to have a strong competitive streak. I''ve only had that kind of experience twice as far as I can remember, so the one that seems to be helpful..............I answered with an example from Kukri village. Incidentally, the other one was in the fight with Rich, and that time I had no reference for Tida since I had to use magic to push through the fight, so there was no reference for her.


    It''s not just the skeletons and carrion golems, but also the demons of a higher rank that you can fight against if you can do that. In addition to that, though, we need to train them to play their respective roles well and sometimes move flexibly.


    If the students were to form a party with each other, Tida''s place would be filled with the best students in her grade, including Amy, but there''s no way the school would let them do such a dangerous thing, so they wouldn''t experience it while at the school.


    ''''Maria-sama, it''s time to take a break. I''m sure Jin and the others are waiting for you.


    ''Right. I''m sorry to keep you long enough to finish your report. Aina, go send Temma to me. And while you''re at it, go ahead and enjoy your holiday.


    Yes, sir.


    Maria told her to enjoy the holiday, but Aina''s reply was adamant. Well, what awaits Aina after this is the instruction called a holiday. Jeanne and Aura''s........


    Hee!��Master Temma, why did you bring him here!��Eh, oh, hey, sis!


    When she and Aina returned to the mansion, Aura screamed when she saw Aina as she came to greet her. When Aina saw this, she sighed and pulled Aura to the dining room.


    ''Oh, Temma. I''m sorry I left you in charge of so much trouble~


    When I followed Aina into the dining room, there was a feast going on there. Perhaps it was intended to be a celebration of the discovery of a new dungeon.


    It wasn''t just Grandpa and Jin and the others at the banquet, Amour and Leni-san were also participating. And.


    It''s a pleasure to meet you, sir.


    Three idiots had joined Primera. The three idiots are drinking and eating as usual, but Primera doesn''t seem to be enjoying it very much, as if she''s wondering what the fuss is about in a situation where I''m not there.


    ''I''m sure Grandpa gave you permission to do that, so you won''t have to worry about it. It''s a good idea to let them know that I''m close to the next center of the royalist faction by showing them that they''re always doing this and that kind of unreservedness......maybe.


    I don''t know about Rion, but I''m sure Albert and Cain are making a lot of noise like that with full understanding. Well, there will still be people who don''t get it, but they''ll understand even if they don''t want to once me and Primera''s engagement is announced. It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.


    ''Primera, I''m going to be a little busy from now on, and it might get hectic until the very last minute of the engagement announcement. Of course, it doesn''t mean I won''t see you at all, and I''m not going to leave the engagement announcement to you, but I think it will be quite annoying.


    In the next four months, we''ll be making a golem for the conquest of the dungeon.


    ''''I understand about that, and that.......well.......I think I''ll probably be thrown to the dukes as well, so it''s hard to say....


    Apparently, the Duke of Sanga is putting up a fight now, and he doesn''t have anything in particular to do as Primera. Besides, he and Primera are planning to get married within a year of their engagement, so he had to finish up the Knights'' liaison team to function before then, and he also had to take over, so he was quite busy.


    ''It seems like Maria-sama is more uptight than me and my grandfather, too... I told Tida about the engagement today, but we''re going to keep it a secret from Luna.


    ''''It''s a secret from Luna-sama... sure, I''m likely to slip up, but I don''t think I''m going to say anything about other nobles just because the information was leaked, right?


    I agree with you, but I guess that''s why they want to be so careful.


    ''I''m sorry for Luna, but it''s Maria-sama''s decision, and there''s nothing I can do about it.


    The decision of the royal family''s highest authority would not be put out by me, Primera, or even the Duke of Sangha for that matter. If there''s no significant difference in the outcome whether we let it out or not, then it would be good to choose the one that doesn''t offend Maria-sama.


    I was supposed to say goodbye to Primera and enjoy the bath alone in peace.


    Here, you''ll need a drink, Tenma!


    And I''ve brought you some snacks!


    The two drunks (Grandpa and Gin) broke in early in the bath, followed by the rest of the men as they rushed in. Each with a large amount of alcohol and snacks in their arms.


    ''''The banquet hall has just been moved to the bathroom...''''


    Drinking in the bathhouse isn''t good for you, but it''s not a face that can die that easily, so just keep an eye out for Albert and Cain. And also the old man (grandpa), just in case.


    ''There, have another one.''


    Albert, I''d better stop now. Here, instead of drinking, drink water, water.


    Albert, who was blushing, was about to take another drink, so I made him grab a glass of water instead. Albert himself understood that he was about to run out of water, perhaps, so he quietly accepted the water and began to drink it.


    ''This way, it''s interestingly disjointed,''


    Me and Albert, Cain and Garratt, Grandpa, Jin and Rion, and so on. I''m sure Albert and I are more like brothers-in-law than brothers-in-law, and my grandfather and his friends are more like people who think alike, but Cain and Garratt were surprisingly close. Moreover, they get along quite well with each other. I was curious to see what kind of conversation they were having, so I approached a little closer and listened carefully.


    ''So, when you draw blood, you have to half kill them and hang them upside down. If your heart isn''t beating, it''s not going to bleed very well.


    What if I can''t lift it?


    ''Then you dig a hole right next to your prey and pour it down there. If you can''t dig a hole, you''re ready to dump the bottom half of it down the drain. Well, it''s better to have half of it than all of it smelling fishy.


    Would this work on humans?


    ''If you''re a creature with the same basic structure, there''s a lot of applications. Well, some of them will never come back if you don''t keep it to knowledge, so be careful.


    And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on. Cain''s curiosity seemed to mesh well with the special knowledge Garratt knew.


    ''''I''m going to feel sick, so let''s go up now.


    I decided to get out of the bath with Albert, as I was about to get sick from the bloody talk between Cain and Garratt.


    When Cain and Garratt noticed that me and Albert had left the bath, they got out of the bath to follow me, but....


    So I cut off his head with a single slice of the Hydra''s head while it was still weak!


    When I was there, I cut it off with magic, crushed it with magic, and burned it with magic!


    That''s great!��I want to kill a hydra, even if it''s just once!


    The brainstorming group called the gym was getting excited without us noticing. If I remember correctly.


    Temma, are we on a loop here?


    Cain was right, I think I''ve heard the same story three or four times.


    ''It sounds like you''ve been doing this for a long time. Sounds like we should force him out.


    Those three guys seem to be quite drunk compared to us, so we decided to take them out, even if we had to force them out.


    I''ll be in charge of Grandpa, Garratt will be in charge of Jin, and Albert and Cain will be in charge of Rion......but as expected, if you try to take out a naked man by force, something you don''t want to touch will hit your body and cause mental damage, so the bath We decided to bring in a wooden golem to help clean up the place and so on, and have it carry the three of us. It''s like we''re assisting the golem.


    ''Temma, is it safe to leave Rion and the others here?''


    ''We''ve taken away the liquor and given them plenty of water to drink, so I''m sure they''ll be fine. I''ve made the golems clean the baths and drain the water, just in case, and I''ve also ordered them to kick you out if you come in, so you should have no choice but to come back to the dining room.


    We got Grandpa and the others out of the bath, dressed them and gave them some water to drink before we left them there. We also confiscated his magic bag, so he should come back to the cafeteria if he wants to drink. If he doesn''t come back, we can go check on him then.


    If I left the three of us like that and came back to the diner.


    It smells great in here.


    A sweltering, sweet smell greeted us. Well, I suppose it''s many times healthier than the smell of booze that fills the bathroom.

 231-Chapter 16-9 Overproduction

    Well then, I guess it''s time for you to get started.


    There was a line of women lined up in front of me who looked like they were in a bum line. Why are they standing in line?


    ''''You say you just mass-produced it not long ago, how can you eat so much... or maybe even eat it...?''''


    It''s because the snacks I was supposed to have made quite a bit of were nearly destroyed at the girls'' party yesterday. Sure, I had told them they could eat it and left it with me, but I didn''t expect that the sweets I thought would last for a month would be gone in a few hours.


    ''''I''ll need them in the future, both when I dive into the dungeon and as a tea snack when guests arrive. Well then, I asked for it.


    When I told them they could do whatever they wanted with the extra sweets, the mood obviously changed. Especially Amour and Aura''s.


    The mass production of the sweets was done by yesterday''s ladies, except for Aina (Primula was off duty, so Albert brought her in), Albert, Cain, and Garratt (who offered to help the ladies when I made it a condition of picking up the snacks, since they said they were free, and Grandpa, Jin, and Leon is supposed to clean the baths under Aina''s supervision while the ladies are making the sweets. Aina is regretting that she ate too much candy with everyone else, so when I asked her to supervise her grandfathers, she immediately agreed. And he''s pretty stoked about it. In case you''re wondering, Aina wasn''t the only one who ate too much candy, and half of the reason for Aina''s overeating was also due to Aura, who contributed a bunch of candy to get her in a good mood, so I told her not to worry about it. Well, even so, it would be impossible for her to not care about it because of her personality.


    ''''........Should I salute you for your precious sacrifice?''''


    I mumbled to myself in a mumbled voice... but then I heard the sound of a plate breaking shortly afterwards, so I put off my salute, and before I knew it, I had forgotten about it.


    ''''It''s still good enough to break a plate, but don''t get hurt.


    I''m sorry...


    I''m sorry...


    After watching Amur and Aura pay attention and reflect on the situation, I went back to my room. We''re going to start building the golem now.


    ''''Now that we''ve got new and interesting materials, let''s start from scratch.


    It wasn''t that far along to begin with, so it won''t take much effort to recreate it. Rather, it would increase the speed of the work since I got what looked like a good example.


    ''I didn''t expect the skeletons I got in the dungeon to have their turn.


    The golem I''m going to give to Primera will have a core that serves the same function as a human bone, and then I''ll make a type of armor around it, so a skeleton that has the same shape as a human (we don''t know yet if it''s a human bone or not) can be a good example.


    ''''And this ''Hydra Stripes'' that I got as a reward from the djinn and others!


    On the way back, he dismantled the hydra and secured a strand of muscle that could be used for the golem.


    ''First, I''ll make the thicker muscles thinner so that they can pass through the core of the golem...''


    It was quite a difficult task, but I was able to manage it because the hydra''s muscles were quite strong, even though they were thin, so they didn''t break even if I handled them somewhat roughly.


    After connecting the skeletal specimen-like golem''s entire body with muscle, I wrapped the thin muscle at the border of the flesh (the so-called pull-through) around the core to secure it in place with taping.


    ''''Even so, if it''s like this, people are going to think it''s a skeleton or a mummy demon.


    It looks like she''s spread all over her body with bandages, so people won''t think she''s a golem as it is.


    ''''Now, if I put on some temporary armor......I guess I''ve got a shape?


    When I put on the armor made with earth magic, it lost its demonic look and became recognizable as a golem at a glance. It''s armor made from hardened earth, so it''s as strong as a stone, but it won''t be able to fight. Probably, it would be defeated by the golem''s output and would break in the process.


    ''Let''s make another one of the same armor and take this golem to Kelly. Let''s get an armor made to fit this armor, and in the meantime, let''s make a proper armor.


    I would make another pair of armor identical to the clay hardened armor I attached to the golem, and then use that as a sample to make an armor with mithril and magic iron.


    I went back to the dining room to see if I could go on with the rest after discussing it with Kelly.


    This guy is also........amazing.......


    In the few hours that I was immersed in the work, the cafeteria had been turned into a candy production factory. The person in charge of it is Aina. She must have come over here after cleaning the bathrooms.


    Aina took overall command, Primera baked the baked goods, Jeanne and Aura made the batter for the pancakes and baked goods, Albert and Cain baked the pancakes, Amour and Leni-san assisted the three people baking the sweets and making the toppings, and moving and sorting the finished sweets was done by Garratt and Menace, Leena, and the three cleaners will sit upright and wait for the dishes to be washed... or more efficient.


