Beneath the blinding light of the sun, within the passionate zeal of the spectators, was me, sitting to the right of the stone pedestal, at the middlemost seat of seven chairs.
As I somehow managed to secure seats for everyone, I felt Elia’s group nearing through the shadow slimes lurking in their shadows. I looked toward their direction, and I saw them through the gaps between the many spectators. I waved my hand, and they came over.
“Ryouma-han~ sorry for making ya wait.” [Miyabi]
“We bought some drinks. And umm… is this crushed ice ok?” [Kanan]
Kanan-san handed me a transparent bag filled with transparent ice and fruit juice, with a straw sticking out.
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]
“It’s been really hot lately, so I ended up buying as soon as I saw something cold.” [Kanan]
“Well I started selling crushed ice because of the heat, so if you bought it for that reason, then guess it’s a success.” [Ryouma]
Crushed ice is a product based on my previous life’s memories. Right now, I’m selling it as one of my shop’s limited products, and is currently one of my best-selling goods.
Products like ice, ice cream, and sherbet have actually existed long before I even came to this world despite them not having fridges. They were able to make them through the employment of magicians, but because of that, there weren’t a lot of stores that could sell them. It wasn’t easy to make them even with one or two magicians due to the limits of magic power. Plus, adding to the fact that sugar was a necessary ingredient to make sherbet and ice cream, they naturally ended up being expensive.
But in our store, the ones creating the ice are ice slimes who can use ice magic and the many slimes that could use barrier magic. Because of that our store can afford to sell a lot at a cheap price impossible to other stores.
Moreover, the other stores can’t imitate the transparent bags we’re using that prevents water from seeping through. These bags along with the straws are products of the sticky slime’s sticky liquid and hardening liquid. I combine those two liquids, rub them over a metal mold, dry them, and then tear them off. The resulting product is similar to a vinyl bag that’s extremely easy to use. As the product isn’t in circulation, it can’t be helped that the other stores aren’t able to acquire it.
Or rather, if they manage to get some, I’ll have to investigate where they got them… Well, in any case, the crushed ice sold by our store is unusually cheap. Couple that with a place like this arena here were people are quick to spend, then you have a recipe for a killing.
Also, I’m digressing a bit, but the one who came up with this bag wasn’t me, but the branch manager of a laundromat, Caulkins-san. Having gotten used to managerial work, Caulkins-san sent me a letter, saying he’s started researching slimes again. I don’t have any intention of interfering with my employees’ private lives so long as they’re able to do their work, so I just sent him back an approving reply.
Half a year after that, a letter came with several prototypes of a vinyl-like bag. I was really touched when I saw those bags… I forgot about vinyl bags already, so when I saw them, it felt so nostalgic. I knew immediately that the vinyl bags would be useful, so I gave Caulkins-san a special bonus that also served as research funds.
As for the straw it was necessary before selling crushed ice. I created it with the production method of the bags as reference. It was made in pretty much the same way save for the ratio of the sticky liquid and hardening liquid and the mold used.
While I was caught up in my recollection after seeing the crushed ice, Riera-san and Sebasu-san took out a paper bag filled with food and a vessel made out of thin bamboo strips.
“What sort of food do you want? There’s popcorn and fried corn.” [Riera]
“There’s also hotdogs and corndogs.” [Sebasu]
Looks like they bought a lot…
Incidentally, popcorn, hotdog, and corndogs were in this world since long ago. They were definitely introduced by the otherworlders before me.
“I wonder if we bought too much?” [Riera]
“Don’t worry, what’s important is that you’re able to eat your fill.” [Ryouma]
“Well that’s true.” [Elia]
The six each took their seats as they ate, and started to watch the matches. I took a corndog for myself too as I listened to the six’s report regarding the store.
“Right… I think the service was good. They also explained the products well.” [Elia]
“I don’t think there were any problems in particular, but if I were to be picky, then I guess they seemed to be busy?” [Michelle]
“That can’t be helped though. There was a huge crowd of customers other than us after all.” [Riera]
“No, thank you very much. It’ll serve me well as reference for making a decision in whether I should add more employees, or whether the employees have simply not gotten used to their job yet.” [Ryouma]
Moderate busyness due to the store flourishing and being lively is fine, but if they make a mistake due to their busyness, it’ll be problematic. Customers don’t like seeing clerks that are too busy and always in a hurry either. I’ll have to check up on them in the near future.
