Jigglypuff's Diary

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 3 Chapter 18

TL Note: Sorry about the lack of chapters last week. School has really ramped up as the sem’s about to end. Projects and exams and stuff everywhere. And it really didn’t help that I wasted too much time trying to align those blasted walls, or that I spent too much time chasing after power armors, or romancing curie… Geralt didn’t help either. (I didn’t have a video card for a loooooong time).

Anyway I‘ll release a chapter of GK tomorrow for this week, but there won’t be a chapter for both series for the next two weeks. Yes, exams and projects for both weeks. On the bright side, after that, I’ll speed up the releases during the break, and open the extra chapters up again.

I’ll try and see if I can get some chapters done during my studies, so there might be a multi–release on the 13th when I resume translating. Anyway, that’s all, enjoy.

P.S. For anyone crashing with an R9 390 on win 10 on FO4, I solved my problems by restarting the game over and over and over. 😀

Volume 3 Chapter 18

We spent five days in the carriage.

During that time, I took care of the cooking duties and learned how to handle horses from Mizelia-san and Miya-san.

I was tasked with the cooking because my cooking was the best in the group.

In exchange, the other jobs were mostly taken care of by the others. For example, although we were attacked a lot by the goblins, I didn’t have to go out and fight as Raypin-san would swiftly take care of them each and every time.

Consequently, I ended up with plenty of time in my hands. I’ve heard that horseback riding is quite useful, so I asked Miya-san and Mizelia-san if they could teach me, and they happily complied.

The thing though is that I didn’t know how to ride horses back in my previous life either, so even until now, I’m still learning how to ride them.

“You’ve already got the basics down. All that’s left is for you to practice and get used to it.” [Mizelia]
“Thank you. Mizelia-san.” [Ryouma]

Mizelia-san may have given me her approval, but I haven’t really gotten the basics down just yet. If I don’t practice, I’ll probably forget it immediately, so… should I buy a carriage? But there’s not really a lot of opportunities to use it, so it’s kind of a waste. It’s not just buying a carriage either too as I’ll need to buy a horse. Eh, I’ll just think about it later.

4 hours passed and we finally closed in to the village that’s closest to the forest. 20 more minutes passed, and the village gates entered our sight.

From hereon it’s going to get crowded with people so I switched with Mizelia-san, and then gazed at the village. This village is a lot quieter compared to Gimuru, but it’s bustling too in its own way.

Along the way I noticed that the houses here were are all made out of wood. I guess their forests must be thriving.

Caught up in my thoughts, before I knew it, we were already at the lodging’s entrance. There were 3 men and 4 women in our group, so we took 2 rooms, and then we made way for the adventurer’s guild. There, we gathered information about the places that the treants frequented. Afterwards, we prepared for tomorrow.

Tomorrow

“Is everyone ready, de gozaru?” [Asagi]

At Asagi-san’s question we all nodded, and then we entered the forest.

Leading in front was Miya-san and Mizelia-san, followed by Syria-san and Wereanna-san, and then by Raypin-san, and finally Asagi-san.

The forest is dimly lit and dense. If it were only that then it wouldn’t be different form the Forest of Gana, but for some reason, the atmosphere in the forest was suffocating.

“Oh? We’ve already found one. Miya, look. 20 meters ahead of us, there’s a tree that’s somewhat thicker than the others, de aru.” [Raypin]
“Is that it, nyaa?” [Miya]
“That’s right.” [Raypin]

At Raypin-san’s words, Miya-san pointed towards the tree. The tree was a needle-leaved tree with a diameter of 30cm to 40cm. Its height was around 4 meters high. It looked almost exactly the same as the trees around it. It was slightly bigger than the others, but that’s not really something that you’d notice at a glance.

After Raypin-san confirmed that the tree was a treant, and after we were sure that there were no other treants around it, Miya-san and Mizelia-san headed towards it with a one-handed axe in hand.

When Miya-san and Mizelia-san neared the tree, its branches suddenly curved. And like a whip it lashed with its branches from above towards the two. The two dodged it, but the treant’s branches could curve surprisingly well as it attempted to wrap around Mizelia-san.

Mizelia-san struck back with her axe, and at the same time – although I couldn’t really see her well as she appeared as nothing more than a shadow from where I was – she bashed the treant with her axe.

Immediately after, the branches began to droop, then the tree lurched. With the fight over, they waved at us, calling us over. When we got to where they were, Miya-san lodged her axe into the treant’s face.

“If you dodge the branches and hit it like this, you can beat it in one hit, nyaa.” [Miya]
“The fight is fairly easy when it’s 1 on 1, so if ever we come across another lone treant, Ryouma, you should try fighting it.” [Mizelia]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]

While Miya-san and Mizelia-san were giving me advice, I noticed Raypin-san making a difficult face.

“Raypin-san, is something the matter?” [Ryouma]
“We found one too fast. Treants generally prefer living in the inner part of the forest, so it’s quite rare for one to be seen this close to the village, de aru.” [Raypin]

Come to think of it, the guild hadn’t mentioned anything about treants appearing by the entrance either.

“If it’s like this, then there might be quite a number of them deep in the forest, de aru.” [Raypin]
“There’s also the possibility that a treant just got lost, but we still shouldn’t be careless, de gozaru.” [Asagi]

Those words reminded us to be cautious, so we immediately focused our senses. Then we cut the branches of the treant, and stored it into Raypin-san’s ‘Dimension Home’. After which, we began to walk again.

After walking for a while, we found another treant.

“Ryouma, how about trying this one, de aru?” [Raypin]
“Sure.” [Ryouma]

I stepped forward and unsheathed my weapon. The weapon I have is shaped like a blade, but it’s actually a big iron slime. Incidentally, its sheath is a big metal slime.

Thanks to the ‘hardening’ skill, the blade is more than strong enough to be used as a weapon. Moreover, it’s also sharp enough too. On top of that, in the unlikely instance where my sword gets bent, the slime can reform itself immediately, fixing my weapon in an instant.

Using ‘Magic Detection’, I ascertain my target. Circulating my ki, I clad both my sword and body it in it as I wielded my sword, raising it right in front of me. The treant this time around is thinner compared to the last. As soon as I entered its range, one of its branches came whipping at me from above.

I dodged the whipping branch, and at the same time, I moved to the right and confirmed the location of the lump that is its weak point. Without any hesitation, I took my sword and slashed at it, smoothly cutting the lump off.

A voice that sounded like a throe resounded as the lump fell down to the ground where its roots were. Then just as the treant before it, its branches drooped, and it ceased to move. The battle had ended with a lone stroke from my blade. With the battle over, the others walked over to help collect the treant, and then we made our way through the forest again to look for another.

What’s scary about treants is that they are able to blend themselves in with the surrounding trees, making their surprise attacks fairly formidable. However, that also goes to mean that if you could spot them before entering their attacking range, the treants lose their fangs. In any case, one on one doesn’t seem to be a problem. How the fights will go when there’s a forest of them however… we’ll have to see.

We continued our treant hunting in the forest until the afternoon, subjugating them, then storing the logs in the ‘Dimension Home’. Then around the time I was finally getting used to fighting them, we spotted a forest of treants. With everyone’s help, we managed to annihilate all of those too.

But their numbers were still a staggering one-hundred and forty-seven. Even though the place they were at was supposedly a place often frequented by people as a resting place, the only thing we could see was an ever extending forest. This wasn’t in the information provided by the guild.

“We still have time, so there’s no need to rush the acquisition of treant lumber. More than that, I believe it’d be best to inform the guild about the treants’ number, de gozaru.” [Asagi]

True… There are far too many treants here in the forest compared to what the guild’s information said. We have already gathered a total of 200 treant lumbers. While the minimum we had planned to gather was only 300. With more than half of that quota already met, I suppose it really might be for the best that we go back to the village first.

And so we left the forest and quickly went to the guild where we reported our findings. There, we spoke to the female receptionist at the reception desk. After we explained the situation, the receptionist said this with a docile face.

“Thank you very much. Actually, just a moment ago, a group of people who had seen the strange state of the forest just as your group has, dropped by. And so we were actually in the process of sending someone out to investigate.” [Female Receptionist]
“I see… Would you happen to have any ideas what could possibly be causing this outbreak of treants?” [Raypin]
“There’s a possibility that there’s an Elder Treant. To begin with there are plenty of treants deep in the forest near this town, and sightings of it has also been reported once some years ago. I don’t know why, but it’s said that when an elder treant is born, a great number of treants will spring forth around it.” [Female Receptionist]
“So it’s as expected, de aru… Will you mind if we enter the forest? What are the rules regarding that?” [Raypin]
“Please do as you like. As long as you’re A Rank or B Rank, then there won’t be any problem.” [Female Receptionist]

Actually, I’m an E Rank, but I think I’ll just keep quiet. Besides she doesn’t look like she’s planning on stopping just me from going into the forest too anyway. And since we’re going into the forest either way, the female receptionist made us take a request to subjugate the treants.

Adventurers can actually take on multiple requests at the same time. Especially when those requests happen to be close to each other, and when the adventurers have some leeway to work with. Since it’s an easy way to make more income, it’s not really uncommon to do it.

This time around for example, by taking both the request to subjugate the treants near this town, and while taking on the request to gather treant lumber, we’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone, and receive the reward for both requests. It won’t take us much extra effort too, since one request is to gather lumber, which of course requires subjugating treants anyway, so it’s all pluses and no minuses.

After gathering the necessary information and accepting the treant subjugation request, we had nothing to do until tomorrow. So in order not to put that time to waste, I entered the hyperspace room, and began training with my slimes. Today the focus of the training are the poison slimes.

While doing our usual practice, it suddenly occurred to me what would happen if I handed Melzen’s Spear to a poison slime. I think it might be a bit heavy, but I’m sure it’ll manage somehow, and successfully use it as a spear. But then… Melzen’s Spear is also a magic weapon, will it be able to use its magic properties too?

Slimes do release magic power when they evolve. Moreover, I’ve also confirmed that they absorb that magic power as they complete their evolution. Is that magic power something that comes out only when they evolve? Or are they able to use that magic power any time?

My mind on fire, I called out one of the poison slimes, and made it release magic power. Surprisingly, it actually easily succeeded at releasing it! If it’s like this, then this might just work!

Filled with anticipation, I took out Melzen’s spear, and handed it over to the poison slime before me. As I ordered it to load the spear with magic power, a vigorous fire erupted from the tip of the spear.

It worked!

“Can you swing the spear while releasing magic power?” [Ryouma]

The poison slime began to swing the fire breathing spear. The spear’s a bit heavy, so its movements are a bit duller than normal… but it seems it can at least use it. But then its movements began to grow duller and duller.