    The baked goods that require attention to temperature and baking color are serious primeras. Jeanne and Aura, who are used to cooking, are the ones who have to measure the portions of the batter in detail. For the pancakes, which are easy to mass-produce, it''s Albert and Cain who are used to working together. Amour, who is bored, is in charge of making toppings (which he doesn''t particularly need to do without). Leni, who can manipulate Amour while filling in the details, assists with the baking. Garratt and Menace, who have never made sweets before, are instructed by the experienced Leena, while moving the finished sweets out of the way and dividing them into smaller portions. Aina, who can also assist while giving instructions to the whole group, supervises them. And the three of them, who are completely out of the game, sit quietly on their haunches and wait until the washing up is done.


    ''Aina must have assigned them, but it''s really efficient. Especially the part about having the three cleaners wait quietly.


    I don''t think that Grandpa, Jin, and Rion would be useful in making sweets, which involves a lot of detailed work, and that doesn''t mean that they would be able to sort things out quietly (Garratt and the others are dexterous enough to get the job done and have the skills to read the air, although they may pick at it). Therefore, the only thing I can do is wash dishes, but those three will do a lot of things in their spare time. That''s where we''re sitting on the ground. The three of them have learned how frightening Aina is by cleaning up (I think), that''s why they are quietly following Aina''s orders.


    ''''Temma-sama, we have made twice the amount of sweets that we consumed yesterday, so now we are in the process of making the sweets that each of us needs. And this will be the portion for Tenma-sama. Please pay it forward.


    Oh, hi.


    Isn''t it time to stop? I was going to say that I was going to say that, but Aina was still determined and full of spirit, and I was pressured and couldn''t stop her. Besides, the other women still seemed to be planning to continue, and they didn''t rest their hands, even though they noticed me. Instead, or rather, the men were glancing at me, but....


    ''Aina, I''m going to go to Kelly''s for a minute!


    I pretended I hadn''t noticed. Well, there didn''t seem to be any room for me to get in here, and since it was originally on my schedule to go to Kelly''s place, it was just a bit premature.


    ''So you ran off to my place... yeah?��Well, you''re more than welcome to come visit us here!


    When I gently offered the assortment of sweets to a dumbfounded Kelly, her attitude changed and she welcomed it with open arms.


    ''Well, not only did I get away with it, I brought it to you because it''s taking shape... and I''m going to say it.


    Seeing the golem in its temporary armor, Kelly silently handed the candy fold to the female dwarf employee and began to look at the golem from various angles.


    ''At this size, there are only three pieces of full-body armor that could be made.


    ''Yeah, that''s fine for this type of golem. But I''d like you to make another one to add to it. That one will be in a different form, and I''m sure it will be large, so I''d like to ask for it after we have three of them.


    All right. So what do you think of the three pieces of armor?


    Armor like a knight, but with less decoration, please.


    When I ordered that, Kelly brought out a couple of sheets of paper with drawings of armor on them, and we discussed the details after deciding on a base shape.


    ''Okay, let''s start with this one,''


    Please. I''ll leave the golem behind and you can use it as a mannequin.


    I thought it would be easier to leave the golem behind with the actual thing, but Kelly insisted that I take it home with me.


    ''If they find out we have one of these things or something like that, there''s bound to be a burglary coming in. I''ve got the size drilled into my head, so you can bring it back to me as often as you like. Well, let''s make one first and see how it goes.


    I thought that was an exaggeration, but Kelly said that there were plenty of guys out there who were worth the risk just to say my golem, even if it was unfinished.


    ''Well then, I''ll get you a replacement, just give me a minute.


    It''s true that Kelly might be right, so instead of a golem, I improvised a life-size golem doll using earth magic. It''s an earthen figure that''s almost the same size as the golem I was going to leave behind, but what I just made is a doll and not a golem, so it won''t move.


    It''s a good idea. It seems to have a decent amount of strength and the size is almost the same, so it will be easier to work with. By the way, can I get this doll when I''m done making all the armor?


    After all, it''s easier to work out the details of a non-moving doll if it''s the same one. Kelly thought it would be useful not only for work, but also to display the sample armor in a way that would be easy to understand, and she wanted to keep it in the workshop after she finished making the armor. It''s a good idea to leave it to Kelly to dispose of, rather than destroying it and trashing it, as it was easily made with earth magic and would get in the way.


    ''''Then you''ll have to watch the armor for about two weeks.


    Kelly began to get ready in a good mood, probably because she could get the earthly form... but behind her, the female dwarves were pale in the face. Some of them were holding up what looked like a bunch of order forms to show Kelly, but Kelly laughed at them and ignored them.


    After this, Kelly had given up on the idea of stopping, and the female dwarves began to return to the center of the circle with their shoulders slumped. I''m sorry to hear that, but I''m also worried about the finished product, and I know that he wouldn''t listen to me if I told him to put off making the club, so I wanted to apologize to the dwarves by offering them some homemade potions, nutritional drinks, and some freshly made snacks. I decided to give him an assortment.


    ''You received it and got it but you weren''t as happy as usual.


    On the way back from the workshop I was thinking about Kelly and the female dwarves.


    ''Kelly, you''re not going to get stabbed in the back one day, are you?


    It wouldn''t be unusual for Kelly to go out of control, but she was worried that the female dwarves who were bearing the brunt of it would explode at some point.


    ''Well, they''re probably all the kind of people who would go out before you stab them, so they''ll be fine... maybe... maybe...''


    If there was a dispute, it would be because of me, so I decided to do what I could between the two sides, and I was the one who hurried back to the mansion.


    ''''Temma-sama, here''s some additional snacks for you.


    What was waiting for me when I returned to the mansion was.......the sweet smell wafting from the cafeteria and Aina, who was waiting for me in the cafeteria with a pile of additional sweets. Incidentally, the mass production of sweets was still going on.


    ''Aina.......what''s going on with the preparations for today''s dinner?


    Since it''s almost dinner time, I asked her while thinking that sweets are not today''s dinner.......Aina quickly looked away. And it wasn''t just Aina, the women who were continuing to make the sweets while paying attention to me also looked away as well. However, the men said, "Well said!


    ''''I''ll make the meal easy for you, so I asked you to ventilate and clean up when the one I''m making is ready.


    When I told them that I couldn''t tell them to stop making it right now, and that it would be finished as soon as it was finished, the women looked somewhat embarrassed and the men looked like they were finally being released.


    ''I''ll help,''


    I''m here to help.


    ''So, Leni, would you please grind the rice and cook it a little harder?


    Aina and Leni offered to help, but I asked Leni to help. I didn''t ask Aina to supervise the making of the snacks because I knew someone and someone else was going to get a big poke out of it if I didn''t.


    ''If it''s something for rice, I''ll make something for the side dishes too.


    In that case, I''d like some miso soup.


    ''It requires a lot of volume, but it''s simple, so maybe we can do it before we''re done cleaning up.


    Muttering this, I put the soy sauce, sake and sugar in a large pot and put it on the heat.


    ''''Temma-san, is the miso soup like this?��It seems a bit thin, though?


    I tasted it, too, and said it would be just as good.


    ''This one will be done in a little bit more of a simmer, so let''s get the bowl ready.


    When I said that, Leni tried to get a few bowls and bowls for the number of people, and a few deep plates, but since we didn''t use the bowls and deep plates, I asked her to serve us a bowl of rice instead.


    ''Almost done, but what''s going on over there?''


    I asked Aina how the baking was going, since dinner was almost ready, and she replied that the only thing left to do was wipe the table.


    ''Well then, it looks like the rice........is done steaming. Then please serve it in a bowl.


    I left the rice to Leni and I went to put the contents of the pot on a heaping bowl of rice.


    I''ll just put some miso soup on top, and it''ll be ready.


    The finished product is a beef bowl that was popular in a previous life for being ''fast, cheap and good''. Well, the name is the same as the one synonymous with it, but it''s relatively easy to make and the amount of food you can make is the best for times like this when you don''t have time to make it. Also, it''s perfect for when there are a lot of hungry people in the house, like we''re doing now.


    ""Second helping!"


    Go get your own in.


    Thus, to the gluttony of Amur, Jinn and Garratt.


    You can''t lose!��I need another one!


    When there is a guy like Leon who is competing in vain, it is easy to prepare a bowl of rice that can be completed by putting a side dish on top of each of them, as long as it is prepared at the beginning, the rest can be left alone. However, if you prepare it first, you can leave it alone.


    Save some for me!


    Mine too, please!


    You have to be careful because before you know it, you may run out of your own refills.


    ''Then, Master Temma, I will return.


    After dinner, Aina went back to the royal castle with some sweets for herself.


    ''''Well, let''s get to work. The bath ... later?


    I''m worried that the grandfathers will make another fuss in the bath, but since Rion and the others are going home instead of bathing, and I''ve told Jin and the others to go in at different times, it shouldn''t be anything like yesterday. The ladies are also gone, Aina, the chaperone is gone, but Primera is also leaving, so it should be the usual state of affairs, and it shouldn''t be particularly noisy.


    ''Should we tweak the first one before the second and third ones?


    After adjusting the eyes of one body while being careful not to lose the fit of the temporary armor, I made the second and third bodies based on that.


    I''m getting used to it after the second and third bodies. Well, it still dawned on me, but........


    I continued working on it because I was in good shape, and before I knew it, it was light outside by the time I finished it.


    ''''All that''s left to do is make the armor with mithril, but that''s indeed impossible in the mansion.


    It is possible to process magical and ordinary iron in the house, but when it comes to mithril, it''s difficult to do without a proper workshop. Kelly''s workshop, the only one that seems to be able to do the work, is probably busy with my request, so I can''t use it.


    It''s a good idea to ask the king to allow you to use his workshop in the castle, since you''ll only need to make one piece of armor first. As expected, it may not be as convenient as my main job (Kelly)''s workshop, but it should be better than doing it at home.


    I''ve heard that the workshop at the royal castle is not a place to make armor from scratch, but rather a place for first aid, minor repairs and maintenance of armor and equipment, but I''ve confirmed that there was a full-fledged kiln when I was allowed to look at it before, so maybe it can process mithril. If it is no good after asking, we have to look for others, but we will think about it again at that time.


    ''Chris-san or Luna will be arriving soon with the sweets, so we can ask the king to give them a message at that time. Until I get permission, I should make an additional piece of content. Well, I have to go to bed before that...


    He made a note to remember what he had just decided to do, taped a piece of paper outside the door that said ''Don''t wake me'' and decided to take a quick nap first.


    He seemed to fall asleep as soon as he crawled under the covers, and the next thing he knew it was well past noon. He may have slept a little too much, but he didn''t feel any lethargy from sleeping too much, so he would be able to resume his work soon. But.


    Can you take a message for me first?


    I looked out the window and saw the royal carriage, so it was probably Luna who had come. Thinking so, I went to the dining room, and as expected, Luna and Chris-san were eating sweets. The only thing that was a little different from what I expected was


    You''re finally awake.


    ''Temma, I understand that your attitude to life has been in disarray lately, so you must be very careful.


    It was that Maria and Isabella-sama were there. Moreover, Maria-sama was a little cautious, as if she had heard from Aina and Jeanne, but she was a little blameless.


    ''''I will try to be as careful as possible in the future. Maria-sama, I need to ask you for a little favor...''''


    I was a little uncomfortable asking for a favor on something related to the cause of the attention I had just been warned about, but I was able to get permission easily. However, he had to check his schedule after he returned, and he said it would be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the earliest that he would be allowed to use the workshop.


    ''Thank you. Well then, I have some more work to do, so I''ll have to excuse myself.''''


    I don''t know the exact date, but since Maria-sama''s permission has been granted and the workshop itself is confirmed to be rented soon, I''d like to complete the contents of the last piece of equipment before then if possible. So when I told her that I thought it was rude but that I would be allowed to return to work, Maria-sama only said in a dumbfounded voice, "Just take care of yourself.