While I was talking with the others, a flourish of trumpets resounded, signaling that there were 30 seconds left before the start of the match. The surrounding spectators had already begun to cheer on the fighters.
“Start!” [Announcer]
Several warriors entered the arena from the two gates on opposing sides. From our right were 5 men (1 spearman, 3 swordsmen, and 1 man with sword and shield). Facing them from our left, was a lone man nearly 2-meter-tall, wielding a huge hammer. Wait a moment… isn’t that Glen-san?
It takes me back when I see him him change his weapon from what he had when we met a few days ago to something different. Still… he’s making a killing anyway, so he should just go ahead and buy an adamantite weapon not just for fighting, but even for matches like these arena tournaments.
“Ryouma-dono, is this match a five on one?” [Riera]
“Seems to be the case.” [Ryouma]
“Then is the man to the left at the disadvantage?” [Riera]
“No. That man to the left is Glen-san. He’s an adventurer who just became S Rank last year, so he should be fine.” [Ryouma]
“Really!?” [Riera]
Ohh, Riera’s eyes turned sharp as soon as she heard he was an S Rank adventurer as if she wasn’t going to let even a single movement of his go unobserved.
“He’s the champion of a tournament that was held here before. Sometimes when a person like that comes out, he’s made to fight against multiple opponents as a handicap. Otherwise, since Glen-san’s so strong, it wouldn’t be possible to bet… Ah, but of course, there’s no match fixing going on here. Especially when Glen-san’s fighting as I think he’d get mad if that were to happen.” [Ryouma]
Glen-san is what you would call a battle junkie. He made Gimuru his home base as soon as the arena was completed. He lives here precisely so he can fight. He’s not one to go easy on his opponents or put his hands in match fixing. Even if he were asked to, the only thing that would result in is souring his mood.
I’ve also met with Glen-san several times since he lives in Gimuru. When we did he would always ask, are you fighting in the arena? It seems he remembers my face from when we met at the Great Forest of Shurus before.
…Fortunately, he wasn’t the type to forcefully make me come with him, or attack regardless of the location. Then again, a person like that probably wouldn’t become S Rank. There’s a background check before one is promoted to S Rank after all. You can’t become one just with power alone, you also need to have a good history and personality.
As I was thinking that, we approached the start of the match. The constants were gathered, and at the center stood a man dressed in white armor. The two groups braced themselves.
“Match, start!!” [Announcer]
At the voice’s call, the bell sounded, and the battle began.
“WoORa!!” [Glen]
“Ga!?” [Spearman]
Immediately, Glen-san rushed toward the spearman. With his hammer in his hands, he struck down, and crushed the spear. Then with a full swing, he sent the man flying.
I guess that he’ll be sent to the first-aid office then.
After that, the shield and sword wielding warrior stepped out, attracting Glen-san’s attention while the three others came from the side. Glen-san tried to destroy his opponent’s weapon with his hammer, but as he was aiming for a counter, he was able to dodge. The shield wielding man covered for him, allowing him to recover his stance, and there after attack once more. A close battle with neither side gaining an advantage continued.
That shield guy sure is holding it well. The other three guys are also strong. I don’t recognize any of them, but regardless how bad my eye is for skill, they should all at least be B Rank up… This match is certainly something worth seeing. After this, I should check the matchups later.
As I was thinking that the battle grew fiercer.
“Ah!” [Someone]
As the shield of the shield-wielding warrior was flicked away, someone cried out in surprise.
The warrior tried to pick up his shield, and fix his stance, but instead he was sent flying away together with his shield. He was forced to withdraw. Then with the remaining three warriors’ coordination broken, Glen-san took them down one by one to claim victory.
The referee declared Glen-san the winner, and the spectators all broke out into cheers as Glen-san waved back at them, exiting through the gate.
“As expected of an S Rank, he didn’t step back once.” [Kanan]
“What an amazing match. Do matches like this happen here all the time?” [Riera]
“Oh, no. I don’t think the normal matches here are up to that level.” [Ryouma]
“Although they lost, they were quite strong too.” [Sebasu]
The trumpets blew again, and the spectators’ cheers grew louder. Because of that I’m not sure whether the girls heard my and Sebasu-san’s explanation.
