Site Icon

Jigglypuff's Diary

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 4 Chapter 8: A Visit to the Training Facility

TL Correction: Previously, the translation read that the shapes ko and ro were arranged from the entrance. That’s a mistrans.
Instead, the buildings are actually arranged like コ (ko) and ロ(ro) from the entrance.

Volume 4 Chapter 8: A Visit to the Training Facility

After passing through the gates, I returned Rai and the monster carriage back into the Dimension Home, then I began the tour.

We’ve just gone past through the gates of the facility. The place was quiet, and there were no people around. The only things that could be seen were the seemingly well-built buildings with flower beds and trees around and the open plaza. But despite the seeming lack of life, the sound and voices of people could be heard.

“Currently, the orphans of and around Gimuru, the teachers, the employees working at my store, and the slaves are all living here. There are 300 of them all in all. Aside from those living here, there are also those who have their own house or stay at the inn at the town who commute to this training facility.” [Ryouma]

When I said that, Elia and the others looked at me with deep interest.

“As I’ve said before, I originally started this facility on my own whims, but it was thanks to the support of the Jamil household and the many people who helped me that we were able to put up this facility.” [Ryouma]

Financial aid was one of the ways I received help, but other than that I also received help in the form of people offering their services. Most of the instructors in this facility are actually people who retired from their jobs under the condition that I would provide for their day-to-day needs. They said they didn’t need much of a salary so long as I could ensure their livelihood.

This facility is an orphanage for children unable to support themselves, a dormitory for the employees working for me, a school for children and other aspiring people who wishes to learn techniques, as well as a workshop for the craftsmen taught by the facility.

As I said that, the first place I led the group to were the rooms of the people living in the facility. The left and right buildings that were lined up like the katakana ‘コ’ from the gate were the residences. And the center building of that shape was the shared space which contained the bath and the dining hall. I showed Elia’s group the rooms that were currently empty.

The rooms were fit for four, furnished only with the barest of necessities. But should any other furniture be needed, we can also provide those. But in any case, the rooms were dreary with nothing else to them but their sturdiness. Yet surprisingly, Michelle-san actually liked the room, and thought it to be comfortable.

After that came the bath and the washroom. There was a large bath for each of the residences to the left and right, totaling to 2. At first, it was suggested to only have one large bath, separating the people entering by time. But then considering that many of the adventurers and artisan trainees would come home dirty, in the end, it was decided for there to be two large baths to allow either gender to enter whenever they wish.

All the dirty water and trash goes to the basement where the scavenger slimes dispose of them. After which, the scavenger slimes then spit fertilizers into another room in the basement.

Next came the lounge and the dining hall. The lounge and the dining hall were created to accommodate a huge crowd, but due to the furniture being created by the students of the craftsmen, the furniture decorating the area were all over the place in terms of quality.

As for the kitchen, the one using it weren’t only the cooks, but also the students learning to cook. They used it for their hands-on training as well as a place to make bread crumbs. It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s thanks to the students and the husband and wife instructors who were former bakers that I’m able to serve the fried foods – except for the tempura – in my Slime Den Restaurant or the store in the arena.

Food like croquette, tonkatsu, and menchi-katsu were certainly popular, but leaving even the production of the bread crumbs to the employees was just too much of a burden. But thanks to the help of the students and the teachers, not only is it possible for the employees to skip the bread crumb making stage, but as the two bakers had even researched on the frying of the breadcrumbs, the taste was even improved. The skills of a pro are truly frightening.

This concludes most of the tour. Now… let’s go to the main course, and head to the learning area!

But just as I was about to head there, I noticed that Elia and the others were for some reason looking at the ceiling and the walls strangely.

“Magic stones for lighting the rooms, and candles for the hallway…” [Riera]
“Is there something that caught your attention?” [Ryouma]

As I responded to Riera-san’s muttering, Riera-san hesitatingly said.

“Yes, actually… Is this facility doing fine in regards to its operation costs?” [Riera]

Operation costs? Well, there’s no problem in particular… Did it look like we were having financial problems?

As I was being puzzled by Riera-san’s unexpected question, Michelle-san added.

“The candles on the hallway walls are consumables, right? Moreover, there’re also the magic stones inside the rooms. Isn’t it expensive having so many magic tools set in so many different rooms? Orphanages and baths normally don’t have them. I mean they’re great to look at sure, but isn’t it too costly?” [Michelle]

Ah, so that’s what it was! It wasn’t the walls, but the candles that she was looking at!

Of course, using lighting would definitely cost money. And the bigger the facility, the greater the expenses. That’s why the church and the orphanage gets everyone to sleep early. It’s common sense after all to save up on candles.

But this training facility doesn’t do that. If you ask why, well it’s because three amongst the teachers here are tallow chandlers. Moreover, there are ten students here learning how to make candles, resulting in hundreds of candles being made every day. So there’s no need to bother about candle consumption.

The teachers check the candles made, and when they’re good enough, they get sent to Serge-san’s Morgan Firm to be sold. So rather than being a burden to the operation costs of the facility, the candles are instead a source of profit.

Moreover, the students are also passionate about their studies. So there are many of them who continue to study even during the night. If they just wanted to play around, then I probably wouldn’t support them, but since they want to study, well… I mean if I didn’t support them, then there wouldn’t be any point to this facility, right?

So I firmly answered.

