Category: Chronicles of a Creative Different World Reincarnation

《22 Date with Eleanor?》

As I walked out of the Adventurer’s Guild, I looked at Eleanor next to me and thought more deeply about the feelings I had just become aware of.
Do I love ……? Looking back, I …… spent my days training single-mindedly after I left Airi and Lisa.
Wielding swords, casting spells, and using a variety of skills.
I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Did I do something wrong in my head that time?”
Nevertheless, I still managed to make it through, and I think it was all down to sheer willpower.
To never let it break, to never let it bend.
It is the power of the will to establish the absolute self.
With a vow to never give in to unreasonable violence and to never give in to unreasonable power.
Hmmm, I’m a little off in my thinking. Anyway, I guess it’s because I’ve been living such a life for so long that seeing Eleanor so attached to me like this makes my heart grow fonder.
After all, I haven’t smiled in a long time. It was definitely Eleanor who reminded me to smile for the first time in a long time, and it’s one of her charms.
She probably doesn’t realize it herself, but her demeanor is tender and soft. here’s something reassuring about that――.

「Master? Do I have something on my face?」

I think I’ve been staring at Eleanor too long, and she’s tilting her head in puzzlement.

「No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about how fortunate I am to have met Eleanor.」

When she heard my comment, her face gradually turned red. Yeah, it’s just plain cute.
Earlier, at the adventurer’s guild, she got jealous of the receptionist. Even though we have just met, has she fallen for me?
To be honest, I don’t really understand the subtleties of men and women. Even for Eleanor, who seemed so straightforward, I was lost. If she’d told me straight, I’d understand as expected.

「Master, do you really think so?」
「Ah, it’s true. Let’s go get some groceries and sundries.」
「We have to go!」

After walking around the city for a while, Eleanor, who was moving her eyes impatiently, tugged on my arm.

「That meat and fruit looks delicious!」

As she said this, drool was dripping from her mouth.
I bought both of the things Eleanor pointed at and tried the fruit and the grilled kushiyaki skewers.
Just because I felt like it looked good too. I know I’ve just eaten at the inn a while ago, but I can’t help but think that it looks delicious in the food stalls.
And I don’t know why, but I think she’s good at finding good food. I she just good as a glutton? I walked around eating, thinking silly things like this.

「Hmm, this tastes better than I expected.」
「It’s delicious! I’m happy to be with my master, and to eat good food!」

Eleanor mouthed the words and showed a charmed expression.
And then I saw it, and my heart surged. Huh, why does she look so happy?
Are you really that happy? Do you really believe in me?
I still don’t fully trust Eleanor, though.
The proof of this is the collar of slavery around her neck. The fact that I still haven’t removed that thing – that’s shows how I feel.
Still, Eleanor gives me that look.
Up until now, she had lived through a painful past. As far as I’ve heard, she was not loved by her parents and was used by them from a young age, becoming a slave. …… Still, she has never shown any sign that her past was painful or anything like that since she came to be with me.
When I see Eleanor like that, I feel ridiculous that I’m the only one who doesn’t trust her. I can tell from the way she behaves that she is exposing all of herself to me. …… Well, there is also the power of 〈Intuition〉.
I hate being betrayed, but I am convinced right now that she will never betray me.

「Master? The sauce is spilling out of the meat and onto your hands!」

Eleanor tells me, and I notice. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a shame…….
What I was just thinking about is embarrassing and I need to make sure she don’t find out.

「I guess I was just a little spaced out ―― hey!」

Suddenly, I felt something soft on my hand……

「This sauce ―― it’s delicious!　It’s a waste!」

This girl was forcibly saying the words, while licking my hand …… no, licking the sauce from my hand.

「Fuuー It was delicious! 」
「Ahaahaa」

I unconsciously erupt into a fit of laughter.
What? That’s too funny! How much of a glutton are you! Huh, she really is so innocent, isn’t she?
Eleanor tilted her head when I suddenly started laughing. I said to her.

「If you want to eat that much, I’ll buy you more.」
「Is it true? I’m so happy!」

Eleanor said, hugging me.
I’m tempted to take off the collar of her slavery, but there’s no way I’m going to do it in the middle of all this traffic.

「【Clean】」

After using magic to clean up my hands, which were covered in Eleanor’s saliva, we headed towards the stall we had just left.
After that, I bought some small sundries and some groceries, especially vegetables and fruits.
No matter how much money I have, it’s never enough, so I’ll have to fulfill requests as soon as possible. As it is, I can’t buy anything that looks delicious and expensive.
With these thoughts in mind, I returned to the inn with Eleanor.

　◆　◆　◆

「Eleanor, you ate a lot earlier. Would you like to skip dinner?」
「It’s all right!」
「So, yeah, ……, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?」

Master is very kind after all. He worries about my stomach.