    ''''I wish I could make the last golem''s armor as well, but.......that might be a bit of a stretch.


    I went back to my room and started to make the last one, muttering something like that.

 232-Chapter 16-10 Colorful tail

    Now I''ve got eyes...


    Well, when I say done, I mean ''the golem inside'', but since it''s going to be a joint effort with Kelly, I''m sure it''s all settled. However, even if this is tariffed, we still need to make two more of the same thing and one of a different shape, so it''s not completely over yet.


    ''''One week for each one.......no, I think we can get it done in five days for the same shape.


    Now that I''ve completed one, I have most of the steps in mind, and if I''m making the same thing, I''ll be able to speed it up more than the first time. However, the last golem I''m going to make has a different shape and size than the one I just made, so I might not be able to make it in a week.


    ''''Well, the fourth golem wasn''t originally envisioned, so we''ll have to think first about making three golems for sure.


    I''ve been making the core of the fourth golem instead of taking a break in between, but I feel like I''m not even a third of the way there. By the way, it''s not until the armor is attached, but the progress until the core is made.


    ''''Besides, I don''t want to take this fourth body to Kelly''s place and avoid getting weirdly resented.


    The resentment, of course, was not ''to Kelly'', but to the female dwarves who were employees. When I went to request the golem armor, I wondered what would happen, but as if to say that Kelly was always the one who forced me to take the order, but I didn''t feel acrimonious between me and Kelly, even though I was complaining about it. However, if I took the additional golems here, there was a chance (I felt) that they might even turn their frustrations on me for that amount of time, so I''m still keeping the fourth one a secret from Kelly and the others.


    After I finished today''s work, I headed off to greet the workshop supervisor. Then I learned that, unluckily, I would not be able to use the workshop for a few days starting tomorrow, as there was work to be done to repair the Knights'' equipment.


    I was going to say hello to the kings before I left, but before I could go looking for them, Cliffe-san came over and told me it was impossible. I was told that each of the kings are busy with their own business and would definitely try to skip it if I went there. Incidentally, Luna said that the school''s homework has piled up and she is surrounded by Maria-sama, Isabella-sama and Tida.


    When I saw her working so diligently, I couldn''t help but wonder, "Is she just like her? and so on, which surprised (and made some of the people around me laugh out loud). My mutterings didn''t seem to be funny to them, but in return, Maria and Caesar, as well as Zain-sama, said, "Tell them more! I was sometimes cheered up.


    That''s how busy the kings are, so sometimes I just go home when I finish my work. Well, sometimes Maria-sama and Luna are waiting for you, so you''ll be late getting back to the mansion then, but today I was able to return home as planned.


    We''re going to head to Seigen tomorrow, what about Temma?


    When I returned to the mansion, the djinn who was waiting for me near the entrance cut me off. He said that he had finished reporting to the king and his men and that he was getting tired of relaxing in the king''s capital, so he was going to dive into the lowest level of the dungeon to check out the area around it.


    ''''That''s why I want the meat that was boiled the other day and a lot of rice!


    I made a beef bowl not long ago, and it seems to have become Jin and his friends'' favorite food. Since then, I''ve been asked to make it several times, and each time it''s turned into a gluttony contest.


    I don''t mind making it, but the beef stock is getting low. I''ll make it if I can use wild boar meat, but does it have to be beef?


    Since hunting the cattle that live around the royal capital is basically prohibited, beef is becoming harder and harder to come by. That''s why I want to keep beef on hand as much as possible. When there is some kind of party or dinner, beef is very useful in many ways.


    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them, but if you''re not a fan of their work, you might want to consider taking a look at them. I can do it.


    I don''t care if it''s beef or pork.


    So I started to mass-produce pork rice bowl using wild boar (well, wild boar is also a member of the pig family, so it can''t be a mistake). Well, as with the beef donburi, all I had to do was to basically simmer it, so after cutting the wild boar meat and onions, all I had to do was to dump it into a pot of boiling soup. However, the amount of oil is higher than the beef, so it is better to cool the meat in the cold air and then remove the hardened oil from the surface of the meat. The cooled ingredients can be reheated and the rice can be stored in a magic bag in a large pot from the cooked end. After that, the djinn could serve themselves when it was time to eat, and hot pork bowls could be made in the dungeon.


    If we have enough of these, it should last for half a month. And by the way, we''re having a pork bowl for dinner tonight.


    I made this evening''s dinner together with the ones for Jin and the others. When I cooked them, I separated them from Jin and the others, but it was easier to prepare them together if I had all the ingredients.


    Well then, I''ll eat in my room, so just don''t clean up after yourself.


    After making a large bowl of pork, I decided to retire to my room to work on it as much as possible.


    The next step is the legs. But, well... they''re huge.


    The fourth golem, and its elemental body is the Minotaur. When completed, it will be a golem over three meters tall, so it may not be able to move like the other three knight-type golems, but it was thought that its blow as a heavy weapon and its defensive strength as a wall would be an advantage in various situations.


    The golem''s core uses multiple wyvern magic nuclei and minotaur magic nuclei, so if it were just a simple output, it might be the third most powerful golem I''ve made, after "Guardian Guardian Gigant" and "Raiden", after "Guardian of Giants" and "Raiden". Well, that''s a prediction based on the amount of magic nuclei, so even if it has an output, it might not be able to move properly. So it doesn''t necessarily mean that it will be third in strength.


    ''''Well, even if it turns out to be a failure, it''s probably more useful than a normal golem, and in terms of a wall, it might be useful just by existing. And if that doesn''t work, we can just not use it or spread it out.


    It would be a shame to rattle them off, but I''ll just think of it as experimenting and gaining experience. While munching on a bowl of pork, I continued to look at the simple drawings (not something I''m confident enough in the drawing to show to others), and once the image was solidified, I began to prepare for the work. I really want to make the armor of a knight-type golem at night as well, but since I can''t process mithril in the mansion, it would be more beneficial to proceed with what else I can do. Well, there is the option of using it as a rest day to rest the body once in a while, but when I think about my future plans, I want to have the golem in sight as soon as possible, so I''d like to proceed with the work, knowing that it''s a bit of an impossible task, at least until the armor I asked Kelly to make is ready.


    Muttering that, I made a correction to the lower half of the golem''s body in the drawing. It''s going to be a very nasty modification, but it''s not going to be even a wall if I don''t do this, so I can''t not do it.


    ''''Well then, let''s make it from the bottom half.


    ...Maybe.


    Then I holed up in the mansion and continued to make the fourth golem until I could use the royal castle''s workshop. Well, since I was making it while making many things, the legs aren''t done even after three days of work, but it looks like I''ll be satisfied with the result.


    After the royal castle workshop became available again, I spent five days building the contents of the second golem. And it seems that Kelly''s armor was finished the same day I built the contents, and the female dwarf employee came to inform me that night... but she had dark circles in her eyes that made me feel sorry for her. Well, well, it''s my fault too...


    Kelly had come to call for her to come over right now, but it was indeed heartbreaking to have her help with the work in her condition, so when she said she would be on her way tomorrow afternoon, the female dwarf looked blithely relieved and left on a light footing.


    And the next day, after lunch, I visited Kelly''s workshop.


    ''You''re late, Temma!��Let''s have a look at the armor right away!


    As soon as we arrived at the workshop, Kelly, who was waiting for me at the door, pulled my hand and pulled me to the back of the workshop.


    ''This is the armour you asked for!


    At the back of the workshop, there was a cloth over what appeared to be the earthen figure I had given him, and as Kelly advanced to the front of it, he removed the cloth with all his might.


    ''Oh this is a nice piece of work!


    Appearing from underneath the cloth was a knightly armor in white, and due to its size and the fact that it was dressed in earthen form, it was quite powerful even though it didn''t move.


    I can see why Kelly would be smug about this. Since I ultimately decided on the design, I imagined the finished product as it was designed, and it turned out to be just as good as I imagined it would be. However, there was only one complaint... or rather, one thing that I wasn''t expecting. It was.


    ''Kelly, why does your helmet have a ponytail on it?''


    That''s not a ponytail!��It''s a plume!


    There''s a ponytail-like thing (a plume, according to Kelly) growing out of the top of the helmet, slightly behind the top of the head. Kelly won''t concede that it''s a feather ornament, but it''s not a ''feather'' in any way, and a ponytail would be a more fitting analogy. Or, it''s more like long hair tied up like a choppy bun (well, in this world, the only person who would understand that explanation would be Namitaro).


    ''Didn''t I tell you you didn''t have to wear these things?��What if you get caught in the middle of a fight?


    ''There aren''t many people who can grab a featherflower when these things are on the rampage!��Besides, it''s made to come off the base if you pull too hard...


    I pulled the ponytail harder to try it out and ''Spoon! And then I was out of it.


    ''See, it''s okay to be grabbed like this, right?��Besides, since it''s such a fine armor, he said it would look stronger with a little decoration!


    Sure, it seems to me that Kelly has a point, but I''m wondering why she''s so desperate to get it right.


    Hmm?��That was....


    ''Why do you bring it here?��I had to hide it in the back of the storage room!


    Behind Kelly, the female dwarves were holding up two helmets of the same shape as the one in the armor in front of them, and a few (...) ponytails (feather ornaments) that could be attached to them, so that I could see them.


    ''So you''re saying that since you got carried away and only made the helmets first, you don''t want to make them differently shaped now?


    ''No, well it''s not that I don''t like it, it''s more that I feel like I could make something better than I imagined, and I feel like I might not be able to make something better than... well... ...


    It''s probably true that he doesn''t feel like he can make more than this, but he probably liked that shape even more than that. Maybe he only made the helmet first because he liked it, and when he thought about the other two pieces of armor and armor, he probably didn''t have enough mithril left to rebuild it. And they don''t want to cast out that helmet because it''s too good to be made.


    It''s a good idea to have six colors of replacement ponytails...............including the ones you already have on, seven colors. What a colorful thing to say........


    The ponytail on the finished armor is black, and the ones the female dwarves have are very colorful: red, white, blue, brown, green, and yellow (orange).


    ''''So, in a ponytail...''''


    The material is hair from a horse''s tail.


    Just as Kelly was about to argue again, one of the female dwarves who was holding the change of decorations behind her dislodged the materials for the decorations.


    ''I knew it was a ponytail. Well, if you''ve come this far, I don''t care what the ingredients are. Forget that, let''s put armor on the golem inside.


    Now that I know the material, I''m not under the impression that it''s a ponytail, rather it just confirms that it''s a real pony (I don''t know the size of the horse in the material) tail. Rather than wasting time on that much, I''d rather just get on with what I came here for and continue with the Minotaur Golem. Well, after putting on the armor and adjusting it, the next step would be to turn the armor into a golem, so it would be quite late to return to the mansion, or after the date changes.


    ''Yeah, I''ll do that - not a ponytail, but a feather decoration - but for now, Temma, get out a golem to support the work. The power doesn''t have to be that strong, just something as slender and tall as possible.


    There are various tools and materials, finished and unfinished armor and armor in progress lying around the workshop, so I guess that means that a slender golem that is easy to move is needed.


    ''''Well then, let''s get the second golem to help with the test as well.


    In the meantime, I''ve lent you a simple test, so you''ve confirmed that both the first and second eyes work fine, but I decided to see if you can make minor movements that would make you put on the armor, or help you do so.


    ''Keep the first one in place, and the second one up a bit more ... and stop there.


    The one eye and the second golem were moving as Kelly had instructed. I thought I might not be good at detailed work, but thanks to the muscles I used throughout the core, I was able to move smoother than the golems I''ve made so far, so I was able to move at a level where an unaccustomed person was helping me.


    It''s a good thing that I''m not the only one who can do this kind of work. By the way, Temma........


    I can''t do this type of golem.


    I knew what Kelly was going to say, so I refused before I could finish. As expected, it would be too outrageous to promise to give the same thing to someone else ... another woman ... the same thing I would give to my marriage partner before we were married.