“There’s no problem at all. The magic stones will break after using them long enough, but we’re more than able to take care of the expenses. Besides, it’s a necessary expense to let the children study.” [Ryouma]

When they heard my response, they clapped and praised in admiration. They each looked at me with admiring gazes.

“Ryouma-san, I’m moved!” [Elia]

As Elia said that, she took my hands, surprising me. Then Michelle-san said.

“The Imperial Capital’s Academy provides magic tools and candles in order to reduce the costs of lighting in the night. From time to time, we see some poor students without any lighting.” [Michelle]
“Really?” [Ryouma]

I didn’t know.

That aside is Elia going to keep holding…

Just as I thought that, it seems Elia noticed too, and she pulled back her hand as she took a step back. Thinking back on the Elia from before, this Elia’s reaction is a lot more womanlike….

Michelle-san continued.

“Yeah, so what they do is they cut their time spent during the night, save up money, and then buy some lighting for themselves. The fact that you consider it a necessary expense to provide lighting for your students really helps them a lot. Your students are fortunate, and I’m sure they can feel your passion as well.” [Michelle]

It sure feels uneasy being praised this much. Michelle-san’s a bit androgynous, but she’s still really pretty. The other four girls are also all young, beautiful women, so it can’t be helped if I end up blushing after being praised like that.

“Ah, no… It just doesn’t cost that much for me, so you don’t have to praise me that much.” [Ryouma]

I pulled myself together… I planned on taking them to the learning area anyway, so I might as well take them to the candle workshop first. As I thought that, I walked.

With the girls in tow, I left the shared area, and walked down deep into the halls until we reached a fork. Ahead is the learning space.

I turn right, and walk past the classroom of the students studying letters and calculations. I climbed up the stairs at the end, and then opened the door to the corner room that was the first to greet us upon entering the second floor.

The room we entered was two sizes bigger than the classroom we just passed by a while ago. In there were three skilled tallow chandlers. They were Dort-san, Delt-san, and Tord-san. With them were 10 male students, working. After they greeted me, and I told them that I was doing a tour of the facility for Elia’s group, they immediately went back to working.

Amongst the 10 students that were working, two were twining a wooden rod in washi (Japanese Paper), grass, and cotton. Two were melting and filtering wax inside a pot. Of which the resulting wax were then being processed by another two who created wicks through the use of the rod from before. Then the remaining four used their bare hands to smear wax over a rod until it was thick. As for the three skilled tallow chandlers, they would go around supervising the students by giving them advice or by showing them how it’s done.

I feel like the students started working harder when I entered the room, but I’ll just keep quiet about that.

“These are the skilled tallow chandlers and the people learning from them.” [Ryouma]

When I said that, the girls’ gazes moved to the box near the students, by the corner of the room, filled with candles.

“This facility first teaches characters and the basics of arithmetic calculations. After that, it teaches the students what they want to learn.” [Ryouma]

The students are cut out for different things, so while I won’t chase them out if they have no talent, being unmotivated is another story.

“So… about the matter of lighting we were discussing a while ago, the candles being used in this facility are all being made here. We also make a profit from the candles produced here, so there’s not much of a burden to our operation costs in providing all that lighting.” [Ryouma]

I might as well take this opportunity and introduce them…

I went to a corner of the room, and showed them a slime that was inside a barrel.

“This slime is a wax slime. It’s a slime that spits out wax.” [Ryouma]

The wax slime prefers to eat vegetation with plenty of oil content in them, but it can also eat other food just fine. The only side effect to doing so is that the wax it spits out will be less. Thanks to this slime the only real expense in candle making are the grasses and cotton used in the production of the candles’ wick.

The rods used are shaved bamboos made from the bamboo thickets by my house. The washi papers are created by the evolution of a sticky slime after eating bamboos, the pulp slime.

The pulp slime likes to eat strong vegetation with plenty of fiber. It then spits out the sticky liquid resulting from melted vegetation. It was by wringing out the faint memory I had of one of my extracurricular lessons back in my previous life, that I was able to make paper. It was hard making it from memory, but it was worth it.

The produced paper is used by the students as notebooks, textbooks, and test papers. It is also used to create paper bags to be used by the store at the arena. Papers are sold for 10 suits a sheet on the market, so just 10 sheets would already cost an adult a day’s living expense. With the pulp slime, a good chunk of the expense can be cut off. Unlike the candles, the paper made here is only used in my training facility, in my house, and in the store. It isn’t being sold.

“We don’t just provide candles to the students. We also provide them with notebooks and the necessary writing materials. Character and math textbooks are also distributed free of charge to the students. And in the instance they run out of papers, they can request for a new one. Of course, they’ll be scolded if the waste it.” [Ryouma]

From candles to the ingredients of candles, and then to the explanation of the pulp slime. By the time I finished explaining everything, Elia and her friends’ eyes had turned into dots.

“…” [Elia and her friends]

Huh? It’s not like I mentioned anything about my previous life… And it’s not like they were surprised by the cooler slimes back in the monster carriage, so why? Even Sebasu-san’s just nodding his head while saying it can’t be helped.

“Ryouma-kun, the textbooks are free? But shouldn’t those be expensive since you need to pay for the ink and pay someone to engrave a mold?” [Michelle]
“Oh there’s no problem there either as we have ink slimes.” [Ryouma]

The ink slime eats vegetation and spits out liquids of different colors. Currently, they can spit out six different colors, which are black, white, red, blue, yellow, and green. But that’s not all, by using ink with finely powdered magic stones, and writing a script. Then by placing a sheet of paper over that script, and letting the ink slimes spit out ink according to the shape of the script, it’s possible to easily reproduce copies of the original script.

