Jigglypuff's Diary

“Amazing. I don’t know much about martial arts, but I can tell Ryouma-kun’s really strong.” [Michelle]
“Can you really sum that up in such few words?” [Riera]
“I don’t think there’s really anything else to say though.” [Michelle]

From the girl’s perspective, Ryouma’s fight was nothing short of a performance.

Above a bandit that ran to attack Ryouma with his one-handed sword, was a bandit that was sent flying by the ogres. The flying bandit flew past the running bandit as he approached Ryouma. Ryouma caught that bandit, then with a turn, Ryouma bashed the other bandit with that bandit.

But at the last moment, the bandit managed to jump to the right, avoiding the other bandit in Ryouma’s hand. Taking that opportunity, Ryouma extended his hand toward the opening of the bandit’s one-handed sword. Then as Ryouma dropped the other bandit, he grasped the sword with his left hand, and as he swept his right hand, he entered into his opponent’s chest. Finally, with an elbow strike from his right to the chin of the bandit, he knocked him unconscious.

At that moment, another bandit came attacking at him. Ryouma averted the tip of that bandit’s sword that came piercing at him with his right hand. Then continuing with that momentum, he grabbed the bandit’s wrist and arm, and with a karate chop, he knocked a second, unconscious.

But just as Ryouma finished knocking down a second, at nearly the same time, a bandit swung his great sword down behind Ryouma. Ryouma immediately thrusted the unconsciouss bandit away, then as he turned his body, he dodged the great sword, and at the same time, he landed a backhand blow on the bandit’s chin.

However, the bandit was able to barely dodge the backhand blow. In no time at all, however, Ryouma stepped in with his left foot, and sent a kick flying from his right leg. The kick landed itself onto the hands carrying the great sword, forcing the bandit to release his weapon as it grazed past his face.

But at the same time, something had hit the bandit’s stomach. The very same moment Ryouma sent a kick flying toward the bandit, he chantlessly casted earth needle, attacking the bandits from a place hidden by the shadow of his feet.

The earth needle couldn’t pierce through the armor, but it imparted a shock no different from a pillar crashing into a body. The strength of that force momentarily caused the bandit to blank out, giving Ryouma time to pull back his leg. Then with a fist to the brow, Ryouma knocked his third one down.

All these took place within only a span of a few seconds. Ryouma’s precise movements that hadn’t any unnecessary moves in it made short work of the bandits. Were this the arena, Ryouma might just be accused of match fixing. That’s how one-sided the fight was. But what the bandits did next left Elia and the others puzzled.

“It’s the Cleaner! Run!!” [Bandit 1]
“You think I’ll let myself be caught here!? Damnit!!” [Bandit 2]
“I won’t attack anyone anymore! Please let me go!!” [Bandit 3]

For some reason, the bandits suddenly started panicking. Ryouma hadn’t used any magic that attacked one’s mind, and yet all these people were clearly mentally affected.

Those bandits were also beaten up. After everything ended, they checked whether there were still any survivors left along with the recovery of the dead bandits and the bandits that were still alive. While they were doing that, Elia and the others decided to stop the carriage, and take a break there.

“Sebasu, why are those people scared of Ryouma-san?” [Elia]
“And Ryouma-kun was also making a sad face.” [Kanan]
“It’s a long story, so cutting it short… Everything started due to Ryouma’s bandit subjugation during his journey.” [Sebasu]

In the past, Ryouma happened upon 10 bandits whom he subjugated.

Those bandits were affiliated with the Dark Guild. They were the leaders of a small branch of a fairly large bandit organization who came out to show off the strength of their tiny branch as well as give some orders.

Due to having their leaders arrested, the bandit organization attacked Ryouma’s house in revenge, but they were instead done in. Most of the bandits were arrested, but they were turned into guinea pigs for Ryouma’s new medicines.

Other bandits came to take revenge, but Ryouma, starting to get fed up with them, decided to leave an opening to let them escape, and reveal their home base. But what Ryouma ended up finding wasn’t the home base of the bandits, but rather the home base of a branch of the Dark Guild.

Thinking it would be foolish to make a move alone, Ryouma decided to contact the duke’s household. Ryouma left the matter to the duke’s household, but from the time Ryouma contacted the household to the time the branch of the Dark Guild was destroyed, the things Ryouma had done were exaggerated. Rumors amongst the bandits began to circulate, saying malicious things such as Ryouma capturing bandits and inflicting excruciating pain upon them, or Ryouma slowly torturing people as he beat them and healed them to death.

“And because of that, the bandits are now scared out of their wits of him, huh?” [Elia]
“Yes. Due to a rumor that’s quite different from the truth.” [Sebasu]

While it’s true Ryouma is still using bandit test subjects to this day to test his medicines on, he first tests the medicine on goblins to distinguish which of his potions are poison and which are not. He checks whether there any strong side effects, so he doesn’t try out medicines on humans aside from those that are generally safe.

Because of that, there were rarely any cases of someone dying due to his experiments. The bare necessities (water, food… etc.) were provided, there were no unnecessary violence either, and in order to hand them over healthy to the guards of Gimuru, Ryouma’s been dealing with the bandits who aimed for his life, humanely. But unfortunately, the rumors turned everything upside down.

“Thanks to Ryouma-sama, the bandits around Gimuru had been reduced for a period, and even the people who tried to bring prohibited goods into the arena were lessened. We’re really grateful for it, but it seems Ryouma-sama’s somewhat bothered whenever he sees the bandits so scared of him.” [Sebasu]
“Seeing someone so scared of you just from seeing you… It probably can’t be helped.” [Kanan]

Here, Michelle asked Riera.

“By the way, Riera. You asked for a match yesterday from Ryouma, right? What are you gonna do now?” [Michelle]

Riera made a troubled face for a moment, but not long after, she recovered herself, and calmly answered with resolve.

“Mn… No, there’s no problem. I’m not fighting to win. The match is to let me know my current strength.” [Riera]
“Good. Even I can’t win against Ryouma in a one-on-one, so it’s better to focus on studying rather than on winning.” [Sebasu]

Hearing that, Kanan asked Sebasu.

“Sebasu-san, just exactly who is Ryouma-kun? Putting the battle just now and Sebasu-san’s story, it almost seems as if his story of being a C Rank adventurer is a lie.” [Kanan]

Having been told that, Sebasu answered.