    ''It doesn''t seem to be a problem. Try moving lightly.


    When I gave the one-eyed golem a command, the golem moved to the widest part of the workshop and began to move.


    ''Hey Temma what kind of movement is this?''


    ''It''s an injury-free exercise, but it''s great for checking your movements because you''re moving different parts of your body.


    To put it simply, I make them do radio gymnastics first and foremost. The reason why I say ''like'' is simply because I don''t remember every detail of radio gymnastics, and the part I forget is likely to be something like that.


    ''Hmmm, oh well. Let''s leave the exercise aside, there doesn''t seem to be a problem with the golem''s movements. All that remains is what happens when the armor is turned into a golem....I''ll have to try it to find out. Well, even if you fail to turn the armor into a golem, the golem inside alone will be enough of a fighting force.


    Kelly seemed to want to say that this state was enough, but from my point of view, it was only a success when I was one with the armor-shaped golem, so this was the place to start.


    ''Let''s do it then. No. 2, help No. 1 take off his armor.


    I ordered No. 2 (provisionally) to take off No. 1''s (provisionally) armor and see where to attach the golem core.


    ''So, how do you combine the contents and the armour into one?��If you turn your armor into a golem, won''t the contents and the armor move separately, making it useless?


    I have an idea about that.


    With two golems in one, of course, there''s the concern that Kelly mentioned. So.


    ''For example, the golem nucleus on the chest of this armor is embedded with pieces of the golem nucleus that is attached to the chest of the golem inside. With this, the golem nucleus inside and the golem nucleus in the armor should work together.


    In the meantime, the experiment with a small golem made of clay was successful, so the probability of success with the first one and the armor is high. Incidentally, the clay golem used for the experiment was palm-sized and simply made, and due to strength issues, it broke after the first few experiments.


    ''Let''s start with the body part. The core of the body part inside and the overlap with the core of the body is here. I''ll mark it here and........


    I asked Kelly to put a coating over it with the nuke on top of it, and the rest was done. By the way, I used an alloy made of silver and copper for the coating. It''s softer than mithril, but because it''s an alloy, it''s also stronger, and because it''s made of silver, it''s said to go well with mithril.


    ''''I''m going to let the coating cool down and put it on the golem inside... but as I thought, it doesn''t fit together as subtly as it should.


    ''Well, even if I say the coating is thinner, it''s still thicker than it should be. "Well, the coating is much thicker than it used to be. We''ll let my guys do that. In the meantime, Temma will decide where to put the other nukes, and I''ll do the coating.


    The work of locating and coating the nuke didn''t take very long, but the work of scraping the armor is a process of fine tuning, so even after Kelly and I had finished, the women dwarves were still working.


    We''ll be working on the armor, too. It''s not a complicated process, so we can take turns doing it while taking a break.


    Kelly decided that since the work was detailed but not complicated, we could continue to work on it without any problems, even if we had to change jobs in the middle of the day, so we had to take turns. As a result.


    ''We''re ahead of schedule. Now we just need to get it running and see how it goes... but as expected, that''s not going to be possible in the workshop.


    When I started, I was prepared for the date to change, but the end was much earlier than I expected, and I was able to finish at about dinner time.


    ''''Well then, that''s it for today, let''s try to move it outside the King''s Capital tomorrow.


    ''Yes. I think I''ll go to bed early today or something.


    Undoubtedly the women dwarves were most pleased that it was over sooner than expected. And it was Kelly''s decision to end it as it was.


    ''Still, in my previous life, I''d say I''m black...''


    Hmm?��What did you say?


    No, nothing.


    Being happy that it''s over at dinner time and early is definitely a black company thing to do, in a previous life, but it still seems to please the female dwarves. It just goes to show how paralyzed their minds are by Kelly''s outbursts.


    Putting aside the fact that Kelly''s workshop was a black business somewhere else for now, we dismissed the meeting place and time for tomorrow. The meeting time was set for just after noon, so the female dwarves would be able to rest somewhat... maybe if Kelly didn''t go off the rails.

 233-Chapter 16-11 Knight-type Golem, defeated

    Okay, let''s move it around.


    In the middle of the grasslands, a short distance from the royal capital, we decided to move the knight-type golem. By the way, I''m not just referring to Kelly and I, but also to everyone in the mansion. Kelly came to my mansion (the meeting place is outside the gates of the capital) much earlier than the scheduled time and rushed me, so everyone was interested and followed her.


    You can''t just send our guys home when you need help...


    Everyone said they were going to follow us, so we ran out of room in the carriage, so we asked the female dwarves who had been brought in to help out to return instead. Kelly said she couldn''t do her job if something went wrong without her help, but the only thing left to do is to see how things went and make minor adjustments, and if it became necessary to make modifications that would require manpower in the first place, she decided it would be better to return to the workshop, so she asked the women dwarves to refrain from doing so ........The female dwarves seemed to think I was making time for rest and were very grateful for it. To be honest, I didn''t mean to................but I didn''t say anything else because they seemed to be pleased.


    ''''Oh well, if it''s just a fix that can be made here, I''m sure me and grandpa can do it with my magic. More importantly, let''s get the golem out.


    The golem appeared in the grassland in a standing position, but the ground was soft unlike the workshop, so it almost lost its balance.


    ''Oops, golem activation.''


    He hurriedly activated the golem and the golem balanced itself and stood on the ground.


    ''''Safe!''''


    That was a close call!


    Amur spread his hands out to the side as if sometime ago, and Aura had kept her distance the moment the golem was about to lose its balance, but once the golem regained its balance, it came back as if nothing had happened.


    ''Well, well, it looks like we''ve created another substandard golem.


    Grandpa muttered, and they all looked at Raiden together.


    ''''Master Merlin, what''s so great about it?''''


    Aura, who was craning her neck as she looked at Raiden, asked her grandfather curiously.


    It would be easier to ask Tenma about that... Well, to put it simply, it''s because golems do things that are close to humans. What is easy for humans to do is often difficult for the golem, which is an artificial object.


    Grandpa was right, it''s difficult in many ways to make a golem move like a human. As my grandfather was surprised to hear, it''s impossible for an ordinary golem to keep its balance by shifting its weight. In particular, when the ground is soft like the grassland, the weight of the golem itself causes its legs to sink, and the firmness differs in some places, so a golem that can deal with each of these things can be said to have high performance.


    I''m not surprised, though, because I thought it could do that much. And what''s more important is the strength of the golem.


    When I said that, for some reason, everyone looked at me as if I was dumbfounded, but I was able to do that much at the time of Tanikazee, and recently I''ve been able to do it with Aimee and the golem for royalty.


    As for the opponent........five golems would be enough?


    The weapon I took out was a two-meter-long iron rod a spare for the clothesline we use in our house. A halberd is the size of a weapon that would fit a knight-type golem''s physique, but that''s too good of a weapon to be tested. And the opponent''s golem is the same type of golem that usually guards the mansion, and is strong enough to take on two to three knights of the royal castle in one piece. In other words, a simple calculation shows that five golems are equivalent to ten to fifteen knights. That''s a bit of squad-class strength.


    And against those five golems, a knight-type golem could


    You weren''t a match for him, now let''s get him to f*ck Jin.


    "Hey, wait!��You''re trying to sacrifice me, that''s it!


    Jin pointed to the destination, where the remnants of the five golems that had been kicked out by the knight-type golems were scattered about.


    ''See, I still want to see you dealing with people, and it''s hard to know how you''re fighting when I''m dealing with you. Well, just think of it as payment for all the drinks and food you''ve had at home so far, good luck with that!


    Okay, let''s go.��Gin!


    We''re going to risk our lives!


    ''I''ll pick up the bones, and you can take care of the rest!


    At the mention of money, Garratt and his friends all came to my side at once. As for the djinn who were sold out to such friends, I say.


    Hey, Temma don''t you think you''d like to have a record of the battle besides me?��To be specific, there''s a guy who''s a beastman and fights lightly, and a woman who does the vanguard, and a woman who uses magic in the rear guard.


    ''That sounds good too. So, after Jin, why don''t we get a team of three to do the next one?


    Since the djinn had recommended it, I decided to have Garratt and the others deal with the golem as well.


    ''''Then, djinn, do it.''''


    ''We''re desperate now!��Let''s do it!


    At a distance, Garratt and the others were saying something, but I couldn''t quite hear what they were saying because it was drowned out by Jin''s spirited voice.


    ''Okay ... start!''


    Hey!


    Jin''s attack, which was launched almost as soon as it was signaled to begin, was....


    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "


    And then Jin''s sword chipped wide open.


    ''''Hey, hey tanmaaaaaaah!


    It was an event that froze both Jin and the people around him, but the golem didn''t care about that, and swung its stick at Jin''s brain.


    ''''Golem, pause!''''


    The djinn avoided it with a sideways leap and tried to get away from it as it rolled away. However, the golem''s reaction was better than expected, and before Jin could regain his stance, the golem was ready to give a chase, so I hurriedly ordered it to stop.


    ''''Oh shit.......Jin''s been killed for a second!


    Even though it was a bit of a self-destruction for Jin, it''s still S-ranked even if it''s rotten.......


    ''''I''m allowed to carelessly rush in and destroy weapons, but you''re the leader of the ''Sword of Dawn'' in case you''re wondering...''''


    ""That''s not cool..."


    Garratt and the others who were looking at the djinn like that were giving him a cold stare, as if they were trying to freeze him out. I didn''t say it, but I felt the same way. Maybe even my grandfathers.


    ''Temma, again!��Give me another chance!��I''ll get it right this time!


    As he said this, Jin put the now-chipped training weapon back in his magic bag and took out a large sword made of mithril in its place.


    ''Use that from the beginning,'' I muttered, but Djinn pretended not to hear my mutterings as he said something like, ''I''m sure that sword had a lifespan,'' or, ''Even a training sword has to be properly cared for, right? Garratt and the others looked at such a djinn and said, "Didn''t you take that sword out for a re-fight recently? "You were grinning and saying you''re clean" and "Didn''t you brush with oil yesterday? And so on.


    ''Well, then, begin.''


    Whoa!


    Again, Jin took the first move, but unlike earlier, the big sword wasn''t missing.


    ''''That''s a pretty good match,''''


    But all in all, the Golem has the advantage. If you drag it out, the djinn will only be at a disadvantage.


    The golem''s strength was quite impressive, and he didn''t take a step back against the djinn. On the contrary, it was easy to predict that if this state of affairs continued, Jin would be at a disadvantage.


    ''''There''s a difference in weapons, but the djinn''s offensive strength is slightly higher and their technology is better. However, the golem has overwhelmingly greater defensive strength and overwhelmingly greater stamina.......right?


    When it comes to the weight of a blow, the golem is better, but since the golem is holding an iron clothesline, it can''t be compared to the djinn that uses the Mithril''s great sword. However, thanks to the weight of the blow, there isn''t much difference between the weapons. As for technology, there is not much experience (patterns) accumulated in the golem, so there is no comparison. However, the golem wears Mithril''s full body armor, as opposed to the djinn who uses Mithril''s great sword. Furthermore, since their original weight is too different, the golem is using the armor to repel the attacks of the djinn that it couldn''t prevent. And the stopping point is the difference in stamina. The human djinn''s attack performance declines with fatigue, while the golem never stops moving until its magic power runs out.


    "Moreover, even if we try to prolong the process until the magic runs out, judging by the amount of nukes that we use on that knight-type golem, it''s certain that the djinn will run out of energy before we do... If that happens, then the action that djinn will take is...


    ''Shh!��Ha!��Okay!


    Concentrating on joints that have relatively low defenses. Among other things, Jin began to focus on the back of his knees, which were supporting his weight.


    ''It''s starting to look like Jin''s getting the better of it, but we don''t know what''s going to happen yet.


    It does not nullify the Golem''s defenses. Besides, it still has the power to attack.