If you release magic power, the slimes will happily gather, and absorb magic power. This method of copying takes advantage of the slimes’ ability to sense magic, and is useful for creating documents for reports and meetings. This is something that was mostly created by the slime research facility put up by me – as part of my hobbies – and by my fellow researchers.

Upon explaining that, Elia and her friends broke out in a chatter about how convenient slimes were.

I wholly agree with them. The fact that slimes are useful is a shared common sense in my circle.

More than anything though, I’m happy that they realize just how useful slimes are.

“If you’d like, I could provide some notebooks and papers for you all.” [Ryouma]

I spontaneously said that out loud. Actually, I don’t think notebooks and papers would be a good present for girls, but Michelle-san was actually elated. Apparently, she often runs out of paper due to all of her magic formation experiments. She also had to record the results down too.

After that, I showed them the other places.

First was the workshop in the second story that created light things such as strainers, baskets, chairs, ornaments, clothes, and leather goods. Then I brought them to the classroom where lecture regarding the prices of commodities and the circulation of goods in the market were held. After which came the classroom for medicinal products and the laboratory. The doctor teaching that class is also responsible for aiding students that have fallen sick.

Following that, the rooms in the first floor were mostly just classrooms, workshops that produced heavy objects, the ingredients for those objects, and the warehouse where the furnishings of the facility were stored.

To give some examples of the workshops there, there’s the workplace of the carpenters that build cabinets and desks, the sawmill where lumber is produced, and the harness/carriage workshop that had a large door facing toward the courtyard. It’s actually from that workshop that I got Rai’s monster carriage made.

We also visited many of the other classes. By the time we finished, it was noon. With the tour done, we rode on Rai’s monster carriage, and left the facility.

On the way to the Slime Den Restaurant to have our lunch, I heard the girls talking from the seats behind me.

“Isn’t it possible for the training facility here to actually be better than the Imperial Capital’s Academy?” [Riera]
“Yeah… Smithing and magic’s also taught in different places, right?” [Kanan]
“Yes, that is correct.” [Sebasu]

There are a lot of people who want to become adventurers, and there’s the risk of accidents if we had magic training take place in the same area, so adventure related classes and armor and weapon crafting classes are being held elsewhere.

“The subjects being taught are less than the academy’s, but that’s only because the scale is different… And considering that the graduates have to become an apprentice somewhere, it’s not that much different I feel.” [Riera]
“I think it’s better here since I can get all the lighting and paper I need.” [Michelle]
“Well depending on what a person is looking for, the training facility here might actually be better than the academy. I think most people would prefer it here though.” [Elia]

Seeing the five praise the training facility that much made me happy. I had great confidence in it which is why I showed it to them, but who would’ve thought it would be put on the same level as the Imperial Capital’s Academy.

After that, I focused on driving the carriage. It wasn’t until we got to the Slime Den Restaurant that I realized that I’ve been humming all along.

Looks like I was a lot happier than I gave myself credit for. 

Goblin Kingdom – Volume 1 Chapter 50: The Princess of Ganra

TL Note: Author changed Sword God’s name from Ra Baruza to La Paruza


Goblin Name Cheat Sheet:The [Goblin] is to make it easier to CTRL+F.[Goblin] Gi Ga Rax
The goblin in that estranged group that was with the protagonist when he defeated an orc. He is currently a noble class, the highest amongst the protagonist’s subordinates. He prefers to use the spear.

[Goblin] Gi Gu
The former leader of the village. He was pressured by the protagonist in his goblin noble form, and was added to his subordinates. He uses the long sword, and is relatively smart for a goblin rare. Became a goblin noble in chapter 39.

[Goblin] Gi Gi
Known as a beast warrior, a goblin with the ability to tame beasts.
He evolved while hunting spear deer with the protagonist.
He prefers to use the axe. His goblin class is rare.

[Goblin] Gi Go Amatsuki
A goblin with many wounds on his body. The food of his horde was stolen by the gray wolves, so he made a decision to follow the protagonist. He is the most experienced amongst the goblin rares. His weapon is a curved katana. He acts like a samurai.

Recently became a noble, and received the divine protection of the Sword God, Ra Baruza.

[Goblin] Gi Za
The druid goblin rare that recently joined them.

[Goblin] Gi Ji
A goblin rare. He evolved in chapter 37 after hunting with Gi Ga.

[Goblin] Gi Do
Druid. Uses wind magic.

[Goblin] Gi Jii
Goblin Rare. From Gi Gu’s Faction. He is known for his <<Wide-Open Eyes>> which allows him to see his opponent’s weakness.

[Goblin] Gi Da
Goblin Rare. From Gi Ga’s faction. Notable skills are <<Knowledge of the Spear>> and <<Unreasonably Stubborn>>.

[Goblin] Gi Zu.
Goblin Rare. The goblin favored by the Mad God (Zu Oru). Has the <<Mad Dog>> skill.

[Goblin] Gi Zo
Druid. Water magician.

[Goblin] Gi De
Beast tamer.

