I understood everything that the receptionist explained to me. So I decided to accept the request from now on in order to increase my rank. Then, as I go to the request board to look for a request, I hear a threatening voice from behind me.
「You’re new, right? You’re new, right? I recommend that you do something non-dangerous first, like gathering herbs. And if it’s a non-dangerous job, you can do it by yourself, right? That’s why we’ll use the beastman beside you to carry our stuff. Give me that girl for our party.」
Huh, he’ s talking to me about this, right? I think it’s called a cliché. Is it okay to duel in these situations? I’m not quite sure how much I should start. I know that if he touches me, I can do it back in self-defense, but what can I do? As I pondered what to do, they rambled on and on. I turned around and saw that there were two men and two women, all in their early twenties.
「Haha, Zuan, it seems like he’s too freaked out to respond, you should be nicer to him.」 「Hey, hey, let’s leave these guys alone and get on with the job!」 「That’s fine, that’s fine. It’ll be easier if we have more baggage handlers.」
In order, they are the dialogue of the man with brown hair, the woman with red hair, and the woman with brown hair. By the way, the man called Zuan had blond hair.
「Of course I’m going to say no to that. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear about it now, so you can go do what that Onee-san told you to do. I’m busy looking at requests right now.」 「I don’t want to follow you.」
Eleanor, who followed up on my words, looked at them with cold eyes as if she were looking at garbage. The guild was suddenly becoming noisy. When I looked around, I saw that some people were watching how things went, some were looking at me sympathetically, and some were cheering me on. What can I say, I get the impression that everyone is starving for events. I can hear a lot of whispering around me.
「Umm, new guy, getting tangled up with Zuan is a disaster.」 「The silver-haired boy doesn’t seem to want to duel anyway, so we’ll probably just end up arguing.」 「He dosen’t look really strong but he is in good shape, Zuan.」
They didn’t seem to listen to me when I refused, so I ignored Zuan and the others and went back to rummaging through the requests. This was because, as we were talking, Zuan and his friends had already〈appraised〉 it and determined that they were too weak and could be ignored.
「Hey!! Don’t ignore me!! Hey! I said, turn around!!」
When I turned around because it was so loud, Zuan’s face was red and he was puffing. The scene was so funny that I couldn’t help but let out a「pfft」laugh. It’s not my fault! But poker face is difficult.
「You’re finally looking at me! I’ll never forgive you! Let’s duel!」 Eh? You look weak and you want to duel me?」 「Are you really going to mock me that much? If you’re so confident, then of course you’ll accept a duel?!」
Hmmm, it doesn’t seem to do any real harm, so I could have left it alone. From the whispers in the guild earlier, he doesn’t seem to have a good reputation, so why don’t we do ……?
「All right, I’ll accept. What do you want to bet?」 「You bet your beastman woman! The rest of you can get down on your knees for me.」 「Then you guys have to bet three white gold coins.」 「What? I not such a rich person.」 「If you don’t have enough, you’ll be a debt slave. I’m betting on Eleanor, so you have to pay a fair price for her, right? Right now, I’ll give you a special offer of two additional platinum coins.」
There’s no way I’m going to lose, so I’m going to add my money to the bet. They were selfish and energetic, and they were freaked out by the amount of money at stake. However, Zuan and the others seemed to be fascinated by the amount of money that was added afterwards, and the four of them began to discuss it in secret. After waiting for a while, he finally decided to place his bet.
At noon, after completing my quota of mountain ox hunting, I was sitting in my room in the mansion looking at my fan.
Princess Helene’s fan. The fan I’ve had on my belt ever since I received it.
(What is that? )
The magic sword asked in my head.
At first, she was very insistent on letting go of me, but after the raffle, I don’t know what she was thinking, but she didn’t say that much anymore.
「It was given to me when I saved someone’s life.」
（Love at first sight, huh.）
「Uuuu」
I was at a loss for words. That may be so.
From the first glance, I was struck by her beauty.
She has long blond hair, a gentle manner, and a graceful demeanor.
A person who is like a「princess」in every way.
「I hope she’s okay.」
（Are you worried about her? Then why don’t you go see her? Using the feather.)
「I don’t know where she is.」
I took out my feather and tried to warp to Princess Helene’s location, just to be sure, but it just did nothing.
Maybe I need to decide on a clear「location」.
「Master.」
I heard a knock at the door and Miu’s voice.
「What’s the matter?」
「Please excuse me. Uh, the master has a visitor.」
「Guest? What kind of person?」
「Um…… princess? I think she is?」
「Eeeeh」
My heart raced.
A princess? No way.
I snatched the magic sword and walked out of the room. Miu said as she rushed behind me.
「I’ve taken them into the parlour.」
I walked quickly to the parlour.
When I went inside.
「Ah……」
I couldn’t help but shout out.
It was not Princess Helene there.
It was her sister, Iris Teresa Mercouri, Princess Iris.
I was a little disappointed ── though.
「Kakeru.」
That was blown away when he saw the troubled expression on Princess Iris’ face.
「I need you to go help my sister.」
As soon as I sat down on the sofa, Princess Iris said something like that to me.
「By “sister,” you mean Princess Helene? What’s going on?」
「She’s on the front lines now.」
「Aah, I think she said something about a consolation trip.」
It reminded me of the time I saved Princess Helene.
「Yes, the battle to defeat the barbarians, the front lines. Since most of the area had been pacified, someone from the royal family was supposed to go there to offer comfort and take care of things after the war. That’s why my sister went there……」
「But?」
「The local commander has defected to the barbarians. That turned the whole affair on its head.」
「Defected, then what about Princess Helene?」
「Her guardian knight, Fotis, sensed something was wrong just in time and helped her escape. Right now, it seems that a small army is holed up in a nearby fortress – I want you to go there.」
「Me?」
「That’s right. Of course, we’ll send reinforcements, but they’re taking a while to organize. First, I need you to rescue my sister at least.」
The words “my sister at least” were sincere.
Reading between the lines, she wants to save Princess Helene even if it means leaving all the soldiers in the siege to die. I felt such a sense of urgency from Princess Iris.
Strong feelings, no doubt. So I felt a certain doubt.
「Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do this? If you’ve just been betrayed, wouldn’t it be normal to ask for someone more trustworthy?」
「That fan.」
Princess Iris pointed to my waist. There is Princess Helene’s fan that she keeps close to her skin.
It’s my sister’s, isn’t it? When I first met Kakeru, and even now. You’ve kept that fan on your hip the whole time. Like it’s important. I figured that Kakeru would be the one.」
「I see.」
I touch the fan. Yes, this is important, and its owner ── Princess Helene ── is even more important.
If you ask me to help her, of course I will risk my life to do so.
That made sense, I thought.
「Besides」
「Un?」
I tilted my head in confusion and looked at Princess Iris.
Besides ── what?
Princess Iris looked straight at me.
With a straightened back and a face without hesitation.
「I can trust Kakeru.」
It took me by surprise. The look on her face was fearful.
When people look at me like that, I have no choice but to live up to their expectations.
I was on horseback.
Departing from the city of Roizen, I rode my horse as fast as I could to the next city, Reyus, where I changed to a new – fresh – horse that Princess Iris had arranged, went to the next city, and changed again to a fresh horse.
We changed horses one after another and headed at full speed for the fort in the Euboea region, where Princess Helene was said to be holed up.
At the town closest to the fort, I changed horses and got more maps.
And so I arrived at the fort.
It was small, a simple fort surrounded by a wooden fence.
（Smoke rising. Is it too late?)
The magic sword says in my head.
I strained my eyes. With my improved vision, I could see that the fort was under siege and under heavy attack.
I was relieved.
「Resistance is persisting. We’re just in time.」
(Oh, yeah.)