    ''''After this is done, I''ll have to think about attacking the joint and adjust it. Well, I don''t know how many of them can focus their attacks over there against that golem.


    The concentrated attacks on the jinn''s joints gradually slowed the golem''s movements, but the weight of the blow was not lost, and when the occasional jinn jumped wide and dodged the attacks, the golem''s attacks left a hole in the ground.


    ''''Yay!''''


    That''s enough!��Golem, stand by!


    Jin''s full-length attack landed behind his knees, stopping the match when the golem was on all fours on the ground.


    ''Contrary to expectations, Jin won...''


    Shucks ... my allowance...


    I''m sorry to say, but the result was surprising. And you left yourself some room to spare.


    ''Tsk!��What was that all about earlier!


    ''You did it on purpose. You wanted to make a big comeback from a raggedy loss or something!


    I''m cuckoo~..........................or something like that.


    Before I knew it, the betting seemed to have started on djinn versus golem. And.


    I''ve got some money to burn...


    The stakes seemed to be a flat five hundred g... Even if Jin lost, it wasn''t even a hundred g a head, but after seeing the first match (the one where Jin''s greatsword was missing), I''d say it was a solid and smart bet. Although, if it''s off, it''s useless.


    ''''But even so, Jeanne has surprisingly strong gambling luck. Didn''t she win when she placed a bet on the Howst Frontier Domain before?


    Well, you win by betting without thinking too much and without being greedy, so I''d say you''re in luck.


    Against such a Jeanne, Aura must be very unlucky to bet on the hole and lose when betting on the real life. Well, when I say that, so is Amour.


    ''''Well then, next up is Garratt and the others.......I''d like to say that, but it''s impossible with the golem in that one.


    The golem that had been knocked down by the djinn and crawled on all fours was now lying down to receive the treatment, with Kelly deciding that it wasn''t impossible to get up, but it was best not to force it.


    ''Tsk!��I thought I''d get to see Garratt and the others in their hapless state!


    The djinn seemed unhappy, but the golem blacksmith (doctor) stop didn''t say anything unreasonable, saying that it was the result of the fight with him. And Garratt and the others, who didn''t have to fight, were clearly relieved.


    ''''I think the knight-type golem is pretty good, but as it stands, it''s more like a fight that''s left to the weight of a single blow and the height of its defense... With an opponent as capable and experienced as Jin, it''s hard to make use of its abilities.


    ''Then we''ll have to get them used to fighting by building up a solid line, won''t we?


    It''s just like Grandpa said, that knight-type golem is a red(er) child(er) as well as a red(er) child(er), so from now on, it has to learn how to fight.


    Jin asked, not wanting to hear too much but.........


    ''''The golems I recently made........the golems dedicated to royalty and Aimee are golems that I made by improving them by selecting the well-made ones from the core of the golems I''ve used many times before, so I knew how to fight them reasonably well even from the beginning, but....... That knight golem was nuked from scratch. Even though he''s very capable, he still looks like a baby.


    As for Raiden''s ego, there''s no doubt that the Bicorn''s magic core plays a big role in his ego as well, but I believe it''s only because of Tanikaze''s experience and the magic core.


    ''''So you''re saying I was happy to win against a baby...''''


    ''No, well, a baby is an example, and some demons are capable of being much stronger than people even in their child state, so I don''t think you need to worry about that much.


    Even if I say it''s a baby, I can say that the knight-type golem is like an artificial demon because it uses a demon core, and if it''s a demon, some of them kill people as soon as they''re born.


    ''Oi~, Temma!��I''m done with the golem''s first aid, but it looks like I''d better go back to the workshop and fix the distortion of the joints. I also want to change the material covering the back of the joint to something else. As it is now, if they do the same thing, I''ll have to do the same repairs again. I have a few ideas, but I''ll have to get Temma to help me with that. Let''s just get back to it!


    Kelly had already finished preparing to return, as if she was going to make changes to the knightly golem''s armor.


    ''''Well then, I''m going to go to the workshop with Kelly.


    Yes, I understand.


    ''You can go, but we''re leaving tomorrow, so be back by noon.


    The djinn''s departure is at noon tomorrow, so we have to get back to the mansion by then... but maybe we''ll forget about it, so we''ve decided that if we don''t get back this evening, we''ll have someone come and pick us up tomorrow morning.


    ''So that''s an improvement, but I''m not thinking of making any major changes. I''m going to put forward the idea that the armor is not for people, but for go-(-)re-m(-)m(-).


    According to Kelly, the armor that the current knightly golem wears now was armor that could be used by a person(s) to ask questions, so the knightly golem was defeated by a djinn who used the method of dealing with a human in armor.


    ''First, put a guard on the back of the joint that is thick enough not to interfere with your movements.


    Even though it''s called a guard, it''s just a curved metal rod attached to it, but even this alone can reduce the damage from slashes and blows.


    ''''Next, I''ll change what covers the joint area from the demon''s skin alone to a combination of two types of skin and chainmail.


    It seems to be covered with elastic skin, chainmail made of small chains, and elastic skin in that order. When it comes to using these, it would be difficult to use them due to the weight and discomfort if it were a human to use them because of their thickness, but if it was a golem, that problem would not occur. Well, you''ll have to make adjustments while trying to find a thickness that won''t interfere with your movements, but it won''t take that long since you can check it out while letting the golem flex and stretch.


    ''No changes to the hip joint area, as it would be difficult to move if I made it thicker than it should be, so I completely changed the neck, elbows, knees and sides. The ankle area was changed only to the skin. Also, I changed the finger parts to put index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger together, instead of allowing them to move independently. The torso and legs are unchanged. Let''s try this one.


    The final part to be changed was almost all of the joints, but since the other joints were to be the same as the knees, it was decided to work on the parts that were relatively easy to be attacked and would not have any problems with movement even if improved. The reason for changing the finger part was to make the finger tips thicker since it is the weakest joint and the closest to the opponent.


    ''So, Kelly will make the chainmail and improve the armor, and the employees will prepare the skins, right?��What am I supposed to do?


    It''s going to be a lot of detailed and specialized work, and it doesn''t look like there''s anything I can do to help.


    ''Well, I brought Temma with me to explain and get approval for the changes, and then I''ll need you to provide me with materials I can use and food I''ll need while I work. So, with that in mind, let''s get some materials out that we can use!


    I understand why they brought me here, and it makes sense for me to provide the material. I''ll provide food while they''re working, if they say they need it to make the process more efficient. But.


    I''ve got at least some sweets, but I''ve got the ingredients and the food in the compound.


    I wasn''t planning to go away today, so I left everything but what I needed at the mansion. If you had told me before I left for the workshop, I would have come over here after making reasonable preparations at the mansion...


    ''That''s a complete double take. I''ll go back to the mansion and get ready and come back again.


    It looks like that''s all I have to do, so let''s get it over with. If I can get that done, I should be able to attend tomorrow''s send-off for Jin and the others with no problem.


    A few days later, I''ll be on my way to Seigen. Maybe they will arrive in Seigen at about the same time, so I think they should go with me, but the djinn can''t wait for those few days, they want to get to Seigen so quickly. Well, in the current royal capital, the djinn will attract a lot of attention even if they go out for a little while, so they want to return to their (supposedly) better (and more familiar) abode as soon as possible.


    ''''Please........''''


    Kelly, who had gotten ahead of herself, was adding corrections to the blueprints, looking down to hide her face, perhaps to cover her embarrassment.


    Then, in a great hurry, she returned to the mansion.


    ''Kelly is an idiot!��If you''d just cooled down a little bit, you''d understand!


    Chris, who had come to visit, asked me why I had come back, which resulted in Chris''s laughter in the mansion.


    ''Chris, I''m not sure that''s a woman''s way of laughing, is it?''


    Aina, who had come with me, was paying attention to the way Chris was laughing, but she didn''t seem to be serious about it, and quickly went back to supervising Jeanne and the others who were cleaning.


    ''Kokomoto ... so, Temma-kun, why is there a primera mixed in with the cleaning group?��She and the people around her don''t seem to care much about it, but she''s the daughter of a duke, right?��Won''t that be a problem later on?


    Aina, Jeanne and the others don''t care about it because they know me and Primera are engaged, but Chris-san doesn''t know about it, so he was curious about it. However, they know about my relationship with the Sangha dukes, so they felt like it was just a precaution, so they don''t think there wouldn''t be any problems for themselves. Besides.


    ''''When the person himself went far away on a mission for the Knights, he asked Aina for help, saying that it would be a problem if he couldn''t do anything. I know the Duke of Sanga via Albert, so there''s no problem.


    This is the setting that is being considered. Incidentally, this is not a setting for Chris-san, but a setting for a nobleman who doesn''t think well of the Sangha duke''s family or the Otori family, and since he wanted it and the duke gave his permission, there was nothing wrong with it.


    ''''Hmmm.......I guess you could say it''s part of the bride training.


    ''Why don''t you join us, Chris?��I''m sure it''ll be useful when the Kingsguard is on a distant mission or something, right?


    It sounded like it contained some different meaning?


    ''It''ll be bride training,'' I urged her to join in, not because it would be useful on the mission, but because Chris had sensed the part I was hiding from her.


    ''Well then, I''m going to make some food to bring to Kelly and the others, so don''t interrupt me. Aina, I''m sorry, but I need you to help me for a little while.


    Okay. Aura, I''m going to help you cook for a little while, but don''t skip it.


    Why is it just me!


    I decided to ask Aina, who seems to be Chris-san''s bulwark, to help me. Well, what I was going to make was a beef bowl, which is becoming a staple in our house these days, so I didn''t need her help, but I was afraid of Chris-san if she wasn''t there, so I called her. Well, both Chris-san and Aina seemed to understand my intentions, but Aina did what I wanted her to do, so Chris-san didn''t come near me.


    ''Now all we have to do is simmer it a bit more and wait for the rice to cook, so you can watch it until it''s ready.


    I asked Aina to take care of the rest, and I decided to mend the material that could be used for the golem. Well, I''ll say that the ones that meet the requirements of elastic and resilient skins are reptilian types like ''Wyvern'' or amphibian types like ''Mad Poison Frog'', so I''ll just have to bring that area together with me.


    ''That said, I''m going to go deliver a few ingredients and some food.


    I finished choosing the skin material in about ten minutes, and when I got back to the kitchen, the beef bowl set was ready, so I decided to head over to Kelly''s immediately. It wasn''t going to take long, since all I had to do was choose which of the ingredients I''d packed and teach her how to make the beef bowl... but it wasn''t going to take long...


    With all these materials, it''s hard to decide which one to choose.


    Too much material had sparked Kelly''s craftsmanship, and it wasn''t until the date that she returned to the mansion.

 234-Chapter 16-12 First Night

    No wonder Jin had such a hard time.


    Two days after Jin had a mock battle. I tried a mock battle with a knight-type golem that had been improved by Kelly, and it was even better than I imagined.


    ''Oh no! It''s becoming more of a monster than I expected......... I can''t wait to see what''s ahead!


    Kelly looked at the knight-type golem I was dealing with and smiled happily. She must be really happy that the golem she was involved with was getting stronger.


    ''''Well then, Kelly, I''m going to need the armor for two more of them. Well, I think it''ll be about two to three months before the contents are ready, so take it easy and take your time.


    All right!��Well then, let''s get to work in the workshop as soon as possible!


    Watching Kelly happily head to the workshop, I was worried that she was going to force the female dwarves to do it again.


    ''So, anyone want to try a mock battle?��In case you''re wondering, I''m trying to get the golem to gain experience, so I''m letting him keep his powers in check.


    Mmm!


    I did!


    When I asked for candidates to run for the mock battle, Amour and Chris raised their hands at the same time.


    ''Chris, I was faster than you,''


    ''Amour, do you think you''re having trouble with your eyes and ears?''


    The two of them began to compete with each other for the golem''s next partner........................but as usual, no one paid attention.