“Slimes are supposedly tireless. They shouldn’t know the meaning of the word, fatigue, and yet… Could it be magic exhaustion?” [Ryouma]

As I was about to order the slime to stop, the poison slime suddenly dropped the spear, and it became smaller.

“Why!?” [Ryouma]

Panicked, I quickly rushed over to it, but fortunately, nothing else seems to be wrong. Only, it’s a bit weak. Its body is around half that of a normal poison slime, and its movements have become slow. For the meantime, let’s observe it while feeding it some poison attribute magic power.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s because of ‘Compression’ that it’s body has shrunk. Besides, a mere poison slime shouldn’t have the ‘Compression’ skill.” [Ryouma]

I identified it with ‘Monster Identify’, and just as expected, it didn’t have the ‘Compression’ skill. Then why? Why is it smaller? Is it because I made it use magic? I can’t think of any other explanation other than that, But if that’s the case, then why would magic power cause its body to shrink?

“Body… Magic power… Could it be, it’s consuming it?” [Ryouma]

I don’t have any positive proof, but if a slime’s body were to be made out of magic power, then it would make sense why it’d grow weaker and smaller from using magic power. I can’t think of any other reason; this has to be it.

But then… magic power is not something that you could normally see with the human eye, and neither is it something that you could touch… but at the same time, it’s true that slimes’ bodies disappear when they die. So if the body of slimes were to be made out of magic power, it would make perfect sense why their bodies just vanish on death, but… if that’s the case, then…

“… I should probably leave this at this for now. In any case, I’ve managed to come up with the hypothesis that slimes’ bodies are made out of magic power. I should talk to Raypin-san about this later, and ask for his opinion. Yeah, let’s do that.” [Ryouma]

After that I left the ‘Dimension Home’, and while having supper, I asked Raypin-san about the slimes, but apparently he didn’t know either. To begin with, giving a high class magic weapon to a slime is unheard of, and when he heard that slimes could release magic power, he was shocked.

In the end, the conclusion we both came to is that there’s a possibility to my hypothesis. Magical beasts do have more magical power in them compared to normal animals, and even those who can’t use magic are not an exception. So it’s not really that strange that slimes possess magic power.

But for it to shrink after using magic power, even though the earth slimes and the heal slimes don’t is something I just don’t understand. It seems I need to research more…

The next day.

We entered the forest today too, and hunted treants to gather lumber. We already knew that there’d be a lot of treants, but I still can’t wrap my head around just how many there are… We’ve been hunting since morning until noon, and so far with the previous day’s spoils together, we’ve already gathered 600 treant lumbers in total.

“Space is about to run out in the ‘Dimension Home’ so I believe we should end today’s work here, de aru.” [Raypin]

Since we’ve already completed our goal, and since we still have time left, everyone agreed, and we ended today’s work here. But while walking back out of the forest, Raypin-san suddenly pointed, and exclaimed,

“Ryouma! Look at that, de aru!” [Raypin]

In the direction Raypin-san was pointing, was a small, green sphere floating amidst the trees with a large fluff of dandelion attached above it.

What is that?

“What is that?” [Ryouma]
“It’s a slime!” [Raypin]
“Slime!?’ [Ryouma]
“It’s a fluff slime, a slime with the power to fly! I don’t believe Ryouma’s ever raised one though, de aru.” [Raypin]
“True, I’ve definitely never raised one. In fact, I didn’t even know about it. Would it be possible to catch it now?” [Ryouma]
“A simple task, de aru. ‘Pick Up’“ [Raypin]

Raypin-san stretched his hand out towards the flying slime, and chanted a spell. Then suddenly, the slime appeared right in front of Raypin-san’s hand, floating in the airspace directly in front of it.

“What was that magic?” [Ryouma]
“’Pick Up’, a space magic that teleports the target near the caster’s hand. It can only be used when the target can be seen. It’s not an easy magic to aim, so there are few who use it. Depending on the target, it’s possible to catch something without harming it, so it’s quite useful. I’ve been using this magic in order to gather magical beasts for my research, de aru. I used this to catch grell frogs too.” {Raypin}
“I see…” [Ryouma]

Come to think of it, he did mention catching grell frogs with magic. I guess he must’ve been referring to this magic then.

“Rather than that, hurry up and contract with it. We can’t exactly be certain that we’re safe here either, de aru.” [Raypin]
“Right.” [Ryouma]

I hurriedly contracted with the fluff slime. Looking at it closely, it’s about the size of a fist. A slime that could be carried in one’s hands.

After contracting with it, I stored it in the ‘Dimension Home’. I thanked everyone along with Raypin-san for keeping watch while I contracted with it, then we began walking again.

After some time of walking, we got to the village before the sun had fully set. I quickly went back to our lodging, and used ‘Monster Identify’ on the fluff slime.

Fluff Slime
Skills
Flight Lv1
Growth Acceleration Lv5
Lighten Lv10
Photosynthesis Lv3
Absorption Lv1
Split Lv8

It has photosynthesis, so I guess it doesn’t need digestion. As for absorption, that’s for water. And this flight and growth acceleration… it’s my first time seeing these kind of skills. And then this split level… it’s high! Then again something that looks like a dandelion fluff is attached to it, so I suppose it multiplies just like one too?

For the meantime, in order to understand its skills better, I lifted the fluff slime up, and made it use ‘Lighten’. Immediately, the fluff slime became so light to the point it seemed like it wasn’t even there. It was quite light to begin with, but even then it still had some weight. Yet now it was as if even that little weight had disappeared. It was really light.

But it can only use the skill on itself. Then again, if it could use it on other things too, that’d be just way too convenient for others not to notice. How to say this… it’s so light, it feels like it’s about to float.

It’s flight ability is probably because of this. A little sway from my arm seems to be more than enough to send it flying. But really, rather than flight, floating would be more apt. It seems it can fall to the ground by manipulating its weight to some extent, but the speed and direction is all up to the wind, and it can’t do anything about it.

After observing the fluff slime, I asked Raypin-san a couple of things. And apparently, the fluff slime can go quite far by being dragged by the wind, so it could be seen almost anywhere. However, it doesn’t reproduce much.

Don’t reproduce much? But why? Even though it’s level in splitting is so high.

When I asked that, apparently just as I had thought, the slime splits like a dandelion fluff would, but not all of the fluff would become a slime.

Moreover, it’s irritating to have so many fluff floating around, so a nearby village would send people to exterminate it.

After we complete this request and I get some free time, I should go and see what this fluff slime can do.

Goblin Kingdom Volume 1 Chapter 19: Gray Wolf

TL Note: This is the chapter for yesterday, yeah I know… I’m late again. Lemme see if I can get it on time this time.

Beast Tamer -> Beast Warrior. (I really don’t know why I called it beast tamer to begin with. Maybe cause he tames beasts? but eh… it says beast warrior and he’s a warrior so let’s go with that)

Chapter 19: Gray Wolf

[Race] Goblin
[Level] 12
[Class] Duke; Horde Chief
[Possessed Skills] <<Horde Commander>> <<Insurgent Will>> <<Overpowering Howl>> <<Swordsmanship B->> <<Insatiable Desire>> <<Distant Soul>> <<A Ruler’s Wisdom I>> <<Eyes of the Blue Snake>> <<Dance at Death’s Border>> <<The Red Snake’s Eye>> <<Magic Manipulation>> <<Soul of a Crazed Warrior>>
[Divine Protection] Goddess of the Underworld, Altesia
[Attributes] Darkness, Death
[Subordinate Beasts] Kobold (Lv9)
[Abnormal Status] <<Charm of the Saint>>

It took us around a day of walking west before we finally found a cave.

That cave had an extremely narrow entrance, making it look like nothing but a crack in a giant piece of rock. But interestingly enough, its interior is actually quite wide.

“Gi, Gii!?”

A large number of goblins were hanging out by the entrance of the cave. It should be fine though as I highly doubt that they’d attack.

“Gi Gu, Gi Gi,” I said, calling out to the two goblins. “Go inside, and ask their chief to come out.”

“Understood,” replied the two.

Then from the goblins I’ve brought with me, I picked eight more and made them go as well. As for the remaining two goblins, I had them patrol and hunt some preys while we waited for the others to return.

I could’ve gone to the cave myself, but I didn’t because of the cave’s entrance. It’s too narrow.

In fact, it’s so narrow that a goblin rare is about all that could fit. Even a goblin noble who is only one size bigger would find itself hard pressed to try and pass through. What more someone like me who is pretty much a walking mass of rock? I’d have to whittle myself with something first if I wanted to pass through that.

But that’d be stupid and inefficient, so instead of doing something so pointless, I sent the two to ask their chief to come out instead.

Besides, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about since Gi Ga possesses the skill, <<Beast Warrior>>. With that skill he’s able to take a triple boar along.

It’s also partially due to his limits that we brought that thing, but surprisingly, it’s actually proven to be quite the boon to us. In a narrow cave like that, who’d be able to dodge the triple boar?

So with that, I was able to patiently wait for them without any worries. And after some time of waiting, voices reminiscent of jeering reached my ears.

“It would appear that they’ve arrived,” muttered the old goblin.

At his words, I turned my head, and there, a goblin rare stood in between Gi Gu and Gi Gi.

“Are you the chief of this horde?” I asked as I looked down on it, exuding an aura of dignity.

“On– your knees!” yelled Gi Gi as he forcibly made the goblin rare kneel.

While Gi Gi was manhandling the goblin, I couldn’t help but catch something quite curious. The goblin rare in front of me seems to be severely scarred. Some, old. Some, new. And some were even fresh.

“Answer the king’s question!” pestered Gi Gu.

“I am indeed the chief of this horde,” said the goblin proudly as it courageously gazed at me. Its firm resolve could be visibly seen reflected on its eyes.

Although only a little, I suddenly found interest for this goblin sprout from within me. And to think I was actually thinking of just lopping its head off.

“What kind of goblin is the chief of this horde?” I asked.

Having had a change of heart, I decided to approach things a bit differently.

“A friendly goblin we have known for generations. He is gentle. His feelings of camaraderie are strong even amongst goblins and…”

Before the old goblin could prattle on, I interjected, saying,

“In other words…”

In other words the old goblin does not want to kill this goblin.

“This goblin is exceptional,” I continued.

“Yes, that’s exactly it!” agreed the old goblin.

I glanced at the goblin rare once again, and then said,

“Become my subordinate.”

I don’t need unnecessary words.

Whether you reply with a yes, or whether you reply with a no. That is everything to me.

