Category: Kujibiki Tokushou: Musou Harem-ken

When I brought the Orikudite I had collected to the Andreu Trading Company, they were extremely surprised.

「So much?!」

I joined them in mining part way through, so the volume was quite large, about a truck load’s worth.

「Was that too much?」

「I don’t have a problem with a lot of it, after all, we don’t get a lot of it, and once it’s processed it sells like hotcakes. …… But…」

Andreu looked at me, and at Helene and Io behind me.

「As with the mountain ox, the amount you bring in is usually not the amount that you should be able to get with that many people.」

「With this many people, what’s the ballpark figure?」

「Hmmmm, so….」

Andreu picks up a large orikudite ore there.

「I’d say two or three of these is about the limit. If they can stop the Orikuto for a long time, of course they can collect more, but there’s a limit to the number of spells the three of them can use and the amount of time they can stop it.」

I see what he means.

When I was judged by the Salamus Trading Company, they told me that my magic power was a hundred times greater than that of a normal adult male.

「And they’ll need the manpower to bring it back. Most magicians are physically inept, and if they use up all their magic power, they have trouble getting themselves home in the first place.」

That’s where the warp feather comes in.

We were able to get this far because we took as much as we could and came back via warp.

「Well, you never cease to amaze me, Yuuki-sama.」

「Are you sure you can buy all of this?」

「Yes. Unlike mountain oxen, it needs to be appraised, so the purchase price will be determined at a later date…….」

「That’s fine. I mean, I’ve got one or two more trips to make, so I’ll leave you to it.」

「Eeeeh?」

「Eh?」

What’s with the 「Eeeeeh?」.

「What do you mean by that, Yuuki-sama?」

「I’m just going to go back there and get it now, okay?」

「Again…… you are coming back with more like this?」

「Now that I’m used to it, I think I can get some more. Helene, Io?」

「Yes! I’ve learned the trick to digging!」

「I think I can dig it out a little faster and cleaner.」

Helene and Io said one after the other.

They’re both very motivated.

「So, can you bring me some more…」

「Wait, wait, wait a minute.」

Andreu looked flustered and held out his hands to stop me.

I don’t know what it is, but he seems to be in serious distress.

「Is that bad? Didn’t you just say there’s nothing wrong with a lot?」

「Yes, I said that. In fact, no matter how much you have, you can always sell what you’ve procured.」

「That’s not a problem.」

「No, it becomes difficult to buy and pay for such expensive items when they are all brought in at once. Although it can be sold, it will take some time to sell it and turn it into cash. There is also the time required for processing. Our main business is mountain oxen, and we don’t want to run out of cash to keep it going.」

So the bottom line is that he doesn’t have enough cash reserves.

He knows he can sell it, but he can’t purchase more than the cash he has now.

So that’s what this is about.

「Ummm……」

「You’re distressed.」

「I was convinced by what you just said. Yuuki-sama’s power is beyond our capacity. I’m sure the same thing will happen every time something happens in the future.」

「……」

When I was hunting mountain ox, and when I was mining this Orikudite, I wanted to make money fast, but I went too far.

In the former I was being avoided by the mountain oxen, and in the latter I had taken (or intended to take) more than the Andreu Trading Company could handle.

「Okay, I’ll stop then.」

Andreu was blatantly relieved when I said that.

When the appraisal is done, please deliver the money to the mansion, I said, and left the business meeting.

☆

「That’s what I’m talking about, Kakeru-san.」

As we walked through the city together, Io began to pester me.

Sure, it might be 「as one would expect」, but this is a bit of a problem.

If it had been a few days ago, I could have earned it slowly. But when I found out that I need to do a big purchase and that three hundred (or one hundred and fifty) silver coins which would be enough for one lottery ticket, I wanted to earn money to spend.

To be honest, it’s tough not to be able to do that.

「Kakeru-sama.」

「W, what is it?」

「If you would like, I can introduce you to a merchant serving the royal family.」

「Royal merchant?」

I stop and look at Helene.

「Yes, she is one of the wealthiest merchants in our country, and her fortune is said to be equal to that of a country. The reason why I’m talking about her is because of the situation now.」

「Rich enough to rival a country?」

「I can introduce you if you like, Kakeru-sama.」

I thought about it for a moment and nodded.

Whatever the case, it never hurts to make money-making connections.

「So, please.」

「Yes!」

Helene smiled and nodded.

A dazzling smile on her face. I wonder if she’s smiling like this because she can be useful to me.

I love her very much.

☆

The next evening, when I broke up the party for two (leisurely mountain ox hunting) with Io and returned to the mansion, I saw several wagons and a luxurious carriage parked on the grounds that looked like something a person of noble rank would ride in.

「Welcome home, master.」

「I’m home. Miu, what’s that out front?」

「Uh, master and guest.」

Miu looked extremely confused.

「You don’t know her?」

「Yes, it’s my first time here. I told her the master wasn’t home, but she asked me to let her wait inside.

「Huh.」

「Um, master.」

「Yeah?」

I looked behind Miu towards the direction of the parlor.

For a little while now ── Miu has been giving me a troubled look as she stood in front of me.

A brush, huh. A well-made brush, perfect for grooming Miu’s tail at a quick glance.

However, it is mostly made of gold.

It’s a golden brush.

「Is it real?」

「It’s really heavy…….」

She says in a voice that sounds like she’s about to cry.

「So it’s real or …… why did she give it to me?」

「I don’t know. It’s not a big deal, but here you go. It was given to you…….」

（Don’t do it. She’s up to something.)

「Eh? What do you mean by that?」

I asked Eleanor.

（If this is silver or gold coin,it would just be a bribe to make it easier to get to you. It is sometimes done with the gatekeeper of a noble’ residence. Sometimes they won’t even tell you the lord is home unless you give it to them.）

「Huh.」

（But this is a different story.) It is made of gold and appears to have been made to match the recipient. They’re here to fill in the outer moat.）

「I wonder who she is.」

I pulled myself together and headed for the parlour.

I opened the door and walked in to see a woman there.

A well-dressed woman ── better-dressed than Helene or Princess Iris, if I may say so myself.

When the woman saw me, she stood up and bowed.

「It’s a pleasure to meet you.」

She looks up and faces me.

「And you are?」

I am here on the recommendation of Her Highness Princess Helene. My name is Delphina Homer Ramanli. Pleased to make your acquaintance.」

「Helene’s?」

Oh, so this is the merchant that Helene was talking about.

No, maybe it’s his subordinate.

She looks like a fairly young woman. She’s an adult woman, but at a glance, she doesn’t look like much of a 「wealthy merchant with the net worth of a country」.

（That’s a good point.）

Eleanor murmurs in my brain. What do you mean?

（The moment I heard her refer to Helene, her expression did not change, but her spirit shook slightly. I think she might have sensed your relationship with Helene.）

She’s not going to show it on her face even though she’s …… aware of the relationship between Helene and me.

I see. Whether it’s the boss or their subordinate, it’s clear that she’s no ordinary person.

I pulled myself together and sat down in front of Delphina.

Previous|TOC|Next

At a glance, Orikuto was a large rock. But even though it reminded me of lava, I couldn’t feel any heat.

Slime with a rock-like texture. That was my impression.

I jump in and swing Eleanor down.

「Hmm!　Hard.」

The blow was quite severe, and the edge of the cut only dug in a few millimeters.

It moved like a sluggish mollusk, but it was very hard.

（He’s coming!）

「Tsk！」

At Eleanor’s warning, I kicked that guy in the body and jumped sideways.

The second I stopped the blade, it tried to swallow me, My body shot up in a huge leap with a 「Bang!」 The next thing I knew, I was on the ground.

「If I get taken in with that kind of hardness, I’ll be in a world of hurt.」

(From the inside, it might be more fragile than you think.)

「It’s a cliche.」

I say this jokingly, but I have no intention of trying.

Orikuto stretched out and attacked me further.

I can see what looks like a sharp fang at the tip. He’s intent on swallowing me.

I dodged to the side and swung Eleanor down from above, holding her in both hands, into a defenceless spot.

I feel a dull sensation. My hands went numb.

I felt the numbness like I’ve slammed a baseball bat into the ground with all my might, but I haven’t even cut a third of the way through it’s body.

「Oh, shiiitttttttttttttttt!」

I shout. With all the strength I could muster, I pressed Eleanor’s blade against it.

「Uuuooooooooooooo!」

Gagagagagaga. The sound of blades and rocks rubbing against each other continued, and Orikuto’s body was cut in two.

「Awesome…….」

I heard Io’s voice from behind me. That’s what I wanted to hear.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

「What the…?」

I was astounded.

The part of the Orikuto that I had slashed with all my strength quickly attached itself and returned to the original lump.