「I can still eat!」
「O, oh. I’m going to lie down for now, so if you need anything, just let me know. My stomach is full……」
「I understand!」

Then the master lay down in bed. I think about it as I watch him.
The day I met this person…… For me, it was a fateful encounter ―― that day.
It all began that day. My world has changed since then. I used to live a life without dreams and hopes, but since I met Master, every day has been radiant.
Master――
He killed the bandits in no time at all, he is so strong and awesome!
He has all sorts of seasonings and delicious meats, awesome!
He can make baths, set up wards, and he’s good at camping!
He even transferred his new skills to me!
　When it comes to seasonings, 『Yakiniku no Tare』 is one of the best! Waa, be careful, be careful. I was drooling a little.
　I can’t stop drooling just thinking about it, that thing is dangerous!　But I can’t stop ……!
Ah, Master’s hands were delicious just now, too. The sauce and the master’s taste combined to create an unknown flavour.
That being said, I’ve never heard of transferring skills, and it’s too awesome.
I’ll use the skills Master gave me to get stronger and stronger, and strive to be with him forever and ever!
It hasn’t been long since I met my master, but my heart has been captured by him.
Anyway, he’s so kind, so gentle that I’m in a mess.
He bought me a lot of clothes, bought a scarf to wrap around me to casually hide my slave collar, and even made weapons and armour for me.
We are allowed to eat at the same table, and every day is fun.
And the best part of all was that he protected me from being passed on to other adventurers at the adventurer’s guild.
I have been a slave since I was born, not knowing my mother and not being loved by my father.
As such, it was my first experience of being protected by someone, and it was the first time I learned that being protected was so heartwarming and reassuring.
It was then that I became aware. I was sure I was starving for affection…….
I’ve only known Master for about a week, but I don’t think I can resist anymore.
I’m afraid to think about what will happen if he rejects me.
But I don’t want to put a lid on this feeling. I’m sorry I’m such a cheeky slave.
Yet …… Yet I am ……
He has given me the radiant colours of my world…….

　◆　◆　◆

「Master, may I have a moment? I have something to tell you.」
「Hmm?」

As I was resting, Eleanor spoke to me.

「I’m sorry interrupting your rest.」

She bows her head and apologizes to me. Hmmm… I was just lying down because my stomach was so full, so I didn’t mind.
What’s does she want to tell me that’s so important? Is it that she don’t want to travel with me because it’s hard? In spite of my doubts, Eleanor began to speak.

「I am very, very grateful to you, Master. It’s hard to put into words. I’ve never been able to feel love in my life.」

I know because I’ve heard that part before. More importantly, her shoulders were shaking.
Is it cold?　That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly reminded myself that it was not.
I don’t feel cold because I’m with her. Could it be that she’ s nervous?　But …… why?

「I didn’t get any love from anyone ……, not even my parents, and I didn’t have anyone to give it to or room for it. But when I met Master, I felt a love growing in my heart. I am grateful to Master for so many things.」

Is love growing inside Eleanor?

「I love …… master. I love you! I know I’m a slave and I’m not supposed to tell you this, but I want you to let me love my master. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. So is it …… please ……let me …….」

Was I the one to whom this girl’s affection was directed? …… She began to cry at the end of her confession. If I refuse, there is no place for her feelings to go, and more importantly, considering her position as a slave, I can’t just say『goodbye』because it didn’t work out.
Still – she confessed to me even though she knew it was such a risk.
I remembered what had happened earlier when we were shopping. A year and a half of seeking only strength, and during that time, my mind was exhausted …… and it was Eleanor who healed me.
I can be sure that she and I can …… live together. There’s also the matter of Airi and Lisa…….
First and foremost, I want to respond to her sincere feelings. As soon as I made that decision, I hugged her as she sobbed.
Eleanor looked me in the eye, and I met her gaze in response. Then she shut her eyes.
I didn’t have any experience with this in my previous life either. …… And yet, this is what she’s doing to me. With that in mind, I silently pressed our lips together.
How long had I been doing that?　I was so nervous about my first kiss that I wasn’t sure how it would feel, but I slowly, slowly moved my own lips away from Eleanor’s lush lips.
I looked at her face and saw that the tears had subsided, but they were still running down her cheeks a little

「Eleanor. Are you going to follow me for the rest of your life?」
「I’ll follow you all the way to …… all the way! I’ll follow you everywhere!」

After she said that, she hugged me.
What I was thinking about when I was shopping, is now the best time to do it?　I thought about that and went straight to whispering in her ear.

「Thank you for loving me. Not as much as Eleanor, not yet. …… Still, I think I love you. I will take this opportunity to free you from slavery. From now on, I want you to stay by my side, not as a slave, but as a person, a girl named Eleanor. Always …… right?」

When I finished, the force of her hug became very strong.
This, I can endure because I’m me, okay? No matter how weak Eleanor still is, any man around here would be screaming, you know? While thinking about this, I remove her scarf.
The collar of slavery can be released by the person who is the master, simply by channeling magic with the intention of releasing it.
I channeled my magic and released Eleanor. I place the collar in the【Item Box】.

　◇　◇　◇

I notice that something soft is on my chest.
When I looked down to find the cause of the weight, I found Eleanor lying there, looking exactly as she had when she was born.
This girl is soft, smells good, and is comforting. However, I have to do my best to get up because I’m going to take a request today.
With this little bit of determination, I managed to wake up and cast my life magic【Clean】. Then I changed my clothes and went to the inn’s garden first to do a little training.
On the way to training, I was greeted by the innkeeper’s lady and by other guests of the inn, and I felt that the customers here seemed to be good people.
When I returned to my room after finishing my workout, Eleanor seemed to be awake as well.
And as soon as she noticed me, she hugged me.
She seemed to have a little trouble walking on her way to hug me. Seeing this, I felt bad about myself, thinking that I had worked her too hard yesterday.