“Ryouma-sama being a C Rank isn’t a lie. However, because Ryouma-sama spent his time these past two years on other jobs, his studies, and even in philanthropic work, he has rarely taken any adventurer jobs. If it was just his abilities, then he wouldn’t lose out to an A Rank adventurer.” [Sebasu]

When the girls heard that, everyone except for Elia was surprised, causing them to renew their image of Ryouma. After Ryouma finished gathering the bandits, he returned with an old man.

“We’re done. By the way, let me introduce Harold-san. He is a slave demon magic user just like myself.” [Ryouma]
“Hi, I’m Harold. Sorry for bothering you all while you’re on your trip.” [Harold]

Harold bowed his head as he said that.

“Harold-san is an A Rank adventurer, so he teaches low ranked adventurers, children aspiring to be adventurers, and the guards in my stores how to fight. Today, the best amongst the trainees are fighting bandits under Uncle Harold as well as other teachers to gain experience. The bandits from before were apparently those that got away from the trainees’ encirclement.” [Ryouma]
“So that’s how it is. Sorry for bothering you. But thanks to you and your friends, we’ll be able to have a safe trip. Thank you for you work.” [Elia]
“Thank you. Now if you excuse me, I need to rendezvous with my comrades now. Also, Ryouma, those boys are still too naïve. They still need plenty of working.” [Harold]
“There’s no need to hurry, so please take care of them until it’s safe to send them out. Should you need any help, please feel free to inform me.” [Ryouma]

Harold told Ryouma to leave it to him, then he took the three ogres with him, and he left toward the direction fo the trees. There, Sebasu handed a glass filled with water and a towel to Ryouma.

“Please.” [Sebasu]
“Thank you, Sebasu-san.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma lightly wiped the sweat of him, then as he took a mouthful of water, and a short rest, Elia spoke to him.

“Ryouma-san, what was that last thing you were talking about?” [Elia]
“Oh, didn’t I mention it? We started raising up some human resources in Gimuru. I am also a teacher actually… By the way, what happened to those four?” [Ryouma]
“Don’t worry, they’re just having some issue putting together common sense and reality together after seeing you fight.” [Elia]
“So long as they’re not scared, I guess it’s fine.” [Ryouma]

At the other end of Ryouma’s gaze were the four girls, but Ryouma didn’t say anything to them as he took a short break and had some snacks.

It might have been because they had already heard of Ryouma before, but after the break ended, the four were back on their feet. And they chatted just as they did before the bandtis came out.

The carriage continued to descend the mountain, and just before the sun set, they managed to reach the western gate of Gimuru, where a line of carriages had formed.

“We’ve finally arrived, but the line sure seems long.” [Kanan]
“There are a lot of carriages, so it’s probably some sort of merchant group, and is probably going to take a lot of time, right?” [Riera]
“…They’re examining the luggage, so I think it will take a lot more time.” [Michelle]
“I don’t mind waiting, but I wonder whether we’ll be able to get some rooms today? It’s also the same time as yesterday, but…” [Riera]

The one who answered Riera’s thoughts were Ryouma.

“There are plenty of lodging for tourists, so you’ll be able to get an inn. If there’s any issue, it would be the quality of the room.” [Ryouma]
“Any recommendations?” [Michelle]
“Hmm………Rather than the new town, I think it’ll be better to go to the lodging in the first town. There are also guards in town number two, but there’s a lot of people, so it’s noisy, and there are plenty of pickpocketing going on too. It’s safe enough to go out in the night, but the first town’s quiet and safe.” [Ryouma]
“Is there anything we should be careful of in Gimuru?” [Riera]
“Nothing in particular, but… Ah, there’s one. There’s an inn built specifically for slave demon magic users and a resting area for slave demons by the gate of the second town. It’ll be best to stay away from it. The slave demon magic users and conjurers there are generally bad folks.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma continued.

“While it’s good that the jobs in the town increased thanks to the new town, there are some bad folks amongst the people who came here to work for the tamer guild. They would drink themselves drunk, rampage with the ir magical beasts, walk around, showing off their strength and scaring other people… And in the worst case, there are even those who pick fights inside the town with their magical beasts.” [Ryouma]
“That bad?” [Michelle]
“The really bad ones are being caught one after another, but as I’ve said, the bad folks stay in that particular inn. There are also good people amongst the slave demon magic users who came to help the construction of the new town, but the ones stand out. Because of that, people have started to look badly on slave demon magic users, and… Oh, I’m sorry. I started ranting.” [Ryouma]

As Ryouma apologized, the other five told him not to mind it.

“It must’ve been tough for you, huh, Ryouma-han? Enough to complain at least.” [Miyabi]
“You don’t have to hold back. Just throw everything out.” [Kanan]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]

Suddenly, the line began to move quickly.

“Ah, looks like the carriages of that merchant group finally got through… Huh? Up to where did we talk? Well… so long as you gain the trust of the people, there shouldn’t be any problem. It’s not a big deal, so it should be fine. It’s not just me, even Uncle Harold who is a slave demon magic user from another place is an honest person and is trusted. Rather than that, let’s begin to enter the town.” [Ryouma]

As Ryouma said that, they each took out of their chest and bags their respective proofs of identities. When they were ready, they talked about what they would do after they enter the village. There, they decided to first rest at the inn. It wouldn’t be nice after all if the girls were to suddenly fall sick or something, so they decided to rest up first, and begin sightseeing tomorrow.

Finally, after going pass the gate, it was Ryouma’s turn to shine. Ryouma guided the girls and Sebasu to a nice inn that, while not luxurious by any means, was clean and had good food for the price.

The girls took a room there, and after Ryouma volunteered to tour the girls tomorrow, he went back home to his house in the abandoned mine. 

“Amazing. I don’t know much about martial arts, but I can tell Ryouma-kun’s really strong.” [Michelle]
“Can you really sum that up in such few words?” [Riera]
“I don’t think there’s really anything else to say though.” [Michelle]

From the girl’s perspective, Ryouma’s fight was nothing short of a performance.

Above a bandit that ran to attack Ryouma with his one-handed sword, was a bandit that was sent flying by the ogres. The flying bandit flew past the running bandit as he approached Ryouma. Ryouma caught that bandit, then with a turn, Ryouma bashed the other bandit with that bandit.