It’s not obvious, but Glen-san is a dwarf. The dwarves have an image of being a small race, but that’s only because most of them are short. There are actually tall dwarves as well.
Dwarves are handy with their hands and physically fit. They are a race blessed with a powerful body, but even within that, Glen-san is exceptionally strong. It’s only because the shield-wielding warrior from before was able to endure the force of that strength despite being bashed by the hammer several times while the others fought together as one that they were able to fight a battle like a while ago. If it was anyone else, they would surely have been instantly defeated.
The five girls already seemed to be looking forward to the next match, but if they’re expecting a match similar to just now, I hope they don’t get disappointed…
And then night came.
“The matches sure were exciting.” [Michelle]
“The matches were amazing, but the first one was definitely the best.” [Riera]
“Really? I think the three matches after that that used magic were better.” [Michelle]
“Those matches were really showy~. If it weren’t for the barrier magic protecting us, we wouldn’t have been able to watch the battle.” [Kanan]
“Speaking of showy––––“ [Elia]
After watching at the heated arena, we rode back home on as the girls talked about their impressions. They seem to have really enjoyed themselves today.
Although I sure didn’t think they’d spend the entire day watching fights.
The five of them were girls after all, so I thought they’d get tired after a while. But apparently that wasn’t the case. Especially for Riera-san who was especially heated during the matches. But the other four weren’t bored either. I wonder if it’s simply because they’re bored?
Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of sports in this world… some board games from earth were passed down, so there’s relatively a lot of them, but I’ve never heard of anything pertaining to sports. I’ll try asking someone about it next time…
The carriage continued on its way as I quietly thought to myself. As the crowd of scantily-dressed women grew more numerous on the road, we left the gates of the 2nd town, and reached the gates of the 1st town. Our carriage was stopped here.
“Please show your identific–––– Ah, old man!” [Guard]
I sent a gaze toward that nostalgic voice, and what greeted me was the face young guard with a familiar face. He’s someone I personally taught. If I recall correctly, his name is…. Crais-san. Oh, so he was recently hired then.
I thought that as I rubbed the corner of my inner eye with the thumb and index finger of my left hand. Then as I abruptly stood up, I inched my way through Elia and the others who were seating to get to the driver’s seat. There, I took a tight grip of Crais-san’s head.
“Old man…?” [Crais]
As I held him tight under my arms, I said.
“Who are you calling an old man? I’m younger than you!” [Ryouma]
I’m 14 years old, he’s 18 years old. The younger one is me! Of course if you include my previous life, then I’m an old man, but there’s no way he would know something like that. Being called younger is one thing, but I don’t want to be referred to as someone older.
“Ah, owwwwww!! Wait a sec, old man! I’m a guard! It’s not good to manhandle guards!” [Crais]
Complained Crais has he endured the pain. But the other guards in the area only said.
“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine.” [Guard 1]
“That guy got married recently, so he’s been getting over his head. Do him in more!” [Guard 2]
“We see nothing.” [Guard 3]
“This kid always talks about his wife every chance he gets! Damnit!” [Guard 4]
“… Crush him!” [Guard 5]
“Senpai!? owwwwww!” [Crais]
The surrounding guards cheered me on, so I locked his head hard one more time then I let him go. We couldn’t stay locked like that forever after all.
“We want to enter the town, so please quickly grant us permission.” [Ryouma]
“Ah… it still hurts… Excuse me, I’ll just check your identification…. Alright, everyone seems to be ok. Please enter.” [Crais]
“Thank you very much.” [Elia]
“Thank you very much, Crais-san. Please continue to do your best.” [Ryouma]
“Of course! I’ll do it for my wife and my future child too!” [Crais]
“Ryouma, do him in again!” [Guard 1]
“Even using that giant slave demon of yours is fine.” [Guard 2]
“Nah, let’s just do it ourselves.” [Guard 3]
“Wait, senpai! Please stop!” [Crais]
As Crais-san was surrounded by the other guards, we entered the town with our carriage. I sent a glance back toward where Crais-san was, and what I saw was Crais-san’s two arms locked down by two guards as he received light body blows from another. Then while they were playing around another guard came. I guess it’s time for them to change shifts. In any case, I offered a silent prayer for Crais-san.