“Under the condition that you save the goblins under me,” bargained the goblin.

Without any hesitation, I nodded at the goblin rare who had its head still bowed on the ground.

Save, huh? Come to think of it, all of the subordinates of this goblin rare are thin all over. In fact, even this goblin rare itself is thin.

“I’ll give you food,” I said.

Then along with those words, I had the food we smoked prior to coming here along with the preys we had hunted along the way brought out, showing it off to the goblin rare and its horde.

“And I’ll even give you a name,” I added.

Dumfounded, the goblin rare could only stare at the food before it. Then when I called out to it, it looked up to me in surprise with its mouth still hanging.

“I name you Gi Go. After this, leave this cave and come live in my village,” I ordered.

At those words, Gi Go prostrated itself before me. Satisfied, I began to walk out of the village. But at that moment, Gi Go suddenly spoke.

“Ah, chief. Please wait,” said Gi Go as it quickly followed after me.

At that, I turned back to it. Then with a stiff posture it began to talk about the dangers of this land.

Apparently there is a dangerous beast living in this part of the forest.

And according to the old goblin, it’s known as the gray wolf. With a number of subordinates under it, it’s reputed as the forest’s hunter.

Then Gi Go continued in fear, mentioning that the gray wolf eats enough food to feed its pack. Even going as far as to eat its own kind.

Curious however is that for some reason we still haven’t come across that ferocious beast.

But if that beast is really around, then wouldn’t that mean that we wouldn’t be able to go back to the village unless we deal with it first?

The food I gave them won’t last long either.

I need to do something about that beast or I won’t be able to leave.

“Hmph, then in that case, I just have to kill it, right?”

At that bold proclamation, I ordered Gi Go to bring goblins that can fight. At the same time, I ordered Gi Gu and Gi Gi to stand guard.

Counting our forces, the goblins that can fight from Gi Go total to 28. With my own goblins, that numbers to 38.

The number of goblins that can’t fight is 20. And we need to protect all 20 goblins from the beasts while we move out.

After thinking for a bit, I decided to divide the horde into four squads.

Gi Go will be leading the main unit. Being the most appropriate person for the job, I decided to leave to it the duty of protecting the group that can’t fight while they evacuate to my village.

Then escorting the main unit is Gi Gu’s group who will be there protecting their flanks. Having originally come from my village, the goblins in Gi Gu’s squad excel at rock throwing and covering for others.

Should the gray wolf come to attack, then Gi Gu’s squad will hold them off while the main unit escapes ahead.

Thirdly, Gi Gi’s beast warrior squad will be leading the whole horde.

The beasts’ noses are good, so with them leading, they should be able to detect the foes from a distance.

And finally, the last squad will be led by me. Stopping the wolves will be my duty.

With the strategy decided, I distributed the goblins to their respective squads. Then afterwards, I immediately ordered Gi Go to have everyone prepare for departure.

Right, we can’t afford to waste even one of these goblins.

◆◇◆

It will take us around a day of walking to get to my village from the cave.

Unlike humans the goblins don’t have any valuable possessions, so if it weren’t for the differences between the warriors and the non-combatants, then we would be able to get to the village in only one day.

In fact, we didn’t even bring any unnecessary food with us either as it’s imperative that we get to the village as soon as possible.

The one leading is Gi Gi’s beast warrior squad. His triple boars and his wild dogs lead the way, using their senses to ascertain that the path is safe. And from behind that squad followed Gi Go’s squad.

And protecting the flanks is Gi Gu who paid careful attention to its surroundings as they gathered food along the way. Gi Gu is quite the honest goblin, so Gi Gu made sure to get the gathered food distributed to the main unit.

As for me, I was walking at the very back, paying careful attention to the surroundings as I followed the rest of the group.

There are only five goblins around me, but should the worst case happen, then these guys might have to sacrifice themselves in order to thwart the wolves’ pursuit.

Then halfway through our path, Gi Gi contacted me.

Apparently, the beasts won’t proceed any further.

–––Is it coming?

“Gi Go, take the rest of your squad with you and go ahead!”

At those words, the squad in front became noisy. With the main unit being that noisy, it would normally be the center of attention, but…

“Gi Gu, escort the main unit!”

But if my prediction is correct, then–––

“Uwooooo!”

As a great howl resounded from the back.

I unsheathed Iron Second, and firmly wielded it in my hands.

Then with its pack following from behind, the gray wolf appeared.

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 3 Chapter 17

TL Note:
~ For edits later ~

Volume 3 Chapter 17

After school the three girls chatted at a corner of the school’s courtyard. It was a good opportunity, so they decided to chat and get to know each other some more. But just as they were about to finish, Michelle suddenly said,

“Hey, how about we form our own group?” [Michelle]

In this school, there are assignments or practical work invovling magic or swordsmanship that needs to be done in groups. However these groups aren’t decided by the instructors or by the school, rather they’re decided by the students themselves.

If the school tried to forcibly dictate the groups, then the nobles would get mad. Part of the reason is because of compatibilitiy between the members, but there’re also those who simply don’t want to be in the same group as commoners.

However, in cases where there are students leftover without any groups, then they need to be taken in by other groups that don’t have enough members. Neither the commoners nor the nobles have any say in this. But of course, it’s not hard to imagine how uncomfortable of a situation that would be.

Elia and Michelle may not have any problems regarding groups, but of course it’s still best to make a group with people that you get along with ahead of time. And that’s why Michelle suggested to make a group, while Elia and Miyabi immediately agreed.

“But if we’re making a group, then we’ll have to gather two or three more members. We need five or six to make a group after all.” [Elia]

“Yeah, otherwise we’ll end up with students we don’t know.” [Michelle]

“Without considering social standing or anythin’, can ya two think of anyone?” [Miyabi]

“I can think of one.” [Michelle]

“Who?” [Elia]

“Liera Clifford, the eldest daughter of the Baron Clifford.” [Michelle]

“Baron Clifford… From what I know, he used ta be a knight, but after pilin’ up achievement after achievement, he became a baron. Nowadays, they’re known for raisin’ some oustandin’ knights.” [Miyabi]

“Exactly. Her pride’s a bit high, and she won’t shut up when it comes to rules, but she doesn’t look down on commoners, and she honestly acknowledges anyone with skill. She treats commoners as if they’re equal too.” [Michelle]

“She’s certainly qualified. Is she someone you know?” [Elia]

“There was a point in time where we saw each other a lot. But because of my research and because of her training, we’ve rarely had the chance to lately.” [Michelle]

Like this, the three of them agreed to invite Liera Clifford. And immediately, they went to find her.

The place they went to was the training area for swordsmen. As soon as they got there, Michelle pointed at a corner and said,

“She’s over there, let’s go.” [Michelle]

With Michelle leading, the three went over to a corner of the training area where a female student zealously praticed her sword as she gave off a frigid aura. With the girl’s height tall for her age and a face that could easily pass as that of a beauty’s, she stood out. Then from the group of male students that was watching her from a distance came Michelle’s voice.

“Liera, could you come with me for a bit?” [Michelle]

“Michelle? What’s the matter? And that person is…” [Liera]

“Calm down first, then we’ll talk.” [Michelle]

Michelle took Liera with her and left the training area. Following after her were Elia and Miyabi. They then sat at a resting area with few people. On the way, Michelle had already explained to Liera about their plan.

“I see, so you came to invite me… Alright, then in that case, I’d be grateful if you added me into your group.” [Liera]

“Really?” [Elia]

“That’s great!” [Michelle]

Elia and Michelle were both delighted, but Miyabi didn’t look to be fazed at all as she asked Liera,

“Ya sure you’re okay with this? From what I’ve heard, ya have the highest grades in swordsmanship, and many people have already tried ta get ya ta join them.” [Miyabi]

“It’s true that I’ve received plenty of invitations, but they’re all from people I can’t get along with. People who only see me as a tool to raise their grades, or people who don’t even have the slightest decorum to hide their perverted gazes… And more than that, I can’t agree with people who despise commoners. I don’t want to be grouped up with people who mistake their haughtiness for pride.” [Liera]

Although still a student, Liera’s soul was already that of a fine knight.

It was in this way that Liera became their friend. And the four began to discuss who to ask next.

“I can’t think of anyone. To begin with, I don’t have a lot of connections, so…” [Liera]

“Liera’s been obsessing over her sword ever since after all.” [Michelle]

“Well aren’t you one to talk? Even though you’re exactly the same when it comes to your research.” [Liera]

“True, then in that case, I guess we’ll have to rely on Miyabi. I mean you’re a merchant, right Miyabi? I reckon you must have a lot of connections.” [Michelle]

“Even if ya tell me that, I don’t have that many either… It’s only been a month since enrolling, ya see? So… and besides the number of students that haven’t been included in a group has also decreased a lot, ya know? And more than anything, don’t ya all think it’d be best if we got another girl as our member? After all, we’re all girls here.” [Miyabi]

“If it’s possible, then a girl would be best. Although as long as he won’t look at us with a discomforting gaze, then even a guy would be fine.” [Liera]

“It’s because your style is so good.” [Elia]

“I know right? We were just around the same level in the past too… I wonder why the gap is so big now… Even the parts that should be tightened are tightened.” [Michelle]

“Where are you looking!?” [Liera]

“Hmm… everywhere?” [Michelle]

“Don’t look!” [Liera]

“Now, now, please calm down. Anyway, we can’t seem ta think of anyone, huh?” [Miyabi]

“It’s not like there’re none though.” [Elia]

“Well yeah, but the group’s balance will be affected. Right now, I can think of four people, but amongst those, three want ta be magicians. And even now, the only one who can fight in close combat amongst us is Liera. If we took two of the people I have in mind, then we’ll end up with six magicians and one swordsman.” [Miyabi]

“True…. the balance would definitely be quite bad in that case.” [Elia]

“It’s not like I’m fussing over the grades or anything, but there’s also some danger in our assignments and training.” [Miyabi]

“It’d be tough for me to defend five. Once we’re surrounded, it’s over. The teacher will also be watching and supporting over us during training, but it’s not good to rely on that. If we could another swordsman more it would be great, but…” [Liera]

“Unfortunately the last person I have in mind won’t be a swordsman either. The people I have in mind can fight to some extent though. I mean one of them can do some covert ops and put up some traps. A person well inclined for scouting in other words. And…- Well speak of the devil, looks like she’s actually here.” [Miyabi]

“*Sniff… I was rejected again…” [Girl]

As Miyabi said that, Elia and the others looked at where Miyabi was looking. Some distance from where they were was a seemingly vigorous girl with dog ears and short hair sitting there with her head down.