But at the last moment, the bandit managed to jump to the right, avoiding the other bandit in Ryouma’s hand. Taking that opportunity, Ryouma extended his hand toward the opening of the bandit’s one-handed sword. Then as Ryouma dropped the other bandit, he grasped the sword with his left hand, and as he swept his right hand, he entered into his opponent’s chest. Finally, with an elbow strike from his right to the chin of the bandit, he knocked him unconscious.

At that moment, another bandit came attacking at him. Ryouma averted the tip of that bandit’s sword that came piercing at him with his right hand. Then continuing with that momentum, he grabbed the bandit’s wrist and arm, and with a karate chop, he knocked a second, unconscious.

But just as Ryouma finished knocking down a second, at nearly the same time, a bandit swung his great sword down behind Ryouma. Ryouma immediately thrusted the unconsciouss bandit away, then as he turned his body, he dodged the great sword, and at the same time, he landed a backhand blow on the bandit’s chin.

However, the bandit was able to barely dodge the backhand blow. In no time at all, however, Ryouma stepped in with his left foot, and sent a kick flying from his right leg. The kick landed itself onto the hands carrying the great sword, forcing the bandit to release his weapon as it grazed past his face.

But at the same time, something had hit the bandit’s stomach. The very same moment Ryouma sent a kick flying toward the bandit, he chantlessly casted earth needle, attacking the bandits from a place hidden by the shadow of his feet.

The earth needle couldn’t pierce through the armor, but it imparted a shock no different from a pillar crashing into a body. The strength of that force momentarily caused the bandit to blank out, giving Ryouma time to pull back his leg. Then with a fist to the brow, Ryouma knocked his third one down.

All these took place within only a span of a few seconds. Ryouma’s precise movements that hadn’t any unnecessary moves in it made short work of the bandits. Were this the arena, Ryouma might just be accused of match fixing. That’s how one-sided the fight was. But what the bandits did next left Elia and the others puzzled.

“It’s the Cleaner! Run!!” [Bandit 1]
“You think I’ll let myself be caught here!? Damnit!!” [Bandit 2]
“I won’t attack anyone anymore! Please let me go!!” [Bandit 3]

For some reason, the bandits suddenly started panicking. Ryouma hadn’t used any magic that attacked one’s mind, and yet all these people were clearly mentally affected.

Those bandits were also beaten up. After everything ended, they checked whether there were still any survivors left along with the recovery of the dead bandits and the bandits that were still alive. While they were doing that, Elia and the others decided to stop the carriage, and take a break there.

“Sebasu, why are those people scared of Ryouma-san?” [Elia]
“And Ryouma-kun was also making a sad face.” [Kanan]
“It’s a long story, so cutting it short… Everything started due to Ryouma’s bandit subjugation during his journey.” [Sebasu]

In the past, Ryouma happened upon 10 bandits whom he subjugated.

Those bandits were affiliated with the Dark Guild. They were the leaders of a small branch of a fairly large bandit organization who came out to show off the strength of their tiny branch as well as give some orders.

Due to having their leaders arrested, the bandit organization attacked Ryouma’s house in revenge, but they were instead done in. Most of the bandits were arrested, but they were turned into guinea pigs for Ryouma’s new medicines.

Other bandits came to take revenge, but Ryouma, starting to get fed up with them, decided to leave an opening to let them escape, and reveal their home base. But what Ryouma ended up finding wasn’t the home base of the bandits, but rather the home base of a branch of the Dark Guild.

Thinking it would be foolish to make a move alone, Ryouma decided to contact the duke’s household. Ryouma left the matter to the duke’s household, but from the time Ryouma contacted the household to the time the branch of the Dark Guild was destroyed, the things Ryouma had done were exaggerated. Rumors amongst the bandits began to circulate, saying malicious things such as Ryouma capturing bandits and inflicting excruciating pain upon them, or Ryouma slowly torturing people as he beat them and healed them to death.

“And because of that, the bandits are now scared out of their wits of him, huh?” [Elia]
“Yes. Due to a rumor that’s quite different from the truth.” [Sebasu]

While it’s true Ryouma is still using bandit test subjects to this day to test his medicines on, he first tests the medicine on goblins to distinguish which of his potions are poison and which are not. He checks whether there any strong side effects, so he doesn’t try out medicines on humans aside from those that are generally safe.

Because of that, there were rarely any cases of someone dying due to his experiments. The bare necessities (water, food… etc.) were provided, there were no unnecessary violence either, and in order to hand them over healthy to the guards of Gimuru, Ryouma’s been dealing with the bandits who aimed for his life, humanely. But unfortunately, the rumors turned everything upside down.

“Thanks to Ryouma-sama, the bandits around Gimuru had been reduced for a period, and even the people who tried to bring prohibited goods into the arena were lessened. We’re really grateful for it, but it seems Ryouma-sama’s somewhat bothered whenever he sees the bandits so scared of him.” [Sebasu]
“Seeing someone so scared of you just from seeing you… It probably can’t be helped.” [Kanan]

Here, Michelle asked Riera.

“By the way, Riera. You asked for a match yesterday from Ryouma, right? What are you gonna do now?” [Michelle]

Riera made a troubled face for a moment, but not long after, she recovered herself, and calmly answered with resolve.

“Mn… No, there’s no problem. I’m not fighting to win. The match is to let me know my current strength.” [Riera]
“Good. Even I can’t win against Ryouma in a one-on-one, so it’s better to focus on studying rather than on winning.” [Sebasu]

Hearing that, Kanan asked Sebasu.

“Sebasu-san, just exactly who is Ryouma-kun? Putting the battle just now and Sebasu-san’s story, it almost seems as if his story of being a C Rank adventurer is a lie.” [Kanan]

Having been told that, Sebasu answered.

“Ryouma-sama being a C Rank isn’t a lie. However, because Ryouma-sama spent his time these past two years on other jobs, his studies, and even in philanthropic work, he has rarely taken any adventurer jobs. If it was just his abilities, then he wouldn’t lose out to an A Rank adventurer.” [Sebasu]

When the girls heard that, everyone except for Elia was surprised, causing them to renew their image of Ryouma. After Ryouma finished gathering the bandits, he returned with an old man.

“We’re done. By the way, let me introduce Harold-san. He is a slave demon magic user just like myself.” [Ryouma]
“Hi, I’m Harold. Sorry for bothering you all while you’re on your trip.” [Harold]

Harold bowed his head as he said that.