「I’m going to use you.」
I tighten my grip on the magic sword. She is a noisy weapon, but right now she is reliable.
(All right. In return, you’ll get to listen to one of my wishes later.）
「If you’re asking me to let you go or harm anyone, I won’t listen.」
I remind her.
（Fuuu. Use my power to the fullest.）
A black aura began to leak out from the blade of the magic sword.
Similar in appearance to when Mari’s body was taken over. Of course I haven’t been possessed.
But I can kind of understand. This one’s stronger now than before. She is getting stronger as a sword.
Grasping my magic sword, I dismounted from my horse and plunged into the enemy.
I ran in a straight line towards the gates of the fort.
The soldiers who saw me were confused, but I ignored them and proceeded to cut down anyone who got in my way.
After a shout of「enemy attack」, soldiers swarmed the area with obvious hostility.
「You small fry! Get out of the way!」
I swing my magic sword and cut down anyone who comes at me.
Slash and slash and keep moving forward.
After slaying about a hundred of them, I reach the gate of the fort.
I saw a familiar face on the other side of the gate.
「Fotis!」
「You’re──!」
The knight who was there when I saved Princess Helene. Fotis was surprised by my appearance behind the gate.
I could feel the soldiers closing in on me from behind. I don’t have much room.
「Princess Iris asked me to come! Open the gate for me.」
「Her Highness, Iris? But…」
Fotis was unsure. He was questioning himself as to if it was really okay to open it.
「Kuuuu」
An enemy soldier attacked me from behind, so I turned around and cut him down.
I fought with the gate to my back.
This is the point where the most enemy soldiers originally swarmed. The intensity of the fight there is nothing compared to when I broke through the rear of the enemy.
The pressure of enemy soldiers surging in like a wave was incredible, no matter how hard I slashed.
Just when I thought I had no choice but to fight them until they were wiped out.
「Fotis」
It was a familiar voice. I didn’t need to look back to know who it belonged to.
Princess Helene. I was relieved to hear that she was okay.
However, Fotis was impatient.
「Your Highness! It’s not safe here. Please leave──」
「Open the gates.」
「But──」
「Open it.」
「……at your will.」
After the exchange, I heard the gate open.
「Come on, while you still can.」
「All right. OOoooooo！」
I held the magic sword in both hands and slammed it down – directly over my head – onto the ground.
The ground shook with the sound of an explosion. A large crater was made where I slammed into it.
The enemy soldiers lost their footing. They were confused by the crater and couldn’t proceed.
In the meantime, I entered the fort and the gates were safely closed.
There she was, Princess Helene.
「Princess Helene.」
「Kakeru-sama.」
We stare at each other for a moment.
「I’m here to save you.」
I said, putting all of my heart into it.
The princess smiled at me as if a large flower had bloomed.
After leaving the inn, Eleanor and I arrived at the clothing store without getting lost. After we entered the clothing store, I insisted that Eleanor buy about six outfits and underwear. I decided to buy some clothes too, and as I was browsing around, a shopkeeper came up to me on the way and recommended some things…… I was going to stuck for a while listening to them, so I sent them away. I thought to myself, “I was never good at being stuck with a clerk in a clothing store in my previous life,” and I picked out some clothes and underwear at random. In addition, I decided to buy a scarf for Eleanor. After paying the bill and putting the items I bought into the【Item Box】, I looked at her. Eleanor was smiling and rummaging through the different clothes, but she still seemed lost. I heard that she was a slave for a long time and didn’t get to choose her own clothes, so I guess it’s no wonder she seems lost. So I decided to wait quietly until Eleanor finished her selection. After waiting for about 30 minutes, Eleanor came over to me, apologizing for making me wait. I calculate the cost of the clothes she has chosen and hand the money to the shopkeeper. After paying the bill, Eleanor put away her clothes and underwear in the magic bag I had given her. However, I spent a lot of money. There’s not much money left we recovered from the bandits……. Maybe I’ll sell the monster materials and magic stones I got when I hunted in the dungeon, but I use them for armour and food, so I can’t sell them all. A magic stone is a stone with magic power that can be obtained by defeating monsters, and can be used to create armour and magical tools. And the stronger the monster, the higher the price of the magical stones it possesses. Well, I’ll think about all this later. Returning to my original thought, I start walking outside with Eleanor. After we left the clothing store, I wrapped a scarf around her neck. So I hide the slave collar for her, and Eleanor is a little teary-eyed and happy. I waited for her to stop crying and moved to the adventurer’s guild nearby.
As I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, I felt the stares of those around me. As I looked around, I saw a bar in the back, where what appeared to be adventurers were drinking in broad daylight. To the left of them, there are adventurers chatting with each other. From there, I looked a little to the front right and saw a board with a request form on it. A few adventurers seemed to be looking at the papers on the board and rummaging through the requests. Further to the left was the reception area. Adventurers lined up in rows at all five counters. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I felt like there were a lot of female eyes on me and a lot of male eyes on Eleanor. The receptionists were all beautiful, and I stepped forward to get in line with the least crowded of them. But for some reason, Eleanor pinched me lightly, so I patted her on the head. When she was stroked, she smiled sloppily. I stroked her for a while, but I couldn’t keep doing so forever, so I stopped abruptly. Eleanor looked like she regretted it, but I moved my feet, which had stopped to get in line. After that, I wait quietly for my turn. While we were waiting, I talked to Eleanor and she said that the receptionist at the counter with the fewest people was the prettiest. She said it made her unhappy, but I honestly don’t know. After about ten people in line in front of me, it was finally my turn.
「Welcome to the Adventurers Guild, how may I help you?」
The guild’s receptionist had a big smile on her face, which made me admire her a little. But I couldn’t let Eleanor pinch me again, so I pulled myself together and talked to the receptionist.
「I want to register this girl and I as an adventurers.」
Hearing my words, the receptionist responded with another big smile on her face.
「I understand. Now, let me explain the rules and regulations for new adventurers. It’s a long one, but please listen carefully.」
I nodded to the receptionist and waited to hear what she had to say.
「The guild will issue guild cards to all registered adventurers. There are nine ranks of adventurers: EX, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The EX rank is the highest and the G rank is the lowest. If you are a newly registered adventurer, you will start at G rank.」
Well, it’s natural to start at the bottom, isn’t it? I mean, I knew this when I was five years old.
「The color of the guild card is different for each rank: EX is black, S is platinum, A is gold, B is silver, C is red, D is blue, E is yellow, F is brown, and G is white. Therefore, you can judge the rank at a glance. Also, EX and S ranks have a lot of influence because they are backed by their abilities.」
Influence. I’m sure they’ll be able to associate with the aristocracy and such.
「There are three types of requests: urgent requests, nomination requests, escort requests, normal requests, and permanent requests, and each request has its own rank, up to one rank above your adventurer rank. Please notify the guild counter when you have finished your request. We will check your guild card and determine if the result is achieved or not. Please note that some requests require the client’s signature on the request form. If the request fails, the guild will fine said adventurer 30% of the request completion fee.
So you have to take requests that are not likely to fail. Well, unless something massive happens I don’t think I’m going to fail.
「It is almost mandatory for adventurers of C rank or higher to participate in urgent requests. If you have no choice but to refuse, you will be required to pay a fine of 10 platinum coins to the guild. Although it is not recommended, adventurers of D rank and below can participate at their own risk. The monsters you defeat during an emergency request will be registered on your guild card, so there will be no conflicts over rewards.」
When I heard about the urgent request, I thought of Dallas. That blast and the wilderness…… and Dan, Sarah, and Galwin, who have passed away……
「A request for nomination is a request made by the requester to an adventurer of B rank or higher. The guild will inform adventurers who have received nomination requests. If the guild does not hear from the adventurer for two weeks after receiving the request from the client, the request will be considered abandoned and the request will be cancelled. The fee includes the nomination fee, which is often higher than other requests. It is possible to refuse, but if you do so repeatedly, you may not receive any more nomination requests.」
Hmm, I have an image that nomination requests are made by aristocrats and rich people. And when I think of aristocrats, I think of Alfred. I don’t think all nobles are like that guy, but I don’t want to take nominations at the moment.