So its characteristics are almost the same as slime.

（I see. That’s why it’s so dangerous.）

Eleanor’s voice echoed in my head. I could afford it, but I was impressed.

「……Bring it on!」

Taking a breath, I repositioned Eleanor and slashed at Orikuto.

I sliced it to pieces. Gagagagaagagagaga. Anyway, I slammed Eleanor into Orikuto’s body.

Sparks flew and bits of rock scattered.

I hit it with even more enthusiasm.

「Haa…… haa……」

When I was completely out of breath, the Orikuto fell apart ── into pieces.

「If I’d gone this far…」

（No, not yet!）

「──！」

I was astonished. In front of my eyes, the pieces of Orikuto are slowly coming together and trying to come back together again.

The physical attack is not enough to stop it. On top of that, my hands are numb from too much pounding. I’m not sure if I can do it again.

「Kakeru-san! I’m done chanting.」

「──！Fire!」

As soon as I shouted to Io, I jumped away, keeping Eleanor in my guard.

A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck Orikuto.

It stopped moving.

I look down at it. I feel a little complicated.

Io came up beside me and said.

「Wow, Kakeru-san, this is the first time I’ve seen someone tear apart an Orikuto all by themselves. I mean, I’ve never heard of such a thing!」

Io said with respect ── or rather, her voice was full of respect ── but honestly, it was complicated.

I would have done in this guy alone if I could have……

「I’m sorry, I’m so sloppy. Let’s just get the Orikudite and get out of here.」

「You want to get out of here?」

「Yeah. Orikuto is numb now, but he’ll be able to move soon.」

「Does it come back pretty fast? What happens if I shoot more magic into it?」

「I can keep it from moving while you shoot, but I can’t do it alone…….」

「…… You mean the interval between zapping it and the time its stopped?」

Io apologized and said,「I’m sorry」.

「An Olikudite mining party should consist of at least five magicians. To ensure safety, seven or more people are recommended.」

「That’s how many people you need to keep going.」

「Yes. If I can do it alone, I can do it. It’s a way of dropping one shot, taking as much as you can in the meantime, and running away. It’s also very dangerous, because the amount of time you can stop it moving varies a lot, so there’s a risk of being attacked by an Orikuto who’s able to move while you’re mining.」

「I see……. Okay, let’s just take as much as we can.」

If that’s the case, I’ll just take as much as I can, as fast as I can, and use the warp feather to warp away.

That’s what I thought, and I was going to start mining with the two of them.

「Kakeru-san! It’s moving!」

Io shouts out. To my surprise, Orikuto was already on the move.

I stepped forward to shield Io with Eleanor at the ready.

「The interval is so short, is this what it’s supposed to be?」

「There are times like this……. It’s pretty short, though.」

「What about Io’s magic?!」

「It’ll take a while before the next one!」

Io replied in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry. Damn it, we can’t mine it like this.

Let’s use the warp feather to escape and come back.

Just as I thought this, I caught sight of Helene.

Helene has remained silent ever since our encounter with Orikuto.

Her eyes stare at me. Her expression didn’t change.

I wondered what it was ── it popped into my head for a moment, and then quickly disappeared.

An electric current runs through my head. Flickering.

I exclaimed.

「Helene! Throw a magic ball at this thing!」

「Yeeeees.」

As requested, Helene took out the magic ball (black) I had given her and threw it at Orikuto.

The balls flew helter-skelter and hit its rock like body.

The effect of the magic ball (black) is to magically attack the opponent with its weakest attribute.

In the case of Orikuto, it would be lightning.

Instantly, the ball burst open. The lightning burst with a thunderous roar.

I just… jumped into it!

I cling to Orikuto. Together, we took on the lightning magic.

「Kakeru-san?!」

I hear Io’s surprised voice. It’s an obvious reaction.

But this is fine. Because so far, everything was going according to plan.

「Are you all right, Kakeru-san?」

Io calls out to me in concern. Helene follows close behind.

「It’s okay. Not much damage.」

I made a show of moving my body. I’m not trying to be tough, it’s really not much damage.

If I had to guess, I’d say it was a little numb, like when you bump your elbow on a corner.

「Instead, you two work on the extraction, and I’ll stop Orikuto.」

「Eeeeeeh? But…」

「I think it kinda feels like this……?」

I decided to show Io the proof that I was fine.

I use lightning magic the same way I’ve always used fire and ice magic.

The lightning struck Orikuto, who was unable to move.

「Lightning! I see, Kakeru-san, you’ve been exposed to the magic.」

「Yeah, you’re supposed be able to learn the magic by surviving a magical attack, if you’re good enough.」

「Yes!」

「That’s the way it is — and that.」

I visualized it further and fired another shot of lightning magic.

Two shots in a row fall on Orikuto’s body.

「Apparently, I can do a barrage.」

I say this as if it’s obvious.

A predisposition to lightning magic, and the power of continuous magic (or is it?). I’m not sure.

I’m sure both of them are thanks to the「777 times all abilities」.

「So I’ll take care of this, and you two take care of the mining.」

「Yes!」

「I understand.」

「Oh, don’t even worry about how much we can carry, we’ll be at warp on the way back anyway.」

I told the two of them and turned to Orikuto.

As soon as it starts to move, I concentrate so that I can hit it with magic.

It was slightly different from what I had planned.

「What kind of person is Kakeru-san ……? I’ve never seen anyone who’s perfect with a sword and magic……」

「You’ll find out when you study history.」

「History?　Why history?」

「He really resembles the anecdotes of historical heroes in their youth.」

「I see!」

I listened to the conversation between Helene and Io, and for the moment, it was good.

Previous|TOC|Next

I was walking through the meadow with the two of them, Helene and Io.

My goal, of course, was the mountain ox. To hunt it down and cash it in. I’ve only hunted one animal today, and I haven’t made enough money at all.

「He took on a force of a thousand men by yourself?」

「Yeah. Nearly half of them were overlooked, but most of the soldiers who were overlooked stopped being soldiers because they complained of trauma. …… I’ m not surprised.」

「I’ll be watching him. Kakeru-san killed a lot of monsters and Sandros by himself. That’s why.」

「Sandros. That’s Sandros, the king of Hell?」

「Yes! That’s why I’m not surprised about a thousand people. I think he’s amazing, Kakeru-san.」

Behind me, Helene and Io are having a friendly chat. I’m glad to hear that the two of them hit it off right away.

That’s fine, but I still can’t find …… mountain oxen. We’ve been walking around for quite a while, but I can’t seem to find anything.

The moment they spotted me earlier, they ran away.

I don’t want to think about it, but …….

（I think you are being avoided.）

Eleanor said.

「Maybe I overdid it.」

I thought that might be so. Maybe I’m perceived as a dangerous person among mountain oxen.

After a bit more walking, I finally found a mountain ox, but this time there was a person ahead of me.

I saw a group of about ten mercenaries, all wearing the same kind of armour.

It’s a shame I found it, but then something even more shocking happened.

As soon as I made eye contact with the mountain ox, the mountain ox fighting the mercenary group suddenly turned and ran away.

he moment it saw me, it ran away, ignoring even the enemy in front of it.

……This is no good.

☆

Back in town, I came to the Andreu Trading Company with Helene and Io.

I told Andreu exactly what I had experienced earlier.

「My goodness……」

Andreu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief and made a complicated face.

「It is true that Yuuki-sama may have overdone it, if I may say so myself. In the past few days alone, you’ve done the work of hundreds of people.」

「If that’s really the case, you may not be able to hunt mountain oxen for a while.」

「Yeah.」

「So, is there anything else I can do to make money? Preferably something that pays well.」

「Yes, there is……」

Andreu pondered with a straight face.

I thought for a while, then looked up and saw Io behind me.

「You are Io Akos, rank C, I believe. You’re good at lightning magic.」

「Yes.」

Io nodded, her voice a little embarrassed.

His reaction was, “Why did you come here?”

「Are you having in party with Yuuki-sama?」

「Yes.」

「It’s not that there aren’t jobs that can be done …… if you have a lightning magic user.」

「You’re acting a little evasive.」

「It’s quite risky, after all.」

「Let me hear it anyway.」

「Yes. It’s mining Orikudite.」

Mining? I think it’s some kind of ore.

It didn’t sound too dangerous, but I heard Io gasp in the background.

「Andreou-san, that’s a bit of a challenge…….」

「I know. But Yuuki-sama said 『Something that pays well』」

「That’s true, but ……」

Io looked at me with a complicated look on her face.

I was curious about the mining of the Orikudite that made her look like that.

☆

The three of us warped to the meadow inhabited by mountain oxen and headed on foot to the rocky mountain beyond.