Chapter 50: The Princess of Ganra

[Race] Goblin
[Level] 5
[Class] Lord; Horde Chief
[Possessed Skills] <<Ruler of the Horde>> <<Insurgent Will>> <<Overpowering Howl>> <<Swordsmanship B+>> <<Insatiable Desire>> <<King’s Soul>> <<Ruler’s Wisdom I>> <<Eyes of the Blue Snake>> <<Dance at Death’s Border>> <<Red Snake’s Eye>> <<Magic Manipulation>> <<Soul of a Crazed Warrior>> <<Third Impact (The Third Chant)>> <<Instinct>> <<Ruler’s Wisdom II>>
[Divine Protection] Goddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
[Attributes] Darkness; Death
[Subordinate Beasts] High Kobold <<Hasu>> (Lv1) Gastra (Lv20) Cynthia (Lv20) Orc King <<Bui>> (Lv36)

On the day of departure, the one to guide as was the goblin messenger coming from the tribe’s village, Ra Gilmi. He appeared before us dressed like a human with a quiver over his back, and a small bow in his hands. He looked no different from a human hunter.

Accompanying that hunter from Ganra were the beast tamer, Gi Gi, and the stealthy Gi Ji.

Their duty is to scout out any enemies ahead in cases of fighting until we reach the village.

The difficulty of the coming battles will be decided by whether they would be able to scout the enemies ahead or not.

In the main force are Gi Zu, the one who received the divine protection of the Mad God (Zu Oru), Gi Za, the chief of the druids, Gi Go Amatsuki, who received the divine protection of the Sword God (La Paruza), and Gi Do, the wind magician.

It’s the main force’s duty to exterminate the enemies spotted by the advanced force.

Making up the rear guard were Gi Gu Verbena, and as his subordinate, the wide-eyed Gi Jii.

These two goblins are tasked with the duty of securing a way back from the tribe’s village to the Gi Village.

In the case someone tries to block away, it’s also their duty to ensure that they’re dead.

As for the goblins that were left behind in the village, there’s the long armed Gi Ga Rax, the water magician Gi Zo, and the spearman, Gi Da. Originally, I didn’t want to leave behind any of our already limited strength, but Gi Ga’s body was far too injured to handle a fight. In order to support him, I had to leave behind the water magician, Gi Zo, and the spearman, Gi Da. I also had to leave behind the beast tamer, Gi De, in order to allow communication with the kobolds.

I left two sets of normal goblins each.

Then I took forty-eight with me.

Our forces may have also been worn out from the orc war, but there’s also the food consumption to take into account when moving such a large force. Moving 50 goblins doesn’t come cheap food-wise.

It’s because of that that I decided to use preserved food.

If we were to hunt as we moved, we wouldn’t be able to make much progress in a day. But if we focused our time solely on moving, we should be able to arrive at our destination quickly.

“Gi Ga, I’m counting on you.”

As Gi Ga held himself up with a spear in place of a cane, he sent me off.

“The king too… may you be safe.”

With words of parting spoken, there was nothing left to say. I turned my back, and left the village.

I would only end up saying unnecessary things if I had stayed longer after all.

“March!” I ordered. with a voice that seemed to make even the forest shake.

◇◆◆

It’s been three days since we passed through the orcs’ turf.

Since then the monsters we faced along the way have changed a great deal.

As we approached the mountain range that separated the vast heavens and the boundless earth, the thick forest grew quiet, and a figure appeared from the grass-covered plains. The comforting wind blew past the meadows.

In that swaying field of grass normally appeared several beasts. One of which looked to be a zebra wearing an armor, an Armor Stripe, a tiger with sword-sharp fangs, a Saber Tiger, or a rat that walked on two legs with a spear in its hands, a Ratman.

We subjugated those kind of monsters as we continued on our way.

The first ones to find the enemies were always Gi Gi’s beasts. It’s because the double head he was riding on, and the wild dogs amongst the beasts in his employ have better noses than the goblins.

And as soon as a beast would be spotted, Ra Gilmi’s arrow would fly through the air.

With nimble fingers unlike what common sense would suggest a goblin to have, he would pull on the string of his half-moon bow, letting loose an arrow with punctuality as if he had predicted the prey appearing. The arrow would fly, and it would strike at the beast.

But a fiendish beast that could be called a magical beast even when rotten, could not possibly be felled with just Ra Gilmi’s arrow alone.

From there, the beast would attack, enraged. But then the stealthy Gi Ji would be right there hidden in the shadows with his presence concealed ready to strike the beast with his long sword.

Most beasts would fall there, but there are some rare ones that are surprisingly lively. Cases such as those calls for the main force, the druids.

So Gi Do, the wind magician, would cast his wind magic to impede the movement of the beast.
Then with the beast unmoving, the normal goblins would be free to lay waste to the helpless beast.

This fighting pattern is something we’ve been putting to practice in order to train the lower classes.

A goblin will evolve from a normal to a rare. Then from a rare to a noble.

The more I use the weaker goblins, the more experience they will pile up.

I can tell how strong the four tribes are through the messenger of Ganra, Ra Gilmi.

Yet that Ganra Tribe is currently being overwhelmed.

The Gaidga Tribe is a tribe of goblins possessing herculean strength.

If they are a foe more troubling than the orcs, then I will have to bolster my forces’ strength.

As we passed the grassy plains after three days’ time, we once again entered the thick forest.

“From here on is our territory. Not even orcs could enter past this point,” said Ra Gilmi with his chest puffed out as he continued to lead the way through the animal trail.

As Ra Gilmi walked ahead, the advance force stopped.