    ''''Well then, do you two want to play with each other?��The golem will get experience dealing with two people, and the two of you will get to practice working together, right?��But it''s training, so you''ll have to go easy on me, though.


    We both felt like we wanted to fight the golem before the other, so I suggested that we fight in pairs as a compromise.


    ''''Mmmm ... it can''t be helped. Chris, don''t drag your feet.


    ''Amour you''re not usually the best at working with people, are you?��It''s the natural way to fight according to my instructions.


    They began to stare at each other in different directions, but...


    Okay, let''s begin.


    Ignoring that, I gave the signal to start. Then.


    "Demon of Temma!��Chris, I''ll turn left!


    You devil!��Amur, you should aim for your feet and roll if you can!


    They immediately began to work together. It looks like the plan is for Chris-san to attract attention while keeping him in check, and for Amur to use the weight of the blow to stop the movement. It''s an effective way to fight if you''re referring to Jin''s fighting style, but.......


    Chris!��I''ll get your attention properly!


    ''I know!��But the golem isn''t coming on board!


    The golem seems to have decided that Amur is more dangerous than Chris-san''s attack, so he turns his back on Chris-san and gives priority to Amur.


    ''''Then it''s up to me to roll!


    Chris unleashed a thrust aimed at the knightly golem''s knee joint, but


    Ouch!


    It was too accurate and was blocked by the guard added to the back of my knees.


    ''Chris!''


    The moment Chris-san''s movement stopped, the golem turned around and swung out its weapon, a clothesline (tetsuno-bou).


    ''''Oh, God!��That''s a nasty golem!


    As the golem unleashed an attack from an impossible stance, Chris avoided it with plenty of time to spare, but the distance opened up, and the golem turned to face Amur again, but


    There''s a gap!


    I got a strong blow from Amur.


    ''''Mmmm.......hard.....


    Amur slammed his beloved Bardiche into the golem''s torso, but he was frowning at how hard it was. But it put the golem on its ass.


    I got it!


    Chris''s sword was attached to the golem''s neck.


    ''''That''s it!''''


    Chris-san''s sword was only skewed, so even if he stabbed it straight through, the golem shouldn''t stop, but he decided that if it was a mock battle, he would have a chance to win and signaled the end.


    ''Chris got a good point!��Thief!


    It''s not uncommon for roles to change on the battlefield. Just think of it as bad luck and give up.


    But you lost rather easily.


    ''Well, it was my first mock battle against more than one. Maybe, but I think they perceived the one attacking my knee joint that was hit by the djinn as a threat.


    The two of them argued as usual, so I ignored them and analyzed the way Grandpa and the knight-type golem fought.


    It''s not a mistake in the sense that you responded to each and every threat, but when you had to respond to each and every one of them at the same time, it was the wrong choice.


    He''ll try to deal with it in a different way next time, since he''s gained experience (and squirmed) in this mock battle, but maybe he''ll make the same mistake when he''s facing three people. This is something you can''t experience when you''re dealing with a golem that can only make simple moves.


    ''''Grandpa I''m going to head to Seigen''s dungeon tomorrow. And I''ll take a golem with me to attack the dungeon. I''ll be able to experience battles there that I wouldn''t be able to accumulate in a normal mock battle.


    I was going to attack the dungeon by myself, but I decided to take the knight-type golem there. With the defensive strength of the knight-type golem, it would be able to withstand the attacks of the demons near the lowest level, and if it became dangerous, I could return it to the magic bag. Besides, if you replenish your magic power, you can keep moving, so you should be able to keep up with my forceful march.


    I''d like to go with you, but I doubt you''ll be able to keep up with Tenma''s seriousness. Amur and others will want to go to the dungeon anyway, so I''ll go with them.


    Grandpa seems to be planning to take care of Amur in anticipation of him sulking and taking care of that side. Considering the fact that Grandpa and Amur will eventually be diving into the newly discovered dungeon below the lowest level, it would be better for him to proceed with his attack, even if it means delaying me. Besides, if I succeed in capturing the dungeon and then meet up with Grandpa and the others, I can help them.


    I don''t know if it''s a good idea to ask Tenma to help you capture the dungeon, but if you''re looking for new things to discover, the more resources the better. Let''s let them.


    They''re going to call it an advance on their achievements, and they''re going to make Amur and the others conquer the dungeon at least once more, preferably twice or three times.


    ''''I''m taking Raiden with me, but how are the grandfathers going to come?''''


    "We have a lot of people here, so I''d like to use Raiden, but what should we do?��After all, wouldn''t it be a good idea to go with Temma?


    Even though we''re going to be separate in the dungeon, I can see why you''d want to go with me to Seigen...


    ''Me and Grandpa may be good, but Jeanne, Amour and the others have preparations to make, and there''s also the matter of managing the mansion. We can ask Aina, Uncle Mark and the others as usual, but I''m sure they have plans over there too...


    If I can get in touch with both of them now and finish the meeting and preparations today, there''s no reason I can''t go with you...


    As I recall, Leni is due to return to the South soon, and Jeanne and Aura have plans to teach Aina, right?


    Leni-san would want to stock up on souvenirs and information before leaving the royal capital, and since Aina is planning to include Jeanne and Aura''s instruction until Aina cuts down on her own vacation, I''m sorry to cancel it now. Amour isn''t scheduled, but he can''t take Leni-san with him as long as she stays, and it wouldn''t be a good idea to be alone with a man and a woman in a place like a dungeon with an engaged and unmarried woman in the first place. Even if they were members of the same party.


    I''m sure you can''t change your plans all of a sudden.......then how about me and Tenma go to Seigen and leave Tenma alone on our way back?��Then I suppose we can use Raiden''s chariot, and we''ll be ready to go when we return to King''s Landing.


    It is true that Grandpa is right, Leiden will have no use for you once you get to Seigen, so there is no problem if you are brought back with you. Besides, it would take three to four days for Leiden to reach Seigen (but not considering the burden on you), and about a week for a round trip. If we had that much time, we would have finished preparing the house and Jeanne and the others.


    Then let''s go with Grandpa''s plan. Grandpa won''t have to make most of the preparations either, right?


    Well, you can dive into a dungeon right now if you want to.


    Me and my grandpa usually have a magic bag full of things we need, so we''re ready to leave at any time.


    ''''Well then, let''s get back to the mansion and just prepare a meal, shall we?


    So, the only thing you have to do before traveling and attacking a dungeon is to prepare snacks and meals to eat while traveling and resting. Well, since we already have snacks ready, and we can buy all the meals from food stalls, it won''t take too long.


    Shall I prepare a beef bowl or something this time?


    Since my recent boom (the Ootori family''s boom) is gyudon (beef bowl), we should prepare more than one bowl of gyudon, one filled with ingredients and the other filled with rice, as I gave them to Jin and the others.


    If you''re going to prepare gyudon, I''d like you to prepare one for us, too.


    Maybe we won''t be able to leave tomorrow because of the mass production of beef bowls....


    Anyway, I''ve got to get back to cooking as soon as possible.


    After retrieving the golem and explaining it to Jeanne, Aura and Leni, he immediately began to prepare to leave.


    ''Well then, let''s go home. We''ll be stopping at stalls and shops along the way, so don''t leave me alone on the way down. Go back first and get the food ready.


    We told them that we were going to split up on the way home and we got into the carriage.


    All right, let''s go.


    ''Yes!��I''m going!


    I made sure that everyone was on board........I had Gosha''s Aura send out a signal to Raiden.


    ''''Ah~!��Wait, Temma~!


    Hey, hey, hey, f*ck you!


    As soon as I started running, I heard Amur''s voice, so I went up to the roof to see what was going on, and just as I was about to do so, Amur came running towards me with his hands pulled out on both sides of Chris'' body.


    ''Amur!��I''ll wait for you, and I''ll collect Mr. Chris!


    Chris was lying on the ground, probably because he had received a good blow, and was cowering. Amur was looking at him like that.


    Mm ... it''s too much trouble. Hmmm, it''s heavy...


    I grabbed the belt, lifted it up, and held it halfway up.


    Ouch!��Ta-da!��Jeez, I can move myself!


    Well, on the way, Chris-san got up on his own and came towards us... although he was taking his time with his steps due to the damage to his side and the damage to both of his newly damaged legs.


    ''Well then, I''m going home.''


    I made sure Chris got in and let Aura advance Raiden again. However.


    Mr. Temma!��Slow down, please!


    I had to stop the carriage once and use my recovery magic to see if the vibrations of the carriage echoed aside.


    Five days after the mock battle of the improved golem, I arrived in Seigen. After leaving my grandfather before Seigen, I headed straight for the dungeon and used the warp zone to dive to the 60th level, which was a good place to start.


    ''''Well then, let''s start around here.


    I looked at the map Garratt gave me and pounded the path down a few levels into my head and activated the knight-type golem.


    ''''Alright, let''s run and proceed with the attack. Eliminate any enemies that come close.


    Instead of a stick like the one he had the knight-type golem use in the mock battle, he had a two-handed sword with a thick blade. It is a sword with a weight that would normally be used with both hands, but the knight type golem wielded it with one hand with ease.


    ''''That''s a good way to get demons to come to you. It''s good for golem training.''''


    As we were running, the knight-type golem''s armor made a grand noise, so many demons noticed us and attacked us. I can run away if I''m alone, but I''m slowing down so as not to leave the knightly golem behind, so the fast-footed demons caught up with me and engaged me, while the slow-footed demons also caught up with me. There are other things that appear from the front to block the path, so we were naturally forced to fight in a state of enclosure, but.......this is the situation I was seeking for the knight-type golem, so I didn''t actively defeat the demons and let the knight-type golem deal with them.


    ''If this was a higher level, it would have been a problem, but here, only djinn or grandpa and the rest of the djinn can dive in except for me, so I can fight without worry.


    When I glanced sideways at the knight-type golem, it was about to cut off several goblins that had jumped on me collectively.


    ''''However, this isn''t much different than when I was dealing with normal golems all together. After this place settles down, shall we run away until a somewhat stronger enemy appears?


    If all you have to do is cut them off collectively or punch them away, you can just let them deal with the golems I have, so next time I''ll only let them fight knight-type golems when a somewhat strong and swarming enemy appears.


    ''''And it''s going to take a lot of time to waste.


    Luring and defeating a demon means that only the amount of corpses that are defeated will be created, and it''s not good for hygiene to leave it alone. In a limited space, if a plague spreads, it''s not good for the eyes, and it becomes a problem of responsibility.


    So we''ll have to collect or incinerate them, but considering the amount of time and effort we''ll have to put into the dungeon, it would be faster to collect them. But I don''t want to think about how much I''ll have to collect if I keep up this pace. If that''s the case, it would be easier to deal with them later on if I had them active when they were demons that could be utilized later on.


    After modifying the strategy I had envisioned, I collected the corpse when the surrounding demons were gone, and when I was almost done collecting them, I put the knight-type golem back in the magic bag and started running.


    ''If we combine the map Garratt gave me with the ''search'', we can proceed without encountering any demons.


    Sometimes we had to take the long way around, but when it looked like we could break through, we walked past the demons even if they were there and tried to get to the lower levels by shaking off the chase or taking them down in a surprise attack.


    ''''We''ve made it to the sixty-fifth level on the first day. If we can continue at this rate, we can get to the bottom level in a week or so.......I heard that the difficulty level increases all at once after the 70th level, so I should consider it good if we can break through one level a day?


    I was able to break through the five levels before the date changed and find a good place to take a break, thanks to some forced progress.


    I''m doing pretty well so far, but I don''t think it''s going to work out that way after this. The area I''m in now seems to be an easy one in the lower levels, and the djinn said they could proceed with no problem if they had a map, but after passing the 70th level, the terrain becomes more and more undulating, and the demons are stronger and more quirky.