「Orikudite is the name of the magical ore found in that mountain.」

「Magical? You mean magically created ore?」

「There’s a monster named Orikuto who lives there, and it always leaks a special kind of thick magic. The magic is so strong that it almost materializes. The magical power sticks to the rocks around the nest and dries up. Orikudite is made up of hundreds or thousands of layers.」

「I’ve seen it before.」

Helene continued.

「The magic that the Orikuto releases varies from day to day, so the overlapping layers formed a beautiful pattern that resembled the colours of the rainbow. I remember it as being mysterious and very beautiful.」

「I see.」

I imagined it somehow. From the description, I guess it’s like the colorful annual rings of a tree.

「How expensive is that?」

「Yes, I’ve heard that it’s very difficult to collect, as well as beautiful.」

「To be frank, Orikuto is immortal.」

「Immortal?!」

I was indeed surprised by that statement.

「Not only are they extremely strong, but they also regenerate quickly no matter how hard they are attacked. Its only weakness is lightning. When you attack with lightning magic, it stops moving for a while.」

「I see, I’ll have to stop it from moving and collect the Orikudite while I’m at it. So, Andreu told me this story because Io was with me.」

「Yes, because he knew I could use lightning magic. It is said that if a party cannot use lightning magic, it is like heading for death.」

That much?

I see what she means. When one goes out with a party to defeat a powerful enemy, it is common for the party to have the appropriate members and equipment to go with it.

In the case of a monster named Orikuto, that means lightning magic is the only choice.

「Okay, I’ll distract it when I see it so that Io can cast lightning in that gap.」

「Yes.」

While the vanguard is holding them off, the magician strikes them with magic on their weak points.

Io answered immediately without hesitation to the orthodox tactic.

「And this is for Helene.」

I take out the black magic balls from my pocket and give them all to Helene.

「What is this?」

「It’s an offensive item. It can be activated by throwing it at an opponent. Use it at your discretion, Helene.」

「I understand.」

「So, let’s do some mining.」

「Yes.」

After a quick meeting, we headed up the rocky mountain.

I suddenly realized that there was a strange aura around me.

It’s a strange aura, a strange bright green…… and yet I don’t feel anything when I touch it or inhale it

「Is this it? Orikuto’s aura?」

「Probably.」

Io nodded her head. A little further on, I could see that the rock wall was clearly different.

It’s as if a layer of paint has been applied to what used to be a bare rock.

Just when I thought it was here, it appeared.

「It’s Orikuto!」

Io exclaims.

「Okay, here we go!」

I tightened my grip on Eleanor and took off towards Orikuto.

I glanced at the two women.

The two pairs of eyes seemed to trust me completely.

「Eleanor.」

（What is it?）

「I’m going to take it down, help me!」

I wanted to betray their expectations in a good way.

Previous|TOC|Next

「Damn it! I’ll go collect more lottery tickets if this keeps happening!」

The man looked frustrated and ran out of the lottery booth.

More and more…… means he’s going to collect more than a hundred tickets.

……What did he do to collect so many?　How did he collect a hundred of them in the first place?

I guess I’ll ask him next time I see him.

「This is the fourth prize, a fifty percent discount shopping coupon.」

The staff brought out a golden card.

It looked just like a gold credit card, but the texture was strange, like something I’d never felt before.

「If you show this to the merchant when you are shopping at, you will get a 50% discount on everything. You can use it as many times as you want, but please note that it can only be used by the person who received it.」

「It’s almost the same as the feather. Okay.」

I put away the 50% off shopping coupon.

Eleanor drew the remaining ten times, but they were all magic balls.

☆

Now that I can get a 50% discount on my purchases, there’s one thing I need to try.

It’s about how much I have to spend to get a lottery ticket.

It used to be one ticket for every 300 coins.

I would like to verify if the 50% discount will be one for every 150 coins.

I’ll use 300 silver all at once, it has become relatively easy to earn that now, considering I earnt that in one day the other day.

The reason for 300 coins is that it’s better to try to see if two lottery tickets will come out with 300 coins, so that they won’t be wasted. If it didn’t work, the whole hundred and fifty slivers would be wasted.

With that in mind, I returned to the mansion from the lottery booth and tried to jump to the mountain ox meadow.

「Good morning!」

I was approached. It’s Io.

Io stood in front of me, still dressed like a magician.

「Good morning.」

「Ar, are you going somewhere today?」

「Yeah, I’m going to go hunting for mountain oxen……. Want to come with me?」

I remembered that I had promised to party with Io, so I invited her to join me.

「Yes!」

She nodded with a huge smile. Well, that’s what I’m here for.

「Then let’s go, come here.」

「Eh? Yes……」

Io looks at me strangely, but comes close to me.

I took out my warp feather and moved to the mountain ox meadow.

「……Eeeeeeeeeehhh」

She was taken by complete surprise. Just as I expected.

「Where am I? We were in the city a while ago, weren’t we?」

「This is a meadow where mountain oxen appear. We’ve flown all the way here by magic.」

It’s an item, but I told her it was magic.

「Jump…… I’ve never heard of such magic.」

「I’m the only one who can do it.」

「Awesome ……, I can’t believe you can do that kind of magic.」

「I can only warp to places I’ve been before.」

「But still, it’s amazing!」

With an impressed Io, we searched for the mountain ox.

Speaking of which, what do I have to do to set up a party?

「What kind of things can Io do?」

「I can use offensive magic. My specialty is lightning magic. It will take some time to activate it, though, so it might cause some trouble.」

「Oh, so the vanguard has to endure longer?　Does that make it more powerful?」

「The power is about the same, but since it’s lightning, it can ignore an opponent’s defenses.」

「It’s electricity, huh.」

I see. Lightning magic, I’ll have her shoot it at me sometime so I can learn it…

In this world, if one gets hit by magic and survives, there’s a chance one can learn to use it.

While we were talking about this and that, we found a mountain ox.

「Okay, let’s start with a hundred.」

I pulled out Eleanor ……, but there was something wrong with the mountain ox.

As soon as he saw me, he backed away, spun around, and ran away.

「……Eh?」

I scowled. Did he run away?

I quickly regained my composure and used my warp feather to get ahead of it and finish off the mountain ox.

「What was that? That was just …….」

I look at the fallen mountain ox and murmur.

From what I’ve seen so far, these guys are animals that don’t ever run away.

It’s a ferocious, daredevil, mountain ox, and it’s a wild boar at heart.

That’s why I was surprised that it ran away.

In the meantime, Io catches up with me.

「Amazing …… I’ve never seen a mountain ox run away from someone before.」

「I’m surprised, too. Now, let’s go cash this thing in.」

Using the warp feather, I traveled to the Andreu Trading Company with the Mountain Ox and Io.

I handed the mountain ox to Andreu, who became more and more reserved towards me, and asked him for the payment.

I went out and met up with Io.

「Kakeru-sama」

When I was considering where to go next, I was called upon.

I turned around and saw Helene there.

Helene isn’t wearing a dress, she’s wearing light clothes that are easy to move around in, and her long hair is in a ponytail.

To be honest, her vibe was completely different. It’s just a little disguise.

「Helene. What’s up with that outfit?」

「I really wanted to see Kakeru, so I snuck out for a bit.」

「So that’s why. ……yup.」

I stared at Helene intently.

The princess’ usual appearance is beautiful and pretty, but her current appearance is also very nice.

She looks more beautiful because she looks more active on top of being ladylike.

……I have to admit, I was a little stunned.

「……Umm, Isn’t that strange? I’ve never dressed like this before, so I’m not sure what to expect…….」

　I took Helene’s hand when she was about to turn away and gently hugged her.

「It’s not weird, it has a good vibe.」

「Thank you very much.」

Helene giggles in my arms. I’m about to gaze at her again.

「I’m going to go hunt some more, will Helene come too?」

「I’ll come with you.」

Helene responded immediately.

When I turned to Io, she was in a state of shock.

「Io? What’s wrong?」

「Ka, Kakeru-san. Isn’t that person possibly …… Helene-sama?」

「Aaaah」

「Could it be that Helene-sama……」

「Well, there you have it.」

Io was even more surprised when I answered.

Helene giggled more and more.

「With the princess …… Kakeru-san is amazing …….」

「Yes, Kakeru-sama is an amazing person. After all, even though he has the magical sword Eleanor, he is not consumed by it and is able to use it. As far as I know, he is the only one in history.」

「EEeeeeh? Eleanor? 」

Io is startled.

「Yeah, this one.」

I pulled out Eleanor.

（Don’t go saying, this one.）

Eleanor protested, but I flippantly ignored her.

「EEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh」

Io shouted loudly and was greatly surprised.

As I attracted the attention of the people around me, I rushed to cover her mouth.