「Eleanor, are you all right?」
「It’s okay! I was so happy!」

She replied with a fawning smile, and I patted her head as she did so.
I’ve freed her from slavery, but she still prefers to call me Master. Also, the slave collar is no longer there, but she liked the scarf and it looks like she’ll keep it around her neck.
We’ll have breakfast together and then head to the adventurer’s guild.
The innkeeper didn’t say,「Did you have a good time last night? 」 If she had said that, I would have been too embarrassed and would have destroyed this inn.

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Since it was a duel, we decided to borrow the guild’s arena. Eleanor and I, Zuan and the rest of the party, all move there.
Onlookers also seemed to come to watch in order to pass the time, and they took their places in the audience in large groups. The guild staff had also arrived, and they were going to give us the signal to start the duel.

「Master, please do your best!」

I responded to Eleanor’s cheers with a wave of my hand.

「So before we begin the duel between Zuan-sama and Louis-sama, we will confirm the stakes. The bet was that if Zuan-sama won, Louis-sama would give Eleanor-sama and two platinum coins as payment. If Louis-sama wins, Zuan-sama’s party shall pay three platinum coins. If the loser does not have enough money to fulfill his wager, he will become a debtor slave after the duel. The Adventurer’s Guild will act as an intermediary in the process. The game is won or lost until one of them dies or surrenders.」

After listening to the guild staff, we both took our positions on the starting line, about 10 meters away from the center of the arena.
Zuan holds a large axe in his hand, and I take out a mithril sword from the【Item Box】. That’s when I felt the crowd buzzing.

「Then let the duel begin!」

As soon as the duel started, Zuan came at me, swinging his axe.
But the move came too late. It’s so slow, it almost makes me yawn.
Even though that’s a joke, I’ll figure out how to proceed with the duel.
I thought for a moment that it would be tasteless to kill him instantly, but then I reconsidered that the duel was not worth the time.
There will be a request after this. I chose to end it quickly.
Then I move to Zuan’s side in an instant before flashing my sword at him.
Now the arena was silent.
I don’t think anyone here could have understood what had just happened.
Zuan was swung his axe at me, then the next moment, his arms and axe were on the ground.
Even Zuan was dumbfounded, as if his thoughts hadn’t caught up with his condition.

「You still want to continue? If you do, I’ll cut off both of your legs next, okay?」

My voice carried well in the silent arena.

「Ooowwwwww, it hurtssssssss, my arm, gaaaaahhhhh!」

As soon as I called out to him, Zuan seemed to realize that he was in pain.
But I guess Zuan didn’t hear my question, because he broke down in tears and fell to his knees.
Blood was gushing out of the wound at a great rate. I used my【Heal】to heal the wound.
I didn’t bother to heal the missing part, I just closed the wound. If I close the wound in this way, I will need 〈Light Magic〉level 8 to recover the missing part. The only people with such power are the Pope of the Episcopal State of Elen Garde and those in similar positions, as well as a few adventurers in the EX and S ranks.
If the wound is still open, though, level 6 〈Light Magic〉 will heal the missing part.
Zuan may still be in pain, but the confusion seems to have subsided a bit now that the wound is closed.

「I give up! I surrender, please don’t take both my legs! Eeee!」
「Louis-sama, the winner!」

The guild staff, who had been frozen in place like everyone else, pulled themselves together and declared me the winner.
The arena erupted in cheers as the referee announced the match.
This is how my first duel ended so easily.

Afterwards, Eleanor gave me a words of appreciation. Zuan and the other three were ranting and resisting, but they successfully became debt slaves.
I took the three platinum coins from the guild staff and left the arena. I’m not sure if Zuan can make it as a slave without both arms.
After the duel, which I could not lose, was over, I suddenly thought.
Even though it was inexcusable to think about it, I wondered what would have happened if I had lost Eleanor.
When I imagine it, I feel pretty bad about it. Thinking about it, I realized that I do like her, even though we have only been together for a short time.
Aside from that, I thought that I could finally accept a request, but I had to spend a lot of time on the procedures after the duel. So I decided to not take any requests today and return to the inn after shopping for sundries and groceries.

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《21 Duel》

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.

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《20　Adventurer Registration》

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.

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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.

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《19 Beginning Eleanor’s Enhancement》

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.

Name: Eleanor
Sex: Female Race: Beastman Age: 15
Level: 18 Title: Slave of Louis.
ＨＰ：１２２５／１２２５　ＭＰ：４５０／４５０
Strength: 335 Resistance:245 Agility: 288 Dexterity: 153 Magic: 90 Spirit: 90
Skills

【Special Skills】
Accelerated Status Growth Lv1

【Weapons・Physical Skills】
Dagger Arts Lv4・Archery Lv2

【Others】
Crisis Detection Lv1・Intuition Lv2・Detection Lv1・Dismantling Lv2・Service Lv2・Life Magic

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.

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《18 Eleanor and Camping》

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.

Name: Eleanor
Sex: Female Race: Beastman Age: 15
Level: 14 Title: Slave of Louis.
ＨＰ：９８５／９８５　ＭＰ：２３０／２３０
Strength: 275 Resistance: 197 Agility: 237 Dexterity: 99 Magic: 44 Spirit: 46
Skills

【Weapons・Physical Skills】
Dagger Arts Lv4・Archery Lv2

【Others】
Crisis Detection Lv1・Intuition Lv2・Detection Lv1・Dismantling Lv2・Service Lv2・Life Magic

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.