“Harold-san is an A Rank adventurer, so he teaches low ranked adventurers, children aspiring to be adventurers, and the guards in my stores how to fight. Today, the best amongst the trainees are fighting bandits under Uncle Harold as well as other teachers to gain experience. The bandits from before were apparently those that got away from the trainees’ encirclement.” [Ryouma]
“So that’s how it is. Sorry for bothering you. But thanks to you and your friends, we’ll be able to have a safe trip. Thank you for you work.” [Elia]
“Thank you. Now if you excuse me, I need to rendezvous with my comrades now. Also, Ryouma, those boys are still too naïve. They still need plenty of working.” [Harold]
“There’s no need to hurry, so please take care of them until it’s safe to send them out. Should you need any help, please feel free to inform me.” [Ryouma]

Harold told Ryouma to leave it to him, then he took the three ogres with him, and he left toward the direction fo the trees. There, Sebasu handed a glass filled with water and a towel to Ryouma.

“Please.” [Sebasu]
“Thank you, Sebasu-san.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma lightly wiped the sweat of him, then as he took a mouthful of water, and a short rest, Elia spoke to him.

“Ryouma-san, what was that last thing you were talking about?” [Elia]
“Oh, didn’t I mention it? We started raising up some human resources in Gimuru. I am also a teacher actually… By the way, what happened to those four?” [Ryouma]
“Don’t worry, they’re just having some issue putting together common sense and reality together after seeing you fight.” [Elia]
“So long as they’re not scared, I guess it’s fine.” [Ryouma]

At the other end of Ryouma’s gaze were the four girls, but Ryouma didn’t say anything to them as he took a short break and had some snacks.

It might have been because they had already heard of Ryouma before, but after the break ended, the four were back on their feet. And they chatted just as they did before the bandtis came out.

The carriage continued to descend the mountain, and just before the sun set, they managed to reach the western gate of Gimuru, where a line of carriages had formed.

“We’ve finally arrived, but the line sure seems long.” [Kanan]
“There are a lot of carriages, so it’s probably some sort of merchant group, and is probably going to take a lot of time, right?” [Riera]
“…They’re examining the luggage, so I think it will take a lot more time.” [Michelle]
“I don’t mind waiting, but I wonder whether we’ll be able to get some rooms today? It’s also the same time as yesterday, but…” [Riera]

The one who answered Riera’s thoughts were Ryouma.

“There are plenty of lodging for tourists, so you’ll be able to get an inn. If there’s any issue, it would be the quality of the room.” [Ryouma]
“Any recommendations?” [Michelle]
“Hmm………Rather than the new town, I think it’ll be better to go to the lodging in the first town. There are also guards in town number two, but there’s a lot of people, so it’s noisy, and there are plenty of pickpocketing going on too. It’s safe enough to go out in the night, but the first town’s quiet and safe.” [Ryouma]
“Is there anything we should be careful of in Gimuru?” [Riera]
“Nothing in particular, but… Ah, there’s one. There’s an inn built specifically for slave demon magic users and a resting area for slave demons by the gate of the second town. It’ll be best to stay away from it. The slave demon magic users and conjurers there are generally bad folks.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma continued.

“While it’s good that the jobs in the town increased thanks to the new town, there are some bad folks amongst the people who came here to work for the tamer guild. They would drink themselves drunk, rampage with the ir magical beasts, walk around, showing off their strength and scaring other people… And in the worst case, there are even those who pick fights inside the town with their magical beasts.” [Ryouma]
“That bad?” [Michelle]
“The really bad ones are being caught one after another, but as I’ve said, the bad folks stay in that particular inn. There are also good people amongst the slave demon magic users who came to help the construction of the new town, but the ones stand out. Because of that, people have started to look badly on slave demon magic users, and… Oh, I’m sorry. I started ranting.” [Ryouma]

As Ryouma apologized, the other five told him not to mind it.

“It must’ve been tough for you, huh, Ryouma-han? Enough to complain at least.” [Miyabi]
“You don’t have to hold back. Just throw everything out.” [Kanan]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]

Suddenly, the line began to move quickly.

“Ah, looks like the carriages of that merchant group finally got through… Huh? Up to where did we talk? Well… so long as you gain the trust of the people, there shouldn’t be any problem. It’s not a big deal, so it should be fine. It’s not just me, even Uncle Harold who is a slave demon magic user from another place is an honest person and is trusted. Rather than that, let’s begin to enter the town.” [Ryouma]

As Ryouma said that, they each took out of their chest and bags their respective proofs of identities. When they were ready, they talked about what they would do after they enter the village. There, they decided to first rest at the inn. It wouldn’t be nice after all if the girls were to suddenly fall sick or something, so they decided to rest up first, and begin sightseeing tomorrow.

Finally, after going pass the gate, it was Ryouma’s turn to shine. Ryouma guided the girls and Sebasu to a nice inn that, while not luxurious by any means, was clean and had good food for the price.

The girls took a room there, and after Ryouma volunteered to tour the girls tomorrow, he went back home to his house in the abandoned mine. 

Terms:
Extended leave -> Vacation. 

Extra Chapters:
Also, remaining extra chapters will be posted this week. So this week will be another four chapter week.


Volume 4 Chapter 3: The Road to Gimuru 1

The Next Day

On a bright and clear day, Ryouma met up with Elia’s group by the east gate, and left the town. Sebasu then took out a covered wagon and horse from his Dimension Home. And since Elia’s rimel birds were out, Ryouma took his as well from his Dimension Home.

When he did, the rimel birds seemed to recall that they were all from the same flock, and starting from the nightmare and phantom rimel birds, the other rimel birds followed, and they all flew through the skies together.

“Seventeen rimel birds flying sure stands out…” [Ryouma]
“They seem to be having fun, so just let them have their way for now. Rather than that, Ryouma-san, you seem to have two more rimel birds than before.” [Elia]
“Yeah, just last year the rimel birds suddenly laid some eggs. That really took me by surprise. How about yours?” [Ryouma]
“All my rimel birds are female.” [Elia]
“Oh, I guess it can’t be helped then.” [Ryouma]

The two continued to chat as they watched the rimel birds until the carriage was ready to depart. Just like yesterday, Sebasu took the role of the coachman while two sat on the sides and three sat on the front and backseats. They sat facing each other. Ryouma’s seat was situated the furthest back as it also doubled as a lookout for the rear of the carriage.