「Th, that sword is really that Eleanor?!」

「Ah, yeah.」

……Was this one really that great of a sword?

「Eleanor. A legendary magic sword that has appeared many times in history, and has led legions of dead spirits to destroy many empires. Instead of gaining power, those who hold it will, without exception, have their minds destroyed.」

「She is no longer has Legions anymore, but she has a ghost.」

I summoned Tania through Eleanor.

「Hello, I’m Tania Chitiakis.」

A translucent maid ghost demurely popped up in front of us.

I’m in public, so I’ll withdraw her right away.

「He’s so strong, he’s …… in that kind of relationship with the princess, he’s …… not taken over by the magic sword, and he uses it normally, and he’s …… amazing!　Kakeru-san is so amazing!」

Io blurted out those words. I feel that words like amazing are starting to lose their impact.

（I’m about to join the religion.）

Eleanor giggles in my head.

It’s starting to look like it’s really going to happen.

Well, I don’t feel bad about that.

Previous|TOC|Next

At night, in the bathroom of the mansion.

I let Miu wash my back in the bath, which was like a public bath with room for twenty people.

「Nsho, nsssho…….」

Miu wrapped a towel around herself and scrubbed my back as hard as she could, it was so cute and endearing.

「A little harder, please.」

「Yes!」

When I gave the order, Miu started rubbing harder with more force as she told me, but it didn’t last long.

Her strength gradually weakened, and she exclaimed, 「Fumyu …….」

She didn’t whine, though.

Sometimes she’d take a deep breath and hold her breath and scrub with more force.

So she’d burst into it, but she’d quickly run out of breath again and her strength would weaken.

I know she’s working very hard. So I have no complaints.

「Is there anything Miu would like?」

I’ll listen instead of chatting. We’re going to be spending a lot of money from now on anyway.

「Nsho…… what I want …… nsho……?」

「Yeah, whatever you want.」

「Really…… nsho…… anything?」

「Yeah, just tell me.」

After another boost, Miu said in a reserved voice.

「I want to get a scrubbing brush…….」

「Scrub brush?」

The tone at the end of the word rose in a strange way.

「I’m , I’m sorry. What was that──」

「No, I’m not angry. What kind of scrubbers are they?」

「Well, it’s like a glove, it’s rough, and when you rub it, it removes a lot of grime, and it feels really good.

Miu explained.

It’s kind of exciting to listen to. I’m going to buy it …….

「How much is that?」

「Uh, copper coins…」

As expected, it was very cheap. To put it bluntly, the price is about a hundred yen.

「You’re asking for a hundred-yen item?」

I mumbled to myself. That’s how confused I was.

「Can’t I?」

「It’s not a problem. Or rather, buy it. I’m sure you’ve got living expenses and stuff. Feel free to buy that kind of stuff.」

「Yes!」

I don’t have eyes on my back, but I can easily imagine a big smile on her face.

The scrubbing continues.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a door knocker.

Miu didn’t hear the front door, so I told her.

「Miu, someone’s knocking on the door. Go check it out.」

「Eh, o, okay!」

Miu rushed out of the bathroom, hurriedly put on her maid’s uniform, and ran to the door.

I heard her fall along the way. She started to cry softly, but she didn’t let it stop her from going to the door.

Do we need more maids? Its too much of a burden for Miu to bear alone.

It’s a big purchase, so I’ll order Salamus to make sure that 300 silver coins = one lottery ticket.

A few moments later, Miu comes fluttering back.

「Master, you have a visitor.」

「Who are they and what do they want?」

「Uh, an adventurer? She looks like an adventurer.」

「…… Ah.」

I had an inkling of what to expect. Has some event started again?

「Go ask her what she wants. If it’s a party they’re talking about, turn them down and ask them to leave.」

「I understand.」

Miu went to the door as she was told and came back a little later.

I knew it was a person who came to invite me to the party, and they left saying they would come back later.

I’ll just say no when they come back.

Afterwards, Miu gave me a good back scrub and I took a nice bath.

I felt completely relieved of my fatigue after the full course of care, including changing clothes after the bath.

Instead, Miu was exhausted.

「Miu」

「Yes, what is it, Master?」

Whenever I called her name, she would shout out with enthusiasm, which was very endearing.

「I’m gonna fluffy her up.」

「──Yes!」

Miu was startled for a moment, and then immediately broke into a big smile.

That night, I slowly and deliberately fluffied Miu.

☆

The next day, I jumped to the location where I had fought the monster, searched the area thoroughly, and picked up a lottery ticket.

With the lottery tickets I had accumulated from shopping, I had accumulated another ten tickets, so I immediately went to the lottery place.

There was a guest in the lottery room. The man looked familiar.

「Oh, you’re that guy from back then.」

「Tentacle……..」

He was the guy who won the first prize in the lottery at the mall before me and got the「Tentacle」skill.

「I see. You’ve come to another world, too.」

「Yeah.」

「How are you doing?」

「I’m getting there.」

「Not so bad, huh? Is she alright too?」

He pointed behind me. He pointed to the humanoid Eleanor, whom I had brought with me.

I think he might have misunderstood a lot of things because he’ s kind of smirking.

I didn’t care, so I decided to play along.

「So, you’re here, you’re collecting lottery tickets too?」

「Yeah.」

「Oh, I see. I’m sorry, but I got here first, so I’m gonna go first.」

「Yeah.」

I gave him a nod and the man went towards the staff.

Then he gave her a bundle of lottery tickets.

「Hey, girl, I got a hundred.」

「Wait a moment… yes, exactly one hundred, one hundred and ten rounds.」

「Okay, I got 30 last time, but this time I’m going to hit the jackpot.」

I was surprised to hear the man’s enthusiasm and what he had to say.

A 100, and last time, 30?

So he collected a total of 130 tickets? I’ve collected a total of 20 this time, so how on earth did he do it?

I thought I might as well ask how he collected them later …….

The man was enthusiastic and spun the lottery machine.

Rattle, rattle, poto.

The sound of the lottery machine spinning and the sound of the balls falling continued.

Black followed, occasionally white.

Most of them are participation prizes, although fifth prize did come out.

It went on for a hundred and ten times.

「Oh, damn it!　I missed out on everything this time, too.」

「I’m sorry to hear that.」

「The only thing that saved me was that I got a lot of white. I’m gonna use this on my lady knights.」

I felt like he was saying something outrageous, but I pretended I didn’t hear it.

The man got a bag and filled it with magic balls.

I took out all the ten tickets I could find and handed them to the staff.

「Only ten tickets?」

The man asked from the side.

「I couldn’t gather enough.」

「That’s half hearted. Didn’t you just see that? You can’t win with just ten of those.」

「Right.」

I looked a little bitter. I’m not going to draw any thing good after seeing that.

Since we’ve come all this way, let’s just replenish the white balls we’ve used and go home.

With this thought in mind, I turned the lottery machine.

Rattle, rattle, poto.

「……Eeeh?」

「No waaaaaaaaayyyyy?!」

The man held his head and let out a grand scream.

The first thing that came out was a yellow ball.

The handbell rings.

「Congratulations, fourth prize.」

As the staff congratulated me, the man groaned more and more.

Eleanor, who was watching the whole thing from behind, let out a small「pfft」.

Previous|TOC|Next

I returned to the city of Roizen. I’m inside the Adventurer’s Guild, an incredibly luxurious room.

「I’ve heard from everyone.」

Andreu, who led me here, said.

He looks slightly proud.

「I heard you were like a demon.」

「Don’t worry about it. I didn’t do anything major.」

「You’re kidding. By a conservative estimate, Yuuki-sama alone did the work of several hundred people. The opinions of the adventurers, both favorable and cynical, were common on that one point.」

Was there really cynicism?

「But more importantly, are you okay? It looks like you sealed that place off, but could something happen to break the seal?」

I ask, remembering Mari.

Fiona also said that there was nothing there to begin with, and suddenly Mari happened.

Compared to that, now that the seal is there, the danger must be higher.

When I asked him about it, Andreu answered with a straight face.

「It will be handled as a matter of utmost importance by the Adventurer’s Guild. I plan to have a B-rank adventurer or higher attached to me to constantly monitor the area for anything unusual. To be honest, if it weren’t for Yuuki-sama, the front line there would have been breached, and the ever-increasing number of monsters would have swallowed up the two cities of Roizen and Reiuse.」

（We’re rather lucky if that’s all. My armies have overrun the former empire from one end to the other. Give it time, and this country would have been destroyed.)

Eleanor is getting slightly better at this. We’ll deal with this later.

I looked at Andreu with a straight face and asked him something that made me even more curious.