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《17 Eleanor》

My name is Eleanor, I’m from the dog beastman tribe, and I’m 15 years old now.
I was born in a provincial city called Luzobl in the Fur Milan Kingdom.
As such, I am now a slave.
It seems that my mother died a short time after I was born, so by the time I could remember, I only had my father.
A father who has been drinking all the time, unable to heal from the loss of his wife.
When I was little, they still had money, but by the time I was 10 years old, my father told me, 『We don’t have any more money, so go earn some.』
That life came to an end by the time I was 13 years old.
The reason for this was because my father had died.
My father was in debt, and soon after he died, a slaver came to our house.
And I was made a slave in exchange for that debt.
As a slave, I was educated in various ways, and at the age of 14, when I could do some calculations and read and write, I was purchased by Master Oran, a peddler.
The quality of the food I eat, the amount of food I eat, the amount of sleep I get, and the place I sleep are incomparably worse after I became a slave.
However, as long as I helped with the business, there was no violence, so I thought it was better than the life I had heard about.
About a year has passed since then, but this time, when I was in a village for work, about 100 bandits attacked me.
The peddler with the money was the first target, and the master was killed.
At that moment, I knew what my future would be, and despair overtook me.
I was not killed, but slaves are treated as property, as determined by slave law. If the owner is killed, the ownership is transferred to the person who killed him. If the person who killed them is caught, the ownership of the property will be transferred to the lord of the land.
But even with the village so overrun, no one will show up to capture or kill the bandits, so I’m probably screwed.
Up until now, as long as I do my job, the master has not touched my body, but I already know …… what will happen if I am with the bandits.
I wanted to at least have experienced first love.
I’m still a girl, you know.

「Huh, when I think back on my life like this, I don’t have any good memories. ……」

I muttered to myself subconsciously.

「What was the point of my birth?　What was I born to do?　Perhaps I was born to be the comfort companion of a bandit?」

I was saying these words even though I knew that no one would answer me anyway.
And so, as I silently watched in despair as my village was being overrun, I noticed that more and more of the bandits were being killed by a silver-haired man.
And in no time at all, the so-called leader of the bandits was also dead.
Seeing this scene, the bandits finally ran away.
I had been in despair just a few minutes ago. …… It was like a lie, and I felt my mind clearing up.
Apparently, the silver-haired man was going to be my next owner, so I decided to say hello.
　I’m so nervous.
The man with the silver hair is strong and cool. ……
This is not good!　I’ve heard that many beastmen are attracted to strong people, but I guess I was one of them!
I bet my eyes are hearts right now!
I definitely want to remain a slave to this man!
I willed myself to talk to the silver-haired man!

「Ma, ma, master, please take care of me.」

Awawawawa…… I was so nervous, I bit my tongue. …… I did it.
　Bu, bu, ,bu, but it’s not just about looks and strength, it’s also about personality if we’re going to be together forever, so we’re going to be together and see!
And if he has a good personality …… then I want to …… give him my all!

　◆　◆　◆

It had already been a little over a year and a half since Dan and Sarah had died.
――Sometimes I suddenly remember Dan and Sarah’s smiling faces and their voices calling me 「 Louis-chan」 and 「Louis」 with affection.
I can’t say I’m at peace when I think about them like I do now, but I maintain my peace of mind.
That made me realize the fact that my feelings are finally calming down – though the sadness won’t go away.
Maybe it was because I was consciously trying not to remind myself of it, but it took me a while to realize it. I chuckle to myself.
That being said, it’s been ten days since I conquered the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament.
I continued on my way, crunching through the occasional monster that attacked me.
I think about a lot of things along the way.
After experiencing the bullying in my previous life and the actions of Stampede and Alfred here, I have made up my mind to thoroughly resist unreasonable actions in the future.
As I walked along, thinking, “I haven’t seen anyone for a long time. ……,” I saw a village.
The map I saw at the library in Dallas only had the big city on it, so I don’t have any information about this village.
However, I could smell blood on the wind from the village, so I started running at once and entered the village.
Then I saw the scene of bandits attacking the village.
When I used 〈Detect〉, I found out that there were quite a few bandits, maybe a hundred.
Then the bandits attacked me as well.
I’ve never killed anyone before, so just to be safe, I’m going to start by using〈Create〉to get〈Mental Resistance〉.

【Mental Resistance】
I can reduce the burden on my mind at will.
I can choose which content I want to reduce.
It can also repel mental attacks and charms caused by〈Dark Magic〉.

Having acquired the skill, I mercilessly cut down more and more of the attackers.
The bandits gradually began to flee after I had killed about forty of them.
The original target was probably this village, and it would be too much trouble to go after it. Let’s leave it alone.
As I watched the bandits fleeing with these thoughts in my mind, I heard various voices from the villagers.

「Go after them and take them all down!」
「This is going to save us!」
「Quick, kill more bandits!」
「Save the village!」
「If you’re so strong, why didn’t you come before the damage was done!」

I couldn’t help but wrinkle my brow at this comment. There are too many people saying selfish things.
As expected, I ignore the villagers with such arguments.
Then I saw a girl coming towards me.
She wore tattered clothes and a black collar with dog ears growing out of her head. Is she from the beastman race?　I’ve never seen a real one before.
The beastman tribe girl came right up to me, bowing and shouted.