「The difficulty of escort requests varies depending on the request, the minimum rank you can receive escort requests is B. Please check the request form carefully, as we may be looking for A or S ranks.」
I’m not really interested in escort requests either. It’s more like I don’t want to be constrained by time.
「The normal requests are the ones posted on the request board over there, and anyone can accept them if they match their rank. The same board is used for permanent requests. To distinguish a permanent request from a regular request, the request form will have the word “permanent” written on it. Do you have any questions so far?」 「Nothing in particular. Please continue.」 「Yes. I will continue. To increase your rank, you need to complete requests. If you complete a request that is the same as your rank, you get one rank point, and if you complete a request that is one rank higher, you get double points. If the request fails, you will lose 10 points. If your cumulative points fall below 0, your rank will be downgraded, and G ranks are expelled when the cumulative number of failures reaches five.」
I don’t know what a G-rank request looks like, but they’re right, nobody wants someone who fails to complete it multiple times.
「The points you have will be reset to 0 every time you move up in rank. This means that you start with 0 points, and the excess points at that point will be retained. Also, even if you complete a request that is lower than your rank, you will earn 0 rank points.」
So if you get fractional points when you move up in rank, you can carry them over.
「There is an exam when you move up from B rank. This is to prevent those who are not competent from working with higher ranked parties to accumulate points and move up to B rank or higher.
We do this to work out the true strength those who are not properly competent.
「To get from G to F is 20 points, from F to E is 40 points, from E to D is 60 points, from D to C is 80 points, from C to B is 100 points, and from B to A is 150 points. You can be promoted from A to S by achieving 200 points or some significant achievement. From S to EX is not based on a point system, but is determined by a committee meeting when a great feat is accomplished.」
Greatness, I guess, is not something I can relate to because I’d rather spend my time freely.
「You can get different rank points for each request, because requests of B rank and above are more difficult and range in difficulty. There are some requests where you can get five or ten points at a time. Please note that the number of people you can accept in a party depends on the request. The number of people will be listed on the request form.」
That means that once you get up to rank C, you can take requests for rank B, and you can move up faster from there, right? That is, of course, if you are good enough.
「I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out how to do it. Therefore, a large number of adventurers work in parties with each other. A clan is a large group of people who are mutually supporting each other. Notifying the guild when establishing a party is only a recommendation, but contacting the guild when establishing a clan is mandatory. The benefits of a clan include easy access to information, flexibility among adventurers, and the ability to get help when problems arise.」
Clan, huh. Right now we’re a party of two, and it’s unknown if there will be more. There’s the matter of Lisa and Airi, but I can’t say for sure until I see them in person. They said they’d wait for me, but I still don’t know what’s going to happen.
「The Guild is an organization independent of the state, and is not subject to the power of the state. However, the guild will not be able to back you up if you voluntarily get into trouble with the nobles. In this case, you will be responsible for handling it. Also, if a nobleman is terrible, we will not accept their request for nomination, or a large number of adventurers will move out of the city, so we have some deterrent power.」
Hearing this, I thought of Alfred again. In the end, even if the power of the state does not extend, it must be different in each country. At least Dan didn’t look like he was consulting with the guild in the city of Dallas. Dan wasn’t stupid, and of course he would have thought of turning to the guild. But if they didn’t do that, it probably means that the …… lord and the head of the guild or something were in cahoots or something of that nature.
「Any problems between adventurers are their own responsibility, and the Guild will not intervene. The guild will only be involved in the free loan of the arena for adventurers to fight each other in duels. For dueling between adventurers, both parties agree on who and what to bet on. Injuries or deaths that occur in such cases will not be criminalized or noted by the guild. The guild is available to collect bets on your behalf and for miscellaneous tasks.」
Is there such a thing as a duel? Well, if we both agree to it, so I guess we can’t force it, but adventurers seem to have an image of a lot of bloodthirsty people, so I wonder how it would be.
「If you bring a small amount of monster materials to the guild counter, you can redeem them at the counter; if you bring a large amount, you can redeem them at the dismantling station. The dismantling station is located behind that door. Thank you for listening at length. If you have any questions, please let me know.」 「Not particularly, thank you.」 「I’m going to start making your guild cards. When you place your palm on this magic tool, a card will be created. The only information that will be read is your name, species, and age, so please don’t worry.」
As the receptionist told me, I put the palm of my hand on the square magic tool. Then I thought I heard a 『pop』, and a card came out from the back. The receptionist takes it and checks it. I then had Eleanor put the palm of her hand on it, and the same card came out. The receptionist confirms the second one in the same way.
「The cards were in order and registered without any problems. Please accept this. With this, from today, Louis-sama and Eleanor-sama will become adventurers.」
After receiving the white guild cards for the two of us from the receptionist, I left the counter. Thus began Eleanor and my new life as adventurers.
I couldn’t stay involved with the little girl (the magic sword) for long, so I turned to the lottery staff and pulled out the ten lottery tickets I had collected.
「Eleven times, please.」
But the staff member looked behind me with a troubled look on their face.
I remember earlier, they said they didn’t want me to bring someone who wasn’t involved.
「Uh, I’m sorry.」
I apologized for now.
「Is that a bad idea?」
「I’m fine as long as you can keep her quiet.」
「Oh, I think I can handle that.」
I remember what happened earlier. When this girl’s voice echoed in my brain, Fiona didn’t hear her.
I didn’t even hear her when she possessed Mari.
Maybe, but only the people who physically hold her can hear her.
I’ve been trying to hold on to her until I can figure out what’s going on with Mari.
I don’t think this girl is going to leak the information about this place anywhere.
「I’ll make sure not to tell anyone else.」
「I understand. Then I’ll take your lottery ticket.」
The staff member said so, took the lottery tickets and counted them.
「Yes, exactly ten. Then eleven times, please.」
「All right.」
I spun the lottery machine with enthusiasm.
Rattle, rattle, pop.
A black ball came out.
「Yes, a participation prize. Oh, please hold on to your balls.」
「”As is” means that this is…」
I looked at the prize list.
「Is it the magic ball (black) itself?」
「Yes. If you throw it at the person you want to attack, it will attack with the attribute that the person is weakest against.」
「That’s convenient, and a participation prize.」
「It’s disposable magic.」
「You treat it like a tissue.」
I took the ball and glanced behind me.
I saw a little girl who was tired of beating me and was coughing.
I kind of wondered what would happen if I threw this.
…… I feel a little guilty when she is in that form, so let’s do it again when she is in her magic sword form.
「By the way, this one can be used by anyone and everyone. You might want to give it to someone for self-defense.」
「Mm-hmm. I think I’ll let Miu have it.」
I put the ball in my pocket and spin the lottery machine again.
Rattle, rattle, black balls.
Rattle, rattle, black balls.
Rattle, rattle, black balls.
The misses continued.
「It’s not easy to get a hit.」
「I’m sorry. But the most common prize is the participation prize……」
The staff chuckled apologetically. Well, that’s true.
Rattle, rattle, pop.
The fifth time, this time a white ball came out.
Clang, clang, clang, the handbell rings.
「Congratulations! Fifth prize.」
「(White) magic ball, huh.」
「Yes. It’s a disposable item like the black one, but this one is for recovery. The usage is the same, and it’s safe to assume that the effect is about『if you’re not dead, you can usually get by』. 」
It’s kind of like an elixir. Let’s be careful not to be stingy and leave them unused.