“Umm… Ryouma-san? What was about just now?” [Elia]
“That guard was my former student. For some reason he likes to call me old man though. Even though I’m the younger one…” [Ryouma]
Upon hearing that, not just Elia, but even Sebasu-san and Miyabi-san showed understanding expressions.
“…What is it?” [Ryouma]
“Ryouma-sama, you’ve always been mature mentally, so it probably can’t be helped.” [Sebasu]
“I remember I thought you were really composed too when I first met ya.” [Miyabi]
“Sometimes you even look at me with eyes like gramps and the others. Eyes that seemed like they were protecting me.” [Elia]
Following them, the other three also spoke.
“Ryouma-kun, you’re younger?” [Michelle]
“I do recall hearing you’re younger than us by a year, but I forgot all about it after talking with you.” [Riera]
“We might call you with ‘kun’, but your atmosphere’s definitely that of an older guy.” [Kanan]
Maybe it’s because I’ve been a kid for 6 years already that I find it strange they think of me like this… I don’t know anymore… Am I a kid or an old man? I know deep inside that I’m older than my exterior shows when I put my two lives’ ages together, but I still can’t help but insist, ‘I’m 14 years old!’, deep inside.
…Nothing would change even if we kept this up, so I just forcefully changed my feelings. I asked what Elia and her group will be doing tomorrow, and apparently, they want to go somewhere different. There, Riera-san mentioned that she wanted to have the match we talked about the day before yesterday. I guess she’s been influenced by the arena. Well I did promise her though, so why not?
After thinking for a while, I suggested to give them a tour of some of Gimuru’s training. There’s a training area there too, so we can use that to have the match. After that, I chatted idly with Elia’s group until we reached their lodging. After we parted, I went back home.
“I should make some preparations for tomorrow. And since we’re going to the Slime Den Restaurant tomorrow noon, I guess I should inform Celma-san in advance.” [Ryouma]
I stopped walking, and then I decided to go to the Slime Den Restaurant first then go home. My course decided, I began walking the night road again.
Heads up. eCookie’s finished making his EPUB. He’s also provided a temp version for PDF in case any of you folks prefer that as Usi hasn’t made his PDF yet.
Here’s the link:CLICK HERE FOR V3 PDF/EPUB
I didn’t help out with the pdf/epub making, so make sure you all thank eCookie!
“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.
[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
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.
Chapter 48: The Messenger from the West
[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 (Lv1) Cynthia (Lv1) Orc King <<Bui>> (Lv36)
[Abnormal Status] <<Charm of the Saint>>
When I got back to the village, I had the orcs immigrate.
I gave them Gi Za’s old place, the one situated by the root of the giant tree. The area surrounding it is a wasteland, so it’s perfect for the orcs. After that, I made a simple agreement with that small frightened orc.
I distributed different hunting grounds for the orcs and the goblins. I also gave instructions on how to deal with the humans should they enter the forest.
This is how I separated the orcs from the goblin.
There is a lake northwest of the Great Heaven-Piercing Tree.
So I permitted the orcs to live off of the north and east banks of the lake there. This decision is something I made in order to create a breakwater for the humans entering.
With this, there won’t be any issues between the orcs and the goblins.
Aside from me and the noble classes, the goblins don’t have a way of resisting the orcs.
But even if it weren’t for that, I don’t want unneeded conflict. That would only serve to benefit the threat from the east.
“Is it really alright with just this?” asked Bui.
The small and frightened orc’s words were unusually impressive. I’ve always thought of orcs as brutes who always tried to solve everything with power, but it would seem there are also orcs such as this one.
As Bui nodded quietly, he let out a sigh of relief.
Being the Orc King seems to be hard, but I have no intention of taking care of him that much. At most, I just want him to stay clear of my way, and not be a threat to the humans.
With this, the door to the west has finally opened before me.
When I got back to the village, the cleaning was mostly done. What’s left was repairing the fences, but that’ll take some time.
I asked Gi Gu, who I had left the village to in my absence, if anything happened while I was gone.
“A messenger came,” said Gi Gu.
“What?” I asked, surprised.
“A messenger from the tribes. I asked him to wait.”
The tribes? A messenger?
Now where have I heard that before…
“From what tribe?” I asked.
“Please ask him yourself,” replied Gi Gu, not knowing either.
While puzzled, I ended up having to meet with a messenger from some tribe.