「I’m going to have to make the rounds. That’s all well and good, but wouldn’t it be better to make them disappear than to seal them up?」

「We’re having trouble there, but we’ll let them find a way. We’ll have the adventurers in our guild work on this as a top priority quest. It will be a big financial loss, but we can’t help it.」

「I see. I’ll look out for them.」

「Can you do that for me?」

Andreu’s eyes sparkled. As he said, he would be happy if I did that.

「And by the way… Because, frankly, I have other things I need to do.」

「That’s fine. If you’re Yuuki-sama, even if you’re a lone adventurer, you’re more promising than most.」

I’m going to be talking on a lot.

Well, but I know what he’s talking about. I could sense the seriousness of Andreu’s words.

「And with that………」

Andreu’s tone suddenly became heavier for some reason. Is there something he’s having trouble saying?

「What’s the matter?」

「I was wondering if Yuuki-sama would be interested in joining the Adventurers Guild.」

「Join the Adventurers’ Guild?」

「Yes. As you know, the rank of an adventurer’s guild is determined by the merits of the guild in resolving requests and the reputation of the adventurers who belong to it.」

I don’t know, but I kind of understand somehow.

「For a long time, our guild has been without an adventurer we could call our ace to the public.」

「What about Alexis?」

When asked, Andreu slowly shook his head.

「He’s a good man, but he’s never achieved anything decisive. Also, perhaps because of his personality, he often makes mistakes in important areas.」

「Ah, there are people like that, aren’t there?」

「So, as an ace, ……」

Andreu’s words were muffled, but he continued to stare at me.

Alexis can’t do it, but I’ve got a strong appearance.

Honestly, I don’t feel bad about it. No, I rather that that, I feel good.

「We will, of course, pay you a reasonable stipend. We will try to facilitate you this in some of the cities where our guild has branches.」

He has made some substantive proposals. Not a bad proposition.

I accepted Andreu’s proposal and decided to stay in the adventurer’s guild.

After we finished talking, we walked out of the guild.

It was getting quite dark outside and I tried to warp back to the mansion.

「Uh!」

That’s where I’ll be approached.

I turned around and saw a female adventurer who looked like a magician.

「You …… just now.」

I remembered her face, but I never heard her name, come to think of it.

「My name is Io Akos!」

「Io, huh? I’m Yuuki Kakeru. You can call me Kakeru.」

「Kakeru-san, ……thank you for what you did earlier.」

「Yeah. Are you okay?」

「Yes, because Kakeru-san rescued me.」

「……Looks like you’re injured?」

I point to her arm. It was wrapped in a torn piece of cloth, stained red with blood.

　It looks like she was just given first aid.

「Did you get it taken care of properly?」

「Excuse me! I just wanted to see you, Kakeru……」

「Just a minute.」

I pulled out a magic ball (white) from my pocket.

I then used it on Io. The ball emitted a gentle light that enveloped her entire body.

「How is it?」

「What about ……? Oh, my injury.」

Io was surprised. She unwound the wrapped cloth. The skin was so smooth, there was not a scratch on it.

I used the magic ball for the first time, and it works pretty well. Well, I was told that if you’re not dead, it will work.

「Kakeru-san just now? Did you also use healing magic?」

It wasn’t magic, but I didn’t want to explain it, so I just faked it.

Io was busy being surprised and her eyes twinkling.

「So, what do you mean you wanted to see me?」

「Yes! Ummm……」

Io squirmed, finding it hard to say.

Eventually, she spoke up as if she had made up her mind.

「Please let me join your party, Kakeru!」

She bowed her head as best she could and asked.

I was a little surprised.

In my party? I mean, I’m creating a party?

I’d never thought of forming a party before.

「Umm, can’t I?」

Io looked up and asked timidly. She has eyes like an abandoned puppy.

「No, it’s just a little unexpected and surprising. I’ve never had a party before. Io was the first person to ask me to partner up with her.」

「I am the first ……」

Io, for some reason, looked subtly pleased.

I thought to myself.

Reasons to refuse and reasons to let her in.

There’s no reason to say no to …… nothing that really bothers me.

Reason for inclusion. If I were to really form a party and bring in a companion, I’d rather have someone beautiful and pretty or cute and pretty than a guy anyway.

For that, Io is perfect. She’ s a little plain in her magician-like outfit, but she still looks cute enough.

That Io is staring at me. She’s waiting for my reply.

「All right, let’s get a party going.」

「──！Thank you!!!」

Io was as happy as if she had won the lottery.

「Let’s talk more tomorrow. Come to my mansion.」

「Yes!」

I showed her where the mansion was and left Io.

A party with girls, yeah, I’m getting a little excited thinking about it calmly.

I return to the mansion in an excited mood.

By the way, I don’t know where they heard about it, but there were some male adventurers waiting for me in front of the mansion, and they said the same thing to me.

Some of them had a twinkle in their eyes that said, “I admire you!” There were some who had a twinkle in their eye, but they were …… men, so I turned them all down.

Previous|TOC|Next

I took a quick look around and confirmed the status of the battle.

The adventurers are clearly exhausted, but the monsters are still being defeated one by one.

As soon as they defeat a monster, a new one springs up.

Every once in a while, an adventurer or two will be killed.

There is no replenishment of adventurers.

Because of that difference, the adventurer’s side is being pushed.

f that’s so, then ── reduce the numbers!

I ran out to the front with Eleanor.

I smashed a skeleton in half from the side that was sparring with an adventurer.

「And you are……?」

Upon closer inspection, the raggedy adventurer looked at me curiously.

There’s no time to talk. I quickly ran to the next monster.

If I find myself in the middle of a battle, I will intervene and kill the monster with one blow.

While reducing the number, I made sure that there would be no more damage on our side.

I ran through the battlefield. After I passed, the bodies of the monsters piled up.

As I repeated this, the battle situation slowly changed.

The adventurer who was freed up by my help went to help the other adventurers.

With more people, we were able to defeat the monster when we attacked together.

That’s how we beat them, and that’s how we pace ourselves.

The tide has turned. The adventurer’s side was pushing back.

Just then, an adventurer slashed at me.

「Onoreeeeeeeee!!!」

It’s a young male adventurer. Eleanor effortlessly catches the long sword that is swung down from the top.

「You’re the leader of the monsters!」

「What are you saying?」

「Don’t play dumb! You give off such a ominous aura!」

The man said, annoyed.

……

　Uh, yeah, I guess so.

Eleanor’s black aura is that way no matter how you look at it.

I mean, this army of monsters is originally hers.

I can’t help but be misunderstood.

To be honest, this guy is about right.

「Wait, that’s not who he is!」

Another adventurer came from behind and stopped the man.

I saw that it was one of the people I had just saved.

「What the hell are you talking about?」

「It’s true! You have to believe me.」

The man stopped moving. I could see the hesitation clearly.

I didn’t have time to explain, so I just let him go and moved on.

I knock them down, and knock them down, and knock them down.

After defeating a certain amount of monsters, I noticed something.

The monsters you’ve encountered are new. Unlike the previous ones, I don’t see any signs of a fight.

That means they’ve just been born.

「Does this mean that the pace at which we beat them has completely outpaced the pace at which they are regenerating?」

（Looks that way.）

「So how do I stop them from being born altogether?」

Now that I have some time to spare, I ask Eleanor how to solve the problem.

（Well…）

「Well, it was your power, wasn’t it?」

（If it were still under my control, I could stop it like it was breathing, but this is the first time it’s happened.）

「……」

I was speechless. It’s a very delicate subject and I can’t retort.

「I’m sealing it.」

A female adventurer said from the side. It’s the magician-looking woman I just saved.

「Seal?」

「There’s a specialist on standby. Once we’ve wiped out the monsters, we’re supposed to go to the summoning point and seal it off.」

「So all I have to think about is wiping this thing out.」

「Yes!」

The female adventurer nodded vigorously.

Her eyes stare straight at me.

Eyes of expectation and trust.

「If that’s the case, let’s kick it up a notch.」

「Eeeeeh, you mean you’re not serious yet?」

「Yeah, well.」

I nodded. The woman was growing more surprised.

Because up until now, I’ve had to help.

It took a lot of effort to save the ones who was in the middle of fighting monsters. It’s fine if I’m helping those in melee combat because we can sync up, but for others like magicians and archers, they’re often already pinned down and in close contact when I come in to help.

　If I gave it my all, they’s would get caught up in it, so I had to hold back and fight pretty hard.

But I can give it my all from here.

Just when I was ready to give it one more try.

「It’s, It’s really bad!」

「Uuwaaa, what the hell was that?」

There were shouts of fear from the people around me. We’re all looking in the same direction.

I looked in the same direction.

There was a giant with horns and fangs, and a fierce-looking face.