The carriage drove, and the rimel birds meandered. They followed the carriage from the skies, and from time to time, they would perch themselves over the carriage’s roof.

Inside the carriage, Ryouma took out the necklace that Elia asked him to keep three years ago. He couldn’t give it back to her yesterday due to the large number of people in the area. But now that they were alone, he could safely give it back.

“Elia, here’s the necklace you asked me to keep.” [Ryouma]
“So you brought it with you. Thank you.” [Elia]

With a smile, Elia received the box containing the necklace. Then she put it away in a small item box. After that she whispered to Sebasu, and had him take out two slimes from his Dimension Home.

Those two slimes were none other than the heal slime and scavenger slime that Ryouma had lent Elia. As Elia hugged the two slimes, she made an expression that seemed somewhat lonely.

“These two kids have taken good care of me these past three years. Thank you for lending them to me.” [Elia]
“So you received these two from Ryouma too.” [Michelle]
“The heal slime healed us whenever we got injured while training. It was really a great help. Thank you.” [Riera]

As they said that, they began to caress the slimes. Ryouma fell into a deep thought upon seeing that.

“Ryouma-han?” [Miyabi]
“…Elia, if it’s not too much trouble, could I have you continue raising those as your slave demons?” [Ryouma]

Ryouma’s words shocked Elia.

“I’d be happy to, but… is it really alright?” [Elia]
“Of course. Everyone seems to adore them, and I still have my own heal slimes. So how about keeping them as your own slave demons?” [Ryouma]
“Thank you so much, Ryouma-san!” [Elia]

Like a blooming flower, a smile was drawn on Elia’s face, and Ryouma smiled in return. But because of this turn of event, the discussion was turned toward the heal slimes’ magic.

“So Ryouma-han, I take it you want to gather all the magic using slimes?” [Miyabi]
“Of course, but the journey will be long… I’ve managed to gather some lower classes, middle classes, and even higher classes in these past three years, which all total to 12 different magic attributes. But from there, the slimes still continue to evolve into slimes that can use several magic attributes, and I still see new slimes here and there, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to gather all the slimes or whether I can even gather all the slime variations.” [Ryouma]
“I think being able to gather 12 types is plenty amazing.” [Kanan]
“What sort of slimes can use multiple magic attributes?” [Elia]
“For example…” [Ryouma]

As he muttered that, he brought his hand near the floor of the carriage. When he did, the shadow cast by his hand began to wiggle. Then not long after, it began to stretch itself up, turning into a three-dimensional object. When the five girls saw that, they were scared out their wits, causing them to jump, and shaking the carriage.

“It’s alright. Please calm down.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma picked the extended shadow, and let it ride over his hand. Then he stretched out his hand for the other to see.

“I’m sorry for scaring you. This is one of the slimes that can use multiple magic elements, a shadow slime. It can use both dark magic and light magic. It specializes in in controlling shadows through the combined effect of the two elements, light and darkness. It also has the ability to move through shadows. Because of that, I normally have it lurking in the shadows as a bodyguard.” [Ryouma]
“I-I see…” [Michelle]
“I didn’t notice it at all.” [Riera]
“The shadow slimes seem to inhabit forests with plenty of magic power and dark places. Like other magic-using slimes, they don’t feed on normal food, and instead naturally absorb magic power while lurking within the shadows. Because of that, they’re extremely hard to find. In my case, I was only able to find one by coincidence, and was able to immediately capture it. I don’t think an opportunity to catch a second will ever present itself. But the shadow slime began increasing itself one at a time, and just recently, they managed to reach 10.” [Ryouma]

They continued to talk about slimes after that, but as the trip was long, they also talked about other things.

“How long will your vacation be?” [Ryouma]
“About five months.” [Riera]
“That’s long! Is it really that long!?” [Ryouma]
“When the academy was first founded, the vacation provided was only about two months, but the thing is there are also students who would take up to a month just getting back home. But in exchange for the long vacation, there’s only one or two rest days at most in each week for three years.” [Riera]
“If it’s like that, then isn’t it too short?” [Ryouma]
“The facilities of the academy can be used freely, so self-study is possible. Also there are many who use their free time to work and get money to pay their school expenses. Moreover, there’s an exam at the end of the long vacation based on the course one wishes to take, so considering that its preparation for that, it’s not so bad.” [Elia]
“So it’s like that…” [Ryouma]

The group continued to talk of various things like this. When the carriage had begun to descend the mountainous road, Kanan, who was sitting facing Ryouma, stopped talking, and just stared at his face wordlessly. Ryouma grew concerned of that unmoving gaze of hers, so he decided to ask her.

“Kanan-san, is there something on my face.” [Ryouma]
“That’s not it, but… Do you mind if I touch your hair or your face for a bit?” [Kanan]
“Eh? Ahh, well… I don’t mind.” [Ryouma]

Kanan’s odd request caused Ryouma to tilt his head, but thinking a request of this level was no problem, he let her. When he did, Kanan immediately reached for Ryouma’s face and hair.

“Excuse me…… Oh… Ohhh!” [Kanan]
“W-What is it!?” [Ryouma]
“Kanan, what’s the matter!?” [Miyabi]

Startled with a mix of agitation, concern, and emotion, Miyabi raised her voice as she asked Kanan what was going on. In response, Kanan only turned her neck toward Miyabi as she said.

“Since yesterday, I’ve been thinking that Ryouma’s hair and skin are really pretty~ When I touched it, it was even better than I expected! Please teach me what methods you use!” [Kanan]
“My skin and hair?” [Ryouma]
“Now that you mention it, he sure is a lot more attentive than our male classmates,” [Riera]
“Sorry, let me touch ya lil’ bit too…… You’re right! His skin really is smooth!” [Miyabi]
“Right!? Craftsman normally end up with rough hands and dry skin, and yet your skin is like this! Please tell me why your skin is so pretty!” [Kanan]
“Ahh, if it’s that then…” [Ryouma]

Hearing Kanan’s girly words, Ryouma began to explain.