Raising his finger, Ra Gilmi asked for silence. The stealthy Gi Ji readied himself, Gi Gi ordered his beasts to go quiet, and I ordered the main force to spread themselves perpendicular.

Something is coming.

Rustling… a sound resounded out from deep into the animal trail.

Ra Gilmi braced himself, holding tight onto his bow.

Then in the next instant, he swallowed his breath, and as a goblin came out of the animal trail, he struck out his bow.

“Chieftain!?” he exclaimed.
“Gilmi!?” exclaimed back the goblin.

Following right after that goblin was another goblin, wielding a bow. Against which Gi Ji struck his long sword out. They glowered at each other… the advance force and the unknown goblins.

No, they’re not unknown. Ra Gilmi called that goblin ‘chieftain’.

“Withdraw your sword, Gi Ji,” I commanded. “Calm your beasts, Gi Gi.”

They’re probably the Ganra Tribe.

Then the chieftain who was taken aback, ordered.

“Put down your bows. They’re not our enemies.” said the goblin.

“Oh? A female rare… how unusual,” muttered Gi Za who was calmly watching by my side.

At Gi Za’s words, I looked at the goblin again with a tinge of curiosity in my eyes.

It’s certainly a type my village doesn’t have. To think it was actually a female goblin.

There’s not much difference between a normal male goblin and a normal female goblin. I know I’m judging them from a human’s perspective, but there’s really not much difference aside from some breasts.

But the goblin rare in front of me is different. She looks like a human.

Red skin, a lone horn growing from her forehead, and flowing green hair that seemed to prove her a friend of the forest. She’s taller by a size than the goblins, but she can definitely pass for a human.

But even then… she’s at most a young girl.

Her face is certainly a bit rigid for a human, but it’s not such that she couldn’t pass for a human. With a loincloth wrapped over her chest and her waist, if anything, she gives off the image of a hunter.

“Is there something the matter? Did we not plan to wait for me by the village?” asked Gimli.

Gilmi’s question caused the chieftain’s face to twist.

“It’s because of Gaidga’s whoresons. They attacked us all at once. We managed to escape safely, but the village’s hopeless,” spat the chieftain who was seemingly trying to do her best to endure the pain.

Then she sent her gaze at me.

“…This is?” she asked.
“This is the leader of the Gi Village of the eastern goblins. I asked him to lead his forces here in order to aid in Ganra’s crisis,” replied Gimli, proudly.

The Chieftain of Ganra looked at me.

“Child of Gilan, Ra Narsa. I am the Chieftain of Ganra.”

Filled with dignity and pride, her appearance was like that of one who led her tribe.

“I’m sorry for having you come all this way, but I’ll have to ask you to leave. There’s no longer any village left to save.”

As she spat those words, she tried to pass through, but Gi Go Amatsuki thrust out his curved sword. The curve sword that was sheathed at his waist just moments ago struck out like flowing water at Narsa’s neck.

“What is the meaning of this, peasant!?” she asked, clearly annoyed.

The goblins of Ganra glowered, and Gi Go’s eyes narrowed.

“Disrespect to the chief will not be forgiven,” declared Gi Go.
“Lord Amatsuki, please withhold yourself,” asked Gilmi.

But Gi Go’s curved blade did not even quiver at Gilmi’s petition.

However, Narsa didn’t seem to be bothered by the blade. In fact, she seemed to be even provoking Gi Go.

A ballsy woman, huh?

“Speaking of which, Lord Gilmi. If we were to return like this, what would happen regarding the reward we agreed upon?” asked Gi Za as he smiled mischievously.
“Umm… that’s…”

Gilmi could not answer immediately.

After all, he definitely wouldn’t pay.

“If so, then that would prove to be troubling. After all, we have already mobilized our men,” said Gi Za.

Gi Za sent a quick glance at me. Those brown eyes of his over that smile of his seemed to be saying to leave it to him.

“But that’s–––“
“It’s up to your discretion whether you need our help or not, but if we don’t receive what we came here to receive, then we won’t be paid. Do you understand what I’m saying, Lord Gilmi?”

I calmly watched over their exchange with my arms folded.

Regardless of what happens, in the end, the four tribes will all bow before me.

Since that’s how it is, I might as well take this opportunity, and see how good Gi Za is at negotiating. Besides, he seems to be really fired up for this. That bastard… he’s enjoying this, ain’t he?

“What did you promise, Gilmi?” asked Narsa, nervously.
“The elf princess,” replied Gilmi.
“Imbecile!” spat Narsa.

Gilmi began to argue with her.

“But…” Gilmi began, but Narsa cut him.
“There’s nothing here for you bastards to do. Leave,” glowered Narsa as she spat those words against me.

“And I believe I said that would be troubling,” said Gi Za.
“Princess…” Gilmi tried to calm Narsa.
“Show respect!” yelled Gi Go again.

I wonder if she’s forgotten that Gi Go’s sword is at her throat.

It doesn’t seem like the Ganra goblins’ chieftain temper will get better any sooner.

“At this rate, this discussion will go nowhere. Anyway, Lord Gilmi. It’s not as if we care that much about that princess of yours, how about Lord Narsa herself instead?” suggested Gi Za.

He seems to be used to playing the bad guy’s part.

Wait… didn’t I see a similar scene somewhere before?

“That’s… unacceptable!” promptly replied Gilmi.
“Tch… So goblins outside the tribes are really like beasts after all…” said Narsa, but just then.