I’ve never seen this monster before.

「What the hell is that?」

（Sandros, the king of hell. My ……well, I guess you could say it’s my trump card.）

「Hell ── that’s a big name.」

（By the way, that’s enough power in itself to change the course of a battle.）

「Oh, come on.」

I was a little dumbfounded. I can’t believe you came here with such a secret weapon.

As I was going there, a group of adventurers came running from that direction. They ran away from the direction Sandros was in.

「I didn’t hear anything about a monster like that.」

「I can’t fight against with that!」

The adventurers, who had never fled before even when the situation was unfavorable, fled one by one.

If I was told that it was the emperor of hell, I would be convinced with its impactful appearance. …… Well, it can’ t be helped.

The panic is contagious and the front line is on the verge of collapse.

「Where he is now is where monsters are born, right? I was thinking earlier, that place is near the cave where Mari was.」

（Looks that way.）

「If that’s the case──」

There’s not a moment to lose. If this continues, there will be a total collapse.

I used my warp feather to fly to the cave where Mari was.

「Uwa!」

I was surprised. It was as if a large wall had instantly appeared in front of me.

I jump back a step. So I took a closer look and realized that it was Sandros’ leg.

Up close, it looked like a wall.

Then my vision cleared and I saw a dozen adventurers lying around me.

Sandros got them, huh …… It hasn’t been that long since this guy came out.

Suddenly, Sandros looked at me, as if he had noticed me.

「Guooooooooooo!」

It suddenly roared towards the sky and then stared at me.

「Isn’t he getting angry all of a sudden?」

「Guooooooooooo!」

「And he’s staring at you. Wasn’t he your subordinate? What did you do?」

（I guess it was a bad idea to tie them up in contracts and make them work for free for hundreds of years.）

「It’s clearly the cause!」

That would make me angry. It’s only natural for the so-called ” Emperor of Hell” to be angry when treated like that.

Sandros swung down the weapon he was holding.

It was a large sword, almost five meters long, like a machete.

Eleanor is poised to receive it. Gashin. There was a shockwave around me, and a fallen adventurer was blown away.

It’s not enough to be passive.

I latched on to Sandros from here.

I flew at it just before the second slash came and cut off its arm. His arm flew off in the direction of the day after tomorrow and snapped a tree with a snap.

「Guooooooooooo!」

Sandros shouted more and more with bloodshot eyes.

He threw a punch with his remaining arm. I avoid it and run up the arm in one fluid motion.

When I got to his shoulder, I jumped towards his face.

「Guooooooooooo!」

　More roaring, more quivering in the air, more rustling at the hem of my clothes.

I held Eleanor at the ready.

「I have nothing against you, but you need to disappear from here!」

With both hands, I swung Eleanor down and cracked Sandros in the skull.

The fallen Sandros stared at me with bloodshot eyes until the end.

「Is he going to resurrect too?」

（Given time.）

「Now they’re going to hate me.」

That’s what I thought, but well, I had no choice.

After that, I went around killing the remaining monsters.

The battle was coming to an end at an accelerated pace, and soon the adventurer in charge of the seal arrived to seal the point where monsters are born – Mari’s cave.

The matter was settled, and a victory cry was raised around me.

Previous|TOC|Next

I left the Salamus Trading Company, telling them to deliver everything I bought to the mansion, and thought about it as I wandered around at random.

　I guess I can get one lottery ticket for every three hundred silver.

I didn’t get all the details of my purchases.

I was given one when I paid for the Miu and three hundred silver spent for the painting.

When I bought a batch of bracelets for 1,600 silver, I got five.

If that’s the case, I think it makes more sense to think of one lottery ticket for every 300 silver.

That being the case, there is one thing that bothers me.

It reminded me of a list of prizes at the lottery.

The fourth prize was a fifty percent discount shopping coupon.

I’m wondering if I get one for every three hundred or one for every one hundred and fifty when I shop with a fifty percent discount.

I want to draw the lottery.

I have a total of seven lottery tickets right now, and cow I’ve come this far, I’d better save up three more tickets and draw eleven in a row.

That’s nine hundred silver coins, and I don’t think I’ll be able to accumulate that quickly.

I thought about it for a moment and moved on, using my warp feather.

To the wilderness between the cities of Roizen and Reiuse. I just rode through it on horseback.

So I say to Eleanor.

「I need you to send out the zombie soldiers.」

（Army of the Dead?　What’s going on?）

「Just do it, please.」

Eleanor was able to access that lottery room, but I’m pretty sure she couldn’t see the lottery ticket over here.

I couldn’t be bothered to explain, so I asked anyway.

（You’re pushing me around. That’s not very nice.）

Eleanor said, but right after that, something gradually took shape in front of my eyes.

She complains about it, but she didn’t say she wouldn’t do it.

I regripped Eleanor.

I want to hunt skeletons and zombies and get lottery tickets.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

「Eh?」

（Eh?）

I heard my voice and Eleanor’s.

Eleanor had summoned the skeletons, but they hadn’t appeared.

Instead, a girl appeared.

A young girl in a maid’s outfit, I remember seeing her somewhere before.

「……The ghost in the mansion?」

I became convinced as I mumbled.

Yes, it looks like the ghost I defeated at the mansion.

However, she doesn’t have the evil spirit-like feeling that I experienced at that time. She looks transparent, but other than that, she’s just a normal girl.

(Where am I?)

「……It’s between Roizen and Reiuse.」

(I know where Roizen is, but Reiuse?）

She seemed to be able to carry on a normal conversation.

「Eleanor, what’s this all about?」

（I’d like to know too!）

「Where are the zombie soldiers?」

（I’ve been trying to summon them for a while now, but they’re not responding. What the hell? This has never happened to me before.）

Apparently, it’s not a lie. Eleanor’s voice echoed in my head because it sounded like she was in distress.

「Try moving this ghost in and out as if you were moving a zombie soldier in and out.」

(Okay)

The ghost maid disappeared and then reappeared.

Once she disappeared, she reappeared.

「Looks like you can do it.」

（Why?）

「How would I know?」

All I know is that Eleanor’s summoning went from zombie soldiers to this girl ghost.

That and the fact that there’s no easy way to get lottery tickets anymore.

（My name is Tania, Tania Chitiakis.）

「I’m Yuuki Yuuki Kakeru. Do you know who I am?」

Tania stared at my face.

（Ah, the person who came into the mansion!）

「Ah, you remember.」

（(I remember now. ── I’m so far away from the mansion?!）

「You couldn’t leave before?」

（Un, I was trapped there for a long time. It was boring, and people on the outside seemed to be having fun, which made me angry, and I began to envy them.）

「I guess that means you’re a location bound ghost.」

I could almost see the main points of story.

　I don’t know why, but it means that I was able to get the earthbound ghost out of the mansion through Eleanor.

（Could it be that Kakeru took me out of the mansion?）

「I can’t be sure, but I’m thinking it might be.」

（Really?! Thank you!）

Tania hugged me. You’re a ghost and you can’t hug me.

(Thanks, Kakeru!)

When I saw Tania’s bright smile, I thought this was much better than skeletons and zombies.

When I returned to the villa, I found Andreu of Andreu Trading Company had arrived.

I’ve always sold mountain oxen to him, but this is the first time I’ve seen him at the mansion.

We sat across from each other in the parlour.

「Can I help you?」

「I have a favour to ask.」

「You mean the mountain ox?」

「No, that’s not a problem at all ……, but if you could continue with mountain ox and help me with I’m about to ask you to do, that would be great.」

「What’s happening?」

「You know about Alexis, don’t you?」

「Alexis…… Oh, those four.」

Andreu nodded.

Alexis is the name of the leader of the quartet that first led him to join Andreu Trading Company.

I went to the trading company to deliver mountain oxen almost every day after that, so I saw him a few times and even talked to him a little.

He was an ace in the Andreu Trading Company, but he was also the guy who was surpassed by me.

「What’s wrong with Alexis?」

「He’s been seriously injured.」

「Hm?」

I furrowed my brow.

「In fact, a few days ago, monsters started appearing in certain places in large numbers. Originally, it was an empty area, but because of its sudden appearance, the adventurer’s guild in Roizen received a request to take it down. By the way, I’m also involved in the management of the Adventurers Guild.」

Adventurer’s Guild, I didn’t know there was such a thing.

「The monsters are not that strong. However, the speed at which they were multiplying was unbelievable. The Adventurer’s Guild investigated and sent in almost all of their adventurers. That’s where the battle became fifty-fifty.」

「I’m starting to get the picture. Alexis was injured badly when he was sent out there.」

「Yes, and to make matters worse, Alexis’ entire party was seriously injured. So much so that they won’t be able to move for a month. With Alexis and the other three out of the picture, the battle situation went from bad to worse.」

「So you mean you want me to do something about it.」

「That’s what I mean. Of course, you will be rewarded Honestly, I’m in the biggest pinch since the founding of the Adventurers Guild, and I’m willing to pay whatever it takes.」

「Got it.」

I responded immediately.