「Ma, ma, master, please take care of me.」

At that moment, my thoughts stopped. There should be〈High-Speed Parallel Thinking〉……
I managed to reboot my thoughts and decided to talk to her.
It seems that this girl was a slave of a peddler, and her master was killed by a bandit by bad luck, and then the bandit was killed by me. So it seems that her ownership was transferred from the peddler to the bandit, and then from the bandit to me.
When I used〈Apprasial〉 on the collar, I found that it was called a servitude collar.
While the villagers are still buzzing and noisy, I tell the beast girl that I don’t want a slave.
But no matter how many times I refused, she would say, 「That’s the way it’s supposed to be under the slave law.」
She was so insistent that I was losing my resolve.
And although I will return unreasonableness with unreasonableness, if I am going to live in this world, do I need to follow the rules that I should follow? I reconsidered.
At any rate, as we were about to introduce ourselves to each other, one of the villagers came near us.
The villagers pushed the beastman girl away, saying, 「Just let me talk to him」, and started talking to me.

「I am Garo, the chief of this village. If you don’t chase the bandits quickly, they’ll escape!　You have to destroy the bandits!」

The other villagers, in unison with the village chief, shouted in unison and urged, 「Hurry, hurry」.
What are you talking about?　This Garo guy or the villagers ……
It certainly seems that quite a few villagers have been killed and looted, and I guess this village can’t afford it.
But are you ordering me to do something I’ve never done before for people I’ve never met before, almost from the very first word, or are you a …… idiot?
I naturally refused and pulled the hand of the beastman girl who was knocked down to the ground to help her stand up.
Then the yelling and accusations got worse, and I was getting annoyed for good.
I decide to take the beastman girl and leave the village.
Before leaving the village, I realized that I didn’t have any money on hand, so I just collected the money from the bandits I killed.
I wanted to sleep in bed for the first time in a long time. But I don’t want to stay in this village. I guess I don’t have a choice.
After leaving the village and settling in, we sat down to rest.
Then I decided to listen to the story of the beastman girl.

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《16 Each New Journey》

As soon as the black dragon was defeated, the heavy atmosphere in the area seemed to dissipate.
I quickly dismantled the corpse of the black dragon and put it in the 【Item Box】, then examined the boss room and found a transition zone that seemed to be for escape. I could also see another room further in the back, so I decided to check that one out.
There, I found the main body of Kronos trapped inside the crystalline body.
The crystalline body is emitting a vapor-like substance and appears to be melting rapidly.
It’s going to be a long time before the crystalline form is gone. So I decide to check out the various metals in the room and the shiny red gem embedded in the wall.
When I appraised the metals, I found that mithril was the most common, and there was also silver, gold, and a little bit of orichalcum, so I stored those in the 【Item Box】 as well.
The glowing red jewel looks like a dungeon core. In order to prevent the stampede from happening in the future in this dungeon, I pull the dungeon core out of the wall and put it in the【Item Box】.
This is a dungeon built by the Black Dragon. After I left Lisa and the others, I heard from the Kronos spirit that the stampede was caused by the Black Dragon.
In other words ―― the method of generation was different from that of a normal stampede.
The normal stampede is said to occur when the number of monsters in the dungeon increases too much.
For that matter, I don’t know if there will be a boss in this dungeon now that the black dragon is gone.
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter either way.
However, if it excites you, you may want to come and beat it eventually.
About 20 minutes later, the crystalline body seemed to have completely dissolved, and Kronos, who had regained consciousness, spoke to me.

「You must be Louis, thank you for this time. Now that the seal has been broken, my spirit body has become one with me. The memories of my mental body have also entered me, so I understand the situation. Thank you so much, you’ve been a big help.」
「No, don’t worry about it. I wanted to be strong, and I only helped you because it was in line with my goals.」
「I’d like to give you something in return, though, but I’m not sure what. I wonder if this is it? 」

Kronos said, and pulled out a strange branch and leaf from the void that felt like some kind of power. Now that’s probably an【Item Box】, I know because I use it myself.
Anyway, what’s that thing Kronos is holding?　I sense some kind of considerable power. ……

「Fufu, you look like you don’t know what this is, do you?　These are the branches and leaves of the World Tree. Anything made from this material will be of considerable quality. There may come a time in the future when it will be useful in your life, Louis.」
「I was just helping out as a side note, how can I get something so nice?」
「Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you’d take that as a symbol of my gratefulness.」

I receive ten branches and ten leaves of the World Tree.
As I pondered whether I would eventually make something with it, Kronos looked at me with a satisfied look on his face.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I remove my gaze from him.

「I’ve been sealed up for so long that I’ve depleted a lot of my spiritual power, so I’m going back to the spirit world. If my spirit power decreases any further, I’ll become a minor spirit.」

When I was surprised to hear the fact for the first time, Kronos bailed out and then used【Warp】 to leave.
Thus, having finished everything I had to do in the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament, I decided to escape.
I could have escaped on my own, but I decided to give it a try, so I got on the transporter I had just found, and the scenery darkened for a moment after the surroundings glowed.
The next thing I saw was the entrance to the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament.
After escaping the labyrinth, I decided to set off for the capital of the Midogal Kingdom, where Airi and Lisa were waiting for me.