Gi Za sent a gaze at Gi Go, and he pushed his blade a little deeper into Narsa’s neck. The words she muttered then seemed to be powerless.

Now, I’d like to enjoy this tense turn of events a bit more, but Gi Gi’s wild dogs seem to be growling now, so I made my move.

“…Play time’s over, Gi Za,” I said.

As Gi Za shrugged his shoulders, I passed by him, and wielded my Iron Second.

“Please wait, Chief of the East!”

Gilmi stood in front of Nara to block my way, but I haven’t the time to bother with him now.

“Gi Gi, how many?”
“About twenty,” he immediately replied.

Good. Unlike Gi Za who was playing around, he was keeping a constant watch on the surroundings.

“Gi Go, I’ll leave the attack to you!” I commanded.
“Understood!”

With the situation now like this, Gi Go had no choice but to put the Ganra goblins for later as he took out his second curved blade from his waist.

“Gi Do, support the frontlines. Gi Za, attack the right!”

“As you will!”
“Leave it to me!”

My subordinates scattered themselves in the blink of an eye at my commands.

As they took their normal goblin subordinates with them, they ran through the forest with their bodies compressed.

“Gi Gi, Gi Ji, Gi Zu, take care of the left.”
“Yes.”

The three rare goblins left, and entered deep into the forest.

“Gi Gu, Gi Jii, you two will be on standby.”

After I finished giving out orders, I looked back at Gilmi.

“Messenger of Ganra, Gilmi. Just as we’ve discussed, I will save your village!” I declared.
“Y-Yes!” he exclaimed after a moment of pause.
“But… there’s a condition. From here on, the Ganra Tribe shall fight under me.”

Narsa looked at Gilmi once.

“Don’t mess with me!” she snapped.

But ignoring her anger, I looked only at Gilmi.

“…Very well. I shall persuade the others,” he replied.
“Gilmi!” yelled Narsa, unbelieving.
“…Then it’s decided,” I said.

I confirmed my grip over the great steel sword that was over my shoulder.

With this… one tribe has fallen.

Now… which tribe will come next.

Author’s Note:
The long requested female goblin rare’s finally made her appearance.

 

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 4 Chapter 7: Pick-up

TL Note: Rhinos -> Rhino. It says rhinos in the raw so I considered making it rhynos, but in the end, I just decided to turn it into a rhino. Oh, by the way, I changed this because it seemed to be confusing people.

Also, katakana is one of the three Japanese character-types, and is often used for foreign words or for emphasis.


Volume 4 Chapter 7: Pick-up

The next day

After I finished my morning preparations, I went outside to the bamboo thickets, and prepared my monster carriage.

A monster carriage is just a carriage pulled by a magical beast, so the structure isn’t really that different from a normal carriage. People wanting to buy one also needs to go to a workshop or a store that sells carriages, so there are people who just call them both carriage.

If I had to point out a difference, it would be the position of the coachman’s seat. The magical beast’s body is different from a horse, so it’s necessary to position the seat with that in mind. As a result, there are quite a number of specially ordered goods for monster carriages. Unless of course, the body of the magical beast to be used is similar to a horse.

“I’ll be relying on you today.” [Ryouma]
“Kyuyon!” [Cannonball Rhino]

I said that as I tied Rai to the carriage. When I did, he responded with an unusually high-pitched voice.

Rai’s no longer the same as when I met him 2 years ago. His body is now close to being 3 meters long, which is the average size for an adult cannonball rhino. So with that, I guess you could say he’s an adult now. Along with that growth comes power. Nowadays, Rai’s strong enough to pull a large carriage by himself easily, so whenever I use one, I usually let him pull it.

Moreover, the monster carriage I tied Rai to was closer to an oxcart in shape rather than a carriage. The frame of the carriage is a long rectangle with sticky slime hardening liquid planks inlayed onto the windows to prevent crimes. There’s also the specially-ordered seat for the coachman that’s positioned a little higher than what it should be in order to take into consideration Rai’s future growth.

It’s possibly to put objects atop the frame, but even without doing that, the frame could already fit 8 adults inside excluding me. So there’s plenty of space even when I let the slimes ride on the carriage. Only, due to Rai’s overbearing strength, the stress placed on the frame and especially the wheels at full speed was too great. So in order to remedy that, I had the big iron slimes transform into wheels.

“Whoops, I guess I better go now.”

I shouldn’t be late for my appointment with Elia and the others.

I ordered Rai, and he entered into my Dimension Home. I plan on going to Gimuru with my dimension magic, but I won’t be able to take Rai and the carriage with me. Fortunately, I can take him along as long as I have him enter the Dimension Home first, and then release him once we get there.

I say… Dimension magic sure is convenient. Though I guess saying that might be a tad bit too late now considering everything.

“‘Gate'” [Ryouma]

When I used the advanced dimension magic, Gate…

“Made it in just the nick of time.” [Ryouma]

…the scenery immediately changed from that of the abandoned mine and the bamboo thickets to that where I was close enough to see the outer walls of Gimuru.

Relatively speaking, it’s just something recent, but I learned how to use ‘Gate’. It’s thanks to this magic that I’m able to greatly reduce the travel time between towns. Unfortunately though, with the speed comes the loss of enjoyment. There’s no elegance or atmosphere to it, so I only use it when I’m in a hurry. Otherwise, I’d rather take my time, and enjoy the travel with Rai pulling on the monster carriage.