    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it through in less than a day, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find both the top and bottom passages from around the 90th level relatively close to each other. However, the djinn who gave me this information didn''t think that there was a passage that led downward right next to the one they had descended from, and they had wasted their time in doing so.


    ''I''ll have to thank the djinn again when we''ve safely reached the lowest level.


    Thanks to the information the djinn and others have gleaned over the years, I may be able to reach the bottom in a few months (at this rate, a little over a month). I have no idea how much I should be grateful for, but I''ll figure it out as I go along.


    At any rate, we have to reach the lowest level first. For that, I''d like to get to the seventy levels tomorrow.


    Having set a goal, I made a quick beef bowl, ate it, and put the finished bowl in the Magic Bag without washing it. If I put it in the Magic Bag, the dregs on the bowl won''t spoil, so it won''t be dirty the next time I use it (no germs will grow), and it will save water and time. I don''t usually do this, but it''s a rather well known adventurer''s wisdom. Well, sometimes it''s a pain in the ass to wash them... but this time I''m using this method for a little reason. And that reason is...


    I don''t know if I''ve ever been to an encampment without a Slarin in it.


    This time, I didn''t bring Slarin, Shiroumaru, and Solomon with me for the sake of my grandfathers who came later (but the other two (Gol and Jill) stayed in the house and did what they wanted (mass-producing yarn). This means that it would be difficult for Grandpa to follow Jeanne and the others, so he decided to ask Slarin, who in a way is the most reliable person in the house, to help him.


    As for the encampment, I''ve been with Slarin ever since I was a little girl, and he was with me when my dad took me on my first night hunting trip in the ''Grand Old Man''s Forest'', and he''s been a part of many of my adventuring experiences.


    ''That makes me feel a little sad when I think about it... well, it''s the best way to keep Jeanne and the others safe, so I can''t blame you.


    That''s how my first night went by.


    By the way, I used a candle to know the time this time. I measured how much wax was lost in no wind, and marked hourly on the same kind of candle that I used for the experiment.


    By using several of these candles continuously, he can get a rough idea of the time and date, although there is some error.


    Basically, I leave them in my dimension bag and never take them out except for when I need to change them, but if I don''t have any major problems with this method, I plan to use them in the future, and I''m willing to commercialize them using the Duke of Sangha''s handiwork. Well, as a prerequisite for using it, you need a dimension bag, or at least something like a lantern to block the wind, and you need to be careful not to go into an anoxic state, but as long as you can clear those, I think it''s a pretty interesting and useful product.


    ''I''ll have to change the candles before I go to bed. After that, I''ll have to send out some golems to escort us.


    As usual, we tried to prevent demons and insects from coming in, just like when we rested in the dungeon, but in case something unforeseen happened, we sent out a golem for stalling and a knight-type golem to stand by in place of an escort, and spent the quietest and loneliest night since we were born in this world.

 235-Chapter 16-13 lowest level, reach

    So, you''re saying that I worked hard and got here in a month?


    ''In about a month and ten days,'' to be exact....


    What''s the difference?


    ''And yet, when you take a month or so to capture a place that took us a few years to do, you''re feeling...well...like...that. That.


    "''Unworthy''?


    Is it ''pathetic''?


    ''Something like that. Well, it''s something I was prepared for, and it''s like Temma has been proven once again that he''s a monster, so maybe I shouldn''t worry about it.


    ''Well, I had a map of Garratt. If it wasn''t for that, it would have taken me years to capture it, too.


    The men''s side and the women''s side seem to feel differently, but Garratt seemed to feel a lot better when I mentioned the map.


    After only a month and a little over a month in the dungeon, I was able to reach the bottom level of the dungeon. Then I encountered the Sword of Dawn, which was gathering materials near the lowest level, and we had a conversation like I mentioned before. Well, in that conversation, Garratt and the others were taken aback by it, and Jin became a bit depressed.


    ''Totally, you knew Temma would catch up with us in two to three months. Well, I''m a little surprised that it was faster than I expected, but that''s what I call ''not much difference''.


    ''Yes. It''s sad that we''ve lost the advantage we''ve had for so long, but there''s no point in regretting what we knew. Instead, Temma-san, you should go back to earth once and send a letter to Primera-chan.


    ''And maybe I should talk to Lady Merlin and the others. Every time I see them up there, I ask, "Have you met Temma yet? And you''re asking me. Well, I was getting ready to dive when I saw you a few days ago, so you might be in the dungeon now.


    After leaving the sulking djinn alone and getting some information on the ground these days, I decided to return to the ground once and write a letter to Primera before going to meet up with my grandpa and the others.


    That''s how I got to the guild.


    What kind of stuff should I write about in the first place?


    I''ve never sent a letter to a woman in my life (including in my previous life), so I had to worry about it.


    ''Normally,'' he said, ''I have successfully completed the dungeon. I am not injured at all.


    ''No, I don''t think it''s very good, but...''


    As I mumbled out a thoughtful sentence, I heard Leena''s dumbfounded voice from right behind me.


    ''''Just as Leena feared, this is just a status report then. Well, the last sentence might have been a good effort for Tenma, but it''s too short to begin with.''''


    Menace didn''t like the contents of the letter either, but he was negative about it.


    ''That being said, I don''t know what to write, you know. At any rate, it''s good to know you''re safe, isn''t it?


    No, well, if you like Temma, that''s fine with me.


    ''Well, it''s Temma-san, and it can''t be helped.


    This way, in the unlikely event that the contents of the letter leaked out, they could cover up a lot of things... maybe they wouldn''t be convinced if I said that. But.


    ''It sounds like a sentence we can both agree on, so we''ll put it out there. Hey, Ted!��Take this to the palace in King''s Landing. Here''s the bill.


    It sounded like an affirmation to me, so I''ll hold you two accountable for anything you say.


    ''Yes. I''ll go say something in a bit.


    Ted, who seemed to have been listening, quickly approached and grabbed the gold coins for the commission, and ran straight outside.


    ''If there''s anything about that letter now, it''s the three of us who will be teased.


    You foreigner!��Ted, wait!


    If we weren''t on the streets, we''d be shooting them down!


    It''s not like the three of us thought about it in that letter or anything, so Menace and Leena wouldn''t be teased, but they didn''t notice that, and they followed Ted out of the guild. Well, Ted seemed to notice that I was teasing them, and since they would be flying off in the Thunderbird as soon as they left the guild, they wouldn''t be able to catch up with me.


    ''''Well I guess I''ll have to dive into the dungeon one more time to find my grandfathers before they come back.


    I would have liked to take a break, but that could be done in the dungeon, so my first priority was to get away from the two of them for now.


    ''''Come back in a few days at the most. If I see Merlin-sama, I''ll tell him that Temma will be back in a few days and that he should wait on the ground.


    Garratt said so, and I told him that if I didn''t see him in two to three days, I would come back to earth and buy him some of the money for his drink. Garratt looked happy when I put the gold coins down, but the djinn was already ready and didn''t seem to notice the gold coins.


    ''Don''t catcall me just because the gin doesn''t notice?


    He said he wouldn''t do it. If I do that and they find out, Jin will come after me.


    I wondered if they would do it if they didn''t find out, but since the other adventurers saw that I''d put the gold coins down, they''d be sure to leak the information from someone else.


    ''''Also, use this when Menace and the others come back.


    When I handed him another gold coin, Garratt took it with a wry smile.


    ''''You shouldn''t have made fun of me in the first place, rather than using the gold coins to get a good mood.


    Yeah, it''s kind of hard to resist the flow of things.


    Two gold coins (20,000 g) may be too much for a treat and a good mood, but this is not too expensive if you think of it as part of returning the favor of the dungeon information. Well, I''m a little embarrassed, so I won''t say it out loud.


    ''''Then it can''t be helped. I''ll dismiss it as Temma''s treat when I let him eat and drink at random. That way, there won''t be any messing around since it''s after the bribe is accepted...maybe. Oh, and by the way, me and Jin will have something to eat too, but don''t complain, okay?


    Garratt seemed to know it was a thank you for the information and returned it in a light tone.


    ''''Then don''t take care of Menace and Leena.


    After reminding them of their good mood and making sure they weren''t around, we headed to the dungeon. I thought that we might be ambushed around the front of the dungeon, but that wasn''t the case and we were able to move up to the dungeon''s 60th level without any problems.


    ''''Well then, let''s try to find it from here.


    Since the point we reached when we dove together was around the sixty levels, I figured we''d have a better chance of meeting them if we proceeded from the same place we dove alone and followed them.


    ''I could send out a golem, but that would take a long time, and if grandpa and the others were nearby, Jeanne and Aura would be in danger, so it would be safer to proceed alone.


    The golems are moving much better, but it would be dangerous if grandpa and the others were nearby when their numbers gathered, so I decided to ignore the small fry as I did at the beginning and continue on.


    On the way to the resting point on the sixty-fifth level, I found just the right herd, so I made conditions and let the golem deal with it, but


    I don''t think I can handle that much longer.


    As a handicap, I put a condition that the golem could only aim at orc heads, but the corpses lined up in front of me had three of their heads cut off and two beaten to death.


    ''This should be easy to dismantle,''


    Once I had made a good souvenir for Shiroumaru and the others, I put the golem back once and headed to the resting place.


    ''''Hmm?��There''s different signs of use than mine....are they grandpas?


    If it''s the grandfathers, then it''s very likely that the lower levels are also looking for and using the places I used to rest.


    ''''Well, if we acted on Garratt''s map, the resting place would naturally be the same.


    But if we keep that in mind, it will make it easier for us to find them, Grandpa.


    ''Then maybe we should keep it to rest and move on, rather than camp here until morning.


    I''ve already conquered this area once, so I have an idea of the strength of most of the monsters. As expected, you can''t be too careful below the 70th level, so you''ll need to take a break, but if it''s just before that, you should be able to get by with a strong march without any problems.


    We''ll get a bite to eat, get some sleep, and then we''ll be on our way. I''ll leave the guards and an alarm clock to you.


    Maybe it''s because I''m hiding in dungeons by myself, but I think I''ve developed a habit of talking to myself and talking to the golem.


    I''ll try to take care of the habit of talking to myself in the future, and I need to eat first. Fortunately, I have at least one or two more beef bowls left for one or two more meals, and I even bought some fruit when I returned to the ground earlier. Plus, I have some food that I originally had in my magic bag, so there''s no problem in terms of nutritional value, but...


    It''s not very nice to eat alone.


    I never thought it would be so boring to say that I was alone, as it had been enough to say that there was always someone with me.


    ''Maybe I should have brought Gol and Jill along for the ride if this was the case.


    They''re two basic shut-ins, but in the dungeon of Seigen, which is supposed to be their home town, they''ll at least come outside for a break, and maybe they''ll have some company.


    With that in mind, I decided to light a short resting candle (the one that was left halfway through its length when I replaced it) and ordered the golem to wake me up when it burned out again, and get a light sleep.


    ''Still ahead...''


    I went down to the 70th level, but I couldn''t see my grandpa and his friends.


    ''''Let''s take a nap and then go look for them again.


    I looked at the candles and saw that it was now about the time before noon. I don''t know which level we are on, but if we''re following Garratt''s map, we''ll eventually catch up with them, and even if we can''t catch up with them, if we wait on the ground, we''ll eventually meet them.


    Even if we can''t catch them, we''ll meet them as long as we wait for them on the ground. But still, I should have asked Djinn and the others what level my grandfather and the others were advancing on.


    If I had done that, I could have proceeded from the front of that hierarchy................well, it''s no use saying that now.


    I''m going to eat and sleep.......hmm?��There''s something close.


    I felt kind of weird, so I checked my surroundings with ''search''.


    You''re surrounded by a-na-na-ko-da-da and m-ka-de.


    The Dark Rubber Anaconda and the Gigant Death Centipede were lurking in the shadows of the surrounding rocks and crevices. There were just three of them each, and they seemed to be aiming at me, their prey (bait). I think they were showing a lot of signs of weakness until a few minutes ago, but they didn''t attack me, probably because they were fighting each other.