“It must be because of the soap I’m using. I mentioned yesterday that I was make medicine, right?” [Ryouma]
“You did.” [Kanan]
“I studied medicine under my grandmother, but I wasn’t able to learn everything. Right now, I’m studying and researching on my own with the books I inherited from her. Because of that, I’ve been making the medicines whose recipes were written down. Among those are the improved soap and the beauty lotion. My grandmother is a girl after all, so she researched that sort of medicine when she was young. If you’d like, I could let you try it out.” [Ryouma]
“Is that alright!?” [Kanan]
“So long as you let me know your thoughts, I don’t mind presenting you some soap and lotion. I’ve confirmed that they’re safe to use, but the effects will vary depending on every person’s skin. If you notice anything, please let me know immediately. Everyone else as well, if you all don’t mind.” [Ryouma]

I’m not sure if the other four were also interested, but they modestly accepted. Then around that time, the rimel birds suddenly began making a commotion.

“What’s going on?” [Michelle]
“It seems there’s something nearby. Sebasu-san.” [Ryouma]
“I don’t sense any nearby humans or magical beasts.” [Sebasu]
“I’ll take a look at the situation through the Rimel Birds.” [Ryouma]
“Me too!” [Elia]

Ryouma and Elia began to use Sensory Link to see through the rimel birds as they ordered them to search the surrounding area. Immediately, two rimel birds at the top of the carriage stood up, and flew. The image the rimel birds were seeing were then sent to Elia and Ryouma’s minds. A few minutes later after scouting ahead, Elia was able to confirm that there were 10 men wearing shoddy clothing and armor fighting against three magical beasts.

“That’s…” [Elia]
“Did you find something?” [Riera]

Elia’s face stiffened at Riera’s question.

“There are B Rank magical beasts ahead. Three ogres. They’re currently in the middle of a battle.” [Elia]

Those words sent the atmosphere within the carriage into a turmoil. The ogre may be a weak, B Rank magical beast, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a dangerous magical beast to them. So it’s not strange at all for them to be so tense.

But while the girls seemed to be in a panic, Ryouma, who had been ordering his rimel bird to fly quickly to see the situation, spoke.

“Everyone, please don’t worry. Those ogres are Uncle Harold’s… They’re the slave demons of someone I know. I’ve also confirmed the presence of my acquaintance, so I’m not mistaken. From their clothing, the enemy seem to be bandits, so it’s just a bandit subjugation request.” [Ryouma]
“I’ve also confirmed it.” [Elia]

Hearing that, the tension immediately loosened. Then Riera asked how the situation was.

“Do they need assistance?” [Riera]
“There’s an overwhelming gap in strength. I don’t think there’s any need to worry about them.” [Elia]
“That’s right. But the bandits that have run are headed here, so I’ll just go out for a bit.” [Ryouma]
“Ah, wait!” [Kanan]

As Ryouma said that, he jumped off the back of the carriage. Then ignoring Kanan’s attempt to stop him, he ran off.

Ryouma has already gone through this road many times, so he already had a good grasp of the bandits’ escape routes. And considering, there’s Sebasu and the rimel birds to protect the carriage, there probably won’t be any problems. Ryouma ran to the place he saw through the rimel birds.

A minute later, the running bandits’ figures entered Ryouma’s sight. At the same time, he also saw the man they were up against. Ryouma readied himself to break through.

The bandits numbered 5, but it seems there were still some men coming from behind them. As Ryouma confirmed that, he shortened the distance, and the battle between Ryouma and the bandits began––– or at least that’s what should’ve happened.

“If you don’t want to die, then…” [Bandit 1]
“Huh!?” [Bandit 2]
“Aniki!! Ugh!” [Bandit 3]
“Wh–!” [Bandit 4]
“…” [Bandit 5]

But what happened instead couldn’t even be called a fight. As Ryouma passed through them, he used his magic power-clad fists to knock every single bandit out.

Magic Battle Technique ‘Sleep Fist’

By cladding the fist with the poison magic, ‘Sleep Shot’, a kind of magic that shoots out a lump of magic power that causes one’s foes’ to faint, one is able to make his enemies sleep with magic and fighting techniques. This is a technique that Ryouma became able to use in these past two years, an anti-personal magic catered for arresting people. Depending on the situation, Ryouma also has the ‘Paralyze Fist’, which can paralyze people or the ‘Poison Fist’, which could worsen people’s health.

Ryouma struck a daunting pose as he towered over the unconscious bodies of the poor bandits. As he sent the shadow slimes to surrounding tree’s shadows, he remained standing as he waited for the other bandits to reach him.

When the other bandits saw their friends sleeping by Ryouma’s feet, they stopped. But with three ogres behind them and a burly, old man dressed in a shirt a size smaller than he should be wearing, chasing after them as he beat the bandits that were too slow barehanded. The bandits didn’t have the time to think, and they had no choice but to attack Ryouma. Their resistance, however, was futile. Some were faster, and some were slower. But such things didn’t matter as they were all destined to reach the same end.

Before them was Ryouma. Behind them were the ogres. And then by their sides were the shadow slimes, lurking. They were already completely surrounded. 

The Tereshi Diner was a big restaurant, so the travelers that came to this city would often eat and drink there. At a corner of that restaurant’s warm atmosphere were Elia and the others, chatting as they enjoyed their tea.

“So Sebasu, did you know that Ryouma-san was here?” [Elia]
“I did hear that Ryouma-sama has gone through the mountainous road many times, but I wasn’t aware that he would have his cart open in this town today.” [Sebasu]

At that time, Sebasu saw Ryouma’s figure working within the cart through the opening between the people lined up. It was there, that he first realized that Ryouma was in town.

Incidentally, the reason Ryouma was in this town was because Elia had once sent him a letter, informing him that she would use this path to head to Gimuru. Because of that, Ryouma decided to subjugate the bandits in the area. Him deciding to open a cart in this town came after that.

The rumored person they heard of this afternoon is none other but Ryouma. Sebasu was already aware of that. When Elia found out that he knew, she complained and told him that he should have told her. Right around that time though, Ryouma entered the store. Promptly, he was brought to where the girls were sitting, and the clerk called the girls attention.

“Excuse me. I’ve brought your companion.” [Clerk]
“Sorry, I was late.” [Ryouma]

After a quick bow, Ryouma called out to Eila.

“Elia, it’s been a while. I did mention it just a while ago, but it’s great to see you’re doing well.” [Ryouma]
“Indeed. It really has been a while, hasn’t it? Ryouma-san, are you doing well too?” [Elia]
“I did mention it in the letters, but yes… I’m doing fine. By the way, these people are your…?” [Ryouma]

After Elia smiled at Ryouma, he turned to look toward the other girls. The one who received his gaze was Miyabi, who waved her hand.