“Just as the name implies, the advanced long distance magic, ‘Gate’, is able to teleport one from outside the gate to the next town’s gate. It seems to have been named exactly because of that ability. Anyway… ‘Dimension Home’” [Ryouma]

With a cast of my Dimension Home, I took Rai and the monster carriage out. Then I sat myself over the coachman’s seat, and took hold of the bridle as I drove the monster carriage. By the way, the bridle is just for show. Rai is my magical beast, so I can just order him to pull it with the bond between us that’s formed via magic. There’s no need to actually hold the bridle.

Five minutes later as Rai pulled on the monster carriage, we arrived at the northern gate of Gimuru.

“Good morning.” [Ryouma]
“Hey, good morning. Big as always, huh? This guy.” [Guard]
“Kwon!” [Rai]
“Oh, good morning to you too, huh?” [Guard]
“I’ve finished confirming your identification. You can go now. And if it’s you, I think you’ll be fine, but do take care in handling your magical beast.” [Guard]
“Alright. Thanks as always.” [Ryouma]

I passed through the gates, and then I headed to the girls’ lodging.

Riding on the monster carriage, I entered Gimuru. As we passed by, people who recognized Rai waved their hands, and the children ran along with us. There were also people who were surprised, but they were all either people who didn’t live in Gimuru or people who had only recently moved here.

There was a time when the people were scared due to the idiots over at the tamer guild, but after earning the trust of the people, I now often come here with Rai. Besides, the people like to touch him, and the kids like him too.

He’s big, he’s strong, he’s gentle… and the fur over his body is pretty too. He’s actually great to look at.

“Even though I thought he was brownish when we first met…” [Ryouma]
“Kwon!” [Rai]

I didn’t notice it back when we were at the Great Forest of Shurus, but his fur is actually colored gray, close to white. I only found out after he became my magical beast, and I had the cleaner slimes give him a shower. I was really shocked when the color of his fur vanished in the blink of an eye right in front of me…

I investigated the matter a bit later, and apparently, the base color for a cannonball rhino is gray. It does change a little depending on each cannonball rhino. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any information on what other colors there were. I do want to research the matter a bit more, but even if I tried to clean the other rhinos with my cleaner slimes, they’d just run away… But then again, Rai has grown up… Should I find him a mate? Once I do, I could use that as an opportunity to research.

In any case, I’ll deal with that later…

As I approached the lodging, I noticed that Elia and the others were already outside, waiting.

Oh? Was I late?

“Good morning. Sorry for making you all wait.” [Ryouma]
“Good morning, Ryouma-san. You’re actually earlier than the appointed time.” [Elia]
“Yesterday, I heard you were going to prepare a monster carriage. I was so excited wondering what magical beast you would take with you.” [Michelle]
“This kid’s so big… What kind of magical beast is this?” [Kanan]
“His name is Rai. He’s a cannonball rhino. A B Rank magical beast. Not only is he a huge help with that carriage, but he’s also a great deterrent to other magical beasts attacking, making travel a breeze.” [Ryouma]

Because of that though, he’s unfit for subjugating bandits. Since they’d just run away as soon as they saw him. For example, the bandits that aren’t a part of the dark guild that haven’t heard of the rumors about me – who, in other words, are ‘unlicensed bandits’ ¬– would just generally run upon seeing Rai.

“That’s that, but isn’t it hot waiting outside?” [Ryouma]
“Not at all. It’s still early morning, so the weather’s still fresh. The morning wind also feels good, so there’re waiting outside’s no problem.” [Riera]
“So she says, but deep inside, she’s actually just dying ta have her match with you.” [Miyabi]

So that’s why they were waiting outside.

“M-Miyabi…” [Riera]
“Ain’t it fine? I don’t think there’s anything ta be embarrassed about considering it’s Ryouma we’re talking about.” [Miyabi]
“He’s on a different league compared to our classmates at the academy.” [Kanan]
“Well that’s true…” [Riera]

Her face is a bit red… I wonder if she’s nervous or embarrassed because she got found out. In any case, I should help her relax. I planned for the match to be held in the afternoon from the start anyway, so…

“We’ll just keep talking and standing outside here at this rate, so everyone, please enter inside.” [Ryouma]

As I stepped down the coachman’s seat, I opened the door of the carriage attached at the side of the carriage’s frame. But before letting them enter, I placed a wooden foothold to make it easier for the girls to enter. Elia and the others thanked me as they each entered the carriage.

After everyone had gotten inside, I sat myself back up over the coachman’s seat. There’s a door just big enough for one person to reach the coachman’s seat. Opening that door, I called out to Elia and the others.

“If there’s nothing else, we’ll be departing. Are you all ready?” [Ryouma]

When I asked that, they answered back that they were ready. Since everything was good to go, I gave Rai the order, and the carriage began to move. The people of this town are alright, but there’re a lot of outsiders in the lodging, so it’ll be best for us to leave quickly. Rai is a strange sight after all, so there’re a lot of people who can’t help but want to take a look at him. There’s also no point in staying, so leaving quickly is best.

“Please feel free to speak out if the temperature’s too hot or cold! I can adjust it for you!” [Ryouma]

I said in a voice just loud enough for them to hear as I continued facing the road’s direction. But the response that came back from the girls was not an answer, but a question.

“Change?” [Kanan]

Ah… I’ve been using the monster carriage like a car from my previous life, so I’ve forgotten. But now that she mentions it, yeah… ACs aren’t normal here in this world, huh?