◆◆◇
The messenger that was made to wait at the king’s house was apparently a goblin rare.
But although he was a goblin he wass clearly different from the goblins that lived in this village. If you were to ask what’s different, well for starters, he’s wearing clothes. He’s dressed simply, but he has a belt fastened around his waist, and is even wearing a pair of shoes.
But that’s not all that stood out. Beside him lay what was clearly a bow. Even though goblins are normally too clumsy with their hands, he’s able to use a bow?
The goblin sat quietly as he waited for me to take the seat of honor, then he spoke.
“Thank you for granting me an audience. I am a child of Gatsumi, Ra Gilmi of the Ganra Tribe of the four tribes,” declared the messenger.
Fluent speech and a dignified manner. He gives off the impression that he’s used to matters such as this.
“Let me hear why you’ve come,” I said.
I looked down on the goblin as I implored him to speak.
“Leader of the eastern village, please save Ganra,” requested the Gimli.
His skin is no different from the other rare classes, yet his intellect is clearly above the rare class. Is that because he’s from one of the four tribes? Come to think of it, didn’t he just call me the ruler of the east?
How much truth is there in the words of this goblin from the west? I strained my eyes to find the answer to that.
“Of course, we will give you an appropriate reward. We are willing to give you a young elven lady as a reward.”
So an elf has finally made an appearance. If I recall correctly, they should be situated at the back regions, so it shouldn’t be easy to catch one. But then considering the goblin’s reproduction, it’s probably necessary to capture a female from some other species. To have another settlement like the village we have here where the breeding is covered solely by the female goblins would undoubtedly require a powerful king.
“So what is it that you wish of me?” I asked him.
“Please fight off one of the four tribes, Gaidga,” he replied.
“You are fighting with your fellow tribes?”
Is the west that blessed compared to us here who’re only able to barely acquire food for ourselves? But then again, there might also be threats of orcs, and perhaps even giant spiders deep in the forest.
“It’s embarrassing, however, the truth is that a curse has been cast upon us four tribes.”
“A curse?”
“A curse since ancient times. A curse that dictates that the one we bow to will be the king who will lead the goblins.”
Ho…
“I would like to help you, but this village is currently under repair.”
Gilmi opened his eyes wide upon hearing my words. It was as if what I said was out of his expectations. The goblin cast his eyes down as he seemingly began to ponder.
“Give me five days,” I said.
Like a string that had been strung, Gilmi quickly looked back at me. As I nodded generously, Gilmi bowed his head deep enough to touch the ground.
◇◇◆
“Change the name?” asked Gi Za, puzzled.
I lightly shook my head at the druid chief’s, Gi Za’s, questioning voice.
“To be more precise, I thought of giving another name,” I said.
“…Exactly what do you have in mind,” asked the old goblin.
As I nodded, I answered the old goblin’s inquiry.
“The village has grown bigger. Until now I’ve given simple names, but from here on we will be confronting the tribes.”
My vague words left the two puzzled as they both tilted their heads.
“Why do we need more names when confronting the tribe?”
At the old goblin’s inquiry, I nodded and answered.
“What do you think when you hear, the child of Gatsumi, Ra Gilmi?”
“As expected of someone from the tribes…”
When Gi Za heard the old goblin’s simple answer, his eyes opened wide.
“S-So that’s why.”
Gi Za’s face twisted into a smile. That mischievous smile of his doesn’t lose out to me. His smile is plenty dark.
Legitimate blood, a blood that can support a person. It doesn’t matter whether one is a human or a goblin, there’s a natural sense of respect for one who possesses that kind of blood.
Even I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Gilmi name himself. Thinking about it now, I was honestly surprised that time.
But if that’s the case, then we too must play that card.
Whenever one speaks of the tribes, there is an implication of pride in the olden blood.
A lineage to be respected.
If I were to say it myself, I think the lineage itself carries with it actual power.
“So what are you planning to do exactly? Are you going to give the new name to rare classes up?”
“No. I’ll start handing it out from noble classes. First, I’ll give Gi Ga one.”
“…I’ll call him.”
“Please.”
Gi Ga can’t walk, so I let Gi Za directly face him.
Gi Ga came as he pierced his spear, then he sat like that on the ground. Then place his one hand on the ground, he looked up to me.