“Ryouma-han, long time no see. D’ya still remember me?” [Miyabi]
“Miyabi-san, right? Long time no see too. Of course, I remember you.” [Ryouma]
“So ya remembered me, huh? Ta tell ya the truth, I was sort of wonderin’ what I should do if ya didn’t.” [Miyabi]
“Don’t worry, forgetting you won’t be possible, since the impression you left was quite strong.” [Ryouma]
“The way ya talk makes me wonder exactly how it is you’re remembering me, but eh, whatever. That aside, how long are ya planning ta keep on standing? Take a sit.” [Miyabi]

Having been told that, Ryouma took a seat, then he began his introductions to Michelle, Riera, and Kanan.

“My name is Ryouma Takebayashi. I believe the two of you have already seen me back there in the cart, but in any case, I am the owner of the meat bun selling cart and the restaurant, Slime Den Restaurant at Gimuru. But considering that the management is mostly taken care of by the head chef, I suppose it might be better to refer to me as an investor instead. I normally spend my days at home, researching and manufacturing things. When I’m not, I’m out gathering materials and ingredients for my research while carrying out adventurer work. In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” [Ryouma]
“A pleasure to meet you as well. I am Michelle Willdan. I’m the eldest daughter of the Willdan Household, but please refer to me as Michelle. My hobby lies in magic formation research.” [Michelle]
“So Michelle-san is a scholar of Magic Formations.” [Ryouma]

When Michelle heard Ryouma say that, her eyes sparkled.

“Are you familiar with magic formations!?” [Michelle]
“I know a little from my grandmother, but it’s nothing more than a little introduction.” [Ryouma]
“As Magic Formations is unfortunately a study that’s widely unpopular, there are few people that know of its existence… Which is why I’m so happy to know that I have some to talk about it with now, Ryouma-kun!” [Michelle]

As Michelle began to grow excited, Riera remonstrated her.

“Calm down, Michelle. We haven’t finished introducing ourselves yet.” [Riera]
“Oh, sorry, please excuse me.” [Michelle]
“Seriously… I’m sorry, Michelle has a tendency to sometimes prattle on like this.” [Riera]
“Please don’t mind it. There are many people like her amongst my acquaintances, so if anything, it’s actually relaxing.” [Ryouma]
“Thank you.” [Riera]

Said Riera as she sighed, then as her expression stiffened, she introduced herself.

“Please pardon my delayed introduction. I am Riera Clifford. There’s no need to be polite with me either. So please just call me Riera. In the future, I plan to become a knight… By the way, a while ago, you mentioned that you did adventurer work. May I know what rank you are?” [Riera]
“My rank? It’s C.” [Ryouma]

After Ryouma said that, Riera thought to herself for a bit, then she said this.

“I see… If you don’t mind, I would like to have a duel with you should the opportunity present itself. I want to know my current strength.” [Riera]
“If you’re fine with me, then anytime. There is a good place for that very purpose in Gimuru after all.” [Ryouma]
“Thank you.” [Riera]

Riera bowed, and the next one, Kanan, spoke.

“Next up is me. Name’s Kanan Shuza. My family’s been working as magic tools craftsmen for generations. So I’m studying both as a magic tools craftsman and as a jeweler. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” [Kanan]
“It’s nice to meet you as well.” [Ryouma]
“By the way, I heard you mention just a while ago that you manufacture things. Can I know exactly what it is you make?” [Kanan]

Ryouma appeared to be a little troubled as he answered Kanan’s question.

“If I were to put it briefly, a lot. Medicines, smithing, woodworks. I also make kitchenware such as pots and knives, and even the steaming baskets I used in the cart from before. I make weapons too, but I’m usually making things that are needed for daily life or farming tools… If there’s anything I specialize in in particular, then I guess it’s medicine and magic staves.” [Ryouma]
“You really do make a lot. Ah, as for me, I specialize in grinding jewelry.” [Kanan] 

Hearing that, Ryouma asked.

“Kanan-san, do you make jewels right from the grinding stage? A jeweler I know buys his from a specialist that specializes in grinding, which he then uses to create his ornaments.” [Ryouma]
“There are people like that, but the Shuza Family works from the grinding stage to the engraving stage. Because of that members of our family are able to create products all on their own. Part of the reason is because of the necessity in ensuring that the materials used are compatible for magic tool purposes, but it’s mostly because our family’s made up of stubborn craftsmen who don’t want others interfering with their work. Of course, there are also cases where several people work together to make a single product, but that only really happens between a pupil and a master that’s been together for a long time. We don’t really buy jewels from external sources.” [Kanan]

It was in this way that the introductions concluded, and Ryouma and the others got to know each other. There, Ryouma finally ordered. And Michelle asked him a question.

“Do you frequent this store?” [Michelle]
“Yes, actually. I usually have my meals at this restaurant whenever I drop by this town. At first, I was planning on having the leftovers of the cart for supper, but since nothing would be left for met to eat, I decided to eat out instead.” [Ryouma]
“Well, that meat bun really was delicious after all. Still… you seem to be famous here for some reason, and not just because you’re a regular or anything. Is there something going on?” [Michelle]

This is actually something that the others have also been itching to ask.

At first, they thought it would be rude to just enter the store without ordering anything, so they figured they should order something light while waiting. But when they entered the store, and mentioned they were waiting for Ryouma, the female clerk they were talking to realized that they had already eaten some meat buns from the cart, and she told them that they didn’t have to forcefully order something if they’re only waiting for Ryouma.

It shouldn’t be strange to see customers who take up seats without ordering to be a nuisance, but despite that, no one saw them as a bother.

“It’s probably because I order a lot and come here frequently. Moreover, I also helped out a lot of times with the expansion of the town. I used my earth magic to create the area they are building the new lodging on now, you see? Also, each time I would come here, I would order food enough for 10 persons’ portion.” [Ryouma]

Hearing that, not only Michelle, but even Sebasu and the others were shocked.

“10 peoples’ portions every time?” [Michelle]
“Ryouma-san, did you always eat that much?” [Elia]

Having been asked like that, Ryouma explained himself.