I turn the lottery machine further.
Rattle, rattle, pop.
Rattle, rattle, pop.
Rattle, rattle, rattle…
The sixth through tenth times were all black balls.
「Hmm, bad luck?」
I take one last deep breath while holding the handle.
Heave, ho! Just when I was about to turn it with all my might.
「Hey, what are you doing here?」
A young girl (a magic sword) came next to me and looked up at me.
「It’s a lottery.」
「Lottery?」
「Yes, you draw lots with this and get what you get.」
「The balls?」
「Usually it’s just balls, but if you’re lucky, you get something really cool.」
I looked at the prize list. Except for the bottom two, all of them are amazing to behold.
「That sounds like fun. Let me try.」
「You want to try?」
It’s the last one, so it’s okay.
But will it be okay? I looked at the staff member.
「Fine, but you’ll have to decide who owns what.」
「All right.」
If it’s just one time, it’s probably a participation prize or fifth prize anyway, and there’ s nothing to lose.
「Now, hold this here and turn.」
I told the little girl (the magic sword), but she glared at me with a scowl.
「What’s wrong?」
「I can’t reach it.」
「Eh?」
「I can’t reach it. You can see that!」
The little girl raises her hands. She couldn’t reach the handle of the lottery machine that was pointing up.
「It can’t be helped.」
I put my hands under the little girl’s armpits and picked her up.
「na──」
This girl’s face turned red for some reason. I’m just carrying her.
It was a hassle, so I rushed her.
「Come on, come on, come on, come on, you’re so heavy, come on.」
「Don’t be stupid! I”m not even heavy right now.」
「Yes, yes.」
I’ll just play along.
The little girl mumbled and turned the lottery machine.
Rattle, rattle, pop.
What came out… was a red ball!
「Congratulations! Second prize.」
「Really?!」
I was surprised. I didn’t think I’d get a shot at it.
It reminded me of the time when I used to play social games, and I used all the stones I had and let my cat draw the last one.
The staff member took out the prize.
「Yes, this is the second prize, a warp feather. With this, you can jump to a place you’ve been once in an instant. By the way, this is not a consumable item, so it won’t disappear if you use it. Oh, please note that it will only work for the person who just accepted it.」
When I came back to the forest, it was already night.
In my left hand I hold a feather, and in my right hand I hold a magic sword that has returned to its original form.
I took out my warp feather.
As I recall, I can go anywhere I’ve been to once.
I took the feather, thought of the mansion, and used it.
Then, the scenery in front of me changed quickly.
It was as if I had changed the channel on the TV, and what I saw changed instantly.
The scenery switched to my house.
「…… Amazing!」
I knew warp was in theory, but it was amazing to actually try it.
I jumped to the Salamus Trading Company.
I jumped to the entrance of Loisane.
I jumped a little further away to the mountain ox hunting grounds.
The scenery changed one after another, and I was able to jump to exactly where I wanted.
Oh, man, this is awesome!
To be honest, this is far more powerful than 『all abilities multiplied by 777』, isn’t it?
No, it’s not that weak either. But there’s not much I can do about it.
But with this, I can do a lot with this.
I thought about what I could do with warp.
For example, you can do something like a merchant. Once you get to a remote city, you can earn money by transporting goods between the two cities.
I looked around. There was a rock a short distance away.
I used the warp feather. I moved behind a rock (from my point of view).
Can I move instantly behind my opponent when I’m fighting, like this?
In combination with skills, the number of things I could do increased dramatically.
The next day.
I used my warp feather to hunt mountain oxen, and as a result, I was able to hunt ten of them.
I’ve doubled my previous record in one fell swoop. The people at Andreu Trading Company were surprised.
「It’s not like he’s actually leading a mercenary group, is he? Because, you know, this is a job for a hundred people.」
So that day I was like, 「Warp, wow」, but the next day I realized that was a mistake.
As we continued our journey like this, the last town we would stop at in Ustenia finally came into view. The name of the city is Sumeria. The city is near the border with Midogal and is definitely larger than Dallas. We got to the gate and got in line. The line was quite long, but at the current speed, it would take about 30 minutes to get in. As I stood in line, I thought about registering as an adventurer in this city.
「Welcome to the city of Sumeria. Do you have any identification on you? The young lady over there is wearing a slave collar, so I guess she’s a slave.
When my turn came, the gatekeeper, who looked to be in his twenties, thin, macho, and somewhat handsome, asked me for my ID. However, since I don’t have it, I just tell him. I also confirm that Eleanor is a slave as well. Incidentally, even slaves can register as adventurers and get an ID card. Also, other than that, slaves are said to have a certificate of identification from their masters saying that they are their slaves.
「Well, then, I’ll check your criminal record with this magic tool, so will you please touch it? This magic tool glows red if you have a criminal record of murder, robbery, theft, or rape, and glows blue if you have none. Of course, killing in self-defense is not a problem. It can read the information in your soul, so it’s impossible to hide anything from it. Can you get that slave over there to join us?」
After listening to the explanation, Eleanor and I each nodded and touched the magic tool with our hands. Naturally, the magic tool glowed blue. Don’t tell anyone, but I was a little nervous because it was my first time.
「Okay, no problem. Then the next step is to pay the entrance tax since you have no ID. The admission tax is five silver coins per person.」
I paid for the two of us with the gold coins I had taken from the bandits and went straight into the city of Sumeria. Since it was still early in the afternoon, we decided to find an inn and have a meal first, then visit the clothing store and the adventurer’s guild. Various innkeepers ad touts touting their services, so I decided to ask the touts to help me find an inn with a bath. Incidentally, the house I lived in Dallas also had a bath, but in this world, baths are mainly used by people in the middle class and above. I found a tout for an inn with a bath, though it was more expensive, and he took me there. The exterior of the place is a four-story brick structure, and it seems to be a rather magnificent inn.
「Welcome!」
When I entered the inn, I found a well-dressed woman at the counter. Furthermore, looking around the inn, it was rather quiet and had a nice atmosphere. I decided to stay here.
「There are two of you. Seeing as how she”s wearing a collar, the girl looks like a slave, isn’t she?」 「Yeah」
They guessed right away, but I guess it doesn’t help that she usually wears a collar.
「Then you’d have to be in the same room, so it’d be a double room.」
There was something that bothered me a little in the current exchange, so I asked the lady about it.
「Why do we have to be in the same room?」 Oh, you didn’t know that, and you had a slave with you? Can’t be helped. Well, I’ll tell you about it while I’m at it. Slaves are like property, you know that, right?」
I already knew that, so I nodded to the lady.
「So you’re just going to leave your property out of your sight? What if somebody does something to her? Well, it’s not every day that a burglar breaks into an inn, and we’re very careful. Still, just to be safe.」 「Oh, I see.」 「If you hide her slave collar and no body knows, you won’t have that problem. Well, in the end, it’s customer who loses or suffers from it, not us.」
I was convinced that the lady had a good point.
「Oh, I see. That’s very kind of you.」 「It’s fine. I’ll continue with the rest of the information, okay?」 「Yeah. Please.」 「The price for a double room is six silver pieces per night, including breakfast and dinner. You can choose between twin or double beds. Meal times are from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 18:00 to 23:00 in the evening. Other than that, there’s a fee and a silver coin per meal. The bath is in the room, so feel free to use it. I’ll put in magic power into the magic tool for hot water if you tell me. And it won’t cost you a thing.」
The bed would challange my sense of reason, and I’ll settle for a twin.
「It’s okay, I can in magic power into the magical tools myself. Twin beds, 10 days, please. I also want to eat now, so I’ll have a meal for two. A total of sixty-two pieces of silver? I’ll give you six gold coins and two silver coins, please confirm. After we eat, I’m going to the adventurer’s guild and the clothing store, so please let us know if you know where that is, I’d appreciate it.」
I took out some money from my【Item Box】and handed it to the lady.