“There’re three slimes in the carriage, right?” [Ryouma]
“Yeah.” [Kanan]
“Those three slimes are cooler slime, heater slime, and aircon slime. Those slimes can each use wind and ice, wind and fire, and then wind, fire, and ice, magic respectively. If you want me to, I can order those slimes to blow cold air or hot air inside the carriage to control the temperature. Please feel free to say it if you need the temperature changed.” [Ryouma]

The girls weren’t surprised at all when I gave that explanation, rather they just calmly accepted it.

“By the way, Ryouma-han. Where are we going right now? Yesterday, you did mention that we would be going several places today.” [Miyabi]
“First off is the lodging for the training and the trainees. It’s close to the residential district, northeast of Gimuru. That place used to be the slums three years ago, but all that changed thanks to the increase in jobs.” [Ryouma]

Most of the town personnel were split between the two towns, so I was put in charge of dealing with the demolished slum. The training facility is one of the things I constructed there. There are also a lot of trainee that lived in the slums before.

As I laughed while saying that, the others said they were interested. Especially, Michelle-san who was staring quite strongly… Well, as long as they’re enjoying themselves, then that’s all that really matters.

“By the way, why did you start that training facility of yours?” [Michelle]
“Hmm… Well if there was to be a reason, then I guess it would be because I was uncomfortable.” [Ryouma]

Michelle-san could only tilt her head in puzzlement when she heard my words. Can’t be helped… it’s only natural after all that she wouldn’t understand much with just that explanation..

“I started the training facility about 2 years ago. Until then I was always away from Gimuru. But during that time, the construction of the second town began, and the adventurers and slave demon magic users coming from outside also increased. Even if I were to say it myself, the reason behind what happened then was probably because I was strong…” [Ryouma]
“Were you envied by adventurers your age?” [Riera]
“Exactly.” [Ryouma]

That time sure was rough… I was really sensitive to petty envy due to the demon king’s fragment. It was such that I could feel even the tiny envy from adventurers I was close with whenever we talked.

“Then why did you start the training facility because of that?” [Kanan]

At first, I did consider just cooping myself up inside the mine. But then, it hit me. While I may have been bothered by the ill will people held against me, at the same time, although vague, I was able to understand what it was that was causing that ill will.

When I realized that, I thought to try something.

“So I thought I could solve the issues as long as I made the reason behind their malice go away. And since people were envious of me because of my strength, I figured I should just train them until they were strong enough they didn’t need to be envious. As for those who were envious of my money, then I decided I should just introduce them to a good job, so they could earn money.” [Ryouma]

I wasn’t sensitive to subtle things like that back in my previous life. Thanks to the demon king’s fragment though, I was able to sense it. It might only be limited to negative emotions, but it’s no doubt that it’s thanks to it that I was able to understand the emotions those people held.

My actions were done on a whim, but the result was mostly a success. I trained people whenever I went out to buy food ingredients, and over time, the eyes that the troubling people looked at me with changed for the better.

Of course, there were also times when they needlessly refused. But at that point, there’s nothing else to do, but to just ignore those types of people. That’s a compromise I decided on since before, so I wasn’t really bothered much.

There were failures too. Some of the people who were envious became scared instead. I did hold back though. I wonder if they were beginners. People thought I was bullying people, so the guild master, Wogan, paid a visit. I explained everything to him except for the demon king’s fragment, and he decided to help out as well.

I think it was around that time that aspiring newcomers would sign up on their own. It was due to that that the scale of the facility also grew bigger…

After continuing that for some time, I eventually learned the Coach skill. Moreover, even though the fragment of the demon king’s almost been finished being treated, I’m a lot more sensitive to people’s feelings now… Or at least I think so anyway. At the very least, my acquaintances have increased. I know way more people now than I ever did back in my previous life. I’m really happy about that. I also have a bit of influence in Gimuru nowadays too. No one’s coming to sabotage my stores like that time when I first opened my store either. Everything’s going real well.

Now going back to the main topic…

I explained the story to Elia and the others as the carriage swayed. Of course, I made sure to leave out the demon king’s fragment. As I finished explaining, a white wall about 2 meters tall and a gate surrounding a two-story building entered my vision.

You can’t see the whole thing from here, but the buildings are arranged like the katakanas ‘コ’ (ko) and ‘ロ’ (ro) from the entrance of the building. Overall, the place looks like a mansion save for some parts. The whole place is shaped like a rectangle with the dimension 50m x 100m, and an area of 5000 square meters.

“You can see it now.” [Ryouma]

When I said that, Elia and the others took a peek from the door behind me.

“So that’s Ryouma-kun’s training facility?” [Kanan]
“It’s well made.” [Michelle]
“To think it would be this big.” [Riera]
“I talked with the duke before making this, so I got a lot of help.” [Ryouma]
“Ryouma-sama’s efforts have greatly improved the public order of Gimuru. The household of the duke also managed to gain some hidden gems amongst the accomplished people trained by the facility. The master also plans to continue providing assistance depending on the success from here on. Moreover, the Jamil Household is also investigating whether to make similar buildings like this one in the different town. It’s not so strange at all that the duke would support Ryouma-sama’s idea.” [Sebasu]

Come to think of it, weren’t there people leaving to work for the duke recently? I can’t remember their names, but they should be doing well… right? It’s great that they were able to find a good place to work at.