“No. I eat the same as a normal person. A single person’s serving or maybe two at most. The one eating the remaining food is… I think the three of you who dropped by the cart might have noticed it, but there is another person working at the cart alongside me. The one who eats a lot is that.” [Ryouma]
“…There was another person?” [Elia]
“There was. But he was working by the cookware at the back, so he didn’t stand out.” [Riera]
“I saw him too. That guy had the same face as Ryouma. Is he your twin?” [Kanan]

Ryouma chuckled when he heard Kanan’s words.

“We’re not twins. Actually, he’s not even human.” [Ryouma]

Everyone else except for Sebasu was shocked. Sebasu had met Ryouma many times in these past two years, so he already had a good grasp of the situation.

“He’s actually a slime.” [Ryouma]
“A slime?” [Kanan]
“It’s a mimic slime, a slime with the ability to mimic. I have it mimic my appearance to help out with the cart whenever I put it up. And instead of a salary, I feed it a lot. It may look like a human, but it’s really a slime deep inside, so its digestion is really fast.” [Ryouma]
“So that’s why you’re ordering 10 people’s portion every time…” [Michelle]
“They even gave us some ‘service’ thanks to that.” [Miyabi]
“It’s because I’m an important customer. Besides the people of this shop are all good people and really adaptable.”

As Ryouma said that, the food finally came. The waiters lined them up before Ryouma, and Ryouma paid them in chips. Then he began to eat. As he was eating, he asked something that bothered him while they were introducing themselves.

“By the way, why is Sebasu-san the only escort? Is that really ok?” [Ryouma]

The one who answered that question first was Michelle. She threw her chest out as she said.

“It’s true that there are nobles who like to bring escorts and helpers in groups whenever they travel, but I hate that sort of stuff. Besides, my mom is a researcher of medicine, and my dad’s a researcher in the field of magic formations, so there’re plenty of times when they go out to gather ingredients and test out their magic. Because of that, I was also advised to put importance on field work. Accordingly, I normally go out by myself. Besides, Sebasu-san is here too, so there shouldn’t be any problems.” [Michelle]

The next one who answered was Riera.

“I might be a noble, but I was still born to a knight family. If it’s just one or two, I’m fairly sure I can protect myself. Besides, if anyone from my family were to ask for escorts when going out, my family would scold them saying, “If you’re aiming for a knight, then you shouldn’t be on the side of the one’s being protected, but on the side of the one’s protecting! Don’t be naïve!”” [Riera]

Riera smiled as she said that. Following after her, Kanan spoke next.

“Me and Miyabi aren’t nobles to begin with, so we never had any escorts from the start. Even without escorts, a girl can still travel safely as long as she pays to ride a stagecoach. Unless you’re carrying a lot of money, or carrying something valuable, or being target by someone, a commoner wouldn’t really bother hiring an escort.” [Kanan]

Hearing their replies, Ryouma was able to understand. After that, they spoke about a lot of things such as when Elia and Ryouma first met or when Elia and the other girls first met. Ryouma was eating while they were talking, so he was mostly just listening.

Around the time when Ryouma finally finished eating, they were a lot more familiar with each other, and could speak their thoughts unreservedly. It was then that they decided to travel together to Gimuru tomorrow.

“We’ll see you tomorrow. Let’s meet by the east gate.” [Elia]

Ryouma and the others left the store. Then the girls’ group randomly picked a place, opened the Dimension Home, entered it, and then passed the night.

Within Sebasu’s Dimension Home that was wonderfully partitioned with a partition screen, inside a room where five beds were lined up, were five girls talking amongst themselves.

“Who would’ve thought we’d actually meet with the rumored Ryouma-kun in this town? Although we did plan to say hi once we got to Gimuru, it seems our plans were pushed forward a bit…Well, what do you all think?” [Michelle]

As Michelle said that, Riera and Kanan began to think. Elia and Miyabi waited for them to talk.

They have heard all sorts of things about Ryouma from Elia and Miyabi, who would sometimes talk about him. But the things they heard were things were all unbelievable things such as a boy who was a year younger than them but could cast intermediate dimension magic or someone who could kill D Rank magical beasts barehanded. This caused Michelle, Riera , and Kanan unable to decide whether what they were hearing was true or not.

It’s not that they suspected Elia and Miyabi to be lying. It’s just that the stories they heard were really hard to believe. Because of that they made it one of their goals in this trip to meet Ryouma in person.

Kanan was the first to speak.

“How to put it… He feels like a normal older brother. The type that could be seen anywhere… I can’t see him being as strong as the stories say.” [Kanan]
“But his body seems to be well-built. He mentioned being a C Rank adventurer, so he should have at least that much strength. In any case, I like how he didn’t look at us with perverted eyes.” [Riera]
“His eyes aside, I’m more interested in his research rather than whether he’s strong or not, but I couldn’t ask him about it at all today… That slime of his sure surprised me though. It’s my first time knowing about a slime that could become anything it eats. If it eats a goblin, it will become a goblin. If it eats a dragon, then it can turn into a dragon.” [Michelle]
“He called it a mimic slime, right?” [Elia]

The conversation would sometimes stray, but their impression of Ryouma wasn’t bad.

The three who hadn’t met Ryouma until now, especially for Riera who had only heard of rumors of a queer and unknown young man, were wary of him. But after their first meeting, they were at least able to understand that he didn’t seem to be a dangerous person, allowing them to relax their guard.

Even though it should have been a given that Ryouma wouldn’t be a dangerous person as he only came to know Elia thanks to her ducal family acknowledging him, it could be said that Riera having her guard up is due to how serious she was and how strong her feelings were for her friends.

In Michelle’s case, she didn’t’ think of Ryouma as anyone dangerous at all. The only thoughts she had regarding Ryouma was her interest in him as a researcher. From what she’s heard, Ryouma’s an intellectual. Moreover, the chances of him being an alchemist is high. Because of that she can’t help but be restless, eagerly hoping to have a chance to talk with him about magic formation research.

She may not have any proof that he’s an alchemist, but from what she knows, Ryouma is the most mysterious person around Elia. As Elia’s friend… As a researcher… There were many reasons why she wanted to meet him. And now that she’s able to meet him, she can’t help but rack her head, trying to think of a way to bring alchemy up in a conversation.

As for Kanan, she didn’t hold any special thoughts regarding Ryouma, and was mostly interested in him for being a friend’s friend. Because of that, she never had any preconceptions or bias when they met.

Like this, the girls continued to talk about their impressions until the night grew late. When they reached a point where they could stop, they went to sleep, and retired for the day.