◆　◆　◆

Six months have passed since the tragedy in Dallas. Currently, I, Airi, and Lisa-sama are living together in a small house in Midoria, the capital of the Midogal Kingdom.
Life without Dan-sama, Sarah-sama, and Louis-sama……
Lisa-sama is taking care of me and letting me rest to stabilize my mind, but ……
As it is, I can’t meet Louis-sama with my heart on my chest. ……
If they could see me now, I’m sure Mom and Dad in heaven, as well as Dan-sama and Sarah-sama, would be scolding me. ……
All of them are now deceased, but all of them were very active in their lives.
I know that being an adventurer is a dangerous profession, but I want to become a great adventurer like the four of you.
On this day, I made the decision to become an adventurer, not as a maid as I had been, in order to survive the rest of my life.

◆　◆　◆

Since coming to Midoria, I, Lisa, have been mostly at home, although I sometimes take requests from the adventurer’s guild.
The reason for this was, after all, the deaths of Dan, Sarah and Galwin, who had been with us for many years, and Airi was still not well.
This day, as I was relaxing in my room and drinking tea, Airi knocked and came in.

「Lisa-sama, I need a favour. I know it’s dangerous, but I want to be an adventurer too. Could you please train me?」

She still has a little shadow on her face, but she seems to have blown it off.
It’s important to be committed to something, and it would help her feel better.

「Okay, I know the training can be tough at times, is that okay with you?」
「Yes! 」
「So, first of all, since we’re going to be fellow adventurers from now on, can you please stop calling me ‘sama’?」
「Yes, I understand. Lisa-san!」

From now on, I’ ll train Airi and register her with the Adventurer’s Guild, and we’ll form a party and start with simple requests.
As I thought about this, my expression seemed to clear up somewhat.

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◇　◇　◇

It’s been half a year since I entered the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament, and today I will finally fight the Black Dragon.
Before entering the room with the black dragon, I check my status.

Name: Louis
Sex: Male Race: Human Age: 16
Level: 91 (Status and skills are being hidden) Title: Heaven Sent Child of Creation
ＨＰ：２６７６０／２６７６０　ＭＰ：３３３６３／３３３６３
Strength: 3645 Resistance: 3345 Agility: 3895 Dexterity: 3216
Magic: 3595 Spirit: 3925
Skills

【Special Skills】
Creation Lv7・Status Enhancement Lv8・Accelerated Skill Growth Lv7・Accelerated Status Growth Lv10・Accelerated Experience Growth Lv8

【Weapons・Physical Skills】
Weapon Master Lv8・Martial Arts Lv6・Body Strengthening Lv9・Raise Maximum HP Lv6・Accelerated HP Recovery Lv4・High-Speed Parallel Thinking Lv3・Regeneration Lv6・Airwalk Lv9・Blink Walk Lv7

【Magic Skills】
All Attribute Magic Lv8・Raise Maximum MP Lv7・Accelerated MP Recovery Lv7・Magic power manipulation Lv8・Chantless Lv6・MP Pool Revision Lv8

【Others】
Appraisal Lv10・Concealment Lv10・Crafting Master Lv4・Crisis Detection Lv7・Intuition Lv6・Detection Lv4・Dismantling Lv6・Service Lv5 ・Otherworldly Goods Trade Lv3・All Language Comprehension・Life Magic

【Accelerated Status Growth】
When I level up, I get better status growth. The amount of increase is skill level x 10%.

【Accelerated Experience Growth】
Increases the amount of experience gained when defeating monsters. The amount of increase is skill level x 10%.

【Weapon Master】
I can use any weapon at my disposal.
By using 〈Creation〉combining the skills of〈Swordsmanship〉〈Dagger Arts〉〈Great Sword Arts〉〈Twin Sword Arts〉〈Shield Arts〉〈Axe Arts〉〈Spear Arts〉〈Martial Arts〉〈Staff Arts〉〈Archery〉〈Grappling Arts〉, I became a 〈Weapon Master〉
The skill level will be the average of the integrated skills.
Any skill out of the integrated ones will increase my proficiency, so it is easy to increase my skill level.

【Martial Arts】
Depending on the specific method of attack, it becomes a single technique and increases in power.

【High-Speed Parallel Thinking】
Thinking can be done in parallel at high speed.
When I integrated 〈Fast Thinking〉 and 〈Parallel Thinking〉 by using the skill 〈Creation〉, I got 〈High-Speed Parallel Thinking〉
Any skill out of the integrated ones will increase my proficiency, so it is easy to increase my skill level.

【Regeneration】
Gradual healing of all injuries, including regenerating missing parts.

【Blink Walk】
I can move instantaneously at a value higher than its status.

【All Attribute Magic】
I am able to use all kinds of magic.
What kind of magic it is and how powerful it is depends on the image and the MP consumed.
〈Light Magic〉〈Dark Magic〉〈Fire Magic〉〈Water Magic〉〈Wind Magic〉〈Earth Magic〉〈Lightning Magic〉〈Gravity Magic〉〈Space-Time Magic〉has been combined with the skill 〈Creation〉form 〈All Attribute Magic〉
Since proficiency increases with any magic in integration, it is easy to increase your skill level.

【Chantless】
I can activate a spell with only its magic name.
The power of magic invoked by 〈Discard Chanting〉 is the power of the magic when invoked by chanting x skill level x 10%.

【MP Pool Revision】
Any amount of MP can be pooled and withdrawn at any time for use. The maximum MP you can pool is skill level x 100.