Defeat monsters and get rewards.

I might even get a lottery tickets while defeating them.

It was a request that I had no reason to refuse.

In order to defeat them, I was registered as an adventurer with the Adventurer’s Guild.

They want to make it look like they were defeated by someone who belonging to the guild.

That’s fine, but I didn’t like the fact that …… I had just been registered and was ranked D.

I know that’s where I’m supposed to start at first, but I asked her and she said Alexis was an A. I decided to move up in rank when this was all over.

The people from the adventurer’s guild led me to a place where they said there were a lot of monsters.

「Hey, something looks familiar around here.」

（……）

Eleanor didn’t respond.

「And that monster thing looks familiar.」

（──♪）

Eleanor whistled in my head.

It’s a bit too deliberate.

We were led to the forest where we saved Mari a few days ago.

Fighting the adventurers in the distance are skeletons, zombies, and other familiar monsters.

「I’ll be lecturing you later.」

（It’s not my fault!）

I pulled out Eleanor, who was emitting a black aura, and headed towards the monsters.

When the monsters noticed us, it looked at me and Eleanor and backed away, clearly spooked.

I’m sorry, but unlike the …… soldiers, I’m not letting you guys go.

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I left Helene. She had her head down in embarrassment.

The way she glanced at me was very cute and adorable.

「Umm……」

「Un」

「Women from royalty can only have one man in their lives.」

「Huh?」

I wondered what it meant. I knew immediately.

I’m the first, and I’ll always be the only one.

That’s what Helene is trying to tell me.

「Yeah, I understand.」

「It is difficult for me to be at Kakeru-sama’s side right now.」

Helene looks saddened.

「What you just said is enough. I’ll be waiting.」

「──Yes!」

Thus, Helene became my woman.

☆

The next day, as I was relaxing in my house, Miu came into my room with something.

「Master, a letter for you.」

「A letter?」

I received a sealed letter from Miu. On the front is a coat of arms that I’ve seen before.

「From the Salamus Trading Company.」

I don’t know what it is, but I can’t believe they sent me this.

I open the envelope and take out the paper inside. I look at the opened letter.

（The bill, for this girl?）

I heard Eleanor’s voice in my head. I can’t read, so I didn’t know what to do, so I’m grateful.

「Well, when I bought Miu, they said they’d send me a bill later, so that’s this.」

「Is that mine?　……Ah.」

「What’s wrong?」

「Three hundred silver coins …… I’m so expensive.」

「Three hundred, huh?」

I don’t know what the market price is, but it’s hard to imagine Salamus ripping me off now, so I guess that’s about right.

「All right, let’s go pay him.」

Using my warp feather, I went to the Salamus Trading Company with three hundred silver coins to pay for Miu.

The number of silver coins was a bit bulky and difficult to carry.

「Indeed, I received three hundred pieces of silver. Here is the title deed.」

Salamus gave me a nice piece of paper with a lot of words written on it.

「We look forward to serving you again.」

「Yeah, if I need anything,I’ll let you know.」

「By the way, Yuuki-sama, have you heard the rumour that the kingdom will soon be issuing a new currency?」

「Huh?」

I was a little spooked.

Maybe it’s about the bills I suggested to Princess Iris.

Of course, then I would know, but I decided to play dumb.

「That’s new to me, does that happen often?」

「No, basically not, except when the king is replaced.」

「Is that so?」

I heard a lot of rumours about paper money. The basic idea was a variation of what I had suggested to Princess Iris. That’s about right, considering it’s just a rumour.

The only thing that was new to me was the idea of determining the unit of currency. Maybe they will name it Yen or Dollar or something like that.

「On another subject, I’ve been wondering about it for a while now. That sword that Yuuki-sama has on his hip could it be……」

「Yeah?　Oh, you mean Eleanor.」

I lifted the magic sword and showed it to Salamus.

She’s been much more quiet and cooperative lately, but I still carry her around with me because she’s dangerous when touched by others.

「The magic sword Eleanor. I didn’t know you had such a thing.」

「I’m telling you, I’m not selling it.」

I remembered that Salamus was a merchant, and I made sure to mention it.

When I left the trading company and tried to use the warp feather to return to the mansion, I noticed that there was something in my pocket.

When I took it out, I was surprised.

It was a lottery ticket. I must have used up all my tickets in the previous eleven consecutive raffles, so how did they end up in my pocket?

I had a hunch.

Miu’s deed.

Miu bought with three hundred silver coins. Shortly after that, I got a lottery ticket.

「Does that mean I get a lottery tickets for buying something?」

In modern Japan, this would be a normal story, but since it was a different world and a slightly different lottery, I couldn’t be sure.

So I decided to experiment.

I have nearly 2,000 silver coins in cash.

I took it all and went to town.

I used one silver coin to get a meal, but no lottery ticket appeared.

I went to a tailor and had several maid’s outfits made for Miu. It costed me ten silver, but I didn’t get any lottery tickets.

I bought a lot of things at various stores, and I spent about a hundred silver, but I didn’t get any lottery tickets.

Shopping does not cause lottery tickets to appear?

Then there are two possibilities.

Maybe it’s because I bought something from the Salamus Trading Company, or maybe it’s because I made an expensive purchase.

「Welcome. Oh, isn’t it Yuuki-sama? How can I help you?」

「Hey, there’s something I need you to get for me.」

「I’m at your service.」

Salamus said with a merchant’s face.

Well, let’s do some normal shopping first.

「I want to get some furniture. Some of the ones in my mansion are old and shabby, and I want to replace them.」

「Yes」

I told Salamas what furniture I wanted to replace for now.

「How about twenty-five …… silver coins for those?」

「Please」

I counted out twenty-five silver coins and handed them to Salamus.

「Thank you again. We will make arrangements right away.」

「Please」

Say, wait a minute.

There were no lottery tickets.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the Salamus Trading Company, and if so, how much do I have to spend?

I told Salamus the other thing I had been thinking about.

「I want paintings.」

「Paintings, sir?」

「Yes, a framed painting, like the kind that hangs in a parlour. I don’t know much about paintings, so you’ll have to make do with three hundred silver.」

Three hundred silver is the same price as Miu. It’s a price that could have yielded a lottery ticket.

「Yes, sir.」

「Okay, here are 300 silver.」

「I’ve certainly received it. This will take some time to procure…….」

「I’ll leave it to you.」

It’s an expensive purchase and a very general order, so that’s about it.

It’s more for a lottery ticket than anything else.

I rummaged through my pockets.

Then.

「There it is.」

I got a new lottery ticket, which I hadn’t gotten earlier.

This is the second one, along with Miu’s.

So I can get it for …… expensive purchases.

Once that’s determined, I won’t hold back anymore.

I went to Salamus (He couldn’t see the lottery ticket) wondering why I got a lottery ticket, so I took out all the remaining silver coins.

「I have about 1,600 silver coins, what can I buy with them?」

「…… is a unique proposition.」

Salamus says with a faint smile.

He’s right, from his point of view it certainly is.

But from my perspective.

It’s like asking for as many lottery tickets as I can afford with this money.

The actual shopping can be anything he deems it should be.

「I’ll be with you in a moment.」

Salamus retreated once then brought something on a tray.

A gold bracelet, inlaid with jewels.

「What’s this?」

「This is something that’s very popular among the upper class. It’s what someone would give women, he claims as his own, in his harem to wear.」

「Huh?」

「This is just a sample. It is a way to assert that the woman belongs to you, so it can be tailored to each customer. Basically, gold bracelets and jewellery.」

That’s really interesting.

An item that declares being a possession of my harem?

I don’t have a chance to use it at the moment, but I’ll buy it.

「That’s 1,600 silver.」

「That would be 4 items, if that’ s all right.」

「Ah.」

I offered him the remaining silver coins along with the cloth bag.

Salamus counted them.

「I’ve certainly received it.」

The moment Salamas said that, another lottery ticket appeared in my pocket.

This time, it was five tickets.

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「Your Highness!」

Fotis shouted. He sounded quite desperate.

Princess Helene looked up.

Her smile disappeared and her face turned pale.

I looked above me too.

Arrows are raining down on us. I can see a squad of enemy soldiers with bows outside the fort.

It is obvious that they are concentrating on this one point. I think they saw Princess Helene, so they concentrated their fire on her.

「Fuuu!」

I swung my magic sword and repelled all the arrows that were about to hit Helene.

They flew in one after another, but I had knocked down every last one.