「You calculate fast, the amount is spot on. The room is up the stairs there, room 202. Please sit there and wait a moment for your meal. At the moment, it’s the same menu as breakfast: white bread, fried orc and stew. The Adventurer’s Guild is on your left when you leave here, turn right at the crossroads, go straight for a while, then it will be on the left. The large sign with the sword and shield symbol stands out, so it should be easy to find. The clothing store is five doors down from the Adventurer’s Guild.」
I thanked the lady for telling me about it and decided to go straight to the table she pointed out. When we got to the table, Eleanor sat down on the floor, so I rushed her to get up and got her to sit on a chair. Eleanor was pleased when I explained that she would not have to sit on the floor from now on, and that she could eat at the table with me. That’s because no one wants to sit on the floor and would rather eat at a table……. My meal was brought out, and I dipped a piece of white bread into the stew. The orc meat was a bit bland, so I started to eat it with some yakiniku sauce. Eleanor seemed to want it too, so I put it on her’s too. The food is pretty good too, it’s just expensive. When I looked it up in the library, the average innkeeper charged five copper coins per night, so this place must be quite expensive. But I need a bath and I don’t want the food to be bad, so I’m glad I’m here. Eventually, we finished our meal and got up to head to the clothing store and the adventurer’s guild.
The magic sword asked. While I was picking up the lottery ticket, she was trying to do something to take over me.
But it’s not going well. That’s why she asked numbly, I guess.
「It’s Yuuki Yuuki Kakeru.」
（I didn’t ask for your name! I’m asking you who you are. Why can’t I possess you?）
「Even if you’re asking, I’m not sure why. ……」
I wonder why.
（I’ve never met anyone that I couldn’t possess. Mu, bastard, the colour of your soul.）
「Eh?」
（What’s with the colour? You’re not just a normal human, are you?)
「I’m just a human being. ……」
Oh, maybe it’s not just a mere human. Maybe there is some difference between people from other worlds and that area.
（This color …… looks like the Supreme Lord Rodotos ……? No, it’s more like ……)
The magic sword was mumbling something.
「Now, what am I supposed to do with you?」
（Mu?）
「Should I just smash and break it? Hmm.」
（Don’t underestimate me, human.) There are ways to destroy you without taking over your body.）
「Eh.」
I was caught off guard, so I was surprised. I braced myself for what was to come.
Then the magic sword glowed. It shone with a dark – menacing – light.
The next thing I knew, it was bobbing up out of the ground.
Ghosts in robes, skeletons in armored armor, and moaning zombies.
Just like that.
（This is the army of my dead spirits that once laid waste to the Letoria Empire. Dead souls, kill this one! )
「Damn, I let my guard down.」
（AAa hahaahahahaha）
A high-pitched laugh echoed in my brain.
The army of dead spirits attacked us all at once.
I was going to hit her – but then I remembered she was in the palm of my hand.
A magic sword. She is the one who summoned these guys, but she is still a sword.
「……」
I swung the magic sword to test it out. I swung down at the skeleton that was rushing into the lead.
I cracked open the helmet and cut the skeleton in half from the skull.
「Whoa, that’s good.」
（What are you doing? How dare you use me to attack my servant!）
I ignored the ranting and continued to wield my magic sword.
I catch the skeleton’s sword, and crush its bones.
I blow away the ghost’s magic and slash through the entire robe.
The …… bodily fluids were slightly disgusting, so I used fire magic to burn off the zombies from a distance.
I killed the monsters that attacked me.
（Ignore what people are saying, if it’s …… then how about this!）
Right after I said something, the magic sword became heavier all at once. I almost dropped it.
With a blur, the magic sword slammed into the ground with the force of a kitchen knife dropping onto tofu.
（How’s that? Fuhaahahahahaha I can do this, too. I am now as heavy as a giant dragon.）
「Giant dragon? What’s up with the law of conservation of mass and all that?」
I couldn’t help but question it on my mind…… It is not a line of dialogue that would be said unless it’s in a different world.
（What are you gonna do? You gonna keep your hands off me? That’s fine then, isn’t it? I’ll be taken from you by the army of the dead…）
「Fu~nu!」
I put all my strength into my waist and pulled out the magic sword as hard as I could.
It’s heavy, sure, but not to the point where it’s unmanageable.
I used centrifugal force to spin the magic sword around like a hammer thrower.
The Warriors are back! The army of dead spirits is defeated again and again.
（That’s bullshit! Why are you swinging me? Aren’t I heavy?）
「No, you’re heavy. You can see that.」
If it wasn’t heavy, I wouldn’t be swinging like this.
（Not to such a level!）
More ranting from the magic sword.
After crushing the skeleton that was closing in on me (I don’t know how many anymore), I saw something glowing through the bones that were lying on the ground.
I saw a familiar light – a lottery ticket.
I see… sometimes you get them even after killing monsters like this.
I’m feeling motivated. I picked up the pace and beat them.
By the time I had defeated all the monsters in her army, my back was drenched in sweat.
After I finished, I went around collecting the lottery tickets.
I’ve counted them since then, and they were dropping at a rate of roughly one every hundred creatures. I wonder what it is the percentage of the drops.
（Bastard, what are you doing?）
The magic sword asked.
「What do you mean, I’m picking up …… this?」
I flashed the lottery ticket while holding the magic sword.
There are no words. But I could feel in my head that the magic sword was in some distress.
…… Can’t you see it?
I wonder if this lottery ticket is invisible to anyone but me. I’ll ask her next time I go to the lottery.
But the 「next time」 came surprisingly quickly.
When I picked up all the lottery tickets, I had exactly ten, including the previous ones.
There are ten lottery tickets, and with these, I can play eleven times.
I decided to go ahead and spin it as soon as possible.
How do I get there, or do I just walk around randomly?
I want to go there, I thought in my head as I walked around the forest at random with my magic sword.
Suddenly, I noticed that the scenery had changed completely.
Before I knew it, I had come to that room from the dimly lit forest.
The lottery room, staffed properly.
So this is how I can come here.
I went to the staff member …… and went to the lottery machine.
「Hey, I’m here for the lottery.」
「Sir, I don’t like it when you bring in people who have nothing to do with us.」
I don’t know why the staff member said that and looked at me with a frown.
「Eh? Someone who doesn’t belong? I don’t have anyone with me.」
「So who’s that over there?」
The staff member points behind me.
I turned around and saw a little girl there.
She was a young girl, about five years old, in a dress, and she was staring at her palms with a surprised look on her face.
「This is what I looked like when I was a human being at …….」
「I?」
The first person pronoun and tone of voice sounded familiar. Could it be that, that is this little girl…?
I don’t know how it happened, but I can handle this. You’re dead!」
The little girl rushed …… at me, but I calmly stopped her.
I stick out your hand and hold her head down.
The little girl did the …… spoilt brat punch.
A cute and adorable childish punch that looks too perfect to be scary.
A childish punch that doesn’t hit, a little girl with tears in her eyes.
The little girl jumped away.
「Damn! It’s no wonder I haven’t had a physical body in hundreds of years. But now, without me as a sword, you can be defeated by the spirits of the dead.」
「Mu」
「Come forth! Army of the Dead.」
She thrust her hand up. I braced myself.
The scene.
Nothing happened.
「Why?! Why isn’t anything coming out?!」
「……」
I lower your guard. I kind of get it.
No, I don’t know why she’ s in this shape, but I know that she can’t do anything about it now.
So, I put it off.
「Excuse me, I’ve got ten tickets, let me draw lots.」
「Don’t ignore me every time, naaaaaaa」
She slapped me from behind.
pokapoka, pokapoka
Damn, isn’t she cute? I feel like turning around and patting her on the head.