【Crafting Master】
I can make all kinds of things.
By combining the skills of 〈Blacksmithing〉, 〈Carving〉, 〈Crafting〉, 〈Woodworking〉, 〈Leatherworking〉, 〈Sewing〉, 〈Metalworking〉, 〈Smelting〉, and 〈Compounding〉, you become a 〈Crafting Master〉.
Any skill out of the integrated ones will increase my proficiency, so it is easy to increase my skill level.
What I can make depends on the image.
The quality of what I make depends on my skill level.

【Crisis Detection】
The ability to perceive danger.

【Intuition】
It makes it easier for my intuition to work.

【Detection】
Able to detect the presence of creatures and traps within a certain range (radius of skill level x 20 meters) centered on me.

【Dismantling】
I will be able to dismantle monsters and animals better and faster.

【Otherworldly Goods Trade】
I can order goods from other worlds with MP as the price.
The size that can be retrieved is skill level x 10 cm2. It is impossible to order the living organisms.
The MP consumption is skill level x 15000. Can be used once every 120 hours.

I can’t use〈Otherworldly Goods Trade〉without 〈MP Pool Revision〉 at the moment, but it’s very useful. I mainly order seasonings, without which I think my meals would have been terrible.
After obtaining 〈Craft Master〉, I made equipment from materials of monsters I hunted in dungeons.
I’ve been updating them one after another, so my current equipment consists of a two-meter-long mithril sword made from mithril golem material, armor made from manticore fur and mithril, a breastplate, greaves and shin guards.
Due to the influence of time and space, I am now 16 years old and have grown to about 175 centimeters tall, so the size of the weapon is not an obstacle.
I tried full plate once, but it made a lot of noise and I had to go light to take advantage of my quickness.
The tent for camping is also made of Manticore leather, which is quite strong.
The level of 〈Space-Time Magic〉 has been raised, and thanks to the ability to use the 【Item Box】, my belongings are clean.
The first time I used it, I was quite impressed. A real four-dimensional thing! When I first became able to use it, I was so excited that I wasted a lot of time moving things in and out of it.
I was lucky that no one had seen it. If anyone had seen that, I think I would have squirmed to death in embarrassment. ……
I can’t put anything that is alive in the 【Item Box】, but I can put monsters in after I defeat them.
So much for confirmation, I opened the door to the 100th floor.
When I entered the boss’s room, I found a 30-meter-long black dragon standing in a grim atmosphere.
The black dragon roars with a heavy thunderous low roar. The volume of his voice was tremendous, and the shaking air reached me.
I decided that the first thing to do was to analyse the strength of the opposing force, so I used 〈Appraisal〉 on the black dragon in my sight.

Black Dragon
Level: 95
ＨＰ：９５０００／９５０００　ＭＰ：５７０００／５７０００
Strength: 3571 Resistance: 3526 Agility: 3922 Dexterity: 2900
Magic: 3610 Spirit: 4200
Skills
Bite Lv. 9・Flight Lv. 9・Breath Lv. 9・Seal Art Lv. 7: used to seal the spirit Kronos・Dark Magic Lv. 9・Regeneration Lv. 4

As I was looking at the results of Black Dragon’s appraisal, a laser-like black 〈Breath〉 flew at me.
I hastily switch my thoughts to combat mode and avoid it.
I sneaked around behind a black dragon with 〈Body Strengthening〉 and 〈Blink Walk〉 at the same time to avoid it, and 〈Crisis Detection〉 acted when I just going to cut off its tail.
At once, I tried to keep my distance, but at the same time, a black sphere appeared near its tail.
Is that 〈Dark Magic〉? …… It looks like it’s a sphere with an object inside it?

「【Sunshine Laser】！」

I used my 〈Light Magic〉 to cancel out the black sphere and used my 〈Air Walk〉 to attack the wings. The black dragon was trying to evade, but I had read its movements and brought down my mithril sword accordingly, successfully slicing off one of its wings.
At the same time, however, I took a blow from its tail that its swiped to the side and was slammed against the wall.
I immediately checked my own body wounds and felt a severe pain in my ribs. This may be …… cracked.
　However, I don’t have time to be in pain right now, so I put up with the pain and immediately start running while chanting【High Heal】.
The Black Dragon has , so if I don’t deal damage in succession, it will recover. While successfully fending off the black dragon’s 〈bite〉 and tail attacks, I channelled magic power into my mithril sword to increase its sharpness.
I tried to slow down the black dragon by activating a 【Downburst】that combined 〈Wind Magic〉 and 〈Gravity Magic〉, but it was offset by 〈Dark Magic〉.

「【Sunshine Ring】！」

I made over 30 rings of light using 〈Light Magic〉and target the black dragon, that hindered the black dragon’s movement.
However, it still didn’t seem to be a decisive blow, and the black dragon easily broke through the ring of light by force.
I’ll have to try out my 〈Martial Arts〉 here. I decided to do so, and slightly lowered my waist and slightly strengthened my grip on my sword.
And so I roared as I approached black dragon――

「【Adamantine Speed Decapitation】！」

The slash from me approached the black dragon, and …… I thought to myself, 『Did I do it?!』 The moment I think thatI have done it, it was already gone.
As soon as I moved my gaze to look for the missing black dragon, a tremendous shock hit me.