“Her?” [Michelle]

“Her name is Kanan. A commoner. She’s skilled with her hands and specialsizes in making small accessories and other crafts. Ta keep the story short, she’s an artisan. Apparently she wants ta take her classes ta that direction as soon as she finishes her basic classes.” [Miyabi]

“I see… so now what?” [Michelle]

“As long as her personality’s good, I have no complaints. Even if she can’t fight, I’ll do my best to protect her.” [Liera]

“Same here.” [Elia]

“Aight, I’ll go ahead and call her over then.” [Miyabi]

As Miyabi said that, she called out to the girl whose head was drooped. When the girl heard Miyabi’s voice, she raised her head and saw Miyabi.

“Kanan-han, are you free right now?” [Miyabi]

“Eh!? Ah, you’re Miyabi-san, right? Do you need something from me?” [Kanan]

“I’m looking for members ta invite ta our group. And seeing ya here, I thought I’d invite ya too.” [Miyabi]

“Really!?” [Kanan]

Soon as she heard Miyabi’s words, Kanan enthusiastically agreed. Kanan’s overly vigorous agreement as she took Miyabi’s hands, shocked Miyabi.

“In any case, the other members are also here, so let’s go meet with them.” [Miyabi]

“Yes, please!” [Kanan]

Miyabi brought Kanan to where Elia and the others were, and with her sparkling eyes and her loud voice, Kanan greeted the others full of zeal.

“My name is Kanan Shuza! It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” [Kanan]

Having noticed her last name, Michelle was the first to reply.

“Nice to meet you too. By the way, by Shuza do you mean…” [Michelle]

As soon as Michelle began to talk about her last name, Kanan’s face grew cloudy, so Michelle bit her tongue and kept herself from asking any further. But because Kanan already knew what Michelle wanted to ask, she answered.

“Yes. I come from a reputable family of magic artisans. I am a daughter of the Shuza family. However, I am a dunce when it comes to magic craftsmanship, so please don’t expect anything from me in that regard.” [Kanan]

“A dunce?” [Michelle]

“Actually, I am a specialist enchanter of the enchantment branch of magic.” [Kanan]

“I see…” [Michelle]

“Sorry, but can you explain?” [Liera]

Kanan, Michelle, and Miyabi seemed to understand the situation, but Liera and Elia didn’t, so Kanan began to explain about enchantment magic.

When one refers to enchantment magic, what they’re actually referring to is the magic responsible for creating magic tools, weapons, and or armors. However, the only ones who can use that magic are the descendants of enchanters. Story says that a long itme ago, the first ones to use enchantment magic were a number of people who were born with a special constitution. And today, the only ones who can use that magic are those who carry the originals’ blood in their veins.

As their descendants have increased, there are people being born today who are able to use enchantment magic. Within those people, however, is sometimes born a special enchanter who possesses the same kind of constitution as those of the first ones. These people are unable to use any magic other than enchantment.

“In enchantment magic, it’s essential to be able to use both enchant magic and the magic you want to enchant into the object. But because I’m only able to use one type of magic, I haven’t been able to create a single magic tool for anyone.” [Kanan]

“So that’s why… I asked you something sensitive, I’m sorry.” [Liera]

“Not at all! You’re recruiting me after all! So it’s only a given for me to answer whatever questions you have!” [Kanan]

As soon as Kanan said that out loud, the group made up their mind. Of course, it’s a given that entering a group that will be undergoing perilous trials will require an interview of some sort regarding what one can and can’t do. However, whether one can say his or her weaknesses out loud is another question. It might be important information, but that fact alone doesn’t make it easy to say. There are those would try to say it, but make it vague. While there’re those with worse personalities who wouldn’t hesitate to lie through their teeth.

The fact that Kanan was able to say something like that out loud goes to show that she’s a trustworthy person. And the four girls understood that very well.

“I have no complaints with her.” [Liera]

“I’m also in agreement.” [Michelle]

“I’d also like to have her as a part of our group.” [Elia]

“Then it’s decided.” [Miyabi]

When those words entered Kanan’s ears, her jaws dropped to the floor. And what came out of her mouth were these words,

“Eh… you- would take me? Me? Even though I can’t use magic? Even though I’m mostly a beginner at swordsmanship?” [Kanan]

“You don’t have to worry over something like that.” [Elia]

“Ability comes second.” [Michelle]

“If you can’t fight, then I’ll protect you.” [Liera]

“So with that, we’ll be welcoming you, Kanan-han. But of course, if you don’t want to, then we won’t force ya.” [Miyabi]

“Of course not!! Thank you very much!! I’ve been refused so many times, I didn’t know what to do anymroe!! I’ll be in your care!![Kanan]

Today, Kanan succeeded at avoiding a disastrous school life. Although after this she later found out that all of the three girls aside from Miyabi were all nobles. Moreover, two of them were daughters of a duke and an earl. This fact greatly shocked her, but that’s not really important.

What’s important is that the five of them had managed to make friends that they’re able to talk to easily. They might quarrel from time to time, but there’s no doubt that their school life has become better than ever.

Ashes and Kingdoms – Synopsis

Within the long decaying empire, in the northern borders where the public order has been crumbling, beasts of darkness threaten the livelihood of the people. Phineas, a young boy who works as a miller, is forced to leave with his family, away from the windmill, to take refuge in a town ruled by the brigands who were once the army. This is the story of a boy who goes on a journey with the support of his family and his friends to find a quiet place they can call home.

Syosetsu Link: CLICK HERE

It has a light novel version too

Amazon Link: CLICK HERE BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW IT’S IN JAPANESE

TL Note: Not picking this series up, it’s just the synopsis. I saw this in my documents folder while cleaning up, and I thought I’d post this since it’d be a waste not to. It’s one of the series I was considering picking up.

Don’t know how good it is, but I hear it’s quite good. I dropped it because I wasn’t in the mood to read this kind of story at the time. It’s a bit serious I think, though I’m not all that sure as I dropped it as soon as it showed signs of becoming a bit more serious than I was in the mood for. Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll read it again… (I mean that light novel cover is just so appetizing…) but nah I don’t have time… damn it.

TLDR: I’m just sharing a synopsis I translated, since it’d be a waste not to. No new series or anything.

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 2 PDF is out!

Hey guys, so Usi’s emailed me the pdf for volume 2. Here are the changes:

* Fixed the grammar and punctuation where needed.
* Changed Shell to Shale to be consistent with v1.
* Updated and expanded Glossary with new info in v2 and descriptions of Jamil family from the raws.
* Changed the comma to a dash in front of ‘de aru’ and ‘de gozaru’ to keep consistent with v1. (ex. hello, de aru –> hello –de aru)
* Changed the ‘character speaking’ ending from ‘- Shale’ to ‘[Shale]’ to be consistent with the majority of v2 and all of v3.
* Changed Lenny –> Reni in sections where it had not been changed yet (beginning in ch.6)
* Changed Karma –> Carm in places that hadn’t been changed yet (beginning in chapter 11)

Download Link: CLICK HERE FOR MEDIAFIRE LINK

Goblin Kingdom – Volume 1 Chapter 18: Charm of the Saint

TL Note: Sorry for the delays, got a little sick (which should be a lesson to all of you including me to sleep properly!), but I’m fine now. Here’s your chapter! This counts as last week’s chapter by the way, so there’ll be another one for this week.

Chapter 18: Charm of the Saint

I caught the kobold thinking it would have intelligence, and was even planning to have it as a part of my main force. But who would’ve thought that my expectations would be so far from the truth.

Right now, that supposedly intelligent being that should’ve become a part of my main force is at my feet, grooming itself with its tongue.

No matter which way you spin it, this is unarguably a pet!

And watching it yawn as it scratches its face with its fang just makes me want to throw a tsukkomi at it and ask, “Are you an old man?”

On my way back, around a half day’s distance on goblin foot, I’ve already mostly finished my search after having walked to every direction from the village.

And in my search, I’ve come to understand that there’re currently no monsters in the surrounding area that could pose a threat to us.

Roughly speaking, the distribution goes like this. At the east of the village – deduced based on the rising of the sun – resides the kobolds. At the north is where the spear deer are. While in between the north and the east is the lake. And then as for the south, that’s where the triple head and the triple boar live.

The only problem remaining is the west.

According to Reshia’s group, this forest is known as the Forest of Darkness. The boundary of human life lies north from the east of the forest. The south and the west are untouched.

There are no problems regarding the south. There are neither any dens in which a powerful beast might dwell in, nor are there any traces of a village. There were no dangers at all whether it was in my search or when I used my goblins to hunt.

Now, the reason I find the west to be a problem is because the orcs have mostly been coming from the west. The orcs generally form groups of either 3, when small, or 8, when big. They’re always moving because they don’t have a permanent home.

They look for a place, settle down, then after eating everything, they move again and repeat the same thing. Just like grasshoppers. Not that I have any intentions of talking about the pros and cons of their way of living, mind you. The only thing that matters is that I know how they live their lives.

Now, the problem is why they’re coming from the west.

According to the humans, the deeper into the forest, the stronger the monster. So there are two possibilities. Either the orcs are being driven away by something frighteningly strong, or the orcs have many villages.

Regardless, the threat’s from the west.

Troubled, I consulted the elder goblin about my thoughts. And I asked him whether it’d be possible to merge with the other goblin villages once we track them down.

My current pieces number: 3 goblin rares, 32 male goblins that can fight, and 9 goblins that can’t.

It’s a rather worrying number. Thinking back to it, I once asked whether there was a king amongst the goblins or not.

And if I recall correctly, there should be no unifying leader but rather, four main groups. So if each group had 30 goblins, then that would total to 120. If I’m able to take all of that, then… it wouldn’t be such a bad army now, would it?

“I want information regarding the goblin villages that are similar to ours. If possible, their chief as well,” I said.

I explained the circumstances to the old goblin. And in response, the old goblin replied with a frown.

“My king, it will do us no good to be hasty. To begin with, the east isn’t even under our control yet,” replied the old goblin.

Hearing him point out a sore spot, I unconsciously knit my eyebrows.

Certainly, I can’t just ignore the humans. How long will it take before those bastards reach this village? I need to have a precise answer to that, otherwise… I might just make a blunder. And if I do, then the only future left for this village is destruction.

Especially since I have Reshia with me. It’s definitely not farfetched to believe that they’re putting together a unit to bring her back.

But at the same time, if I keep worrying over something like that, then I’ll never be able to make my move.

But the thing is… it’s difficult to predict when the humans will make their move. In fact I can’t even ascertain how much Reshia’s group is worth to the humans.

So considering my priorities, the only path I have left to me is to deal with the humans.