A week has passed since I started my journey with Eleanor. While training Eleanor to deal with the weaker monsters that appear along the way, we are heading for the next city. Thanks to her efforts, I think Eleanor is getting stronger little by little. Newly acquired skills include ……
【Experience Sharing】 The experience gained can be shared by the party. She can share the experience she obtains when she performs the finishing blow with other party members. The amount that can be shared is for skill level x 10%.
【Skill Stock】 The skills created with 〈Creation〉 can be stored. We can create a skill within the space of this skill. In this case, the skill level will be 1. This skill has no level.
【Skill Transfer】 She can transfer her skills to others. In this case, the skill level will be 1. It takes ten days for the transferred skills to fully take hold. It can be used on the same person once every ten days. This skill has no level.
In addition to this, I have also created a 〈Accelerated Status Growth〉, which I have already given to Eleanor. There are also〈Status Enhancement〉and〈Accelerated Skill Growth〉added to〈Skill Stock〉. These will also be transferred to her in the near future. For that matter, I tried to create a skill that would take skills and status away from monsters and people through〈Creation〉, but I couldn’t. When I couldn’t create this skill, I instinctively knew why. This was because the skills and statuses were tied to the person or monster who possessed them. The reason why my skills can be transferred is because the skills that were created in the 〈Skill Stock〉 from the beginning have no connection to my soul at all. However, when we use the〈Skill Transfer〉, it takes 10 days for the skill to take root in the other person. I guess I can’t help that.
Originally, I wanted to transfer “Status Enhancement” to her, but since Eleanor didn’t have enough MP yet, I decided to go with “Accelerated Status Growth” first.
I let the poster girl of the diner wait outside and faced Miu at the entrance.
「Okay, Miu, you stay here.」
「Yes. Goodbye, master.」
「Aaaah」
I turn around and try to head out.
「Aaaahh……」
「Nn?」
I heard Miu’s voice and turned around.
「What’s the matter?」
「U,uun. It’s that.」
「Un」
「That……」
「What is it?」
「Have a good trip.」
「Yeah, I’m off.」
Miu saw me off and I went out.
I stop. That reminds me of something.
I hurried back and entered the mansion.
「Miu!」
「Hyah!」
Miu’s voice faltered when she was called out as she was about to enter the back of the house.
「What’s the matter, Master?」
「Fluffing. There you go, Fluffying.」
「Aaah……」
Miu’s eyes glistened. But she looks a little embarrassed and dejected.
I pull back and hug her.
Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy.
As I fluffed her, I saw Miu’s tail wagging as I fluffed her to make up for the lost welcome home fluff. She was so cute and adorable.
「Okay, I’ll go this time.」
「Yes! Have a good day.」
☆
I walk alongside Fiona, the girl who runs the diner, Pross Restaurant.
We left the city and walked down the street with her leading the way.
「So, what do you mean you want my help?」
「I need you to help my sister.」
「Your sister, huh? If you’ve come to me with a referral from someone who said I’m good at what I do, then I’m guessing it’s something I can solve with my skills.」
「Probably ……」
「Probably?」
Fiona’s teeth were clenched.
I feel like I’m not getting anywhere with the conversation right now.
But it seems that she really wants my help.
Fiona was very agitated, unlike when she was in the store. She was walking so fast that she looked like she was going to leave me behind if I wasn’t careful.
So I didn’t ask any questions and followed Fiona.
「They’ve got my sister.」
We walked for a while, and halfway through we left the road and entered a forest where there seemed to be nothing but animal paths.
I saw a small cave deep in the forest.
The moment I saw it, I could see what looked like stagnant air leaking from the cave.
「What is that? Is that smoke?」
「Where’s the smoke?」
「There.」
Pointing to the entrance of the cave. Fiona looked there for a moment, then looked at me anxiously.
「I don’t see any smoke. ……」
「Huh? Then that’s …….」
I was about to say something, but then I realized.
The air was so stale that I felt a chill when I touched it.
A feeling very similar to the one I felt when I fought the ghost at the mansion.
「You know, like a ghost or something.」
「You can see it!」
Fiona shouted loudly.
「If it’s there, that means there’s something in it that’s giving off some kind of demonic energy, right?」
「Yes…….」
Fiona nodded and headed for the cave.
I went with her. After a few steps, the inside of the cave came into full view.
It was a cave, but if you looked closely, you would see that it was just a small cave with a few meters of space in the back.
It just looked like a deep cave because I couldn’t see the depths because of the specter that was floating around earlier.
At the back of the cave, by the wall, a girl is sitting.
She is a little older than Miu and a little younger than Fiona.
Her well-formed face is very similar to Fiona’s.
「This girl, Fiona’s ……?」
「This is my sister, Mari.」
So, I guessed. They have very similar facial features, so much so that anyone who sees them would say they are sisters.
「Onee-chan」
When Mari noticed us, she looked up and called out for Fiona in a voice that was almost a scream.
Her voice is faint and she can’t stand up.
She looked so sad that I could see the tears drying on her face, but she only called out for Fiona and showed no sign of moving further.
As one would expect, this is strange. I took another good look at Mari.
Then I saw that she was holding something in her arms.
「A stick ……? No, that cut there, that length of …… sword?」
「Yes, Mari is possessed by it.」
「Possessed by…… unearthly…… magic sword」
「Yes.」
「How did that happen again?」
「I don’t know. Mari usually plays in this forest a lot, but she didn’t come back the night before last, so I came looking for her and …… found her in this mess. And this cave, there shouldn’t have been anything like it here before.」
「The day before yesterday. …… It’s been quite a while.」
No wonder her voice is hoarse.
「Mari, are you stuck?」
「Yes…….」
She replied in a weak tone.
「…… She has dark circles under her eyes. It’s not just lack of sleep, is it?」
I can only imagine how bad it would be if she had a magic sword in her hand and her face was all shabby.
I had a general idea of what was going on.
「So, what do I do?」
「After this happened, I asked for help from the people at Andreu Trading Company, who are always there for me. Then he told me that I should take the sword away from her. But everyone I talked to in town said they might be able to take her out, but they couldn’t just take the sword without hurting Mari.」
「So that’s why they introduced me to you.」
Fiona, then looks at Mari.
Fiona was already half in tears. Mari was so exhausted that even her tears seemed to have dried up.
A girl possessed by a magical sword. I’ve got to do something soon.
「Fiona, stay outside.」
「Well, it’s just…」
「Just take the sword away without wounding her, right?」
「Uh, yeah.」
「I’ll figure it out.」
Fiona nodded vigorously and walked out of the cave.
Mari and I faced each other alone.
The other party didn’t move. She sat with her back against the wall, holding her sword and not moving.
I took a step forward.
Clang.
Mari drew her sword and slashed at me with a reaction speed that was very unlike a girl.
I react and dodge. Mari slashed at me even more.
Sharp slashes flew from all directions.
I watch closely and dodge. There was no way to avoid the specter that leaked from the sword, and it stung my skin.
Just when I thought I was going to fight back….
「Ouch …… my arm …… hurts!」
「Mari!」
Mari groaned in pain. Hearing this, Fiona shouted from outside the cave.
「I’m not sure what her limit is. Tsk.」
I couldn’t let it go on much longer, in fact, I didn’t even want to move any further.
Then…I hit her before she moved.
Once there, she stepped back significantly then closed the distance.
I step into the ground with my dominant foot and conserve my strength.
（With all my might.）
For the first time since I arrived in the other world, I went into it with all my might.
I felt like I had busted through a wall of air. Specter-Mari is not able to react.
I closed the distance in an instant and snatched it before the sword could react.
I took it from Mari’s hands.
「All right!」
The heist was a success.
（eh?）
I heard a voice. It was a voice that seemed to echo directly in my brain.