「Guuaaah」

The next thing I knew, I was plunged into a wall.

「Guu, when did this …… guha」

After my voice involuntarily leaks out, I vomit blood. Is this some kind of internal organ damage?
I’m in terrible pain all over my body, and I already can’t immediately identify which part of my body is injured. The 〈Martial Arts〉 are very powerful, but I’m not used to using them yet. After using it, there was a gap and it exploited it. ……

「I have to recover quickly… 【High Heal】―― guaaaaaaa」

As soon as I recovered from the magic, the 〈Breath〉 from the black dragon had landed on me. I can smell the unpleasant smell of my own flesh burning.
The pain and smell were unbearable, but I knew I had to check on it first, so I turned my gaze to the black dragon.――
Just a little further away, it opened its mouth again and was preparing to release 〈Breath〉―― This is bad!
I decide to do so and recover immediately.

「【Extra Heal】！」

A warm glow enveloped me, and my charred skin began to regenerate rapidly. And then the 〈Breath〉 came flying.
As I avoided it by using〈Blink Walk〉, I heard the sound of something flapping its wings. Then, the black dragon jumped up about 20 meters and released a 〈Breath〉 from the air.
The wings should have been sliced off. ……or so I thought and looked at the black dragon and saw that the wings had already regenerated.
I was able to avoid the flying 〈Breath〉 with time to spare, and I also stepped into the sky using my 〈Air Walk〉.

「Damn, I gotta get this thing on the ground.」

Muttering to myself, I swung my sword at the black dragon. However, as I’m not used to aerial combat, my slashes are inevitably half-hearted, and I’m unable to slash the wings that I should have been able to slash off earlier.
The Black Dragon was no stranger to aerial combat, and I was slowly being pushed into a corner and becoming defensive.
After all, it’s wrong for someone who acquired the ablilty to walk in the air to challenge a guy who originally had the ability to fly in an aerial battle.
After concluding that, I got down on the ground to check my condition.
I’ve already spent quite a bit of MP ……. My HP has just recovered, so I’m still fine.
It was a good thing I had a full stock of MP Pool Revision just in case. I immediately withdraw and replenish my MP.
I don’t know if the black dragon is a little tired, but it’s standing in midair, staring at me.
Giving it time to rest is a bad idea. After all, it has 〈Regeneration 〉.
I accelerated my thoughts further to give the black dragon a decisive blow. In the end, I would like to use my 〈Martial Arts〉 skills to cut off its head, but I want to restrain it before that.
Its a big guy, but its pretty quick, just like its status. And we need to get it down, because aerial combat is not good for me anyway.
I thought I had gotten used to fighting up to this point, but since I hadn’t faced an enemy as strong as this guy, I realized that my attacks had inevitably become a pattern. There’s so much I can do now that I’m still trying to figure out which is the best move.
I’ll have to draw out more to fight an opponent of this strength.
After thinking about it, I decided on a plan and started to take action. With the 〈MP Pool Revision〉, I have more endurance than it.

「I’m gonna go all out from here!」

I threw words at the black dragon that he couldn’t possibly understand, and I steeled myself.

「First I’ll bring you down to earth!　Take this, with all the MP you’ve got!【Downburst】!!」

The black dragon is desperately trying to resist the downward flow that was generated with my words, but――

「Resistance is useless!!」

I kneaded my magic even more, increasing the power of my magic. And – finally – the black dragon fell to the ground.

「I’ve been waiting for this moment!【Warp】!」

I moved to the back of the black dragon at once, and swung my sword down at once with magic power flowing through it.

「Gugyaaa」

With such a scream, a spray of blood flew and one of the black dragon’s wings fell to the ground. I wanted to drop two of them, but di I have any left to spare?
Well, all right. From here on, it would be best not to use any major techniques until the very end. If I run out of MP, I’ll be in danger.
I’m going to take care of it exactly like a Tsume-shogi game. And so I swing my sword at the black dragon again――

◇　◇　◇

――Isn’t it about time?　After a while of fighting, I felt the black dragon’s movements clearly slowing down.

「【Sunshine Ring】！」

The black dragon was struggling to get rid of the ring of light that clung to its body, but this time it seemed that it could not break through with force, and there was no sign of the restraints being removed.
And from there, as we fought more and more like a battle of endurance, the black dragon started to move less and less. The 〈Regeneration〉 is not yet complete.
And then, taking advantage of the momentary gap, I use the 〈Blink Step〉.
After feinting, I use a short warp to move near the black dragon’s wing and cut off the other wing as well.

「Gugyaaa aa a」

The black dragon is screaming and flailing.
I thought this was my chance, so I used more 〈Earth Magic〉.

「【Rock Prison】」

A hard rock suddenly appeared, binding the black dragon’s head to the ground. I’ve put a lot of MP into it, and with its weakening power, it will be impossible to remove.
If I’ve restrained it this far, there should be no way to avoid it now.

「Black Dragon, this is the end.」

Then I flash my mithril sword.

「【Adamantine Speed Decapitation】！」

There was no way to avoid it, as it was fully restrained, and the sharp slash became an invisible blade that sliced off the black dragon’s head.

「Fuu, it’s done.」

I muttered a few words as soon as I had killed it, and my face relaxed involuntarily from relief.
I also spent a lot of my pooled MP, so the battle was a lot more close than I thought it would be.
But for now, I had achieved my goal, and I was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

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