“Oi,” I said, calling out to the kobold at my feet. “You are to let me know when the humans enter the forest. Understood?”

A curious expression appeared on the kobold, then as it barked out a “Woof!” it wagged its tail.

At that, I gave it some meat. And as soon as it took it into its mouth, it ran away at full speed.

“When humans come. I let you know,” said the kobold.

I don’t know how trustworthy that kobold is, but it’s better than nothing. But just in case, I better spread some goblins to guard the area.

With this, the east should be fine for now. After this, I should increase the number of goblins at the eastern hunting grounds.

“The east should be fine now, right?” I asked the old goblin. To which in response, the old goblin unwillingly nodded.

“Then let us talk.”

With those words I persuaded the old goblin to give me the information I wanted. And from it, I found out that our village is apparently one of the smallest amongst the goblin villages.

It would seem that our village’s survival so far has mostly been due to good luck. Then again, I’ve always had a feeling that was the case. But while that may be true, that doesn’t meant that the other groups will be able to break through either.

Because if there was such a group, then there should be another one like me who would attempt to gather the nearby villages and increase their power.

The fact that there’s no such thing just goes to mean that there’s no group that sticks out from the crowd.

Now, the closest group to us has about 30 goblins as its fighting force. It should only take us around a day on foot. At the same time, they appear to be living in a sturdy cave. And their chief is only a goblin rare.

Unfortunately though, this information isn’t that reliable as it’s only based on the old goblin’s memory. As for why knows it, apparently his father was a mutual goblin rare and the chief of this village three generations ago.

A father, huh?

Well in any case, this isn’t such a bad deal for our first invasion.

The lack of information is a bit troubling, but there’s not much time left, so this’ll have to do.

“Gi Gu, Gi Gi, begin the preparations. We’ll take 10 goblins with us, while Gi Ga will defend the village in our absence.”

After I ordered my subordinates. I ordered the old goblin to guide us.

The old goblin hesitated a bit, so I threatened it.

After which, we then had to prepare our food supplies before moving out.

◇◆◆

We took some raw meat, and smoked it in a small shed.

I mobilized what little knowledge I had, and then left the meat for a few hours.

The result? Burned.

Where did I go wrong?

At the depths of my despair, a voice came, “What are you doing?” it asked. That voice came from a curious Reshia who was in a nearby shed.

It would appear that she’s quite excited, but in contrast to that vigor of hers, I replied with barely any, saying,

“I want to make some preserved meat.”

“What for?” she asked.

“I need it to destroy a different village,” I replied.

Now I don’t know what she thought of my words, but she suddenly clapped her hands, and then suggested,

“Please add some fruits to our meal. I know, how about some keju for everyone?”

Apparently, this woman’s tougher than she looks.

As for that keju, it’s supposedly a fruit that grows on trees, and turns red when ripe… It’s kind of like an apple.

“Alright, I’ll have it ready from this day’s lunch onwards,” I agreed.

Goblins love meat. The goblins with the [Skill] can eat relatively anything, but they still love meat. They can eat leaves, they can eat roots, and even fruits. But they still prefer meat.

That’s why we don’t really have much of that keju gathered.

Or at least as long as I don’t order them to anyway, but…

“Chinos,” called Reshia.

“What does the saint require of me?” replied Chinos.

“Apparently he wants to smoke some meat. Would you mind teaching him how to?” asked Reshia.

“If that is the request of the saint, then…” replied Chinos as he turned his quivering gaze at me. But without another question, he began to explain.

After hearing his explanation, I then proceeded to order my subordinates according to his instructions, and lit a flame in the same way.

The result? A success.

“Why?” I asked.

A sense of disappointment filled my heart as I persistently asked the quivering Chinos, “Why?”

And as it turns out, the secret was in the strength of the fire.

“Hmm…”

Maybe it also has something do with his skill? I thought. But without pursing the matter any further, I just gave up and rewarded Chinos with rabbit meat.

After all, there’s a problem of whether or not the goblins would be able to recreate something so subtle like that. The goblin rares and the goblin nobles might be able to, but it’s too big of a hit to our forces to tie down such important pieces with a menial task like that.
‘
Besides, if humans can do it, then why not just leave it to them, right?

“Please don’t forget your promise, ok?” reminded Reshia cheekily.

Hearing that, I nodded.

But almost immediately after, I was startled, and couldn’t help but turn back to look at her. Why? Because Reshia spoke to me as soon as I finished thinking!

No way, right?

And not only did she take into consideration the odds of me using the food supply to attack a human settlement, she’s even made the humans, indispensable! Did she really calculate this far?
Right now, what I’m feeling from that girl is not that same girl who was just asking for better food, but rather the wisdom of a higher being, a saint!

“It’s past lunch already. I’ll add the keju starting with supper.”

Intriguing. Very intruiging.

To what extent is she Reshia? To what extent is she the saint?

In the same vein, to what extent am I a man? To what extent am I a monster?

Suddenly, a desire wishing to ascertain that bloomed from within me.

Regardless of whether it’s because of her charm or not, this formidable emotion is simply far too strong for me to resist.

◆◇◇◆◆◇◇◆

The believer of the healing goddess, Zenobia, has manifested her [Skill] <<Charm of a Saint>>.

Your mind will be slightly affected.

It will be difficult for you to harm the saint.

◆◇◇◆◆◇◇◆

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 3 Chapter 16

TL Note:
Changed one of the lines to the “your back…” as suggested in one of the comments.

Volume 3 Chapter 16

While Ryouma was leisurely riding the carriage, a class was being held at the Imperial Capital’s Academy.

“Let’s begin the class. First–” [Teacher]

The teacher uninterestedly read the textbook out loud, and began a dull class with no appeal. The students listened to that quietly. Amongst that group of students was a girl. It was Elia.

She straightened her posture, and listened carefully to the instructor. But that was only a front, as deep inside she was actually doing her best to endure the tediousness of the class.

When the morning class ended, she left her seat, and she went to a corner of the school building where magic training is to take place. The magic training area was opened to allow students to use it to train their magic in their own time. And because it’s rarely used for anything else aside from magic training, it’s not a popular spot.

Elia sat herself on a bench at a corner of the area, and she began to eat her lunch. Afterwards, she trained her magic until the end of lunch break. Then she went to her afternoon class, and when that ended, she went back to her room in her dormitory.

It’s already been a month since she’s enrolled in this school. And ever since, this has been her daily pattern.

“Fuu…” [Elia]

Elia let out a sigh as she stopped releasing her magic.

“It’s only been a month, and yet I’m already at the end of my patience… Who would’ve thought that the classes here would be this boring?” [Elia]

From the first year until the third year, students of this school must study the foundation and culture of various things. From the fourth year until the sixth, one must study specialized knowledge and skills. After graduating, depending on what path one took in school, he or she will enter into further studies or apprenticeship.

Elia who has just enrolled is currently studying the basics of the basics. The basic history of the country, geometry, arithmetic, magic, and with stamina building in mind, swordsmanship. But those are all things that all nobles, not just Elia, have already studied.

Such classes were simply too easy for Elia. Even if her grades are good as a result, there’s no sense of achievement.

Moreover, there wasn’t even a single person from her class of 40 that attempted to talk to her. Of course, this wasn’t because they were bullying her or ignoring her. Rather it’s because of her title as the daughter of the duke coupled with her frightening magic power that they were unable to talk to her. As much as possible they didn’t want to get involved with her.

Because Elia knew that she was being avoided, she didn’t bother waiting for anyone to come and talk to her. Even excluding the people she naturally can’t get along with, forcefully trying to mingle with others will only cause them to put up a fake act, completely unable to refuse because of fear. And of course, Elia hated that sort of relationship.

As a result, despite having been enrolled for over a month already, Elia’s friend number was zero. Like this, Elialia spent her days in the school enduring the boredom and the loneliness.

“Even though I already knew about it before enrolling… haa…” [Elia]

“What’s wrong, miss?” [Somebody]
“Eh!?” [Elia]

Without knowing when someone had neared her, Elia turned around to that voice.

“Oh… You’re Earl Willdan’s…” [Elia]

When Elia turned around, shock visibly showed on the face of the person who had called her. And she quickly introduced herself as she bowed her head.

“Please pardon my rudeness. My name is Michelle, the first daughter of Earl Willdan. I was unable to distinguish the lady as the daughter of Duke Jamil from behind, please excuse my lack of manners.” [Michelle]

She is Michelle Willdan. Although the daughter of an earl, she is an unladylike female student. Her short hair that’s too short to reach her shoulders has been cut without much thought. Her clothes are a mix of a man’s pants and a woman’s shirt. Her belongings look to place greater emphasis on practicality rather than on looks as she carried with her a big, plain, black bag. And her androgynous face made her appear to be a boy merely disguising as a girl.

“Rude? The differences in social classses don’t apply to this place, you know? Besides I’m not particular about it either myself.” [Elia]

This school makes all of its students wear uniforms regardless of whether one is a noble or a commoner under the pretense of having no distinction between social classes. However, they don’t regulate accessories. Because of that the noble students purposely wear gaudy hair pins made out of gold or jeweled rings in order to show off their status.

Elia, however, isn’t wearing any of those gaudy accessories. And although she might be wearing the proper school attire, because of the lack of accessories, Michelle mistook her for a commoner female student.

“Thank you very much.” [Michelle]

As Michelle said that, she laughed. Unlike the others, Elia couldn’t feel any sense of wanting to avoid her from Michelle. Because of that Elia decided to try talking to her.

“Would it be fine to call you Michelle-san?” [Elia]
“Of course, milady.”
“Please call me Elia. I’ve said it before just now too. Social status has no relevance in this place.” [Elia]

Hearing that, Michelle smiled and said,

“… Fufu, then I’ll be calling you Elia. Also, I’d like to keep our speech less formal if you don’t mind, it’s exhausting after all.” [Michelle]
“Very well then. I prefer it that way myself actually.” [Elia]
“I see. By the way, I asked the same thing a while ago, but… is anything the matter?” [Michelle]
“No, there aren’t any problems in particular. It’s just that this school’s classes are rather…” [Elia]
“Ahh… I know exactly what you mean. I’m also only pretending to be taking the classes, and during break times, I avoid talking to people in order not to be caught in some weird clique.” [Michelle]
“Oh, is that how it is? I was under the impression that you were popular?” [Elia]

Michelle laughed.