I saw the magic sword. I can feel it throbbing where I’m holding it, as if it’s pulsating.
Maybe it’s her voice.
I thought for a moment about what I should do. I was just thinking about how dangerous it would be to hold on to a magical sword like this …… when I heard the voice again.
（Then let me possess you.）
「Wait a minute.」
I tried to stop her, but her high-pitched laugh echoed in my mind.
It’s like she did something to me, something I didn’t even know how to stop.
Nothing happened, though.
（What? Why, why, why can’t I possess you? !）
The voice of the magical sword echoed. She sounds impatient.
She did something a few times after that, but there was no change at all on my part, and the voice of the magical sword was getting more and more impatient.
I don’t know why, but it means she can’t make me like Mari.
「Okay, then let’s just leave it.」
I decided to do so and looked at Fiona while holding the sword.
Fiona walked into the cave, I took the magical sword, and then went straight to pick up the unconscious Mari.
「How are you doing, are you okay?」
「Yes, probably. ……」
I peered into Mari’s face. She’ s unconscious and looking a little worse for wear, but her breathing is regular and Fiona is right, she probably looks fine.
「I’ll take you to see a doctor when we get back to the city, just in case.」
「Yeah.」
Fiona picked Mari up and looked at me.
I feel like I’m going to cry again, but this time – I’m sure it’s happy tears.
「Thank you so much! Thanks to Kakeru, Mari is now …… Mari ……」
「No, we’ll get to that later. Fiona, take Mari to the doctor.」
「Eh? And Kakeru?」
「I’ll deal with her first.」
I said, and showed her the magical sword.
Fiona said she understood, thanked me further and repeatedly, and then left the cave ahead of me with Mari in her arms.
With the magic sword in my hand, I look around the cave, wondering what I should do with it.
I might as well just smash it and break it.
As I was thinking about this, I saw something glowing where Mari had been sitting.
As I got closer, I saw a lottery ticket on the ground.
While taking a break, I listened to Eleanor, a beastman girl. At first, I tried to free her from slavery with〈Dark Magic〉, but she really wanted to follow me. She wanted to repay me for saving her from being enslaved by bandits. I’m telling you, if she were to be freed from slavery, she would declare, 「I will follow you!」. I could tell from my 〈Intuition〉 that she wasn’t a bad person, so I couldn’t help but decide to take her with me. It seems that she used to be a monster hunter and can defeat weaker monsters. Then, if I use 〈Creation〉 well, I can strengthen her. I don’t really have any future goals for myself, other than the promise to reunite with Airi and Lisa in Midogal. So, from now on, I am going to travel around the world and see different things. If I find a place that I like, I can settle down there and live freely. At any rate, Eleanor’s clothes were so tattered and so bad that I decided to make her some clothes. The only material I can think of for clothes is monster skin, so I’ll probably tan it and make a leather dress out of it. After thinking about it for a while, I came up with an idea. Hmmm… clothes, or better yet, ……, make it a one-piece type of armor? I’ll buy her some proper clothes when we get to the new town, and we can make it so that she can wear it as an inner garment. Until I put on an inner layer, the leather would be stiff and difficult to wear because it would be in direct contact with the skin, but I would have to ask her to be patient. And …… well, if she’s going to use it as armor, she might as well use metal that’s thin enough to not get in the way. In addition, I’m going to make her a weapon. By the way, I’ve been wearing something made of leather for a long time too. That’s why I can’t wait to get some clothes. Also, Eleanor’s status was high in physical abilities and low in magical ones, which was also very typical of the beastman race. I think she’ll be able to fight without any problems because of the status compensation from the weapons I make.
After asking about Eleanor herself, I also asked her about the slave system. I was only five years old in Dallas, so I don’t know the details of slavery in this world. I wasn’t really interested in it, so I didn’t do much research at the library. According to her, there is more to slave ownership than what we heard in the village. It is a rule that if the owner dies for any reason, the item becomes the property of the person who finds it, and this is often the case in dungeons. If the owner dies of natural causes in his or her lifetime, the rights go to the bereaved family, just like any other item. If there is no surviving family member, the owner is said to be the lord in charge of the place where he lived. There also seem to be rules that say one can’t eat meals with their master, or sit with him, or try to disobey him and their body will stop working. Slaves are still treated as objects and have no human dignity whatsoever. As someone who doesn’t like unreasonable things, I was disgusted to hear this, but slavery is legal in this world. And I think there are various businesses that are maintained by slaves, so I don’t think about abolishing slavery itself. However, when it comes to my own slaves, I will treat them as people. I told Eleanor that her tone of voice could be more relaxed. I finished making a weapon, a dress, and a magic pouch for Eleanor, and finished listening to her, so I decided to leave. While I was making it, Eleanor was constantly glancing at my work. It’s her own armor, and she’s worried about it? Well, it will also serve as clothing for a while. I mean, if we buy clothes in the city, that will be innerwear, and when she goes out, she almost always wears armor, so design is important. But when it comes to girls’ clothes, I’m embarrassed to admit that I have no sense of style. I’ve tried to make the dress as presentable as possible, though. When I handed it to her, she accepted it with some trepidation and a grin on her face, so I know she was pleased. Now that I was with Eleanor, my progress was slower, but I felt much more comfortable than if I had traveled alone. I knew I was mentally exhausted because of the loss of Dan and the other three. After walking until late in the evening, we decided to set up camp.
「I’m going to start setting up the campsite now, so Eleanor can wait there.」 「Yes, I understand. But if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.」
I nodded at her response. First, I used 〈Light Magic〉 to create a ward, and then I used 〈Earth Magic〉 to create a stove and chairs for cooking meat. I made a partition with an earthen wall and created two baths filled with hot water using〈Fire Magic〉,〈Water Magic〉, and〈Earth Magic〉. Eleanor was watching this with suspicious behaviour. Feeling a little better, I went on with my work.
「Awawawawa……It’s amazing! I don’t know what it is, but my master is awesome!」
I then took out the shampoo, treatment and body soap from the 【Item Box】 and handed them to Eleanor. After teaching her how to use them, we each took a separate bath, and when we were refreshed, it was time to eat. Eleanor seemed too surprised and confused.
「Master! I feel so refreshed! This shampoo, treatment, and body wash smells so good!」
I take the orc meat from the【Item Box】 and set up the tent while it is roasting. I also set up two beds in the tent, which I had made just before I met Eleanor. There was no wood in the dungeon, so I couldn’t make it until I went on a trip like this. It helped that I had made a spare just in case. For now, I can fit two beds in the tent, but if I have to put more beds in a row, I will have to rebuild the tent. Well, I don’t see that situation happening. When the meat is finished cooking, I pour on the various seasonings taken from the【Item Box】and eat. At first Eleanor was reluctant, but when I insisted that she could eat, she finally complied. As for seasonings, shampoo and body soap, I’ll just explain that I can order them with my skills. There were Japanese explanations on those things, so she tilted her head at the words, but didn’t ask anything in particular. Well, if someone asks, I can just tell them I don’t know because I’m just using my skills to order it. If – someday – I can build enough trust in Eleanor that I feel comfortable telling her about what happened in Japan, I’ll let you know…… then. Eleanor’s reaction to eating the meat with my secret weapon, yakiniku sauce, was amazing.