    "I''ll do the anaconda and leave the centipede to the golem.


    If I left it to the golem, I would probably ruin the centipede material, but in my mind, the anaconda is more valuable than the centipede material, so I wouldn''t want to leave it to the golem and not be able to use it.


    ''Golem, defeat the centipede hiding around there!��You don''t have to cover me!


    I quickly gave the knightly golem out of the magic bag and ordered it to attack the centipede. The centipede has been hiding, but when the golem destroys the rock I pointed at, it was surprised by the impact and appeared in front of the golem.


    The anaconda that crawled out from behind a rock or from a crevice in the rock, perhaps startled by the unexpected, was slow to move. The anaconda, which had been waiting for an opening, is now exposing an opening right in front of me. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.


    You can put that one off for later. Good, done!


    The anaconda with a knife in its eye was flailing about, engulfing the two animals in front of it. That made the two in front of them show even more of an opening, so I crowded in all at once and sliced the first one''s head off with a single sword, while the second one sliced its head lengthwise with the returning sword.


    ''''That one can wait until it''s a bit more mature. But still, it''s as hard to cut as ever.''''


    The first one had a clean cut, partly because it had gained momentum, but the second one had a disorganized cut, partly because it had stopped gaining momentum and partly because the skull was cut from the front. Well, the head wasn''t a particularly necessary part of the body, so it didn''t matter if the cut was disorganized or not. More importantly, while the performance of the Kogarasumaru had improved, it was more pleasing to feel that he was growing up and cutting more easily than the first time. Incidentally, the two anacondas that had just been cut off seemed to still have their nerves alive, and were moving around in a gnarled, snarled manner.


    I guess they look like a lizard''s tail, but at this size it''s too creepy. Well, leaving all that aside, it looks like that guy has grown up by now.


    The two I cut off were almost dead, so I decided to deal with the next one that had a knife stuck in its eye and was flailing about. The anaconda with the knife in its eye seemed to be almost dead as the knife had reached its brain. Thanks to that, it was able to drop its head with ease, and it didn''t flail about after dropping its head.


    ''''Well, what happened to the golem.......oh.......''''


    The anaconda was finished faster than I expected, so I turned around, wondering what was happening to the centipede... just as the golem was about to tear off the top half of the centipede it was trampling on.


    Near the golem, there was a centipede that had already been torn off and its head was crushed to death, and a centipede that was sewn to the ground with a large sword and was flailing about.


    ''''That guy could possibly have been possessed by the soul of an evil demon ramshackle, right?


    Even though I knew it couldn''t be that way, the scene was right in front of me. In the midst of all that, the golem, my expectations?��He smashed the head of the centipede that had been torn off as if in answer to the "I''m a centipede" by slamming it into the ground and crushing it, and then stepped through the head of the rampaging centipede with his heel.


    ''''As I thought, most of the centipede materials are ruined.


    Since the upper half of the centipede (especially the head) was torn to shreds by all three of them, the venom and hard shells of the heads, which can be used for medicines, which are the most valuable centipede materials, were useless, so I had to recover only the lower half, which was less than half the length of the centipede. In addition, all three of the anacondas I killed were in clean condition, so the meat and materials would fetch a high price. Well, I''m not going to sell them.


    That''s all we have for today''s meal, but we''ve got to clean the golem before we can deal with the anacondas.


    The current knight-type golem is very dirty. Because it''s covered in centipede body fluids and poisonous fluids, and dirt and dust are stuck there like mud. If it wasn''t cleaned up quite well, it might hinder its movement, and if it wasn''t properly cleaned of the poisonous fluid, it might be poisoned if someone touched it.


    ''Can we just spray it with water to clean it off and then let it dry and oil it?


    I washed the golem, being careful not to leave any poisonous liquid or soil behind, and after drying it, I oiled it, and it moved better than when it was dirty. After all, just like armor, regular maintenance seems to be a necessity.


    The golem was moved lightly to allow the oil to blend in and then waited, and the meat of the anaconda was cut into appropriate pieces and grilled and eaten. The meat was quite tasty, so next time we''ll all have a roast meat party. Fortunately, the three anacondas must have been about six to eight meters in length and weighed about 100 to 200 kilograms, so there was probably enough meat for everyone we knew to eat.


    ''''I''m bloated, and this time.......it looks like I won''t be able to sleep.


    As I got out of bed to go to sleep, I heard a wolf.......Shiroumaru''s howl from a distance. Perhaps he was just below this level and noticed the sound of the golem fighting, and that''s where he noticed me...


    I can hear the demons gathering.


    The fact that they can hear me as far as I can, means that the demons in the same range can hear me as well, which means the same thing that happened when I was gathering demons with my golem in tow.


    ''I''m sure it''s okay since my grandfather is here, but depending on how many there are, it could be dangerous... or... follow me!��Let''s hurry up!


    If it became a real danger, Jeanne and Aura, who were likely to be slowed down, would flee into Slarin, but if they were pushed by the numbers in a small space, it could be a contingency.


    ''It looks okay, but they''re pretty much gathered... grandpa!��I''ll assist you, don''t attack me by mistake!


    "Tenma!��Please!


    When we descended to the lower level and headed in the direction of the sound, my grandfather was surrounded by a herd of orcs that exceeded a hundred in number. Some of the higher species of Orcs are mixed in with them, so maybe there is an Orc King in there somewhere.


    ''''Let''s reduce their numbers first.......Golem, charge in!


    From the looks of it, Grandpa and his friends are far ahead of him in terms of overall strength, but Grandpa can''t use big magic because the ceiling might collapse, Amur can''t wield his signature Bardiche due to the small size of the dungeon, and Shiroumaru can''t make use of his mobility because of the dense surrounding. Without Ora, Solomon has lost his advantage since he can''t fly around in the air. The only one who seems to be able to move as usual is Slarin, but he seems to have Jeanne and Aura inside his body, so he''s not in front of them, but behind them to cover them.


    ''''If there are this many demons of strength there, it''s no wonder they''re so fiddly.


    Even though they hadn''t been able to show their real strength, they weren''t defeated because their ground power was different, but it was like they were taking their time due to their large numbers. However, when the knight-type golem, which can transform into an evil demon rasta by simply waving its arms and legs with force, attacked from behind, the shape of the situation suddenly tilted.


    ''While the orcs were confused, I was.........''


    ''You''re trying to run away with your minions as discarded pawns... well, you''re only a king, you''re smart for an orc.


    When we have an advantage, we attack at once, and if we are at a disadvantage, we run away even if it''s just us. Just.


    If only we had gotten away a little sooner, maybe we could have gotten away with it.


    Their numbers were slowly dwindling even before the golem broke in, so they should have given up on them early, but I don''t know if they failed to recognize their numbers as being outnumbered, or if they thought they would eventually be able to push through, but either way, because of that misjudgment, their position in the pack, their glory, their lives It would mean that he was only an orc, even if he was clever, since he would also lose his


    ''''Amur!��The big guy in the back trying to escape is the boss!��Get that guy!


    Yes, sir!


    When he told Amur of the King''s presence, Amur used the orcs around him as a springboard to run. And.


    General, I''ve got a winner!


    He thrust his spear into the Orc King''s neck.


    With the boss dead, the orcs under his command panicked, as if their previous collective actions had been a lie, and began to flee from this place, pushing their friends away.


    ''''Slarin!��It''s all right now, so let Jeanne and Aura out and Slarin go after them!


    We needed a few more hands, so we sent out a few other golems and the hunt for the rest of the orcs began. There were a few orc counterattacks during the hunt, but since the current was completely coming at us and the orc''s morale was low, we kicked off the orc''s counterattacks with a touch of armor sleeve.


    ''''A lot of meat!''''


    Yes, it''s really too much...


    ''It''s starting to get weird...''


    He had let quite a few orcs escape, but the sight of dozens of dead orcs still lying around was almost sickening, partly because of the smell of blood.


    ''''Alright!��First we have to retrieve the meat!


    Since there are so many of them, the golems will be the main focus of the work, but since it''s more reliable to give detailed instructions each time, we all split up and went around to collect them.


    ''''Even so, they came early, didn''t they?


    ''''Garratt''s map was accurate, and the knightly golem performed better than I expected.


    If it was only a few B-ranked demons, the presence of a city golem was quite large, even if it was painful. After all, they didn''t know how to get tired, so it was possible to keep them on standby for the entire time they slept, and they were well suited to serve as shields.


    ''''It was especially nice to be able to leave them in charge of our backs, wasn''t it?''''


    The most annoying thing about being surrounded is that they take your back, so I was most grateful that I didn''t have to worry about that.


    ''''If these golems are available to the public, the concept of partying might change...''''


    There are three broad categories of adventurers'' actions: teaming up with people, working solo, and teaming up with demons. When teaming up with people or demons, there are communication problems, and when working solo, there are difficulty issues. On the other hand, golems obey any order without complaint, so there is no such hassle.


    ''Well, solo adventurers will certainly jump at it. Also, adventurers who aren''t good at communication. But golems with this kind of performance aren''t possible, and it''s going to be years before adventurers can walk around with them.


    It might take decades or hundreds of years, if not years, but royalty and aristocrats might be able to get their hands on it sooner. Well, it would be difficult to mass produce.


    ''''So, Shiroumaru who caused the orcs to attack us...''''


    When I looked for Shiroumaru to punish him, he was already lying on his back looking at me.


    ''''Shiroumaru you''re not tired, are you dressed like that?''''


    As Jeanne had said, Shiroumaru wasn''t just laying there with his belly showing, he was reflecting with his arms and legs stretched out in a pinched position.


    ''''It kind of makes me feel less angry...''''


    I''m starting to lose interest in getting angry because of Shiroumaru''s strange outfit, but...


    It''s in your head. Shiroumaru, come here for a minute.


    I thought Shiroumaru laughed for a moment, so I decided to piss off Shiroumaru as planned.


    ''Temma, that''s about right. Shiroumaru was just excited to see Tenma for the first time in a while.


    I released Shiroumaru on the way out, if my grandfather allowed it.....but then Slarin had him. It seems that even if me and grandpa allowed it, that''s what it was, and Slarin seems to be lecturing me about it.


    ''So, Grandpa, how far did you dive?''


    Well, if you only want to go under, you''ll have to go up to the seventy-first level. But it''s difficult to protect Jeanne and Aura in that area. So, while we were trying to get them accustomed to the upper levels, Shiroumaru started running.


    Well, I''m happy for the owner if I think that''s how high my emotions have gotten.


    ''''So, what are you going to do now?��Are you going to join us and head down to the lowest level, or will you return to King''s Landing once?


    Hearing Grandpa''s story gave me the suspicion that perhaps Shiroumaru''s emotional upheaval was for food.


    ''Temma, I''m hungry,''


    ''Let''s go back then. I was going to get some sleep myself, so let''s cut this short and go upstairs to discuss the future.


    I still had some food left on my end, but it was just the right time to return to the ground and have a meal in the carriage. I heard that the place where the carriage was to be taken out was rented on Amy''s parents'' property as usual, so it was decided that we would eat and discuss the food there.


    ''''Also, we need to talk about orc meat and such.


    I''ll eat it all up!


    When I brought up the subject of the large amount of oak meat we have, Amur said something about making it all food for our family, but since we didn''t know how many years that would be (in our house, it''s possible that it wouldn''t last a year), we decided to sell most of it, keeping only the good parts of it for what we could get in the future. That decision was made by majority vote (me, Grandpa, Jeanne, and Aura voted in favor of it), but Amour, Shilomar, and Solomon were still not happy about it. Well, it was easy to persuade them, because they were convinced as soon as we said we''d be serving some unusual meat (anaconda meat) for dinner. However, it was not calculated that we would lose almost a portion of the meat, as even the djinn and other members of the Tamer''s Guild came over who had heard rumors of the barbecue.