“Haha, well certainly at first. The girls mistook me for a guy and got quite attached – oh by the way I’m wearing this cause it’s comfortable – anyway as soon as they found out that I’m a girl, they distanced themselves from me. Well it’s not that much of a problem though, after all I’m not really that sociable. Besides it was troublesome, so I was actually gradually avoiding it.” [Michelle]
“I see. Then why are you here today?” [Elia]
“Today’s different. Because today I specifically came here to experiment with this.” [Michelle]

As she said that, she took a piece of paper from her bag. On that paper was a magic formation drawn by pencil. Seeing that, Elia said,

“Magic formation… Michelle-san are you an alchemist?” [Elia]

At those words, Michelle’s eyes opened wide for a moment, but immediately after her face turned into a smile bigger than any of the smiles she’s showed so far.

“Unfortunately, I’m not an alchemist. I’m only studying magic formations.” [Michelle]
“Magic formations, was it?” [Elia]

Magic formation is an extremely minor branch of study in this world. It stems from the phenomenon where magic power is able to pass through to alchemy’s magic formation, causing it to shine bright. The study of magic formation is all about answering the question why the formation is able to do that.

As she said that, Elia looked deeply at the piece of paper with a magic formation drawn on it with pencil.

“So there was that kind of study.” [Elia]
“It’s a study that branches from alchemy, but because of the lack of results, it’s gradually declined. I came here to this school because I heard that there was a teacher who teaches it here… But unfortunately, the teacher has apparently retired last year, so now I have no choice but to study it by myself. Well at least I have plenty of time.” [Michelle]
“So that’s how it is.” [Elia]
“That’s right. By the way, Elia.” [Michelle]
“What is it?” [Elia]
“You seem to be quite familiar with how alchemy uses magic formation, huh? There’re plenty of rumors going around regarding alchemy, saying a magic formation isn’t needed, instead some sort of medicine or sacrifice is a requirement. Moreover, you don’t seem to have any ill will towards alchemy either.” [Michelle]

Hearing that, Elia couldn’t help but think to herself, “Oops.” At that moment, Michelle, sensing something was amiss, quickly revised her words in a panic.

“For the record, I’m not prejudiced against alchemy or anything. In fact, if I had to say what I thought of it, then I’d lean towards being interested in it.” [Michelle]
“Interest?” [Elia]
“It’s because the study of magic formations originated from alchemy, so I have some interest in its roots as well. It’s not really that strange, right? Although I do hate those alchemists who use alchemy as a way to commit fraud, I don’t believe that all alchemists are like that. There are also alchemists in this world who like scholars of the field of magic formation continue in their research without bearing fruit. Or at the very least, I believe this to be the case.” [Michelle]

Hearing that, Elia was a little relieved.

“I see.” [Elia]
“If possible, I’d like you to teach me a bit about alchemy, but…” [Michelle]

But even if she says that, Elia herself doesn’t know any alchemy. Well she knows a little from Ryouma, but it’s not at a level where she could teach it to other people. And more than anything, even if she does claim to have no prejudice, Elia still can’t help but feel hesitant to talk about Ryouma being an alchemist to other people. And Elia definitely won’t tell anyone about the things he makes.

“Unfortunately, I’ve only had the opportunity to meet with an alchemist, and I’m not actually studying it.” [Elia]

Elia refused as if it was a given. In response, Michelle didn’t say anything more, and she meekly backed down. Then she began to prepare for her experiment.

Michelle then laid the paper on the floor, and she opened it. After which she then took out some pink colored grains from her bag, and mixed it with ink.

“Michelle-san, what is that?” [Elia]
“This ink is just an ink. As for the grains, they’re fire and neutral magic jewels that were pulverized and mixed together. Our magic formation differs from the magic formation of alchemists in that magic power can’t pass through to the formation with the formation alone. Without mixing ink and powdered jewels, it’s not possible to pass magic power to it. And in the end, what we accomplish isn’t the same magic formation the alchemist’s use but our own version of the magic formation.” [Michelle]
“Then in that case, is there anything different?” [Elia]

“From what I currently know, the effect of the magic formation changes based on the attributes of the magic jewel powder that the ink was mixed into. While the ratio of the distribution of the magic jewel only adjusts its power.

For example, if the ink is mixed with a fire attribute magic jewel, and from that a magic formation is drawn, then any magic power that passes through it will be fire attribute. As for the strength of the fire, the distribution of the ink will deal with that, and the formation will be responsible for managing the flames.

The formation isn’t just some scribbles either. First, one must draw a circle. Then inside that, a pattern should be drawn, but I don’t understand that part much.” [Michelle]
“What do you mean you don’t understand much?” [Elia]

“The pattern drawn within the circle also affects the effect and efficiency of the formation. But unfortunately, I don’t know what the most efficient pattern is. So I’ve been trying out one formation after another in order to find out what’s efficient. But because of that, I’ve come to need a large number of magic jewels. And as a result, I’m always in need of money. Otherwise, I can’t continue with my research.” [Michelle]

“So that’s how it is… By the way, why are you doing this research again?” [Elia]
“The reason I’m researching? Well that’s because it’s interesting. It’s an unpopular topic without much data or progress on it. Which is really just another way of saying that there’s still plenty left to discover, right? So I want to unveil its secrets and see if I can make use of it.

And besides, even if I look like this, I am still the daughter of an earl. And the Willdan family has been a family of researchers for generations. If someone amongst us wants to research, then the family will without question wish them good luck and provide them the funds.” [Michelle]

When Michelle said that, Elia saw a slight resemblance to Ryouma in Michelle. As Michelle drew the magic formation with her ink, she said,

“I don’t know what effect will come out of this, so back off a little.” [Michelle]

Just as she was told, Elia took her distance. After confirming that Elia had distanced herself from the formation, Michelle allowed her magic power to flow into the formation. And the formation glowed bright red. When Michelle saw that reaction, she quickly distanced herself from it. And after five seconds, a small ball of fire flew out of the formation as the explosive sound like that of firecrackers resounded.

“Kyaa!?” [Elia]
“Kyaa!?” [Somebody]
“Oh, oh… to think this kind of reaction… hmm?” [Michelle]

Although Michelle was preoccupied with the reaction of the magic formation, she still noticed that there weren’t just one, but two surprised voices that cried out behind her. At that, she turned, and just like her, Elia did so as well. There, Miyabi, a female fox girl student, was apparently just about to enter the training area. Seeing that, Michelle called out to her.

“Looks like I scared you. My apologies.” [Michelle]
“This is the training area, so it’s only a given that loud sounds would boom out around here. If anything, the one in the way is me, for that please excuse me.” [Miyabi]
“Oh, no, no. Please don’t mind it. Rather than that, you are Miyabi-san, correct?” [Michelle]
“She’s in the same class, right?” [Elia]
“It’s an honor to be remembered not only in face but in name as well by the daughters of the Willdan Household and the Jamil Household.” [Miyabi]

Replied Miyabi in a fashion meant for interacting with nobles.

“There’s no need to talk so politely. Miyabi-san, are you going to practice now?” [Elia]
“No, actually, milady. There is something that I would like to pass on to you.” [Miyabi]
“To me?” [Elia]
“Yes. I’ve been entrusted with a message from someone the lady knows. Which is why I’ve come here today.” [Miyabi]

If Miyabi just outright declared that it was a man who had entrusted her that, and someone managed to hear it, then it might catch fire and become a topic for gossips. So in order to prevent that, Miyabi’s been looking for an opportunity to talk to her privately. And after a month, she saw Elia enter the training area alone as usual.

But unfortunately, this time, Michelle was around, causing her to panic. But of course, she was calm enough to be able to answer when asked.

In order to plot this meeting, Miyabi’s been getting information from other people regarding Elia’s and the personality of the other nobles. From that she found out that Elia and Michelle don’t place much emphasis on the differences between social statuses. A normal response won’t cause any problems. Knowing that lessened the mental burden on her. But other than that, she also had the message from Ryouma as an excuse for calling out to her.

“A message for me?” [Elia]
“Yes. Would the lady happen to know the name, Ryouma?” [Miyabi]
“From Ryouma-san!?” [Elia]

Ryouma thought of creating an impetus for Elia to make friends, but he wasn’t sure whether they would actually become friends or not. After all, whether they get along or not is something that the two of them will have to decide for themselves. That’s why he made his move in order to get Elia and Miyabi to meet, but he didn’t say anything about Miyabi to Elia.

What Ryouma didn’t tell Elia was that they both shared a common acquaintance. He did this thinking that there’s no need to since there are plenty of other topics to talk about. That and another reason was that Ryouma also held some mischievous thoughts, wanting to surprise Elia a bit.

“It would appear that the lady does in fact know him.” [Miyabi]
“Yes, but why would Miyabi-san know Ryouma-san?” [Elia]
“I came to know him through my dad. And he told me to pass on a message to a girl named Elialia in the academy.” [Miyabi]
“So that’s how it is…” [Elia]

At that, Michelle spoke.

“That Ryouma is Elia’s acquaintance?” [Michelle]
“Yes, he’s a bit strange, but he’s my friend.” [Elia]
“Well he’s certainly a bit strange…” [Miyabi]
“Oh…” [Michelle]

Hearing Elia’s words, Miyabi absent-mindedly said that. And hearing about how weird Ryouma is, Michelle became curious.

“And, what did Ryouma want you to pass to me?” [Elia]
“’Do your best,’ is all he said. It seems he’s worried about you.” [Miyabi]

Those words were enough for Elia to guess Ryouma’s intentions. After all, she knew very well that there’s no need to ask someone to say only a few words. Moreover, writing it by letter is more than enough.

So the only reason then must be that Ryouma remembered what Elia had told him before parting at the town of Gimuru about how she had no friends. And so he tried to create an opportunity for Elia to make friends.

“Thank you very much. I’ve properly received his message. And since we’ve met like this anyway, it must be some sort of fate. If you don’t mind, would you like to become friends with me?” [Elia]
“Is that alright? Saying something like that to me is…” [Miyabi]
“There are no differences between social statuses here. Besides, it’s lonely having no friends in school.” [Elia]

At those words, Miyabi smiled and she accepted. Michelle also joined in.

“Then in that case sign me up as well. I don’t have many friends either.” [Michelle]
“But of course.” [Elia]
“I got your back!” [Miyabi]

Like this, the three met, and as they shook each other’s hands, lunch break ended. They went back to class, and they passed through the boring afternoon classes.

TL Note:
If you’re wondering why Miyabi doesn’t have her speech pattern, it’s because she tries to turn it off when she can. Remember her first meeting with Ryouma? It’s something like that. Although actually her pattern did come out in her last sentence, but I’m not really sure how to show something that slight in English.

Willdan girl uses boku (male pronoun).