「Mogumogu, I’ve never eaten anything like this, mogumogu, I’ve never eaten anything like this, mogumogu, I’ve never eaten anything like this! ”Mogumogu, I’ve never eaten anything like this before!」
Eleanor’s tail is wagging at mach speed. Please don’t wag your tail too much or you’ll get dust and dirt flying around. …… Even though I was thinking about it inwardly, I cooked more and more meat and fed her a lot. Then I took another look at Eleanor, who was eating. Earlier, she was wearing tattered clothes, her hair and body were dirty and unflattering. But now, thanks to my bath, she is clean. And I was surprised to see that she was quite pretty. Her hair is a chestnut brown bob cut. She has dog ears and a chestnut-colored tail. She has slightly droopy eyes, and her breasts are normally developed. She was about 155cm tall. I’m a guy too, and I enjoy traveling with pretty girls, so I thought this would be a good idea. She don’t care if she’ s eating too vigorously and ruining her pretty face. After we finished eating, time passed as we talked about my goals and other trivial things Eleanor was so tired that she began to sway like she is on a boat in a daze before midnight. Seeing this, I urged her to sleep in the tent. After that, I started thinking about the direction of Eleanor’s enhancement. Considering that we’ll be traveling together in the future, aside from weapons and armor, we’ll need to power up the basics. After a lot of thinking, I finally came up with a direction, so I decided to use 〈Creation〉 on Eleanor and then go to bed. There is no need for guards because of the warding. No one can enter the wards without my permission. As I grow, the strength of the warding is getting higher and higher. When I entered the tent, Eleanor was already sleeping. After a glance at her sleeping happily, I get into my own bed. It was a little unsettling to think that the lovely Eleanor was sleeping right next to me, but I couldn’t sleep if I thought about it too much, so I emptied my head and went to sleep.
It’s good that I have …… expectations, but what does this mean?
At any rate, I grabbed the lottery ticket and tried to remind myself.
「……」
The lottery ticket was crumpled.
I looked around in a panic. Nothing happened to me.
「What am I supposed to do with this? Am I mistaken? Is it just a piece of paper?」
It’s really embarrassing, but …….
My embarrassment was growing larger and larger, and I felt like if I had a hole, I would crawl into it.
Well, I guess it’s fortunate that no one has seen me. ……
I decided to leave the area. I went back the way I came from and turned the corner to go back to my room and take a nap.
At that moment.
「…… where am I?」
The scenery in front of me changed completely.
I was supposed to be in the hallway of the mansion, but suddenly I was sent to some room.
There was a long table in the room, with a person standing across it.
And there was a lottery machine on the table.
「Welcome.」
「Is that it?!」
I couldn’t help but gasp out loud.
It’s the same room I was in. This is the room where I drew the special lottery right before I came to the other world.
In addition to that, the staff member is the same person.
「It’s been a while.」
「Here.」
I held out the lottery ticket I had picked up.
「I can draw the lottery with this, can’t I?」
「Yes, you can draw once with one of these. But are you sure you want to do that?」
「What’s wrong with that?」
「No, there’s nothing wrong with that.」
「Hmm.」
It didn’t look like they were lying to me, so I decided not to worry about it.
Instead, I looked at the list of prizes behind the staff member.
・Participation Prize: Magic Ball (black)
・Fifth Prize: Magic Ball (white)
・Fourth Prize: 50% Discount Shopping Coupon
・Third Prize: Interdimensional Warehouse.
・Second Prize: Warp Feather.
・First Prize: ???
The prizes are quite different than when I first drew. The list of things like spa trips and the latest smartphones is very otherworldly.
The staff member noticed that I was looking and asked me about it.
「Do I need to explain the giveaway?」
「I can sort of understand half of it, but what are these magic balls (black) and magic balls (white) all about?」
「Black is for attack, white is for recovery. Both of them can be activated by throwing them at your target when you want to use them.
「Huh.」
「And it can be used by anyone.」
「Seriously?」
I was kind of hoping for that. Even the black one from the participation award can be used for self-defense if you give it to Miu.
「What about the 50% off coupon?」
「Literally, you can buy anything you want at a 50% discount. And it’s unlimited use!」
「That’s awesome.」
「However, please note that this can only be used by the person who has drawn it.」
「All right, what about the interdimensional warehouse?」
「It’s a storage space in another dimension, again only available to you, but you can access your items from anywhere.」
「What about the warp feather?」
「Unlimited instantaneous movement. But only if you’ve been there once.」
The staff member explained to me.
All of these items are strong and exciting to behold.
But there was something more exciting.
First prize 「???」 . Seeing this, I remembered something.
「And, the first prize…」
「I’m sorry, you’ll have to draw it and see…」
「No, that’s not quite what I ment. Maybe there’s a special prize here, too?」
「How do you know that? You’re the one who came here after the person who won the first prize, aren’t you?」
「Yeah.」
I nodded.
That’s right. At the lottery in that shopping mall, someone won the first prize ahead of me, and then I won the special prize.
The first prize at that time was the same as this one, but it was hidden in the list of prizes with 「???」in the prize list.
And the first prize was a single draw lottery, while I, the special prize winner, could draw as many times as I wanted until I found something I liked.
In other words.
「There’s first prize, and then there’s special prize. So you’re saying that special prize is even better than first prize.」
「Yes, I am! That’s already amazing as is, so please go ahead and draw.」
「Yes.」
I was so excited. I’m really starting to look forward to seeing what I’ll get in the lottery over here.
So I went to pull out the lottery ticket.
「Are you sure you want to do this?」
He asked me the same thing again.
「You said the same thing earlier, what does that mean?」
「If you bring ten lottery tickets at once, you can draw eleven times. You get one more draw as a bonus.」
「I don’t remember lotteries having a system like that.」
I’ve heard a lot about gacha in social games.
「We do.」
「I see.」
I’m convinced. Well, it’s a similar thing, and it’s no surprise that such a bonus is provided.
If that’s the case, it makes sense that he asked me if I was sure, and as they said there was nothing wrong with either choice.
I can still draw, but if I hold back now and bring it all together, I can draw an extra time, that’s….
「All right, I’ ll draw them together when I get all of them.」
「Yes, I understand.」
「So, how do I collect the lottery tickets? Can I get them by shopping somewhere?」
「No, you can’t.」
The staff member chuckled.
「What are you going to do then?」
「Live in this other world as you wish, and I’m sure your intuition will tell you when you’re about to get it.」
「Intuition.」
「Yes, it’s a gut feeling.」
「I see.」
It was kind of vague, but I was still convinced.
I wondered ifI would feel the same way I did when I saw the lottery ticket earlier.
「All right, I’ll see you later.」
「Yes, I’ll be waiting.」
I left the lottery room and returned to the mansion.
I was standing in the middle of the hallway.
I was standing about around the corner – where I had accessed that lottery room.
I wonder if this is the transfer point.
Oh well, I’ll figure that out when I want to go back. From the way it looked earlier, I can go there anytime I want.
I walked down the hallway and turned back in the same direction I had followed the ghost.
「Ah, master.」
Miu came over to me. I want to fluffy her when I see her fluttering up to me.
Come to think of it, there was a ghostly commotion right after I got home, so I didn’t get to fluffy.
Anyway, I thought I’d give you a welcome home fluffying.
「Master has a guest.」
「Guest? For me?」
「Yes. I’ll have her waiting at the enterance, what do you want me to do?」
「All right, the front entrance.」
I headed for the entrance.
I can think of only a handful of people who would come to visit me, but I wonder who they are.
When I arrived at the entrance, standing there was the girl who was the poster girl for the diner.
I know her, but I don’t know her personally.
I’m a little surprised.
The poster girl was also surprised.
「What are you doing here?」
「I came here because I heard that there is a man from Andreu Trading Company who is very skilled. …… Is that you, the customer?」
「Andreu Trading Company……, good at what they do, yeah, that’s me.」
Andreu Trading Company is the place that buys mountain oxen. It’s definitely me.
「…… please help me.」
She said.
Her eyes were clinging, expectant.
When she pointed her eyes at me, I flinched.
Oh, yeah, that’s it.
I unconsciously crumpled the lottery ticket in my pocket and secretly smoothed out the wrinkles again.