“Gi Ga, I give you a new name,” I declared.
“That’s…” Gi Ga hesitated.
“Gi is the name of this village. Ga is the name I gave you. Thanks to your achievements in this recent battle, I give you the right to a household. Thus, I grant you a last name.”
“A right to a house?”
“If you wish, I could give you a village.”
My words left everyone in shock, causing them all to look on wide-eyed.
It’s the proof of the weight of my trust. And I won’t give a last name just to anyone, only those with enough strength will be worthy of one.
As I explained, Gi Ga’s body shook.
“King, am I unneeded?” asked Gi Ga.
“Don’t misunderstand. All I’m giving you is the right. If you so wish, then you can continue to stay beside me,” I responded.
But as proof of his honor and power, I will give him a last name.
“If at all possible, please let me serve under the king,” petitioned Gi Ga.
“I understand. But for the sake of rewarding you for the power you’ve shown me, accept this name.”
“By your will.”
“From here on, you are Gi Ga Rax.”
“I gratefully accept.”
In the same way, I named the others Gi Gu Verbena and Gi Go Amatsuki.
“By the way, King.”
After I had dismissed the noble class goblins from the King’s House, Gi Za asked me a question.
“What?”
“If you were to give me a last name, what would you give me?”
At that moment, a flash of inspiration shot through my mind, and I answered him with a huge grin on my face.
“How about Gi Za Za?” I jokingly replied.
It’s based on the same naming sense he suggested when we were thinking of a name for the gray wolves.
When said that to Gi Za, his face was visibly shocked as he went quiet.
“Ha ha ha… It’s a joke. I’ll leave the pleasure of thinking of a name for when you actually evolve.”
“Meanie king!”
“What? Even this is thanks to having a good teacher.”
I thoroughly enjoyed myself in this rare time of peace.
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.
Well, I couldn’t see any reason not to, so I answered, “Equip.”
When I did, the monocle faintly shone. Then as if it melted, it vanished.
“The monocle has been equipped. So it would appear you are a human of this world. The otherworlder hero being defeated sure was unexpected.”
A voice within my mind spoke of things that I couldn’t comprehend.
“I don’t really get it, but could you explain the situation to me?”
It’s definitely an item imbued with magic or something, so in order to understand its abilities, I tried talking to it.
“I am an apostle tasked with the duty of assisting the summoned hero. Or at the very least, I was supposed to support him.”
The voice seemed to be mocking itself.
“Putting it in a roundabout way, what did Mr. Apostle want to do?”
The boy I defeated was clearly strange.
I imagine the reason is probably this item, but the information I have is too little.
So I continued to inquire while trying to put up an apathetic attitude.
“What did Mr. Apostle or something… Actually, no. Forget it, it’s a pain. Rather than that, what did you do to me?”
The existence of apostles isn’t something I know. For the meantime, it seems that the voice is willing to talk, so I lent it my ear.
“As you are an actual citizen, the power granted will be limited. The abilities you received due to equipping me are ‘Appraisal Identification (The ability to see statuses and the likes) and ‘Help’.
These abilities are some of the abilities granted to a hero. They’re originally meant to be given to people who were transferred here, and turned into heroes though.”
In other words, it’s what you would call a ‘Hero Ability’. Which would mean that the person I defeated just now is that existence that I’ve once heard of before. An Otherworlder Hero.
I still have a number of questions, but there’s no reason for me to stay here in this village while it’s being pillaged. I should leave before I get caught up with this mess. To begin with, considering the fact that the battle here has reached this level, yet no reinforcements… or rather, friends, has come to aid the bandits. It should be safe to say that these bandits don’t have an organization.
If I fought them, I’m fairly certain I could kill them all, but I’d rather just make use of the chaos here, and leave. So I left.
So… the voice echoing inside my head is the effect of that ability, Help? I can’t say for sure if that’s really how it is as even I’m only able to vaguely understand it.
I carefully left the village in order to needlessly get caught up with others. After a while, I managed to get out of the village, and rest somewhere convenient.
Having reached a quiet place, I tried addressing that Help or whatever it is.
I find this way of talking strange too. But for some reason, when I equipped that item, the queerness of it all vanished.
“Help or whatever, can you explain the situation to me now?”
Although I didn’t really get it myself, I understood that I could talk with that apostle using this method.