Goblin Kingdom – Volume 1 Chapter 17: Beast Subordinate

TL Note: Sorry for the delays, here’s the chapter for last week. There’ll be another chapter for this week. I’ll probably be posting it on Sunday.

Chapter 17: Beast Subordinate

[Race] Goblin
[Level] 11
[Class] Duke; Horde Chief
[Possessed Skills] <<Horde Commander>> <<Insurgent Will>> <<Overpowering Howl>> <<Swordsmanship B->> <<Insatiable Desire>> <<Distant Soul>> <<A Ruler’s Wisdom I>> <<Eyes of the Blue Snake>> <<Dance at Death’s Border>> <<The Red Snake’s Eye>> <<Magic Manipulation>> <<Soul of a Crazed Warrior>>
[Divine Protection] Goddess of the Underworld, Altesia
[Attributes] Darkness, Death

[Skill] <<Soul of a Crazed Warrior>> invocated.
Your sight will be dyed in red.

I dodge the approaching spear without any effort. With a step, I close in on the orc. And with a thrust from the enchanted Iron Second, the orc’s stomach was pierced.

“GURUuAAAA!” screamed the orc.

With Iron Second still stuck, pierced into the orc’s body, I swung it up.

As that great steel sword rose, blood and guts scattered about in the air, and a literal rain of blood descended.

The falling rain of blood coupled with my resounding laughter, painted a dreadful, gruesome scene.

––– Why!? Why am I so excited!?

The cowering visage of the orcs filled me with jubilance. And my face twisted into a wicked smile of sadism.

––– KUHAHAHAHA! Die! Die! Dieeee!

I chased after the orc. It showed me its back. I swung my sword down, and its screams resounded. With its backs gouged out, its fell to the ground. And mercilessly, I crushed its head under the weight of my foot.

Turning my head, I went off for the last orc.

When I got close enough, I cut off its leg. Then I decapitated its shoulder, sending that piece flying with a fountain of blood in its trail.

As I crushed its head with my grip, a raging roar bellowed out from the pits of my guts.

Led by the voice within me, I had slaughtered a massacre, leaving the land dyed in red blood.

–––– No! What am I doing!?

[Skill] <<Insurgent Will>> invocated.
The effect on your mind from the [Skill] <<Soul of a Crazed Warrior>> will be mitigated.

◆◇◇

With my senses back, I looked around me.

The surrounding area was a mess. No matter what you say, that exhibition was too unsightly.

To think that this is what happens when I get a little bit of power…

“How disgraceful,” I thought as I clicked my tongue.

Using my heightened hearing, I searched for a waterside.

Leaving the corpses here is fine, right? As for the meat of the orc, I’ll just get what I need.
Besides, there’s something I want to see.

Even something small would have been fine as long as I’m able to fit in, so when I saw a waterfall, I immediately entered it. Inside the water lake, I cooled my seething head, and I washed off the blood from my body.

When the stench of the orc’s flesh mostly left my body, I went back to the place where I had previously slaughtered the orcs.

Looking at it now, I can’t help but sigh. I’m well aware that the one responsible for this is me, but this is really just too much. Still though, since I’ve already done it, I should at least make the most out of it.

So with that, I gathered the corpses to fish for scavengers while I hid somewhere nearby. Then a few hours passed, and I began to worry as to whether it was a waste of time hiding behind the thickets, fishing for scavengers, or not. But fortunately, at that moment, it came.

Its back was hunched, its face was that of a beast, and in its hand was a beast’s fang. It walked like a man, and behind it swayed a tail. Its stature was slightly smaller than that of a goblin. And its fur was colored brown.

I wondered to myself whether I’ve seen it before from somewhere… but when I looked at my own skin, I shook my head, and concluded that it must’ve just been my imagination.

There are five of them.

These things are called Kobolds, and they are supposedly weaker than goblins. They do possess some intelligence however.

Dashing out form the thickets, I caught one of the kobolds. When the other kobolds saw that, they immediately dispersed.

“Can you talk?” I asked.

With the scruff of its neck caught under the grip of my hands, I even went as far to bring it right before my face, but it just bared its fangs against me.

Maybe it’s not smart after all.

I cut off a portion of the orc corpse’s flesh and inserted it into the kobold’s mouth. As useless as it was it just chewed on the flesh.

Thinking I had just wasted my time, I tossed the Kobold to the ground, and went off to search again.

After walking for a bit, I looked behind me. There I saw that the Kobold was still following me.

“Uu~u” begged the kobold as it made a face that seemingly looked like it really wanted something.

Despite supposedly being a dog that had just snarled at me moments ago, drool dribbled out of the corners of its mouth as if saying, “I’m hungry.” It looked back on the corpse, and then it looked back up at me again. That questioning gaze seemed to be half-filled with the anticipation of being fed.

“Uu~u” begged the kobold again.

For the record, the one who begged a while ago was the kobold and not me, ok? You know… just in case.

I could have just chased it away, but being troubled, I threw it a slice of orc meat instead.

Like a trained dog, the kobold ran after the slice of orc meat, and as soon as it got it, it went back to my side.

And? What are you planning to do by coming back to me?

It looked like trouble, so I tried to shoo it away with my hand.

Somehow, it apparently misunderstood the sign, and instead it nodded at me, then it stuffed its cheeks full with the meat I’d just thrown it. It’d be troublesome if it continued to follow me around like this, so I went ahead and continued my search.

But in order to lure out the kobolds, I continued to wait somewhere near the orcs’ corpses until the clock struck nighttime.

Thinking that it’s almost time to head back home. I began to make way for the village. But then I heard footstep aside from mine echoing throughout the forest.

When I turned to look behind me, I saw the kobold looking up to me. Seeing me turn my head, it became curious, and it also turned its head to look behind it.

No, it’s you, it’s you.

“Why are you following me?” I asked.

The kobold tilted its head in response.

Why are you making a strange face?

“Strong,” replied the kobold as it pointed its finger at me.

“Bring me,” it continued, this time pointing to itself.

With my mind already exhausted, I didn’t feel like dealing with it anymore, and I just quietly continued to walk to the village like that.

The goblins and people of the village sent me curious gazes as they watched the kobold follow me with its unsteady steps. Fortunately, they didn’t ask anything.

“Oh, you’ve brought back something interesting with you,” commented Reshia when she saw the Kobold.

No one but Reshia anyway. Although for some reason her gaze looked unsatisfied as she looked at the Kobold swaying its tail as it sat there under my feet.

“Whatever,” I nonchalantly reply.

It’s a pain to explain.

“I want a pet too,” said Reshia.

Exactly what does Reshia think of this displeasing face of mine?

“Where do you place the kobolds amongst your people,” I asked.

At that, the usual discussion began.

Although Reshia considers me and other monsters to be in one group, she differentiates between us and the monsters who captured her and the other humans. That is to say that she recognizes us. With that as the topic of conversation, we passed the time talking for nearly an hour.

During that time, the kobold stretched itself on my feet as it made itself at home.

Seeing that, I quietly thought to myself, “bastard, you actually plan on staying!?”

◇◆◆◇◇◆◆◇

Kobold has been subordinated.

Youre level has risen.

11 => 12

◇◆◆◇◇◆◆◇

Author’s note:

It seems that there’s a legend that says that kobolds and goblins are the same thing. I’m purposely writing them as two different monsters however.

I suppose it could be considered as a therapeutic sort of monster.

If you could see it in real life, you might just get charmed.

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 1 PDF Download Now Available!

Hi guys, a fellow fan by the name of Usi has emailed me a really good pdf of volume 1. He fixed a lot of things, and put it together himself. It’s really well made.

So for you guys who’ve been wanting to get your hands on your PDF here it is.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD USI’S PDF TMPG V1

Also, in the future, all pdf downloads will be downloadable from the pdf-download page. You can access it by clicking on the pdf-download tab if you’re on pc or by selecting it from the drop-down menu if you’re on mobile.

Here’s the direct link for the PDF – download page:

CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF PAGE

The Man Picked up by the Gods – Volume 3 Chapter 15

TL Note: Sorry for the delays, here’s the chapter for last sunday. Yes, that means there’ll still be a chapter for this sunday.

Volume 3 Chapter 15

The next day…

As promised, I went to the guild. There, I saw Miya-san in the room I was brought to. I spent the time idly chatting with her as we waited for the others, at which Wereanna-san’s group, Raypin-san, and Asagi-san came one after another. The last one to arrive was Wogan-san. At his arrival, he immediately began to explain the details of the request.

With Wogan’s explanation finished, I found out that the request is about securing lumber by hunting treants and carrying them back home. Our goal, at the very minimum is to have at least around 300 treants. But of course, if there’s more, then the reward will also increase.

I don’t know exactly how much 300 treants will end up being, but I do know that will be an amazing amount. And that’s most likely the reason why they called someone like me who can use space magic.

I don’t have any problems with it in particular, so I decided to participate. The others did too from the looks of things.

But then, after everyone finished accepting the request, Wereanna-san asked,

“Considering how much treant wood we’re gathering… Is there something going on?” [Wereanna]
“Yeah… You know about the population decline of this town, right?” [Wogan]
“Well yeah. After all, one of the mines did get abandoned. It might have only been one mine, but there are still quite a few guys who lost their job.” [Wereanna]
“Right, and that’s the reason why. The things is, although this story’s old news by now, a section of the public office once tried to think of a way to increase the town’s profits, but unfortunately the head back then wasn’t that passionate about it, so nothing came out of it. But the new head of the public office knew about that event, and this time, he thought of asking for their opinion. The result? They decided to gather people who can make some specialty products, but unfortunately… this town doesn’t have anything noteworthy aside from the mines and iron.” [Wogan]

How about being a tourist spot for the Rimel Birds?

“Can’t the rimel birds be considered a specialty of the town?” [Ryouma]
“Well that idea was proposed too, but the thing is that the season that the rimel birds appear in is also the time when the grell frogs are being hunted, so it’s not possible to make them a tourist attraction. We can’t stop the hunts either. And besides, something like that is temporary. What the public office wants is something that’s available all year round.” [Wogan]

Eh–…I suppose town development isn’t that simple, huh? But while I don’t really get it, isn’t it good enough as long as there’s something that sells well? So wouldn’t it be better not to be so picky, and just make the most out of something already known to be profitable? Like that one or maybe even a festival.