I left the arrows that were obviously off target.

They stab the ground. A safe zone like a crop circle was created around Helene and me.

「Awesome……」

「What swordsmanship!」

Princess Helene and Fotis marveled.

More arrows flew at me, but this time I turned to Princess Helene ── my back to the arrows ── and knocked them all down the same way.

「Now that I’m here, you’re safe.」

「Yes……」

Helene regained her smile.

Yeah, that’ll do.

However, this time, when she saw me, her expression changed.

「That sword …… is it Eleanor?」

「What?!」

Princess Helene said, and Fotis’ eyes widened with a snap.

They stare at the magic sword I’m holding.

「Eleanor…… is this girl?」

「The magic sword Eleanor. A legendary magic sword that corrodes one’s heart and devours one’ spirit.」

「That shape, and that ominous aura. I’m sure of it, Eleanor. Please step back, Your Highness!」

Fotis stepped in between Helene and me.

……Yes, he is correct. His knowledge is correct, and Fotis’s actions are correct as a knight protecting the princess.

It makes me a little sad though. I can’ t help but feel a little sad when he does this, though he doesn’t know that I’m fine with this girl.

I tried to explain and clear up the misunderstanding.

「Fotis-sama!」

This time, a soldier’s shout interrupted him. He’s a soldier on lookout.

「What’s wrong?」

「Enemy reinforcements have arrived to the front of the fort.」

「Are more coming …… numbers?」

「There must be a thousand of them!」

「A thousand! You traitorous Kirill, you’ve turned almost all of your forces against us. Do you really want Her Highness’ life so badly?」

Fotis spat vexedly.

「Kuuu, now it has come to this──」

「Other than that, how many soldiers are left here?」

Fotis answered with a wary look in his eyes.

「It’s about …… fifty.」

Fifty people, maybe that’ll work. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just do it in several rounds.

「Gather everyone here.」

「What are you going to do?」

「It’s fine, just hurry up.」

I hurried him on. However, Fotis refused to budge.

He hesitates. I don’t think we have time for that at all.

「Fo──」

「Fotis. Do as Kakeru-sama says.」

「……Ha」

Princess Helene said. Then Fotis reluctantly obeyed and ordered the soldiers to assemble.

They were all together as the last of the soldiers dashed from the gate of the fort.

I took out my warp feather.

「Let’s go, then.」

「What are you──」

Fotis asks. I ignored him, as I didn’t have much time.

I thought back to the route I had taken to get here. I thought to myself about warping collectively to Euboea, the closest city with the absence of enemies.

The scenery switched and we were now in Euboea.

I looked around me.

There’s Princess Helene, there’s Fotis, and there are soldiers with wounds all over their bodies.

I’ve brought them all. It’s a success.

「What, this is …… Euboea?!」

「What the hell is this……?」

「I’ll explain later. More importantly,now that we have warped here, is it safe here?」

I ask Fotis to make sure.

「Ah, aaaahh. It should be fine here.」

「I see. Then I’ll leave you in charge here.」

「Leave it to me? What are you going to do?」

「Princess Helene. I’ll be back in a bit.」

「May the fortunes of war be with you.」

Princess Helene answered immediately.

It’s like she knows what I’m going to do.

I used my warp feather to get back to the fort.

「There’s no one here. What’s going on?!」

「We’ve got nothing but bodies!」

「Nonsense, they were here a moment ago.」

Just in case, I warped into the shadows I’d already set up.

I could hear men bellowing all over the place.

It’s good to see that they’ve rushed into the fort with no soldiers left to protect it, but they’re surprised to find that there’s not a single person alive.

「Okay, let’s do this.」

(What are you doing? ）

「I let Princess Helene escape unharmed, and I thought I’d beat these guys here.」

(All by yourself?）

「Aaah. Fotis looked tired, and the soldiers under his command were all wounded. I’d be better off on my own.」

That was just a pretext, but what I really meant was──

（Whatever, you just want to impress Princess Helene, don’t you?）

The magic sword had guessed right.

「…… you can read minds, can’t you?」

（If you act like this, everyone would notice.）

…… Well, I guess that’s true, too.

(Look at me, I’m so cool.)

She teased.

I was a bit annoyed, so I carried my magic sword and left the shadows.

「！Hey!　There’s one here!」

The soldier searching for us found me. He shouted out loud.

Enemy soldiers began to gather around me.

I think the talk was about a thousand people.

This is the first time I’m dealing with this number. The highest number so far is the army of dead spirits summoned by the magic sword, but that number was around a hundred, so in terms of numbers, it’s about ten times as many.

I think I can manage. And if I can’ t, I can just warp away.

「Ah, no.」

I reconsidered.

I took out the warp feather.

The enemy soldiers in front of me, I warped behind them.

I slashed his defenseless back with a kesa kesagake (diagonal slash from the shoulder down).

The soldier collapses, unable to resist.

There was another beside him. He was startled by the sudden event but as per the previous example, I warped behind him and slashed his back.

Warp and slash.

（It’s a terrible fight.）

The voice of the magic sword echoed in my head, and despite her words, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

I smiled with my mouth open and headed towards the enemy soldiers.

I slashed him head-on.

He repelled the attack and slashed in counter.

I warped and slashed his back.

I swung my magic sword and slashed at random.

I slashed and slashed and slashed.

「UoooooOoo!」

A soldier jumped me from behind. He came out of nowhere, and the momentum pushed me forward and down.

「What’s this ── Guuuoooo!」

I tried to get up from where I was trapped underneath, but was jumped on by one after another.

A different soldier on top of a soldier, and another soldier on top of another soldier.

People were pouring in one after the other, quickly forming a small mountain.

「Not yet!」

「Somebody get this guy.」

I was completely pushed down to the ground and couldn’t get up because I couldn’t get my strength to work properly.

Another soldier approached me. He thrusts a spear down at my head.

I’m in a pinch.

Yeah, until yesterday.

I used the warp feather.

I warped a meter to the side, leaving behind a pile of soldiers.

I stood up quickly. As if nothing had happened.

I regripped my magic sword and swung it down on the pile of people.

I split the mountain in half.

「Who the hell is this guy ……?」

「He’s a monster.」

「We can’t fight this thing.」

Seeing this, quite a few soldiers lost their will to fight and ran away.

I cut down the one that was coming at me and let the one that was losing his will to fight go.

「Eeeeeei, get out of the way!」

After a while, a man appeared in front of me, pushing aside the soldiers.

His appearance is different from the other soldiers, and his armor is very impressive. This guy’s in command?

「You are?」

「I’m Kirill Slav Who the hell are you? Where’s Helene?」

The man who called himself Kirill. That name sounded familiar.

「You’re Kirill? She said you betrayed Princess Helene.」

「What about it?」

「No, nothing.」

I’m not going to do anything.

Slash!

I swung my magic sword to the side. Kirill’s head flew off.

「There’s even less reason to keep him alive.」

Kirill is dead. The soldiers immediately fell into a panic and ran for their lives.

After spurting blood into the fort’s watering hole, I brought back Kiril’s head via warp and gave it to Fotis.

Fotis was very surprised and asked me how I did it.

All I could say was that I cut and slashed, and I answered accordingly.

Fotis was so surprised.

That was not important.

I mean, I’ve been feeling queasy in my stomach for a while now. What the hell is this?

「I’m…」

「Eh?」

I looked at Fotis, who suddenly took on a serious tone.

「I often say this to my men when they first come back from the battlefield. If you’re having a hard time, go embrace a woman.」

「……」

When I didn’t respond, Fotis also left without saying anything.

I know what he means. In addition, I found out the reason for my queasy feeling in my stomach.

There is a word I often hear.

There is a word I often hear. And.

So that’s what this pang in my chest was about, and I knew it was something to be quelled

It was disgusting that he could see through me, but I thank him for making me understand.

Let’s get to fluffing.

Let’s mofumofu Miu, mofumofu her, and fluffy her thoroughly until morning.

That way it should stop.

I took out my warp feather and tried to warp to the mansion.

「Kakeru-sama」

I heard Princess Helene’s voice. I turn to face her as she approaches.

「I’m glad you’re safe, above all.」

「Un」

「Oh, you have a cut on your face.」

「Eh?」

I touched my face. The place I touched felt a bit slippery.

I don’t think I was attacked at all. …… Maybe I scraped myself when I was pinned down.

Princess Helene took out what looked like a handkerchief and wiped my face.

I can feel her warmth through the silk handkerchief. Her scent tickled my nose.

My heart is in my throat ── it’s burning.

After wiping it, Princess Helene stared at my face.

She stared ── and closed her eyes softly.

I put my hand on her slim, delicate shoulder.

I kissed Helene.

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