“Isn’t it fine even if it’s temporary? You could do it as something like ‘the flavor of the season’ or something…” [Ryouma]
“That’s not a bad idea, but this is a mining town, remember? If the mine runs out in the future, then the town will only be able to make a profit during that season. So with that in mind, it’s imperative that the town find something that can be profited off of for the whole year.” [Wogan]

Ahh, now that he mentions it…

“Well it’s not like I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. In fact, I’ve actually also thought that it’d be fine to make some profit gradually. But… Well in any case, the discussion this time around went that way, and in the end it was decided for an arena to be made beyond the southern gate of the town to attract tourists. There, those who wish to participate in a bout will be able to, and at the same time, spectators who want to watch will have lodging available for them to stay at. As well as other facilities that might be of service to them. Moreover we also plan to make some profit out of the spectating fees and the betting. It’ll take a lot of money to have everything ready, but in exchange, the profits will also be equally big.” [Wogan]
“Fighting and gambling, huh? The profits will definitely be big, but in exchange, the public order will probably greatly decline, de gozaru.” [Asagi]

Yeah I imagine a number of ruffians and thugs will probably come.

“And that’s exactly why it’s basically a new town. All of the facilities, including the lodging for both the guests and the participants, will be built in the new town. As for this town, it will remain a mining town, and nothing will change. It’d be better if you just consider that town and this town to only happen to be managed by the same people, but are completely different from each other.

Moreover, we’ll also raise the budge on security, and hire more guards in order to keep the public order safe. The gambling will also be managed by the town. With that kind of thorough management, nothing should go wrong, right?

And to answer Wereanna’s question, the design and construction of the arena is being handled by Perle Bekentein.” [Wogan]

At those words, everyone besides me was shocked. Is that person famous?

“Umm… What kind of man is that person?” [Ryouma]
“Oh, you don’t know, Ryouma? He is the second son of Viscount Bekentein. He was originally supposed to help manage the region under his brother, but then he left his family, and went on to become an architect, de aru.” [Raypin]
“As an architect, he’s an unparalleled genius, but at the same time, he’s famous for being an eccentric.” [Miya]

A rather deep person… in more ways than one. Not that I know anything about him.

“Well… that’s how it is. After sounding it out, he quickly took the job, apparently thinking it’d be good for his image. But when he did, he gave us a condition. ‘I want to use treant wood for the arena, so unless it’s treant wood, I refuse to work on it!’ he said. And that’s how we ended up in the current situation, where we’re starting to gradually stock up on those treant wood.” [Wogan]

The fastidiousness of an artist? Treant wood being used for architecture is definitely not unheard of, however, it’s something generally used for magical contraptions, so it’s not usually used as construction material. Considering that this architect is asking for something rather unreasonable, I suppose his skill must be equally considerable. Then again he is known to be an unparalleled genius.

I mused to myself like that for a bit. After which, the meeting ended, and we were dismissed.

The Day of Departure

I’ve had to do quite a number of preparations for today actually. First, I had to put away all the unneeded belongings from my ‘Dimension Home’ to the storage room in the mine. Then in order to keep thieves from coming in and stealing from me, I blocked the entrance with earth magic.

After I finished storing my belongings and ensuring that it’s safe, I then went on to train to increase the space of my ‘Dimension Home’ spell that I’ve learned from Sebasu-san. When I first tried expanding it, I felt the burden on me increase. But leaving it to the abundance of my magic power, I was able to repeat the expansion several times as I tempered myself at the same time. In the end, I managed to create a space equivalent to the size of the first floor of my store in Gimuru. Now I’m not exactly privy to the treants’ sizes, but I reckon a space this size would be able to fit in a considerable amount of lumber.

Currently, I’m at the south gate of Gimuru, standing here by myself as I wait for the others.

“Are they not coming yet?” [Ryouma]

I’m standing here, looking around me, but not one of them is in sight. At that, I couldn’t help but wonder whether they’re coming or not. But then as I thought that, I saw, from a considerable distance away, the figures of Raypin-san and Asagi-san, walking towards me.

“Good morning, Raypin-san, Asagi-san!” [Ryouma]
“Good morning, de aru.” [Raypin]
“Good morning, Ryouma. How are you, de gozaru?” [Asagi]
“I’m alright.” [Ryouma]

After that, we rendezvoused with Miya-san and the rest. Then we got on the carriage with two horses that was prepared by the guild master. Soon as we got our food allowance, we set off. Incidentally, the carriage we were lent, was freight-class, driven by Mizelia-san.

We continued like this for some time until we finally reached a plain with trees growing here and there. It was a tranquil and heartwarming scenery. And within that was the object of the request we accepted. Oh and by the way, the leader this time around happens to be Asagi-san.

“Then Miya and I along with Wereanna’s group will be responsible for defeating the treants. Raypin and Ryouma will be in charge of transporting the defeated treants. At the same time, Raypin will also be in charge of looking for treants and watching our perimeters. Lastly, Ryouma, you won’t mind escorting Raypin, right, de gozaru?” [Asagi]

Hearing that, I responded with a nod, indicating that I don’t have any problems with it. Although that’s how the plan basically is, it’s not like I won’t be fighting at all. After all, everyone‘s already aware that the reason I participated in this request is because I wanted to accumulate experience in regards to fighting treants. So it’s a given that I’ll also be getting some fighting experience.

After that, we talked a bit about what to watch out for regarding the treants and their weaknesses.

The treants attack by whipping their branches from above, and their weak point is the lump that looks like a human’s face on their body. Hitting that or around it will greatly damage it, but if you cut it off or break it from below its face, you can kill it. Since our objective this time is to gather lumber, it’s important to minimize the damage on the treants as much as possible.

While there’s no need to fuss too much about not damaging it, it’s important to keep it in mind.

And should the case where a higher variation, an elder treant, appears, then it’s all the more important to take caution. Elder treants move extremely slow, but the branches they move are far thicker than the normal treants, causing it to have just that much more power behind each attack. But more than anything, the elder treants are able to use earth magic. So with that and its ability to stop movement with its branches and vines, it’s the natural enemy for vanguards.

After that, distinguishing between treants and other trees can only be done by spotting its face. So if the face is located in a blind spot, then distinguishing becomes very difficult. But fortunately, the treants possess a significant amount of magic power. So with the ‘Magic Perception’ skill, it’s possible to tell them apart by figuring out which tree is emitting magic power.

Lastly, although I’m digressing here, the treants are apparently able to move. They’re slower than slimes, but they can uproot themselves and creep about slowly.

After the discussion ended, I went to ask Raypin-san about magical beasts. And from what I hear, magical beasts are flora, fauna, and natural objects of the world that change and propagate according to magic power. Using treants as an example, treants are normal trees that became magical beasts with magic power. Since mutation occurs with magic power, then trees becoming a magical beast isn’t that strange.

When I heard that, I couldn’t help but ask whether people would be affected or not. And apparently, although it’s possible to get intoxicated from too much magic power, causing the body to crumble. The human body will naturally release the excess magic power, preventing something like mutation from occurring.

Since we were on the topic, I took the opportunity and asked about magic power intoxication, and it would appear that people with naturally high magic power are rarely affected. And even for normal people, it only really happens when they use too much magic jewels or eat too much magical beast meat. But since most of the magical power are concentrated in the blood of the magical beasts, as long as one refrains from blood, there shouldn’t be any problem eating meat. So overall it’s not a particularly serious illness, and catching it from eating meat is so rare, that you can only really blame your luck if that were to be the case.

While talking, we leisurely rode our carriage as we paid careful attention to our surroundings. Raypin told me that because it’s obvious when a magical beast is attacking here, it’s easy to dodge weak foes. Moreover, there’re few magical beasts that would actually dare attack seven adventurers here in Gimuru. And justas he said, not a single attack came at us since our departure from the village.

Along the way, I talked a lot with Raypin-san about magical beasts and slimes. When Mizelia-san asked me about the places I’ve travelled to so far, as soon as I mentioned miso and soy sauce, Asagi-san started to talk enthusiastically.

“Miso soup, that’s so nostalgic, de gozaru… Who would’ve thought that Renauph would actually manage to get their hands on miso and soy sauce? Thank you for sharing this information with me, de gozaru.” [Asagi]
“If you’d like, I could create miso soup for tonight’s supper. I have the ingredients for it after all.” [Ryouma]
“Is that true!? Then by all means, de gozaru!” [Asagi]

Apparently, Asagi-san was born and raised in a dragonewt island where they used miso and soy sauce.

When nightfall came, I took charge of the day’s supper. And inside Raypin-san’s ‘Dimension Home’ I took out miso soup, meat and potato stew, and lastly, rice.

The food was well-received by everyone, but Asagi-san shed tears at the nostalgia of miso soup.

“Hey Asagi, could it be that you haven’t been able to visit your hometown for a long time now?” [Wereanna]

“Yes, my home town is in an island far away, so visiting isn’t something I can casually do, de gozaru. But more than anything, the teaching in the dojo I studied at, dictated that those who have completed their training to some extent must go and become adventurers. So once one reaches that level, they will be driven out of the island and be forced to go on a journey. And until one is able to become S Rank in the guild or at least 50 years pass, then that student may not return home.” [Asagi]

“50 years? Isn’t that a bit much?” [Wereanna]

“It’s apparently the number of years that the founder of the dojo went around the world. During that time, one must either spend his time training his sword or spend his time learning from the things he sees and hears in his travel. Surviving in the outside world is both a training and a trial. After all, there are powerful magical beasts here and all sorts of people that can’t be found in the island, de gozaru.” [Asagi]

“But what about protecting your village? Won’t it be a problem since the strong people of your village leave and can’t come back for 50 years?” [Wereanna]

“There’s no need to worry. The only ones who leave the island are those who wish to master the sword. Those who study the sword to protect others, those who work as guards for the village, those who are still training at the dojo, the masters of the dojo, and the ones who are still in the village are all capable of defending the village. Moreover, there’s also a number of them, so there shouldn’t be any need for anxiety, de gozaru.” [Raypin]

We talked like this over supper, and when we finished, we all slept in our respective sleeping bags. Still… I’m honestly quite surprised at how wide this place is.

Even Raypin-san, in the past, couldn’t go back home to Gimuru for a long time because of his research. And he spent a long time expanding his ‘Dimension Home’ in order to fit in all of his belongings, research materials, and specimens. According to him, it was faster to just increase the space of his ‘Dimension Home’ rather than clean up, so he did that instead.

But nowadays, he’s rarely away from Gimuru, so he would often just leave his belongings at home. Moreover, he needed to get as much space as he could for transporting the lumber, so he had to remove as much objects from his ‘Dimension Home’ as possible. Because of that it feels rather excessively big. Then again, its size is around twice that of my ‘Dimension Home’. Right, I should do my best too.

There wasn’t anything left to do after we finished whatever preparations were needed, so we just went to sleep.

Sleep early, and tomorrow, we’ll set off at sunrise.